I really don’t see the appeal in The Woodlands (Houston: construction, live in)

[Raider Scott]

I don't get it either. The fact that I would have to rely on I-45 would also not make me want to live there.


Some people love fake lakes and congested shopping centers, but they're not for me.


Kids that grow up there DO tend to grow up in a bubble. I work with a few and their comments on things in and around our East Side office always make me laugh.

[Redlionjr]

Use to live in The Woodlands and don't miss it at all. Too far, too congested and not enough diversity racially and politically for my liking. Maybe if TW had a lot more diversity both politically and racially/ethnically I could have stayed even despite the commute but boy is that commute nasty.

One thing I'll miss about The Woodlands is the waterway. I really enjoyed jogging and biking on the waterway and people watching. Yeah it was cookie cutter polished up as hell but it was nice. From Market Square to the Waterway and now the newly Hughes Landing that's The Woodlands best and most unique amenities. Outside of that it's typical suburbia and even the amenities in the center of town-ship it's just alright to me. Not enough mom and pop stores to really make it unique. The master planned look to it all is unique as far as suburbs go in the state but after awhile it wears off when you realize there's just not enough uniqueness in the people and establishments to make it truly stand out imo.

But if you can't stand the city of Houston and want something cookie cutter and a "safe space" for your conservative evangelical views than The Woodlands is for you.

[Jeohnny]

Originally Posted by gwarnecke

I love the Woodlands and would strongly consider living there if I didn't work in the Energy Corridor (having said that - many of my colleagues do live in the Woodlands and put up with the miserable commute because they love it so much).

IMO it blows every other Houston suburb away in terms of offering a consistent, thoughtfully-designed aesthetic, lots of natural beauty, great homes at a variety of price points, and amenities such as the Woodlands Resort and the Pavillion that are destinations in their own right. The only thing that works against it is its distance from Houston.

Is there public transit like a P&R or commuter bus that takes you from the woodlands to DT Houston?

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by Jeohnny

Is there public transit like a P&R or commuter bus that takes you from the woodlands to DT Houston?

Yes, the Woodlands Express. https://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx....-Park-and-Ride

[texas7]

Originally Posted by Nashville Boi

I think it is designed to look like a eastern bloc labyrinth…everywhere literally looks the same to me and the commercial areas aside from the waterway resembles more like Spring than a high income city. I feel like Katy, Cinco Ranch, Cypress, and Sugar Land definitely deliver a more upper class look and are more convenient to Houston. (Cypress is far but you don’t have to take I45 Also, it has I45 lol.

I would put Sugar Land and Woodlands equal in terms of desirability. I would definitely take Woodlands over Katy, Cinco or Cypress. Those three are in last place for me.

[a_guerrajr]

That's the great thing about Houston you can either choose to live out in the burbs with greenery, fake lakes, golf courses, and wide streets.
You can go into the loop and get a 3 story box with tiny streets, no parking, short distances to dining, and short commute to most areas of the city.
Or some where in between depending on your budget.

TW is not a bad place to live if you have family and like the calmer lifestyle. Agree on the commute, especially if you are deep in TW.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

I’m obviously not a fan of the Woodlands. But I think the “bubble” thing is being overstated a bit. Conroe just north is booming and Springwoof Village just south is as well. The Woodlands Hills is a new community west of Conroe forming.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

I’m obviously not a fan of the Woodlands. But I think the “bubble” thing is being overstated a bit. Conroe just north is booming and Springwoof Village just south is as well. The Woodlands Hills is a new community west of Conroe forming.

While a lot of growth is occurring around The Woodlands, if anything it's making a significant share of residents there more oriented to keeping / fortifying the "bubble." The original visionary developer, George Mitchell, never wanted it to be a bubble, just an example of how to do a higher-quality version of suburbia that kept more natural landscape (fake lakes aside) and created a walkable downtown. However, many existing residents are actively fighting to keep it cut off from the outside world.

The thoroughfares leading out of The Woodlands have been in plans for decades to connect to the growing areas adjacent. However, the bubble people are actively working to change those plans to make sure The Woodlands thoroughfares don't connect, particularly to the south or west. It's bizarre and frankly deplorable (yes I am being judgmental) - they are actively trying to ruin mobility and traffic flow for everyone else.

[airdrawndagger]

Originally Posted by a_guerrajr

That's the great thing about Houston you can either choose to live out in the burbs with greenery, fake lakes, golf courses, and wide streets.
You can go into the loop and get a 3 story box with tiny streets, no parking, short distances to dining, and short commute to most areas of the city.
Or some where in between depending on your budget.

TW is not a bad place to live if you have family and like the calmer lifestyle. Agree on the commute, especially if you are deep in TW.

Not everything ITL is townhouses... plenty of SFH's with ample parking/sidewalks in neighborhoods like Lindale Park, Timbergrove, West U, East End, among others.

[DabOnEm]

Originally Posted by texas7

I would put Sugar Land and Woodlands equal in terms of desirability. I would definitely take Woodlands over Katy, Cinco or Cypress. Those three are in last place for me.

I agree. What helps Sugar Land for me is its diversity and closeness to Houston amenities. But planning wise no Houston suburb can match The Woodlands. Even away from the Waterway, the little attention to details makes The Woodlands even more appealing (the hidden trails, turning lanes, traffic lights with sensors, commercial driveways, etc). Plus depending on what part of TW you're in, the land has a nice little roll to it unlike most of Houston. There's even some subdivisions in the older sections that remind me of Atlanta without the big hills.

If Katy or Cypress had the widespread planning of TW or Sugar Land then it's be no match IMO. These areas offer so much but it's a hodge-podge of ugly development mixed in with master-planned communities that makes this area not have a sense of place.

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

The thoroughfares leading out of The Woodlands have been in plans for decades to connect to the growing areas adjacent. However, the bubble people are actively working to change those plans to make sure The Woodlands thoroughfares don't connect, particularly to the south or west. It's bizarre and frankly deplorable (yes I am being judgmental) - they are actively trying to ruin mobility and traffic flow for everyone else.

Agreed and being they were in the plans already I don't know how TW residents were able to stop that. They can't complain about traffic on 45 if they voted against connecting the N/S roads.