Pearland (Houston, Pasadena, The Woodlands: crime, daycare, houses)

[momfromct]

What are everyone's take on this town?
Schools, crime, jobs?

[momfromct]

What is the town of Pearland like? The houses are beautiful. Is the town as beautiful as the houses? Also, where is Woodland?

[texas7]

Pearland is on the Southeast side of Houston whereas The Woodlands are on the North side of Houston. There is new Pearland near Hwy. 288 & Hwy. 518 - all shiny and new, large homes with easy freeway access and there is old Pearland which is neat, older homes, manicured lawns (for the most part), larger lots and more of a rural feel.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by momfromct

What are everyone's take on this town?
Schools, crime, jobs?

We moved to Pearland in July.

Our neighborhood has lots of kids who play outside after school. Many moms stay at home and are very friendly. The neighbors made us feel welcome immediately. We are in a very diverse neighborhood with people of many races and religions. We will be going to another subdivision for a Fall Festival run by a Bahai couple. There is a Hindu Temple here (important to my dil) and we are hoping to get our granddaughter into the Indian dance classes soon (they are being given at someone's home). My granddaughter is in heaven (our neighborhood in Louisiana had no kids her age and most of the kids were in daycare). She has another 5 year old in the house right next door who is in her kindergarten class. The neighborhood amenities in our subdivision include a park and pool that are well utilized. The pool, of course, is only open in the summer, but we are happy we can walk there instead of having to drive there.

The schools in Pearland are good. They do vary some depending on which school, but the district is going to the International Baccalaureate curriculum. The first school to be a candidate is Massey Ranch Elementary School - 100% of their teachers have been trained and they are working on getting the curriculum and philosophy in place. One middle school and one junior high are also in process, but not candidates yet. Other schools are working toward this including the high school. One problem is the growth here. There are so many people moving in and it is not built out yet, so they are building schools at a very high rate. Kids have been rezoned from one school to another and for some people this has been a real cause of suffering. There is no way to opt in or out of your local school, so you have to go where they tell you to go unless you can convince them of a real hardship. The schools are also huge. There are 7 kindergarten classes in my dgd's school. She seems to have adjusted well though. It's a preK to 4 school. The system goes from their to middle school (5/6) then to jr. high (7/8) and then to high school. They are building a second high school which at this point only has one or two grades, I think.

Crime is a problem no matter where you live, but having lived in Chicago, I would say that it is a matter of perception. I lived in Evanston for many years and people from the north suburbs were afraid of Evanston's *high* crime rate. We had no incidents near our home - except for a bike stolen out of the yard probably by a teen walking in our alley. This is a large suburb and there are crimes. So far though I have not seen much. It's a matter of being careful, locking your home and car, etc. I certainly have not seen any gangs here and I haven't seen any graffiti tags anywhere here.

I don't know about jobs *in* Pearland. I suppose that would depend on your field. There are plenty of retail shops to work at, plenty of restaurants, plenty of schools including some private ones. My son works in Pasadena and the commute there is not too bad. I would imagine that people work in the med center, at UH, etc. Commutes to those areas should not be too bad either. This will even be more true once the Park and Ride comes in here and that is supposed to be soon near the Cinemax theater on CR 94.

There are more and more things coming out here. I miss the bookstores, but Half Price Books just moved in and Barnes and Noble is coming. The area by 288 is going to have a water attraction similar to Kemah's boardwalk, I am told. UH is planning a campus in Pearland and the community college system already has one. The library could be better. It is expanding, but it is pretty small compared to what I am used to.

Dorothy

[Guerilla]

^^Not all of Pearland is like that. Parts of it go from Pre-K-5th; 6th-8th; 9th-12th. I think it depends on what district you are in. The water attraction you speak of is actually just a little canal ride. Nothing like Kemah really, but something neat.

Originally Posted by texas7

Pearland is on the Southeast side of Houston whereas The Woodlands are on the North side of Houston. There is new Pearland near Hwy. 288 & Hwy. 518 - all shiny and new, large homes with easy freeway access and there is old Pearland which is neat, older homes, manicured lawns (for the most part), larger lots and more of a rural feel.

Pearland isn't Southeast. More like directly south of Houston.

West Pearland (the newer side), feels a lot like any new growing suburb. That is where most of Pearland's growth is happened (Pearland went from 39,000 in 2000, to 83,000 in 2006). East Pearland is the old, mature, and somewhat rural side of town.

[tstone]

Pearland is in Brazoria county which is directly south of Houston. However this is only where Pearland begins. Pearland goes ~10 miles to the east and shares borders with Friendswood. Then you're in Clear Lake.

[Guerilla]

True. That is Old/East Pearland. West Pearland is what I was talking about (where most of the growth is). 288 is soon going to be right in the middle of Pearland.

[texas7]

Originally Posted by Guerilla

^^Not all of Pearland is like that. Parts of it go from Pre-K-5th; 6th-8th; 9th-12th. I think it depends on what district you are in. The water attraction you speak of is actually just a little canal ride. Nothing like Kemah really, but something neat.



Pearland isn't Southeast. More like directly south of Houston.

West Pearland (the newer side), feels a lot like any new growing suburb. That is where most of Pearland's growth is happened (Pearland went from 39,000 in 2000, to 83,000 in 2006). East Pearland is the old, mature, and somewhat rural side of town.

Well I grew up in Pearland and it was always considered Southeast - in fact when I was enrolled in elementary school - it had a population of 1400 (not the school - the city) - then sent my kids through their schools and during that time it was referred to Southeast.

[texas7]

Originally Posted by Guerilla

^^Not all of Pearland is like that. Parts of it go from Pre-K-5th; 6th-8th; 9th-12th. I think it depends on what district you are in. The water attraction you speak of is actually just a little canal ride. Nothing like Kemah really, but something neat.



Pearland isn't Southeast. More like directly south of Houston.

West Pearland (the newer side), feels a lot like any new growing suburb. That is where most of Pearland's growth is happened (Pearland went from 39,000 in 2000, to 83,000 in 2006). East Pearland is the old, mature, and somewhat rural side of town.

Well I grew up in Pearland and it was always considered Southeast.

[Texas Mack]

I would agree that Pearland is, geographically speaking, pretty much due south of Houston, but it has a southeast kind of vibe to it. It feels a lot like a bigger version of Friendswood, IMO.