Job in Port Arthur:Lumberton vs commute to Kingwood or Woodlands (Houston: new home, schools)

[BearBranch]

Parts of Kingwood are scary? What do oyu you mean. Kingwood has the lowest crime rate in the entire Houston metro. Beautiful, manicured, shopping, dining, country clubs, waterfront, trees, nature preserves, trails, yes. Scary, I think not.

[fitguru]

You may want to rethink the commute, it will wear on you greatly. I grew up in Groves and went to Port Neches-Groves High School and had a very successful College Career (in Houston). You can live like Kings in the Mid-County Area and have great schools (housing is cheap). There are Drugs like anywhere but it is such a small town it is easier to keep an eye out for what your kids are into. It is very heavy on the sports end of things and there is not much in the way of cultural activities. The pollution is a concern, but the drive from Houston would be so tiring. I have friends who do the opposite commute and live in Mid-County and work in Houston. People are firendly and the food is terrific. There are drawbacks to both, just my 2 cents. P.S. My family still lives there so you can PM me about things.

[mom22bless]

Nederland has good schools.

[fifileboo]

Originally Posted by ILmom

Hubby has accepted a job in Port Arthur, so we are researching housing options. We took a quick road trip to the area over spring break (we live outside of Chicago), & were not impressed with the Port Arthur or Beaumont area (Beaumont was surprisingly expensive & the schools were not impressive). Hubby knew that the Woodlands was amazing, but the daily commute would obviously be too much so he mentioned renting a studio apartment in the Beaumont/Lumberton area during the week, with visits 1-2 times a week & on weekends. We were also impressed with a portion of Kingwood (near Lake Houston, zoned for Willow Creek school), though I have been reading that other areas of Kingwood can be scary. On our way out of town we also stumbled upon Lumberton, which seems to have some beautiful pines & decent schools (though greatschools.net noted a bullying problem in the intermediate school).

We have 2 boys, grades 1 & 3, so schools are important to us. They have been pretty sheltered & are small for their ages (though excellent students), so I am concerned about rough areas (& obviously gang activity).

Are we nuts to consider hubby renting during the week & reuniting with us 3 days a week? Is Lumberton a decent place to raise children (& are the schools good)? Are the Kingwood middle schools & high schools good?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

I live in Beaumont and would not put my kids in school here. The elementary schools are ok, but after that, look out. And Port Arthur is TERRIBLE. It really did use to be a nice town, but it has just gone downhill. Anyway, the commute you mentioned would get to be too much, so you should check out schools in Orange (LC-M district) or Bridge City, both of which are about 15 minutes from Port Arthur. Nederland is the next town over, right between Beaumont and Port Arthur. Lumberton is about 45 minutes from Port Arthur, on the other side of Beaumont. Good luck with your move!

[bmcallister7]

Lumberton is a nice place to live. If you want to be on the extremely ritzy end, go with Kingwood or Woodlands. Otherwise, Lumberton is as close as you'll get in this area. Some very nice homes coming up in the booming town, traffic is bad, but not as bad as you'll face from the Kingwood/Woodlands area.

[Cougar0653]

Well, I have lived in Port Arthur (most of my life), The Woodlands, Nederland, and now Port Neches. I agree that The Woodlands area would be too far of a drive, as it averages about 2 hours, one way, to Port Arthur. Mid County (which consists of Nederland, Port Neches) isn't bad and you have a choice of Nederland ISD and Port Neches-Groves ISD. I guess my prime choice in your situation would be Lumberton. Many new additions are going up there and it's far away from Port Arthur, which you don't seem to like, to have any effect on you. So, I would suggest Lumberton, Nederland, or Port Neches. Good luck!

[Strategizer]

I was going to add my penny-and-a-half here, but I see the original post was back in April. Hey, ILMom, are you out there? Howz about an update?

[MrsBreeder]

Personally, I feel that a family should stay together. You take the job, you all move there.

My family lives in the Beaumont/Pt. Arthur area. I live in The Woodlands. There's no way in HELL I'd want to make that drive every week. It would get really old, quickly.

I agree with what you're saying about the area. I'd move to Lumberton before I'd move all the way out to Houston.

[BSATEXAS]

Originally Posted by Cougar0653

Well, I have lived in Port Arthur (most of my life), The Woodlands, Nederland, and now Port Neches. I agree that The Woodlands area would be too far of a drive, as it averages about 2 hours, one way, to Port Arthur. Mid County (which consists of Nederland, Port Neches) isn't bad and you have a choice of Nederland ISD and Port Neches-Groves ISD. I guess my prime choice in your situation would be Lumberton. Many new additions are going up there and it's far away from Port Arthur, which you don't seem to like, to have any effect on you. So, I would suggest Lumberton, Nederland, or Port Neches. Good luck!

What do you know about Lumberton High School? We are considering checking out this area. We have a daughter that will be going into 9th grade next year. She has been in a private school but we would like for her to go to a good public high school next year.

[Strategizer]

I'd say Lumberton is where everyone seems to be heading. Their high school just made the playoffs in football for the first time in memory. Everything seems to be really energized over there. From what the info I've received from my folks over there, I'd recommend it.