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Old 08-22-2016, 11:43 AM
rhn rhn started this thread
 
53 posts, read 119,746 times
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Hello Everyone,

My wife and I (no kids, maybe in a few years) currently live in the Katy Area (around Cinco Ranch) and have lived here for 5 years. My job is primarily worked from home, but does require me to be in the Houston region for occasional meetings, so commuting is not a big part of my job. To keep it short, the Katy area is nice, but just isn't cutting it for us as far as a lifestyle goes. As such, we have decided to start exploring other ares of Houston to relocate to. Generally speaking, we are looking to relocate to an area around Houston that would be somewhat slower paced with a down to earth atmosphere that inst quite as crowded and has a bit more functionality to it. Rural is not necessarily out of the question, and we don't really care if it is a master planned community. Bonus points for nearby water features such as a beach, bay or real lake (not a fake neighborhood lake).

We have decided to start with exploring League City/Clear Lake/Seabrook, due to its closer proximity to life on the water (we enjoy boating among other outdoor activities on/near the water) and seemingly smaller population (I believe the Katy area is projected to have around 350,000 people vs. around 140,000 people in the League City Area). We understand and are comfortable with the risk of hurricane threats.

I realize that Houston is a large metropolitan area and that being crowded, high pace, and lots of traffic are inherit, so really what I am looking for is a relative comparison/opinion of the League City area to the Katy area based upon the account of others whom have made this move or are familiar with both areas (assuming there are any on this forum). I am also open to suggestions about possible relocation areas (within the Houston region) beyond the League City area. Thanks in advance for any constructive input!

Edit: forgot to mention our max budget for a new home would be around $350K

Last edited by rhn; 08-22-2016 at 12:05 PM..
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Old 08-22-2016, 01:53 PM
 
Location: Texas
5,840 posts, read 6,112,944 times
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TBH, if it were me, I would not live in the suburbs as a young couple without kids (or more specifically, kids who are already in, or nearing, school age), but you're not me, and perhaps you and your wife enjoy suburban life with its slower pace, less density and crowds etc. So, with that in mind, I will give you my perceptions of living in the Kemah/Seabrook/Legaue City area, where we have been for a year (after having relocated back to Houston after 15 years away). Here's what I think of it:

1. The Bay area is a pretty unique area that I must say, I was completely unfamiliar with as someone who grew up in Houston. There is definitely a "coastal living vibe", specifically in Seabrook, Clear Lake Shores and Kemah. League City is really more a typical suburb that will be more reminiscent of Katy. There is a still a fair amount of farmland and rural feeling here and there, although that is rapidly disappearing. The entire area is growing a lot.

2. Schools (Clear Creek ISD) are good. CCISD covers pretty much all of the Bay area, including portions of both Harris and Galveston counties, which is kind of unusual. I have Elementary aged kids and have been very pleased so far.

3. For your budget, I would imagine you would be looking at either new cookie cutter type neighborhoods in League City, or 40 year old ranch style homes in older sections of Clear Lake. Forget about anything on the water. And be prepared to accept very high insurance rates, not so much homeowners, but flood and especially wind and hail. We pay about 9K per year for everything, half of which is wind and hail, but we also opted for pretty much full replacement cost for flood (however, we are directly on the water).

4. Commute is not going to be a picnic from here. I-45 is still under construction and will be for the foreseeable future, as they continue to expand work south in the League City/Dickinson area. Also keep in mind that depending on where in the Clear Lake area you live, it takes a good 12-15 minutes of driving just to get to the Interstate, whereas I think more of Katy's residential areas are closer to I-10.

I'll add more if I think of it....
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Old 08-22-2016, 02:37 PM
rhn rhn started this thread
 
53 posts, read 119,746 times
Reputation: 69
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93 View Post
TBH, if it were me, I would not live in the suburbs as a young couple without kids (or more specifically, kids who are already in, or nearing, school age), but you're not me, and perhaps you and your wife enjoy suburban life with its slower pace, less density and crowds etc. So, with that in mind, I will give you my perceptions of living in the Kemah/Seabrook/Legaue City area, where we have been for a year (after having relocated back to Houston after 15 years away). Here's what I think of it:

1. The Bay area is a pretty unique area that I must say, I was completely unfamiliar with as someone who grew up in Houston. There is definitely a "coastal living vibe", specifically in Seabrook, Clear Lake Shores and Kemah. League City is really more a typical suburb that will be more reminiscent of Katy. There is a still a fair amount of farmland and rural feeling here and there, although that is rapidly disappearing. The entire area is growing a lot.

2. Schools (Clear Creek ISD) are good. CCISD covers pretty much all of the Bay area, including portions of both Harris and Galveston counties, which is kind of unusual. I have Elementary aged kids and have been very pleased so far.

3. For your budget, I would imagine you would be looking at either new cookie cutter type neighborhoods in League City, or 40 year old ranch style homes in older sections of Clear Lake. Forget about anything on the water. And be prepared to accept very high insurance rates, not so much homeowners, but flood and especially wind and hail. We pay about 9K per year for everything, half of which is wind and hail, but we also opted for pretty much full replacement cost for flood (however, we are directly on the water).

4. Commute is not going to be a picnic from here. I-45 is still under construction and will be for the foreseeable future, as they continue to expand work south in the League City/Dickinson area. Also keep in mind that depending on where in the Clear Lake area you live, it takes a good 12-15 minutes of driving just to get to the Interstate, whereas I think more of Katy's residential areas are closer to I-10.

I'll add more if I think of it....
Many thanks for the informative post. Out of curiosity, do you feel like the area has adequate amenities and resources for the number of people living there? Or do you find that everything tends to get crowded, no matter the time of day or day of the week? Again, I realize this is a large metropolitan area and some crowdedness is to be expected, but some areas seem to handle it better than others. As an example of something that drives us mad in Katy, going to a grocery store can be more stressful than sitting in I10 traffic just because the stores are platted too small, there are not enough of them, and they constantly seem to become flooded with crowds at all random times of the day.
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Old 08-22-2016, 02:57 PM
 
Location: Texas
5,840 posts, read 6,112,944 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rhn View Post
Many thanks for the informative post. Out of curiosity, do you feel like the area has adequate amenities and resources for the number of people living there? Or do you find that everything tends to get crowded, no matter the time of day or day of the week? Again, I realize this is a large metropolitan area and some crowdedness is to be expected, but some areas seem to handle it better than others. As an example of something that drives us mad in Katy, going to a grocery store can be more stressful than sitting in I10 traffic just because the stores are platted too small, there are not enough of them, and they constantly seem to become flooded with crowds at all random times of the day.
I would say sufficient, but could be improved, which it will be as the area continues to grow. Not as much shopping as Katy has with Memorial City and City Center close by, though. League City needs to continue to build out to the South in terms of businesses, as most of the shopping is still clustered in the Webster area, including Baybrook Mall (which has a Friendswood address, I believe). Dickinson has adequate business off of I-45 and Hwy 646 as well. I'll put it this way, I spend 80% of my time within a 15 minute drive of my house, including a really nice HEB, all big box stores etc. I rarely "need" to go into Houston. One big area that is lacking, IMO, is fine dining. Baybrook has the upscale chains, but I prefer smaller, locally owned places. I would like to see more of those down here.
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Old 08-22-2016, 05:44 PM
 
1,717 posts, read 1,671,094 times
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Hubs goes down to Seabrook for work and talks to people that live in Dickinson. He said the water there is a big problem for residents. That talk was with him ages ago ... Can't remember if it is the cost or if the city management is charging too much.


I imagine homeowners insurance is more in League City.


You might try an apartment, see how you like the area and save on taxes, etc. Until you figure it all out. It's temporary until you make up your mind and if it doesn't work out, then you can relocate without worrying about a home sale.
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