Cali Fam Moving to Houston and We Need HELP!

[cheryjohns]

Someone mentioned Olde Oaks up north - I love the area but the commute would be bad. I just helped a family buy a house there - but they DO NOT work downtown.

Go west of Houston to Cinco Ranch - the schools are good, the commute not bad (due to an enlarged I-10 and the Westpark tolllroad) and it is a pretty area. A 4 bedroom with a pool would run about $275K. Diversity - yes. Go on har.com and type in Cinco Ranch as to area to see what I mean.

I agree with the modster about the Memorial area.

[Premont]

You've got a point cherryjohns. All the money you would save by buying in the suburbs could pay for the ez tag for the toll lane.

[jghall00]

I live in San Diego, but I'll throw my two cents in. My response is based on my having lived in Houston for 11 years prior to moving to Cali in '05. I just returned from a visit, as my wife often expresses a desire to move back.

I'll start out by saying that the original poster is not going to find everything he/she desires in one area. The west side of the inner loop (West of 288 and I-45) is not that diverse, but offers most of what the OP seeks. The suburbs are more diverse, but the trade off will be a longer commute. Most of my friends in Houston with children chose to trade the commute for greater affordability and a more family oriented lifestyle in the 'burbs.

Houston overall is much more diverse than any California city, but unfortunately African American households still have lower household income on average. Thus, you find a significant proportion of the African American population in Houston lives in the Wards and places like Greenspoint. Houston has a larger black middle class than California cities, but many middle and upper class African American households moved to the suburbs for better schools and greater affordability.

I think the OP may have to decide between a long/short commute, and the other factors that are important. One option may be choice the kids into a school of their choosing. One friend of mine resides in Pearland, but her daughter goes to school inside the loop near her workplace.

One resource that may help is schoolperformancemaps.com. You can use the links to check diversity numbers for schools of interest.