Considering relocation - Katy vs. Sugar Land (Houston, West: apartments, crime rate)

[Panacea]

I'm considering a relocation to Houston in the next few months for a job in West Houston. I'm from New England and not used to "city living" so I'm looking at some of the suburbs. I'd be looking for an apartment for now and have found some nice apartments in my price range in Katy and Sugar Land.

After reading many of the thread here though, I'm concerned about how long a commute would be from Katy or Sugar Land to the job - which is in west houston, on the West Sam Houston Parkway North - about 1 mile the intersection of routes I-10 and the West Sam Houston Tollway North. Mapquest says the commutes are around 20-30 minutes, but I'm wondering if this is accurate given traffic, etc.

Any thoughts?
If the commute would be insane - can you give suggestions of other areas to live that are not right in the city, have lower crime rates and where one could get at least a 1 bedroom apartment for less than $750/mo?

Thanks in advance!

[metween]

Depending on where your job is, Sugar Land is close to the Beltway 8. I used to live there when we moved to TX from California. Now we live out in Needville, but there are some pretty new & nice apartments on West Airport and off of Hwy 6 in Sugar Land.

Hope this helps!

Amber Tween
removed

[AK123]

I think either of those areas would be fine, and it probably would be a 20-30 minute commute or less. Katy is directly west of Houston, and Sugar Land is southwest.

[Panacea]

Thanks to both of you - it's helpful to get the "inside scoop." Now if only it were so easy to get help landing the new job... :-)

[Redrover]

I would suggest Katy over Sugar Land because you could avoid having to get on a freeway entirely by going north on Barker Cypress to Clay Rd. and cutting over to the beltway from there. As you are looking for a one bedroom I assume you don't have children so the school district isn't an issue - but Katy has a better one... But to reiterate, the closer you can live to where you work, the better and if you do get the job where you mentioned, you will have a much better commute from Katy.

[postoak]

There are some less-than-10-year apts on Clay. Inside Beltway8, that is.

[txmom3]

I Would Suggest Katy Also. The Crime Rate Is Lower Than Katy. There Are Some Wonderful Apartments In Katy That Are Brand New. The Community Has Much To Offer For All People And Their Interests. The Katy Mills Shopping Mall Is Great Too, The Entertainment And Dining Establishments Are Wonderful As Are The Churches Too. Katy Is A Place With A Great Economy And Fantastic Commercial And Housing Development. From The New Hospital Opening In December To All The Master Planned Communities. The Schools Are Award Winning Nationally Recognized Schools. You May Not Have Kids Now But This Is Great Information For The Future. Best Of Luck In Your Decision.