Clear Lake Area? (Houston, Dallas, Pasadena: sale, real estate, city hall)

[Visitor2007]

Any info on Clear Lake area?

Is it ghetto, expensive, high property tax???

[Vicman]

Clear Lake City is a middle class area in Houston located in the Clear Creek ISD.

Surrounding municipalities include (small portions of) Pasadena, El Lago, Taylor Lake Village, Seabrook, Webster, Friendswood, League City, Kemah, and Clear Lake Shores.

[proeye]

Originally Posted by Vicman

Clear Lake City is a middle class area in Houston located in the Clear Creek ISD.

Surrounding municipalities include (small portions of) Pasadena, El Lago, Taylor Lake Village, Seabrook, Webster, Friendswood, League City, Kemah, and Clear Lake Shores.

Just to add a little... It's a typical suburban area. Freeways, malls, strip centers, middle class, etc. Can't say there is any more crime than anywhere else. Taxes are typical.

If Visitor didn't know this already... NASA is there...

[Visitor2007]

Originally Posted by proeye

Just to add a little... It's a typical suburban area. Freeways, malls, strip centers, middle class, etc. Can't say there is any more crime than anywhere else. Taxes are typical.

If Visitor didn't know this already... NASA is there...

What about flooding? And, what about hurricane risk?

[I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA]

Originally Posted by Visitor2007

What about flooding? And, what about hurricane risk?

Yes there is flooding, but there aren't many places in Houston that don't flood at least some of the time. And if a hurricane comes through Galveston yes it would be a major problem especially if it's a big one.

[pbnj]

I live not too far from Clear Lake. Clear Lake is popular with the professionals working around the Houston Ship Channel area. Clear Lake has plenty of restaurants and shopping. I do not feel that it has a problem with crime. However traffic along Highway 45 is always bad, even on the weekends. I think they might be widening Hwy45, so it might be better in a couple of years. Also, the traffic along the two main roads (Bay Area Blvd and Nasa Road 1) tends to be heavy.

Be warned, if you live here, you do have the risk of mandatory hurricane evacuations. If you check out this link, it will tell you what category hurricane you need to evacuate for. There might be higher home insurance costs for living there (I'm not sure, as I live in an apt).

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/Hurricanemaps/GalvestonStudyAreaMap.pdf (broken link)

[Visitor2007]

Originally Posted by pbnj

I live not too far from Clear Lake. Clear Lake is popular with the professionals working around the Houston Ship Channel area. Clear Lake has plenty of restaurants and shopping. I do not feel that it has a problem with crime. However traffic along Highway 45 is always bad, even on the weekends. I think they might be widening Hwy45, so it might be better in a couple of years. Also, the traffic along the two main roads (Bay Area Blvd and Nasa Road 1) tends to be heavy.

Be warned, if you live here, you do have the risk of mandatory hurricane evacuations. If you check out this link, it will tell you what category hurricane you need to evacuate for. There might be higher home insurance costs for living there (I'm not sure, as I live in an apt).

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/Hurricanemaps/GalvestonStudyAreaMap.pdf (broken link)

Would Pearland and Friendswood be different from Clear Lake in terms of high insurance rate and evacuation in case of hurricane?

[pbnj]

Friendswood has a mandatory evacuation risk, but I think Pearland is far enough to not have to mandatory-evacuate. Keep in mind, if a hurricane comes, you can still be w/o power for a while, and maybe without water (if there's no electricity to run the city water pumps). Like my family was during Rita (but they don't live near here).

I looked at building a new home in Shadow Creek Ranch, and they said the city of Pearland has rules about a "wind-storm" area, so there are extra things that a builder has to do to be able to help withstand the wind. (i.e. hurricane clips on the frame, etc.)

Maybe someone else knows more about comparative insurance costs.

[proeye]

Originally Posted by Visitor2007

What about flooding? And, what about hurricane risk?

I think I saw a map one time that showed the risks. Clearly, staying away from the coast, low lying areas, and near any water would be prudent points.

I lived in Alvin for a year and I was scared as hell every time a storm came up. We had a starter home at the time and the roof was basically stapled on to the frame. No one has basements and few people have any shelter that would keep you safe from a violent storm. So what do you do except pray?

If you ask me the real worries are floods and tornadoes since they happen far more often in the Houston area. I swear at least twice per year the area gets a torrential downpour that dumps like 5-10 inches in one day. The 30 foot deep concrete runoff channels get filled to the brink, the streets look like rivers, and you swear it's the end. Then the next day, everything is back to normal. Well, not for everyone particularly those people who live just north of I-10.

I read somewhere that the Houston Metro area gets more tornadoes than any other city in the U.S. Kind of makes sense since the geographic area is immense, the area gets a lot of violent weather, and it's near the area where the cold north air meets the warm gulf air (i.e. tornado alley--it's not in it--that's near Dallas). Most tornadoes in the area don't get very big but that's doesn't mean they can't pull shingles off or mess up a department store or the Astrodome. The problem is that they are in nearly every storm that goes through the area. If you can't handle the stress, I wouldn't move there.

Clearly, since I live in CT, I'm worried about the weather. We don't get violent weather here very often. Not like in Houston where it seems like it's once per week for several months.

By the way, my house is located on a hill where it would be nearly impossible to get flooded...

[lincraig]

Just built about a block from the bay. Insurance ran around 1,200.-1,500. Total replacement cost on contents as well as an added 50,000. cost of rebuiling adjustment. Home is suppose to up to FEMA standards for horriblecanes. Have the metal coverings for all windows just in case... I figure we have enough advance notice of a warning and impending evac. My plans are to put household furnishings upstairs, pack my pictures, documents and head out ASAP. Learned last year during Rita to keep ALL important thing really close together. Also learned you need cash...no credit cards and our bank was closed til the mandatory evac. was lifted. No longer do I have a mad money fund hid around the house...it turned into Hurricane Evac. money. FEMA has the new flood plains map out and is at local city halls for review to the public, Remember, to fall under the grandfather clause for flood insurance with a cheaper rate it needs to be obtained soon, or you could see it triple in cost PLUS it could hinder the sale of real estate because it is transferable to the new homeowner at the same low price. About taxes, found out today they are a bit high. Clear Creek ISD tax is generally higher than prop. tax. My school tax est. for 2007 is well over 2,000.00. To some of you paying 4-5 thousand a year in taxes may be cheap, being new to the area it came as a shock to me.