Moving to Houston Soon (The Woodlands, Spring: insurance, neighborhoods, construction)

[diver]

Hello. My fiance and myself are looking into moving to the Houston area soon. We both work in fileds that will not require us to live in the city. My question to the good people of the Houston is what suburbs are the cleanest safest, and have the better schools for our daughter who will be attending kindergarten in the coming year? We are coming from Fargo, ND where our city is very clean, loaded with parks and bike/walking trails and as you would assume from a city of 90,000 mostly safe. I have lived in Los Angeles for 6 years in the past so I am not unfamiliar to big city life, however I have never been to Houston and could use any information that the locals can give. Thanks for all your help.

[Poltracker]

There are several neighborhoods/areas that would fit your needs. The thing to remember is that Houston is huge and it would be better to have a job so that you can choose a neighborhood closer to your workplace. You can be miserable in a nice neighborhood if your commute is too long. Having said that:
Clear Lake/Friendswood - South side
Sugarland - SW
Katy - W
Spring/Woodlands - N
Tomball/Cypress - NW
Kingwood/Summerwood - NE

[sbhubbell]

We just relocated to Katy (Cinco Ranch) and we absolutely love it. The schools are rated very highly, the amenities are wonderful, and it seems to be an especially good area for young families.

[SkyeAnjel]

I vote The Woodlands. You will love it there. Cinco Ranch is very nice also. Check them both out.

[usc619]

I would recommend the search option, I'm sure you'll find EVERYTHING you're looking for.
good luck

[jhouston]

i would also include property taxes (hcad.org) and school districts in your decision. Klein ISD, CyFair, Fort Bend, and Tomball are some of the excellent ones and some websites have the listing for the exemplary schools.

And because of all the construction all the time look at traffic. You can't go wrong with 249/beltway in NW houston. Avoid 290

[chris_ut]

If you stay out of Harris County you will save a lot of money on insurance. If you stay out of a MUD you will save a lot of money on taxes.

[jcbell5]

I recommend Cypress (NW of Houston), and th neighborhood Fairfield specificlly. It's a huge community (many "smaller" neighborhoods within the one large one) and has two or three elementary schools, all excellent. Like your current area, it has greenbelts (walking trails), biking trails, fantastic amenities, etc. It's within the Cy-Fair ISD (Independent School District). which has won many awards.

Also, I suggest Katy, but stay on the south side of I-10 as the north side has gone downhill in many parts (we lived there for 7 years and witnessed it). Katy ISD is also a recognized school district, and a great one. Cinco Ranch, as mentioned previously, is on the south side of I-10 as well. Their website is: CincoRanch.com

Best of luck!

[diver]

What is this MUD that I have heard of? It has been mentioned in other threads I have looked at however I am not familiar with it. How are the beaches in Houston? We are interested in spending time by the ocean as well. Thanks for all the suggestions so far, they have been very helpful.

[Jezer]

MUD refers to a Municipal Utility District, which in turn refers to the taxes you would have to pay.

Given what you said about not having to work in the city- what are fileds??- and you mention the beaches, there are areas close or on the Gulf that you may consider.