Cypress area information please! (Houston, Sugar Land: 2010, low crime, houses)

[CAtransplant]

Hello,
we are thinking of moving to Houston soon and I was focusing on zip code: 77429 which should be in Cypress. Can you please give me more information on what zip codes, communities are "desirable" to live in Cypress, e.g. low crime, good schools, mature trees, etc... My budget is only up to $150,000 for a 2000 ft,1990s built house.
Also, is FWY 249 less congested than FWY 290 going south to Downtown Houston during business hours? What is an est. time driving to and from Downtown?
Thank you!

[AK123]

A daily commute from Cypress to downtown Houston is going to be tough. Is that the only area you're looking at?

[CAtransplant]

Originally Posted by JJP

A daily commute from Cypress to downtown Houston is going to be tough. Is that the only area you're looking at?

No, I was also looking in Kingwood but for some reason houses in Cypress area are bigger and cheaper. Is Champions/Willowbrook a nice area and is it any closer to Downtown?

[AK123]

Of those areas you mention, Kingwood would be the easiest to get into downtown. But still a bit of a commute.

I would avoid much of Champions/Willowbrook if you're concerned at all about how things look around you. That area has billboards and ugly signs everywhere, not many building regulations. Same with Bammel. Plus it will be harder to commute in than Kingwood.

I have a friend who lives in Kingwood and said she gets on Hwy 59 to commute into town and that it works out okay.

I live in Sugar Land and it's not too bad to commute into town from here either.

Hope that helps some...

[CAtransplant]

Originally Posted by JJP

Of those areas you mention, Kingwood would be the easiest to get into downtown. But still a bit of a commute.

I would avoid much of Champions/Willowbrook if you're concerned at all about how things look around you. That area has billboards and ugly signs everywhere, not many building regulations. Same with Bammel. Plus it will be harder to commute in than Kingwood.

I have a friend who lives in Kingwood and said she gets on Hwy 59 to commute into town and that it works out okay.

I live in Sugar Land and it's not too bad to commute into town from here either.

Hope that helps some...

Thanks for helpful advice!
My only remaining "concern" regarding Kingwood remains Air Pollution. I have read that most fumes blown from Ship Channel area travel north to Kingwood area. Is this true and how bad is it really?
Thanks again!

[Mr. Football]

Kingwood is going to be cheaper than Cypress, for some reason those houses go for about 10-15% less than a comparable home in Cypress. Kingwood is still nice, though. I think its a good buy, despite it having been annexed by Houston. It's proximity to the refineries is a concern, but prevailing winds usually keep you from breathing ship channel air. The aforementioned visual clutter (ie. signage, lack of zoning) is a problem all over the Houston area except when you enter the master planned communities.

Over on the Northwest, Cypress is a solid area, especially the 77429 zip code which is one of the top 10 household income zips in Harris county. The area between 290 and 249 is wooded, and there are some great neighborhoods, golf courses, etc here as well as exemplary schools. Klein is also nice, 77379 is another top 10 zip code. Two new Town Center/Lifestyle Centers are being developed (one on 249 and the other on 290) which will be quite nice.

[AK123]

The aforementioned visual clutter (ie. signage, lack of zoning) is a problem all over the Houston area except when you enter the master planned communities.

Yes, but it seems expecially bad on that stretch of 1960 from around Champions over to I-45.

I live in the Sugar Land area now (which does not allow billboards) but when I lived in Houston (in the memorial and town & country area) things looked a lot nicer there than up in the northern areas of Houston...

[modster]

Air quality is not an issue in Kingwood. From what I have read the air quality issues are pretty much the same across the city, with it being worse right at the ship channel.

The Klein & Champions area do suffer from ugly signage and developments along the main roads, but the subdivisions behind them are nice. The master planned communities like Kingwood or the Woodlands do not have that same problem, but they are farther out. Commutes from any of these areas is going to be pretty brutal, at least to me. FYI, also 249 doesn't really go downtown. It ends at the beltway.

I am not very familiar with Pearland, but that is a growing suburb that has a shorter commute supposedly. You might want to include it on your list.

[jyc9999]

I would NOT suggest anyone to move to Cypress if you work in Downtown. I am currently living in Cypress (77429 area) and work in downtown Houston. It is one of the biggest mistake I made in my life. The commute is very terrible. take about an hour and 50 minutes to commute. Driving is not an option because traffic starts around 6:15am. I get up at 5am to catch those commute buses and get to work at 6am to avoid traffic. I am trying to find a carpool buddy to get on the HOV line, but no luck so far. Also, the afternoon traffic on 290 starts before 3pm, and it took me about an hr and 20 minutes to get home the first day I started my job in downtown (this is why I started using the bus). On top of all those terrible traffic problems, the city decided to start major construction to expend 290 in year 2010. It is going to make the traffic a worse on top of the existing terrible situation before they are done with the construction.

[CAtransplant]

Thank you all for honest replies!
Even though we come from Los Angeles and know much about disgusting traffic, we definitely want to improve our lifestyles and that includes commute time.
I think we will decide for Kingwood since Sugar Land is out of my budget and Pearland,Friendswood are probably more likely to flood in case of a rain storm, right?
Does anybody have information how Spring area is compared to Kingwood, regarding crime, schools, commute, air quality, etc...
Thanks again!