Commute: Cinco Ranch > Energy Corridor (Houston, Sugar Land: homes, neighborhood, school)

[Redrover1216]

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

I have to say that's an impressive time. I can go reverse traffic, Kirkwood to Grand Parkway on I-10...going 70mph. 22 minutes.

Are you starting at Kirkwood at I-10? From the Kirkwood exit to the Grand Parkway is 11 miles. That seems like an awful long time to go 11 miles at full speed. 60mph is about a mile a minute so going 70 would be a smidge more than a mile a minute which going full speed should take about 11 minutes right? Just curious.

From my driveway to my parking spot at my office is exactly 29.1 miles so while 33 minutes is a good time, I'm not laying the pedal to the floor.

[sixmasons]

I'll tell you why I would commute from the The Woodlands to the EC. We live on the East Coast and are facing a possible move to Houston (working in EC) and The Woodlands feels more like home to us. It would be hard for our family to adjust to the lack of trees and flatness in Katy. Yes, most MPC are interchangable but landscape is not. That being said...we may end up in Katy simply due to commute times.

[westres1]

Originally Posted by sixmasons

I'll tell you why I would commute from the The Woodlands to the EC. We live on the East Coast and are facing a possible move to Houston (working in EC) and The Woodlands feels more like home to us. It would be hard for our family to adjust to the lack of trees and flatness in Katy. Yes, most MPC are interchangable but landscape is not. That being said...we may end up in Katy simply due to commute times.

You dont have to go to the Woodlands for trees. Try 77079 there are many mature trees and great family neighborhoods zoned to great schools.

[sixmasons]

While 77079 looks like a lovely zip code, you are comparing apples to oranges. We would have to scale back from what we have in our suburban Maryland home in order to afford to live there. To get a house with enough bedrooms (we have 4 kids and will have frequent out of town guests) and a large yard (we have 1/2 acre now), we would have to spend atleast 1.2 million in that zip code. While I have found houses with those requirements for 750,000 and under in the Woodlands. Right now, a suburban life is what we choose for our kids. When they are grown, we will have plenty of years to live in a more urban setting.

[EasilyAmused]

You REALLY don 't want to drive The Woodlands to the EC. REALLY don't. I've done that drive plenty and it's BRUTAL. You will have to leave before 6:15 and you won't be home before 7. Forget helping with getting kids to practice or even going to the games.

Shoot for Katy or Sugarland instead. THere are places like Windsor Park Estates and Kelliwood Lakes that have tons of trees and mature landscaping in Katy.

[descovy]

I'm with EA there. Have a *life* with the kids where you aren't gone dawn till dusk.

We moved here from Montana. I get trees. The trees in The Woodlands aren't anything spectacular. Houston won't be anything like "home" anyway... so embrace the change... in culture, climate, landscape.

I really realized trees were over-rated when Hurricane Ike blew through... toppling trees over roofs, cars, bringing down power lines. Suddenly the Katy prairie didn't seem so bad (out of power one day in Katy, vs 2-3 weeks w/o power in The Woodlands)

[dv1033]

How old is Cinco Ranch? It would seem like some of the older section's trees are nearing maturity.

Sixmasons,

You would definitely not want to commute from The Woodlands. You should also look into some of the Cypress neighborhoods, they are somewhat further away but still beat the commute from The Woodlands.

[hsw]

Rarely makes any sense to choose a long commute if more efficient alternatives exist

Would also factor in Hou is a hurricane zone, so would want to be in a less flood-prone area and in a more economically important corridor (like Galleria or EC, nr greatest wealth of region) to have power restored faster, etc

In places like NYC, with 35 mi commutes to Manhattan from CT suburbs, many ambitious execs leave home by 5:30AM and lv office after 6:30PM to have tolerable 60 min drives as they work Bluetooth in their car with offices in other time zones (NYC region also has slow, primitive fwys at any hr, unlike TX or CA)....but such a commute choice is absurd in modern, efficient places like Hou where much affordable new, suburban housing is nr major offices, unlike in NYC or LA or Silicon Valley

[westres1]

I think he is confusing 77024 with 77079...you can easily find a 5 bedroom house on a large lot for under 700 in 77079

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by westres1

I think he is confusing 77024 with 77079...you can easily find a 5 bedroom house on a large lot for under 700 in 77079

Yeah, but not new. Or anything close to new.