Alief/Bellaire West Area Family Friendly or Not? Very conflicted.... (Houston: rentals, house)

[BoilermakerTexan]

My wife and I have relocated from Indiana back to Houston, where I went to high school and middle school.

I have accepted a job that is near 610 and 249 on W 18th St.

I have a family of 6 and a live-in mother in law who is partially handicapped, first floor living only. I have been running into problems locating places for me to afford, be big enough for everyone to fit (4 bed, 2+ bath preferably) and be in areas which I can tell are better for young families.

The reason why I'm posting is that I have a potential rental on Sharpcrest, 5 bed/4 bath, but it's in Bellaire West.

Rent is $1650. Schools are not good and the area is a little sketchy. However, the house has great space but I'm not sold on it yet.

Not all of my kids are school age either, only 2 are in elementary.

I'm really having a difficult time finding anything close to this. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thank you!

[Failed Engineer]

The rent seems high for Alief, but it is a bigger property than normal for the area. I think ultimately if this is around your budget the choice will boil down to bigger property or good schools/neighborhood. You will only get one of the two.


That said, you likely could find a slightly better neighborhood than Alief. Maybe the Copperfield/Bear Creek area? I'm not too well versed in that part of town but I have to think it's a bit nicer than Alief and I think you'd probably find something in your budget and it would still be fairly close (maybe even closer) to work. Hopefully someone here can chime in.

[hendersj31]

I think you are referring to 610 and 290. Just so other posters don't get confused.

Why not head out 290 a little bit? You should be able to find what you are looking for.

Originally Posted by BoilermakerTexan

My wife and I have relocated from Indiana back to Houston, where I went to high school and middle school.

I have accepted a job that is near 610 and 249 on W 18th St.

[timtemtym]

I would pick 290 areas over Alief. I taught in Alief for 8 years and it's a rough area. I saw kids in situations I never thought could be so awful.

Although. I have a friend who recently quit Cy-Fair. She taught at a school off 290 and the beltway for several years and had some pretty awful horror stories. So that area might not be as good as it once was.

Your job location is a big factor. I wouldn't want to cross the Galleria area every morning. Think of that as a moat filled with dragons. 290 might not be the best, but the improvements they are making on it look pretty promising. 610 isn't going to get any wider on the westside.

[hendersj31]

This is a big part of the reason I suggested going out 290.

Originally Posted by timtemtym

I would pick 290 areas over Alief. I taught in Alief for 8 years and it's a rough area. I saw kids in situations I never thought could be so awful.

Although. I have a friend who recently quit Cy-Fair. She taught at a school off 290 and the beltway for several years and had some pretty awful horror stories. So that area might not be as good as it once was.

Your job location is a big factor. I wouldn't want to cross the Galleria area every morning. Think of that as a moat filled with dragons. 290 might not be the best, but the improvements they are making on it look pretty promising. 610 isn't going to get any wider on the westside.

[chris_ut]

Oak Forest/Garden Oaks is where you would want to live but rent for a house that size would be $3,000+ unfortunately.

[AcresHomes44]

610 & 249, 290 is NW Houston, Alief is the last neighborhood in SW Houston before you enter the suburbs. With what you can afford in rent, have you considered moving close to Willowbrook?

[Reefmonkey]

I would recommend looking at Cy Fair instead. My wife used to work for the Alief School District (school psychologist, worked in multiple schools), it is not a very good district or a very nice area. Cy Fair schools are generally much better, should be decent rentals out there for reasonable prices, and drive time wise you're probably going to have a shorter commute than Alief area, where you'd have to be either on surface roads or taking 610 west, which is a nightmare any time of day, especially during rush hour.

[BoilermakerTexan]

What about Jersey Village?

[fbf2006]

Originally Posted by BoilermakerTexan

What about Jersey Village?

Yea I think the Jersey Village or Copperfield areas might work. Have you tried searching in those areas? Searching on HAR, I only see a $1,725 and $1,800 4bed/2bath in JV. There are a couple for $1,695 in the Copperfield area.