Moving To Katy Texas, Any Info? (Houston, Sugar Land: real estate market, movers, crime rates)

[joss&ryan]

Hi everyone!!!, my name is jocelyn. Me and my husband are relocating to Katy texas. We are from Southern Cali. I would appreciate any info on the city we have bought a house over there and are very excited, i am 23 and he is 31, i would like to know info on employment availability and how hard it is to find a job within the city my husband is a building inspector and electrician and would like to actually find something within his field, any kind of info about the city, etc would be so helpful, ive been reading some of the other threads and im even more excited about moving. Here in souther california is so hard for a young couple to buy a house because the cost is so ridiculously high!!!, thanks a lot

[justinlt99]

Originally Posted by joss&ryan

Hi everyone!!!, my name is jocelyn. Me and my husband are relocating to Katy texas. We are from Southern Cali. I would appreciate any info on the city we have bought a house over there and are very excited, i am 23 and he is 31, i would like to know info on employment availability and how hard it is to find a job within the city my husband is a building inspector and electrician and would like to actually find something within his field, any kind of info about the city, etc would be so helpful, ive been reading some of the other threads and im even more excited about moving. Here in souther california is so hard for a young couple to buy a house because the cost is so ridiculously high!!!, thanks a lot

It really depends on what you want to know. Which area of Katy are you going to be moving to? While the actual area encompassed by the city limits of Katy is very small, the area of Houston Metro referred to as "Katy" is very large. For the most part, the entire area referred to as "Katy" is very safe.

Katy is very family friendly as there are a lot of large churches and parks. We also have one of those large "Mills" malls -- Katy Mills. Memorial Hermann recently completed a large hospital in Katy "Proper" (The actual city of Katy . Some areas of Katy are pretty upscale....mainly an area around Westheimer Parkway that is referred to as Cinco Ranch.

As far as building inspector/electrician work...I would assume that he would have no problem locating work in that field. The amount of growth in Katy and all of West Houston is very large and has been for the past few years. The area of "Katy" (that's not really in Katy, TX lol)...on Fry Rd between FM 529 and Hwy 290 is booming with new subdivision growth, as is the Grand Parkway (SH99) area around the Westpark Tollway...

I'm sure you're already aware of this, but Katy ISD schools are very highly respected throughout the state....there is also a campus of Houston Community College in Katy, as well as a satellite campus of the University of Houston...

[missunique]

Hi my name is Nikki i am 20 from the UK and me and my mother are moving to Katy and i would like some information on the best schools for the performing arts (music,acting,singing) ect. Its going to be a life changing experience and the more help the better. Also any other relevant info would be great such as what people my age do on weekends/evenings - also when i get to Katy i will be 21 so i can drink!! Hope you can help me: my email is Nikki.Morgan@yahoo.co.uk
Thanks x

[bmglab]

Katy is a safe neighborhood with an excellent education system. The atmosphere is primarily geared for raising families. Katy, however , could be a difficult place to be if you are young and single. Katy is very far from the city center, pubs and performing arts. Houston is a happening cosmopolitan city, however you will need to live closer in than Katy to have a good experience (better culture, food, arts). Unlike the UK, Texas has a very small public transportation system. Having a car is required and essential. If you chose to live in a suburb but still want some of the city life, I would recommend either Sugarland or Pearland. I can get into the city (I live in Pearland) on a Saturday night in 15 minutes. During the weekly rush hour traffic, I can still get to the medical center in less than 20 minutes. Both Pearland and Sugarland have excellent schools and are safe. Pearland is the closest suburb to the city of Houston and is exploding with new construction (residential and commerical). If you want to be in the city itself (more convenient, but much more expensive, less safe in certain areas) West University, Braeswood area, Bellaire and River Oaks, the Heights, West Chase <Royal oaks> are all excellent places to live. There is a great shopping area within West University is called the Rice Village. The Village has a more European feel to it with several sidewalk cafes and an amazing French bakery called ‘croissant brioge’ Just to let you know, since you are from the UK, finding English products can be difficult. With a little effort, you will be able to find them (PG tips, Horlicks, Cadbury etc.) in stores that cater to people from Hong Kong and India. Other places selling British products include: Spec's liquor downtown store only, HEB central market and Whole foods.
Coming to Houston is going to be a serious change from the UK. You are going to absolutely love it. I moved to Houston from San Francisco eight years ago . My wife and I came for graduate school in the medical center and had originally planned to leave immediately following our graduation. After being here for 8 years, I would never move back to California. The cost of living and quality of life are very high in Houston compared to other large US cities. The weather in Houston is tropical nearly year round and the food is excellent. Houston has excellent theater, symphony, opera and ballet. Good luck and welcome to Houston!

[Guerilla]

Originally Posted by justinlt99

It really depends on what you want to know. Which area of Katy are you going to be moving to? While the actual area encompassed by the city limits of Katy is very small, the area of Houston Metro referred to as "Katy" is very large. For the most part, the entire area referred to as "Katy" is very safe.

Katy is very family friendly as there are a lot of large churches and parks. We also have one of those large "Mills" malls -- Katy Mills. Memorial Hermann recently completed a large hospital in Katy "Proper" (The actual city of Katy . Some areas of Katy are pretty upscale....mainly an area around Westheimer Parkway that is referred to as Cinco Ranch.

As far as building inspector/electrician work...I would assume that he would have no problem locating work in that field. The amount of growth in Katy and all of West Houston is very large and has been for the past few years. The area of "Katy" (that's not really in Katy, TX lol)...on Fry Rd between FM 529 and Hwy 290 is booming with new subdivision growth, as is the Grand Parkway (SH99) area around the Westpark Tollway...

I'm sure you're already aware of this, but Katy ISD schools are very highly respected throughout the state....there is also a campus of Houston Community College in Katy, as well as a satellite campus of the University of Houston...

It isn't that complicated. The areas under Katy I.S.D. are often referred to as Katy. The all have a Katy, Texas mailing address. The area that Katy I.S.D. covers has around 190,000 people in it, and just above 51,000 students and growing by a couple thousand every year.

The area of Katy between FM 529 and U.S. 290 is not Katy, but Cypress, Texas and they are under Cy-Fair I.S.D. The booming areas of Katy I.S.D. are areas along the Westpark Tollway west of the Grand Parkway. There you have Westheimer Lakes, Firethorne, Woodcreek Reserve, and a lot of others. A new Walmart Supercenter is opening just south of the Westpark Tollway and west of the Grand Parkway (at the intersection). Northern Katy is growing a lot, and you get more bang for your buck up there.

[rhmgp2006]

You will find you made an excellent choice.

My wife and I are 37 & 35 y/o old San Diego natives with two kids. A job promotion brought us to the Houston area two years ago. We ended up buying a house in Cinco Ranch in Katy. We like it very much. We agreed that we wouldn't want to move back.

The job market and economy are both very strong, so finding a job won't be difficult. I think your best bet would be using the job websites.

When are you moving out? What area of Katy? Are you using movers or a truck?

[Akami]

Just wanted to drop in to say that thanks for the great info about Katy/Sugarland, TX. I'm seriously considering making the move from Sacramento. The cost of living is crazy and the housing market is obscene. I have a young son and am also glad to hear that it's family oriented with a good school system. I'd like to ask about the diversity of the area. Is it a diverse community? Appreciate the information.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Akami

Just wanted to drop in to say that thanks for the great info about Katy/Sugarland, TX. I'm seriously considering making the move from Sacramento. The cost of living is crazy and the housing market is obscene. I have a young son and am also glad to hear that it's family oriented with a good school system. I'd like to ask about the diversity of the area. Is it a diverse community? Appreciate the information.

Wikipedia actually has pretty good information on the demographics of various Houston burbs. For example, here's the entry for Cinco Ranch. You can read all about the demographics.

Cinco Ranch, Texas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My impression is that the Sugarland area is more diverse and seems to be the preferred upscale suburb for the Asian community.

[Akami]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Wikipedia actually has pretty good information on the demographics of various Houston burbs. For example, here's the entry for Cinco Ranch. You can read all about the demographics.

Cinco Ranch, Texas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My impression is that the Sugarland area is more diverse and seems to be the preferred upscale suburb for the Asian community.

Thank you, Texasdiver. I found the site and information very useful. Not to mention I visited the Cinco Ranch site and found the homes beautiful. I appreciate it. BTW-I know my name suggests otherwise; however I'm of African American descent. :-) Thanks again and have a good evening.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Akami

Thank you, Texasdiver. I found the site and information very useful. Not to mention I visited the Cinco Ranch site and found the homes beautiful. I appreciate it. BTW-I know my name suggests otherwise; however I'm of African American descent. :-) Thanks again and have a good evening.

Ha, I didn't notice your screen name. Now that I re-read my post it sounds like I'm trying to push you to Sugarland because I thought you were Asian. Not my intention. I was just passing on stats from the Wikipedia entry for Sugarland, which is quite extensive and complementary:

The majority of Sugar Landers are white-collar, and university-educated working in Houston's renowned energy industry.[3] [4] [5] Sugar Land is also notable for its affluent minority population, since it is also a popular place of residence among Houston's increasingly influential Asian American community. According to the U.S. Census, nearly a quarter of its residents were Asian American in 2000. Sugar Land could quite possibly have the largest and most affluent Asian American community in Texas.

In 2004, the city was named the top 100 places to live according to HomeRoute, a national real estate marketing company, identifies top American cities each year through its Relocate-America program. Cities are selected based on educational opportunities, crime rates, employment and housing data. The magazine started with statistics on 271 U.S. cities provided by OnBoard LLC, a real estate information company. These cities had the highest median household incomes in the nation and above average population growth.

Also in 2004, 2005, and 2006, Sugar Land was awarded the title of "Fittest City in Texas" for the population range 50,000-100,000 (the 2005 award was a tie between Sugar Land and Round Rock). The "Fittest City in Texas" awards program is a part of the Texas Roundup program, a statewide fitness initiative.