Can someone recommend area close to West Bellaire? (Houston, Spring: apartment complexes, crime rate)

[michaelscai]

I am thinking about moving to Houston and paid a short visit recently, the sugar land or pearland areas - which I was originally thinking of - seem so rural, especially pearl land.

I like the variety of Asian shopping and dinning in the Bellaire area, I'm looking at the area between beltway 8 and hwy 59 around bellaire blvd. How is this area in terms of crime rate, school, among others??? Can any native houston folk comment?

[johnsmith]

crime rate is high at that area, near bellaire. You can find mnay people walking around that area. Because of many restaurants over here. After evening, no one want to go there. As I remember, a girl in hong kong food market shopping centre was car-jacked.

[Vicman]

Bellaire West is within the Alief ISD district.

For high school, all residents (regardless of location within the district) may be assigned to Elsik, Hastings, or Taylor high schools.

[michaelscai]

any reasonable area not directly nearby, but within a short drive?

My realtor keeps recommending sugar land, but it's so far from houston downtown for a commute. The traffic seem pretty bad in houston.

[Wysiwyg]

I'm no native from houston, i'm just moving in in 2 weeks. I researched W.Bellaire to be bad by houston standards - so far i see it as a melting pot point which is not necessarily good but i guess thats the price i'll pay to be close to ethnic stuff, especially food. also possibly less issues going to work. i dont have kids so I thought it cant be that risky. i dont like rural or faux lakes and forests (allergic to pollen too). my car related hobbies wont be welcomed in the master planned neighborhoods too

someone posted this a while back. since I live west of beltway 8 i was relieved quite a bit when i saw this
http://home.houston.rr.com/ecarlson/crimestats/murder2005.html (broken link)
public school sucks, lousiana folks in the mix, you need a beater car for restaurant/shopping duties, parks/sidewalks/gasstations/etc at your own risk. dont even consider apartments. fenced/gated communities is a must for peace of mind. it wouldnt hurt if you get max house monitoring because of that modus operandi with the "2nd moving van"

[Wysiwyg]

possibly your requirements led your agent in recommending the outskirts. Maybe you can visit High Star/High Star Landing ($160k-190k) and other gated neighborhoods in the area. Let me know what your realtor says I'm also curious what is predicted for this area. A friend lives by Synott and Beechnut, he say everything looks ok. i dont think its safe south of Beechnut

[michaelscai]

Here is crime data comparison I got off the web between bellaire and sugarland, it's not all that bad and both are below national average, that's for 2005 though
Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed

[michaelscai]

Originally Posted by michaelscai

Here is crime data comparison I got off the web between bellaire and sugarland, it's not all that bad and both are below national average, that's for 2005 though
Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed

How is Bellaire area? I know I was asking about West Bellaire

[Nanner]

Originally Posted by michaelscai

How is Bellaire area? I know I was asking about West Bellaire

Bellaire and the area you're referring to as "West Bellaire" are two totally different beings. "West Bellaire," I would refer to as the Alief area. Bellaire, TX is further northwest (on the sw corner of Loop 610), and is $$$$.

I grew up in Alief, and although it was a decent place to live back then with good schools (1970s and 80s), it's not so much anymore. The plethora of apartment complexes and cheap housing has unfortunately made it a breeding ground for gangs and thugs, and the Alief school district has gone downhill.

If you're looking for an area that is pretty convenient to the Asian restaurants and markets there on Bellaire Blvd., but is a nicer place to live, try looking north of Westheimer, closer to Memorial. The homes there are more expensive, but the school district (Spring Branch) is a great one, and crime drops exponentially. If you're looking for something less gentrified, the Ashford and Memorial Bend areas (which are between Westheimer and Briar Forest) might be a good place to look. They're in the Houston ISD, but with better schools than you'll find in most of the district.

[michaelscai]

Originally Posted by Wysiwyg

possibly your requirements led your agent in recommending the outskirts. Maybe you can visit High Star/High Star Landing ($160k-190k) and other gated neighborhoods in the area. Let me know what your realtor says I'm also curious what is predicted for this area. A friend lives by Synott and Beechnut, he say everything looks ok. i dont think its safe south of Beechnut

This looks interesting, I will check it out, thanks. where did you end up moving to?