Lake Jackson or Texas City (Houston, Galveston: budget, rent , work)

[punagal]

Hi , Was wondering which is more desirable?? Lake Jackson or Texas City?

[jfre81]

I don't know how to go about detailing the "desirability" of Lake Jackson, Texas City or any comparable place (if indeed there is such a thing) to someone who lives in Hawaii.

Blue-collar refinery towns, basically. I grew up in Texas City. I don't live there anymore. Don't know if that says anything...

[pikato]

I live near Lake Jackson.....it's nice. Has some self-important Dow wives, but once you get past those it's not too bad. They're 'redeveloping' the mall...but I still prefer driving to Pearland for shopping. Depends on what you are looking for....I'm in my late 20's and they only reason I'm there right now is because I can live rent free in a house my parent's own while I work at the Medical Center. If you are a young family and looking for activities for the kids, they do have a lot to offer. If you are a 20-something professional type, not so much. If you are an older couple 50+ it can be a nice retirement area.

[punagal]

Thanks ! We are in our 40s, Kids are grown and out of the nest so and just want to cash out of the house over here. I was hoping to be up in the North Houston area but hubby is not going to turn in the surf board yet Ha! And I was happy to see you can actually surf down there.Galveston is a little too close for me (cause of Hurricane issues) -but I would settle for something more inland. We will have around 130,000 to 150,000 to buy a home and Lake Jackson sounds good ,Is this budget for a decent area in L.J?Mahalo for your inputs!! Pearland has a better shopping?

[pikato]

130-150K can get you a pretty decent house in LJ. My dream house just went on the market about 10 minutes south of LJ, its' a 3/2 on 17.5 acres and it's only 200k.

Pearland is only about 30 minutes from LJ and it has a bunch more shopping options, so I like to go there every few weeks. LJ mall has a JCPenney's; Sears, Dilliards, & Palais Royal, everything else is a tween-type shop. They just got a Best Buy & a Petsmart which was exciting

[punagal]

Oh thats great! Wow,220,000.00 for your dream home and all that land too? Geez,Im getting more excited about Texas,Yes its absolutely beautiful here but the Volcano is acting up over here and the air smells like sulpher ,plus the cost of groceries ,gas(3.70 gal.) Been here 5 years now and getting "Rock -fever" Ha! Thanks for the info (I love Best Buy)Use to shop there in California,when I had extra$.

[jimboburnsy]

You will find that gas is less expensive, but not much. My last tank was $3.28 / gal. You could theoretically surf in Galveston but probably not unless there is a hurricane in the gulf. Surfside (south of Galveston and fairly close to Lake Jackson) has some decent breaks, but I think that your husband is probably impossibly spoiled after years of life in Hawaii. Good luck and welcome.

[punagal]

Ha!Thank You,Yeah, He has had alot of fun here ,the reefs here on the Big Isle are so dangerous though,He surfs a spot called Tombstones and wont wear a helmet. Maybe Surfside Tx will allow us to surf on the tandom board more often,as I like the smaller waves (chicken)

[punagal]

Hey Pikato,
I noticed I made a mistake($220,000) 200,000 even a better deal!

[kmartin58]

I have lived on the Gulf Coast since 1971. The two cities have their fair share of chemical plants but Lake Jackson is designed for the "white collar executive types" It's a great place for your kids...not to say they will be exposed to drugs but the school system is reasonably efficient there is plenty of money spent on education here.