Fall Creek (Houston, Spring, Atascocita: apartment complexes, HOA, crime)

[crl21]

We are moving to Houston this summer, and I'm really leaning towards Fall Creek. We have family in Atascocita, so we would like to be within 20 minutes or so. I'll be working at UofH, and I'm not a huge fan of long commute times. Therefore, I'd like to keep it as short as possible, but still have good schools and newer homes. I have done the older mid-century thing, and I'm not really interested in doing it again. This means that inside the loop is out. I'd love thoughts on the following questions from people who actually live in Fall Creek. I know there are older posts about this, but most of them are over 2 years old. Also, many of them seem to be full of comments from people unfamiliar with the area.

1) What are commute times like to downtown? How is I-59?

2) Are the apartment complexes and rough neighborhoods in the surrounding area a problem?

3) Is there a sense of community in the area?

4) How is the elementary school?

5) Is the retail starting to build up in the area, or will we have to go into Humble or over to Atascocita/Kingwood?

6) Does anyone know a really good realtor in that area? Especially one that is good at working with the builders?

7) Is there anything else we should be aware of?

Thanks so much.

[JilliO]

retail is so-so. I can't speak to commute DURING rush hour. Off-rush hour it should be under 25 minutes or so to downtown.

Fall Creek--your closest grocery will be Walmart or zip up road to HEB in Summerwood (not far). I can't speak to the impact of apartments in the immediate Fall Creek area. I live in Summerwood and get on the Beltway now that it's open--I'm rarely on the feeder down into the FallCreek area. (could be because there's not too much there... there's more up W Lake Houston Parkway to Atascocita/1960 area). I can see from the Beltway that there has been substantial amount of apartments going up in last 3 or so years. The retail and dining options are just OK--altho it's picking up a little.

I hope someone else chimes in--I believe that sentiment is similar to what it was a couple years ago re: unease about some of the apartments nearby. That said, people still seem to be happy there.

Your family in Atascocita knows you and can probably give you better feedback as to whether it will satisfy you.

I'm biased--as I've identified myself as a Summerwood resident--but don't rule it out. The access to the Beltway (granted, that means toll) is right outside development, so pretty easy on and off. The grocery store right in the neighborhood is a godsend. Getting to a grocery story in 3 minutes.... wonderful. Both SW and FC feed into the same high school. (it's new)

I also can't speak to the community feel--but my hunch is that it's there. Fall Creek, Summerwood, and Eagle Springs are all master planned communities. For some reason, I just don't know many people in FC, but the sense of community is pretty strong in Summerwood and ES, so I'm betting it's the same in FC.

Can anyone else provide a tip on how to find a good realtor? We came on a relo package and were "assigned" a realtor. She was good, but she's from the other side of HOU, so I wouldn't recommend her to you simply for that reason.

This part of Harris county is a good value. THere are trade-offs anywhere you live..... it's quieter here, and that's both good and bad. my 2cents

[colcat]

Since you want to stay near family, you may want to look at Kingwood. I personally would not buy in Fall Creek due to the surrounding area. The development itself is nice but as more apartments are being built, you cannot predict the future of it all. Historically speaking, lots of apartments=more crime.

[Yonkers]

Late on the reply but just saw it. I live in Fall Creek.

1) What are commute times like to downtown? How is I-59?
I worked downtown for 1.5 years. Drive time around 8-8:30 is about 30-35 minutes. Riding the bus is about 25 minutes so I used to Park and Ride all the time.

2) Are the apartment complexes and rough neighborhoods in the surrounding area a problem?
I have a concern that it will be but so far nothing yet. Typical breakins that you find anywhere else but according to the Sheriff and crime reports pages, Fall Creek has lower crime than all the other neighborhoods around us. I'm including Summerwood, etc.

3) Is there a sense of community in the area?
Generally, yes. You have the typical HOA sponsored events etc. I know more of my neighbors here than I did at my old neighborhood but I also attribute that to purposely doing so. So it's really up to you how much community there is.

4) How is the elementary school?
Very good. The PTO is very involved. Another school is getting proposed soon so it should help with crowding.

5) Is the retail starting to build up in the area, or will we have to go into Humble or over to Atascocita/Kingwood?
It's picking up. We have 3 new restaurants in last few months. But it was real slow for the longest time during downturn.

6) Does anyone know a really good realtor in that area? Especially one that is good at working with the builders?

7) Is there anything else we should be aware of?
It's close to the airport so you will hear some planes. They're not supposed to have a path over us but they will go over and you will hear them. But after a while it's all white noise. Depends on your tolerance.
Being at corner of Beltway and 59 is really convenient. Can't overlook that.

[Raven_King]

I live in fall creek and work at the university of houston. Also late to the thread.


1) What are commute times like to downtown? How is I-59?

I leave to go to work at either 6:00am or 9:00am and rarely exceed 30 minutes door to door. During rush hour there is large variability. I leave at around 4:00 or 6:00 and it's about the same.


2) Are the apartment complexes and rough neighborhoods in the surrounding area a problem?

I have lived here for almost a year now and never really seen anyone from the apartments (that I know of). I followed this conversation on another thread for a while and it seems there isn't any noticeable issues here. I have not heard of any crime in my section (or the neighborhood), and I feel safe walking/running at night and in the morning.

3) Is there a sense of community in the area?

My section is great. We've had several street get-togethers (e.g. 4th of July) with good show-outs. They also do a lot of community building stuff in the summer (e.g. concerts at the front; cook-offs; picnics; etc.). We were pleasantly surprised by this.

4) How is the elementary school?

It's Exemplary by Texas statewide standardized tests. We just found out we are having a kid, and will probably try Fall Creek. Here are the data for the school:

Campus Information / Campus Profile


5) Is the retail starting to build up in the area, or will we have to go into Humble or over to Atascocita/Kingwood?

We use HEB, which is a quick drive (i.e. < 5 minutes) from Fall Creek. Just hop on beltway 8 frontage roads and head east.

6) Does anyone know a really good realtor in that area? Especially one that is good at working with the builders?

We bought used so I can't help you here.

7) Is there anything else we should be aware of?

We looked at houses for almost a year, trying to get as close to the university as possible, while also living in a safe, comfortable, new, and nice home. Fall Creek was the only one that satisfied all of those for us. We've been extremely happy with our home and the community. Houston's housing market is booming right now, too. Would be happy to answer any other specific questions.