Moving, Where to live for job at MD Anderson (Houston: apartment complex, leasing)

[miranflower]

Greetings, I have accepted a Chaplain residency at MD Anderson starting in August for 1 year.

Presently I live in central Florida and will move around mid July. I have been trying to look online for a place to live in the Medical Center area. But I need some guidance please about where to live. I have heard some people say it is best to live near the hospital but I looked at the crime stats in that area and I was a little surprised. A little about myself. I am 48, an ordained Minister and mother of a 22 year old. I have visited the Houston area a couple of times before.

1. Is it really best to live in the medical center area?
2. If so, can anyone share with me a nice place to rent; that is safe? I am looking for a complex with secured gates, washer dryer inside as I do not like to go out to do laundry. And a place that is quiet as I am not into the party scene.
3. If I were to live in Pearland would it be a miserable drive to work every day and parking impossible at MD Anderson? Or should i catch the metro rail? I do not mind public transportation but I do not want to be crowded into a bus or rail system.
4. Are there any other areas you would recommend looking for a place to live or where I can rent a house instead of an apt? And I welcome any websites for house rentals.

Thanks and Blessings. Please understand I am not trying to be rude with all the questions. I am simply trying to gain some knowledge and live in a sae area.

[westhou]

There are plenty of nice and safe complexes in the Medical Center. The same crime that takes place in the Medical Center also takes place in Pearland and other suburbs. You have to be careful wherever you decide to live. Be aware of your surroundings when going out at night and change up your routine just when coming and going. The commute on 288 can be brutal but if you must live in the suburbs than Pearland will be the best one for you. Just don't be fooled by a false sense of security living in the suburbs. They have crime there too. I hope you find what you are looking for. I highly respect the job you are taking. Providing such a service to people while they are hospitalized is very commendable and you definitely deserve to feel safe.

[miranflower]

Thank you for your prompt reply. And thank you for your kind comment regarding Chaplaincy. I truly enjoy helping others and I am blessed that I will be of service to the patients and staff at MD Anderson. You mentioned something about the "288". Is this a major highway route from the suburbs? And is there any park and ride going into the medical center?

Yes, it is important that I feel safe as I will be doing a 24 hours on call every couple of weeks.

Blessings

[JL]

Does anyone know the name of the apartment complex next to the ToysRus near the Reliant stadium? I believe it is on Fannin & (?). It is a big complex. A friend of mine used to live there and felt pretty safe.

[westhou]

Originally Posted by miranflower

Thank you for your prompt reply. And thank you for your kind comment regarding Chaplaincy. I truly enjoy helping others and I am blessed that I will be of service to the patients and staff at MD Anderson. You mentioned something about the "288". Is this a major highway route from the suburbs? And is there any park and ride going into the medical center?

Yes, it is important that I feel safe as I will be doing a 24 hours on call every couple of weeks.

Blessings

There is currently no Park n Ride in Pearland but there are Park n Rides in other suburbs. 288 is a major highway with a lot of traffic but it is fairly close to the Medical Center compared to the other suburbs.

Here is a map of the Park n Ride locations

http://www.ridemetro.org/SchedulesMaps/ParkRide.aspx

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by JamesLang

Does anyone know the name of the apartment complex next to the ToysRus near the Reliant stadium? I believe it is on Fannin & (?). It is a big complex. A friend of mine used to live there and felt pretty safe.

I can't think of the name but IIRC they look pretty nice from the outside. I pass that on the 14 bus line. Not a failproof indicator but you can get a feel for how much work is put into keeping it.

The biggest downside to living in this part of town is because most people are apartment renters and many work/study at TMC, they tend to come from all over, and may only be here for a short time. Not really much of a traditional neighborhood feel, but you will encounter people from all sorts of backgrounds. In that regard it's interesting.

It's also not got a whole lot in the way of things to do, but the rail makes getting into downtown easier (and cheaper - give me a $2.50 roundtrip on the rail over paying >$5 for the privilege of driving there) - there's also Hermann Park, the zoo, the Museum District, Midtown. You can access those areas easily and not pay as high a rent.

[miranflower]

Originally Posted by jfre81

I can't think of the name but IIRC they look pretty nice from the outside. I pass that on the 14 bus line. Not a failproof indicator but you can get a feel for how much work is put into keeping it.

The biggest downside to living in this part of town is because most people are apartment renters and many work/study at TMC, they tend to come from all over, and may only be here for a short time. Not really much of a traditional neighborhood feel, but you will encounter people from all sorts of backgrounds. In that regard it's interesting.

It's also not got a whole lot in the way of things to do, but the rail makes getting into downtown easier (and cheaper - give me a $2.50 roundtrip on the rail over paying >$5 for the privilege of driving there) - there's also Hermann Park, the zoo, the Museum District, Midtown. You can access those areas easily and not pay as high a rent.

Please forgive my lack of knowledge, but what is IIRC? smile. Also, I am use to diversity due to the diverse culture in south Florida. WoW! It does sound like there is much to do in the area. Thank you!

[lhafer]

My husband and I used to live in the medical center. I work at Texas Childrens, and loved the commute (or lack there of!) Now I live in Humble so it's an hour to work one way.

But the thing about living in the med center - sure you have your car break ins, etc. But you have that anywhere. There was a rash of those once, and then they beefed up security at my apt and it stopped. I loved living in the med center. I lived at 610 and 288 off of Holly Hall. My apt complex had so many people who worked at Anderson and other hospitals that they offered a shuttle service from the apt complex to each of the hospitals. It was great! It cost about 50 cents to get a "token". Not sure if they still have that going or not. We moved almost 4 years ago.

There are some nice apts and not so nice apts. It important to try to check them out in person before signing a contract. They are building that part of town up really nicely. It used to be sort of a ratty and trashy. But now they have some awesome townhomes and condos going up, and they have revitalized Almeda going toward downtown (just ate lunch there last week - at the Reggae hut). You might want to look at leasing/renting a townhome as well.

You are close to the zoo, museums, etc. You are close to downtown. You are a short drive to the galleria area. It's a good central location to find a lot of stuff. Used to drive down to Pearland a lot for eating, shopping, etc. And now that's grown even more - I haven't been down there in forever.

[miranflower]

Originally Posted by lhafer

My husband and I used to live in the medical center. I work at Texas Childrens, and loved the commute (or lack there of!) Now I live in Humble so it's an hour to work one way.

But the thing about living in the med center - sure you have your car break ins, etc. But you have that anywhere. There was a rash of those once, and then they beefed up security at my apt and it stopped. I loved living in the med center. I lived at 610 and 288 off of Holly Hall. My apt complex had so many people who worked at Anderson and other hospitals that they offered a shuttle service from the apt complex to each of the hospitals. It was great! It cost about 50 cents to get a "token". Not sure if they still have that going or not. We moved almost 4 years ago.

There are some nice apts and not so nice apts. It important to try to check them out in person before signing a contract. They are building that part of town up really nicely. It used to be sort of a ratty and trashy. But now they have some awesome townhomes and condos going up, and they have revitalized Almeda going toward downtown (just ate lunch there last week - at the Reggae hut). You might want to look at leasing/renting a townhome as well.

You are close to the zoo, museums, etc. You are close to downtown. You are a short drive to the galleria area. It's a good central location to find a lot of stuff. Used to drive down to Pearland a lot for eating, shopping, etc. And now that's grown even more - I haven't been down there in forever.

Thank you for taking time out to share and letting me know about the town homes. By chance, do you know the name of the town homes?

I think I would like those more than the apartment complexes. I do agree with you about making a trip out to look at places before signing a lease. Presently I am renting a house here in Florida.

Crime rate: I did look up the crime stats in the medical center area and noticed the past rate of car break in's. I must admit, I am concerned since I will be bringing my car. And my supervisor at MD Anderson explained to me during the interview that some places do offer the shuttle service you talked about. I did not have a chance to look around the area because my interview was done here in central Florida.

Thanks

[Premont]

The Medical Center is like a little city. When I used to take my Mom to MD Anderson I would end up quite often parking on the roof. I think they charge around 10 dollars to park in there for the day. There's a few nice complexes right there on Holcombe where they probably have a nearby bustop that would take you right to the TMC.