Kingwood versus Woodlands versus...? (Houston, Humble: low crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[tifille3of4]

We are looking for a large master planned community and are considering both of these (and open to others).

Can anyone compare these for us or suggest alternatives?

We are a family with 2 young children looking for lots of mature trees (critical), and a pool with at least 2500 sq feet under $350,000. We need a montessori elementary nearby and good public schools after that. Looking for a real sense of community where kids play outside together and neighbors talk to one another. bike/walking trails are important. Low crime. Ok, I will admit, we want it all - lol! Still job hunting, but probably location is downtown due to the sheer number of companies, so will likely deal with a commute.

Would love to hear your ideas, input and suggestions.

[chris_ut]

Sounds like Kingwood to me. Kingwood has 2 Montessori schools - Pines which has been around for many years and Kingwood which is recently formed by some veteran teachers from Pines. 350k will get you into almost any neighborhood in Kingwood.

[gkv74]

I think Kingwood and the Woodlands are your two obvious choices. We moved to Kingwood about two years ago with very similar requirements. We spent a lot of time researching both areas, and visited both areas several times before deciding on Kingwood. I really like both areas though.

Everywhere has small differences, but there are a few that distinguish the two communities to me. If restaurants and shopping are important to you then the Woodlands is the choice. If a quieter comunity and a better commute into Houston are more important then Kingwood would be the choice, IMO.

Both have trees, trails, pools, and montessori schools. Both areas are very family friendly and have a comunity feel.

[colorwheel]

Kingwood will give you the most bang for your buck.

[tifille3of4]

Good to hear your perspective having done this already! Initially, we were REALLY set on the Woodlands, but I keep reading that things are kind of going downhill as far as the community, that there is starting to be quite a bit of serious crime and that it is kind of noisy. We are really attracted by the trails, parks, and school within the neighborhood though. We will be getting down there at the beginning of September so then we can start comparing them in person. So hard to know what to believe out here on the Internet!

We are totally open to anywhere in greater Houston, but want that master planned community thing. Trees are so critical to our decision so don't know if there are any other ones that we are missing. Seems like there might be some down by Sugarland too??

[colorwheel]

Try Telfair.

[chris_ut]

Sample of what you can get in Kingwood in your price range:

1727 Seven Maples Dr, Humble, TX 77345 - HAR.com

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSea...y%20Maple%20Tr

[tifille3of4]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

Sample of what you can get in Kingwood in your price range:

1727 Seven Maples Dr, Humble, TX 77345 - HAR.com

1427 Lofty Maple Tr, Kingwood, TX 77345 - HAR.com

Thanks Chris - we have been doing searches online for houses, but what I am trying to determine is nuances between the 2 subdivisions. Can't do much besides online until we get down there, so until then am just trying to gather as much "second hand" objective and subjective data as possible.

For anyone else looking at master planned communities, I found this area of the Houston Area Realtors which has a map showing them all. You can click any of the icons to see a summary and a link to the community website (if it exists). Pretty handy (although the search option could use some tweaking): Houston Master Planned Communities and Planned Neighborhoods - HAR.com

[chris_ut]

I agree, you really need to drive through to get a feel for it.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by tifille3of4

We are a family with 2 young children looking for lots of mature trees (critical), and a pool with at least 2500 sq feet under $350,000. We need a montessori elementary nearby and good public schools after that. Looking for a real sense of community where kids play outside together and neighbors talk to one another. bike/walking trails are important. Low crime. Ok, I will admit, we want it all - lol! Still job hunting, but probably location is downtown due to the sheer number of companies, so will likely deal with a commute.

Sounds to me like Kingwood would work better for your needs; it's closer to Houston than the Woodlands.

Originally Posted by colorwheel

Try Telfair.

While Telfair is very nice, OP said they wanted lots of mature trees, so that won't work (still too new and on a different side of town).