Considering a job in Freeport, TX - where to live? (Houston: home, middle school)

[nrv111]

I am considering a job offer in Freeport, Texas (I am relocating from the Midwest). My wife and I have a small child, so ultimately schools will be important for us, and we'd like to be in a place with some diversity. Our price range is anywhere up to $400,000 for a house, and from my research, we should be able to get a nice home for that price.

Unfortunately, Freeport is quite far from some of the more desirable suburbs, such as Sugar Land or Pearland. It seems that Lake Jackson is an option, but I don't know how the schools are. For those of you who work in Freeport and have kids, what are some of the suburbs which provide good schools, have at least some diversity, and are still within an hour's drive to Freeport.

Thanks for your replies.

[nrv111]

Any replies, please??

[Vicman]

The cities around Freeport include Lake Jackson and Clute. There are several smaller cities.

I guess choosing a city depends on the desired lifestyle. Some cities have suburban-style living while others offer seaside living.

Surfside Beach and Quintana are on the water.

By the way, the Brazosport ISD serves Clute, Freeport, Jones Creek, Lake Jackson, Oyster Creek, Quintana, Richwood, and Surfside Beach.

For more information about the district, see http://www.brazosportisd.net/

[nrv111]

Thanks for your reply Vicman.

We've looked into Lake Jackson as an option, considering it's only about 8 miles from Freeport. However, we would probably prefer someplace like Pearland or Sugar Land for a few reasons (generally better schools, closer to Houston). I see that Sugar Land and Pearland are about 45-55 miles away from Freeport. Does anybody here make this commute on a regular basis? Various websites project it to take between 1 hour and 1 hour and a half, but how long does it take in reality?

Thanks again.

[Trainwreck20]

During college, I worked at Dow Chemical for several semesters, living once in Clute, once in Freeport, and once in Lake Jackson. Lake Jackson had very good schools at the time, I don't know if they still are. The county was actually once of the wealtiest per capita at the time - no one was rich, but everyone made good money straight out of school. Anyway, there were lots of family age professionals that put quite a bit into the schools. That was then, though, so maybe now the schools don't stack up against Pearland, Friendswood, etc.

However, Freeport and surrounding area used to be very much a company town with little to do. That may have changed, as well, but that was one of the reasons I did not go there straight out of college.

[Vicman]

I'm looking up Brazosport ISD schools on Greatschools http://www.greatschools.net/schools....t=169&state=TX

Out of the schools:
* The two high schools are TEA Acceptable
* The two intermediate schools, one 5-8 school, and one middle school (5-6) are acceptable, with one middle school recognized
* Out of the elementary schools,4 are acceptable, 6 are recognized, and 1 is exemplary

As for per capita income:
* Brazoria County total: $20,021
* Freeport: $12,426
* Clute: $14,008
* Oyster Creek: $15,000
* Quintana: $15,900
* Richwood: $19,181
* Jones Creek: $20,023
* Lake Jackson: $25,877
* Pearland: $26,306

Compare to Fort Bend County:
* Total: $24,985
* Sugar Land: $33,506