How safe is museum district / Hermann park area (Houston, West: apartment, rentals)

[joke99]

A friend of mine from Rice is moving back to Houston with his wife and young sons. He's been looking for rental properties in West U / Rice Village area, and is thinking of expanding his search area to the Museum District. His question to me was how safe it is, as he remembers the area as a "bit gritty" (had an apartment on Binz near Almeda, 15 years ago).

I live in Midtown and could give a good accounting of safety there - generally safe, although there's a fair amount of petty crime (smashed car windows on club nights, and I have a bike stolen), and the homeless population can be intimidating in parts. I would call it safe but with some minor caveats.

Can anyone give me a similar accounting of the Museum District area? Also, is Hermann Park generally considered safe or unsafe? I think of it as safe, but really haven't spent time there at night.

Thanks!

[radiolibre99]

Anywhere inside the loop is going to be similar; safe with minor caveats. It's always best to know your surroundings. I never thought of the museum district or the rice village as anything other than safe. Those two areas would be my first choice of moving back to Houston.

[museumdad]

Yes, the area is safe, but it is important to be aware of one's surroundings and realize that it is one of the more urban areas in town. The closer you are to the museums, the 'safer', I think ('drug areas' have tended to be closer to Wheeler). I know there have been some break-ins, etc. but you will find those almost anywhere. Much of the problem, honestly, comes from the large amount of construction that is going on in the neighborhood--hard to know exactly who should be where & when they should be there.

As for the park, very safe. I would not advocate for anyone to hang around after dark (unless, e.g. there is a show), but that's just good general advice. It's heavily patrolled & you rarely hear about anything bad happening there. And after last week, one should be thankful to walk rather than drive/park there!

[LocalPlanner]

Depending on how long it's been since you graduated, you may find the area has changed significantly toward a more upscale direction. The supply of cheaper rentals has been dwindling rapidly in that part of town.

[joke99]

Thanks everyone, that's just the feedback I was looking for.

[astrohip]

Very little crime in that area. The closer you get to 288, it picks up a bit, but even then not bad.