Job in Port Arthur:Lumberton vs commute to Kingwood or Woodlands (Houston: spring break, apartment)

[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.

[lesliegrace]

ILmom,

Here is the url for the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website, listing the 2006school district ratings: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/cgi/texis...y=2006+ratings .

Several good school districts exist that are fairly close to Port Arthur; some of these include Nederland ISD and Port Neches-Groves CISD in Jefferson County, and Bridge City ISD, Orangefield ISD, and Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD in Orange County. PN-G, Bridge City, and Orangefield were all rated as recognized districts by TEA in 2006.

If you lived in any of these school districts, your husband would be able to live at home all week with you and the kids; I would consider that a big plus!

Air quality is an issue that you may want to consider when deciding where to purchase a home; it is also an issue in parts of the Houston area.

[mrsengle]

ILmom - have you considered Galveston?
Galveston Island has a ferry that connects it to the mainland, on the east side of the island. You can pretty much travel along the coastline to get to Port Arthur. I don't know much about schools and communities (other than some communities are rougher than others - probably best to stick to the west side of the island), but it's worth looking into.

[clhhardy]

ILmom,

I came across your post because like you, my husband just took a job in the Beaumont area. We currently live in Marion, AR which is about 10 minutes from Memphis, TN. Luckily we are somewhat familar with the area because my husband grew up there. On the other hand we have been away from there for 13 years and there has been a lot of changes. We too are looking at the Lumberton area. I can't really give you the "insite" you are looking for, but everyone I have spoke to says that "yes" it is a great area to raise a family. I have 2 children also, 5th grade & 8th grade. I will say that I do not recommend Bride City, Orangefield, or Orange.

Good luck with your quest and who knows maybe we will be neighbors soon.

[mpope409]

I personally would not recommend the Beaumont-Orange-Port Arthur area. Even though it's not a part of the metropolitan area and it's a whole hour away, this "Golden Triangle" area really sits in the shadows of Houston and is evidence of how strong the city's influence is. It's to my understanding that a majority of the college students in Beaumont are from Houston, quite several people might live in Beaumont and work in Houston or have family there, and the passage from HOU to Beaumont is usually pretty congested and under construction along most of the way.

[Turk]

Originally Posted by mrsengle

ILmom - have you considered Galveston?
Galveston Island has a ferry that connects it to the mainland, on the east side of the island. You can pretty much travel along the coastline to get to Port Arthur. I don't know much about schools and communities (other than some communities are rougher than others - probably best to stick to the west side of the island), but it's worth looking into.

SH 87 has been washed out for over 15 years, thats not a route worth considering for a daily drive in my opinion. Only way that route would work is the ferry, down 87 to 124, and the down SH 73 and on over to PA, and thats a killer drive to me (google maps- Port Bolivar to Port Aurther takes the above mentioned route and times it at 1 hour 41 minutes). With the ferry, thats going to be a 2 hours drive each way.

If you want another option for good Houston area schools, but a decent drive to PA (about an hour) try Mont Belvieu, Texas. Its another refinery town, but the city and schools (Barbers Hill ISD) are very well off from the tax dollars from the refinery. The only con to the drive is I10 is under a good bit of construction, they are currently replacing the bridge over the Trinity River...

Tarkington ISD is the better school in Liberty county it's roughly 1.5 hours away from PA, if he is willing to have that long of a drive also.

[i am just me]

Originally Posted by mpope409

I personally would not recommend the Beaumont-Orange-Port Arthur area. Even though it's not a part of the metropolitan area and it's a whole hour away, this "Golden Triangle" area really sits in the shadows of Houston and is evidence of how strong the city's influence is. It's to my understanding that a majority of the college students in Beaumont are from Houston, quite several people might live in Beaumont and work in Houston or have family there, and the passage from HOU to Beaumont is usually pretty congested and under construction along most of the way.

from my understanding the majority of college students in beaumont are either foreign or from the golden triangle area...and most people who live in beaumont, work there too

why would people live in beaumont and drive to houston for work everyday? (there may be a few but they are in the minority)

if a beaumonter works in houston chances are...they now live there (in houston) too...

oh and houston is a very large city so ALL tx cities (within an hour and a half drive) suffer in its shadow...
though I must say that bmt-pa (with the exception of a few similarities that just about ALL gulf coast/southeast texas cities share) is almost NOTHING like houston...its more akin to Lake Charles w/o casinos IMO...

back to the topic...

if what you desire is a dominant caucasian culture than yes, my dear, lumberton, the woodlands, and kingwood would probably suit you well...the schools in beaumont get a bad rep because the district has a huge minority population and not to mention that BISD isn't exactly a wealthy school district either; i'd say enroll your children in private school if you're that worried...

and beaumont? EXPENSIVE??? what part of beaumont were you looking at?

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by i am just me

from my understanding the majority of college students in beaumont are either foreign or from the golden triangle area...and most people who live in beaumont, work there too

why would people live in beaumont and drive to houston for work everyday? (there may be a few but they are in the minority)

if a beaumonter works in houston chances are...they now live there (in houston) too...

oh and houston is a very large city so ALL tx cities (within an hour and a half drive) suffer in its shadow...

Well actually, a very very large percentage of Lamar University's students are indeed from Houston. Even some of the foreign students that you speak of. And when several of Black teenagers consider their choices for higher education, they often look at U of HOU, Texas Southern (in Houston), or Lamar. When they want to be close to home.

And I wouldn't exactly say that sitting in the shadows of Houston is suffering . If anything, it's an advantage.

I too ask why would people live in Beaumont and work in Houston (or v/v), but it does happen, and no they usually don't have a home in their work city. People do this all over. A former educator of mine lived in Austin and drove to Killeen, Texas every morning. It's all about where you want to live, and where your best job opportunities are. The commute from Bmt. to HOU actually isn't that far when you think about it. I've made it there in 45 minutes, which is a shorter drive than a usual commute around HOU itself with traffic.

[i am just me]

Originally Posted by mpope409

Well actually, a very very large percentage of Lamar University's students are indeed from Houston. Even some of the foreign students that you speak of. And when several of Black teenagers consider their choices for higher education, they often look at U of HOU, Texas Southern (in Houston), or Lamar. When they want to be close to home.

And I wouldn't exactly say that sitting in the shadows of Houston is suffering . If anything, it's an advantage.

I too ask why would people live in Beaumont and work in Houston (or v/v), but it does happen, and no they usually don't have a home in their work city. People do this all over. A former educator of mine lived in Austin and drove to Killeen, Texas every morning. It's all about where you want to live, and where your best job opportunities are. The commute from Bmt. to HOU actually isn't that far when you think about it. I've made it there in 45 minutes, which is a shorter drive than a usual commute around HOU itself with traffic.

I believe that there are a lot of Houstonians attending Lamar, but as far as them being a large percentage? I don't know, I think I'd need to see some proof...according to their website, one of Lamar's goals is "to further the (goal of) recruiting (of) students beyond Southeast Texas..."
http://www.lamar.edu/newsevents/articles/221_4600.htm

And trust me I already know plenty about the Beaumont and Houston areas...I was born and raised in BMT and have been living in Harris and Galveston counties for the past four years (attending TXSU and UHCL)

and by suffering I was referring to the identity crisis that cities too close to Houston suffer (have you noticed how often Beaumont has changed its slogan in an attempt to attract that almighty tourist dollar? the city is fighting to not be looked upon as Houston's dirty stepchild or as "too Louisianan" at the same time)

instead of saying "I am from BMT", I hear people say stupid things like "oh, I am from this little town about an hour away from Houston" as if BMT didn't have 100 thousand PLUS population...that's a hell of a "little town" if you ask me...but then I am one of the few people (I know) that actually takes pride in the little piece of texas she's from (flaws and all; no place is perfect)

sorry for my little rant, but this topic (the Beaumont area) always gets my blood flowing...

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by i am just me

I believe that there are a lot of Houstonians attending Lamar, but as far as them being a large percentage? I don't know, I think I'd need to see some proof...according to their website, one of Lamar's goals is "to further the (goal of) recruiting (of) students beyond Southeast Texas..."
http://www.lamar.edu/newsevents/articles/221_4600.htm

And trust me I already know plenty about the Beaumont and Houston areas...I was born and raised in BMT and have been living in Harris and Galveston counties for the past four years (attending TXSU and UHCL)

and by suffering I was referring to the identity crisis that cities too close to Houston suffer (have you noticed how often Beaumont has changed its slogan in an attempt to attract that almighty tourist dollar? the city is fighting to not be looked upon as Houston's dirty stepchild or as "too Louisianan" at the same time)

instead of saying "I am from BMT", I hear people say stupid things like "oh, I am from this little town about an hour away from Houston" as if BMT didn't have 100 thousand PLUS population...that's a hell of a "little town" if you ask me...but then I am one of the few people (I know) that actually takes pride in the little piece of texas she's from (flaws and all; no place is perfect)

sorry for my little rant, but this topic (the Beaumont area) always gets my blood flowing...

You are right. Beaumont more than deserves an identity of its own. Even though it is in close proximity to the big city, it has its own personality. But between the two cities, you have to have noticed that so many things are named after Mirabeau Lamar.

But I wasn't implying that you didn't know anything about the Golden Triangle area. I'm positive you know more than me as I've never lived there, but I frequently visit, and I know a lot of students at Lamar U (all from Houston). With a black population that makes up about 40% of the school, a majority of those students are indeed from the Houston area, and then some. That makes up a pretty hefty percentage if you ask me. So while Lamar's goal may be to outreach past Southeast Texas, it has yet to attain that goal as it is virtually unknown outside of the south.