What's the best suburban area if... (Houston, Sugar Land: low crime, neighborhoods, public schools)

[Dmichelle007]

I'm looking at:
1. Sugar Land
2. The Woodlands
3. Katy
4. Friendswood
5. Cypress??
6. Clear Lake?

And would like (though I know I won't get them all:

1. Exemplary public schools with low student to teacher ratio
2. Best commute to downtown
3. Good zoning, clean, family-oriented, COMMUNITY, hard-working, laid back (not pretentious), high-end shopping/living, recreational opportunities
4. Some kind of nature

Thanks for your input!

[westhou]

Originally Posted by Dmichelle007

I'm looking at:
1. Sugar Land
2. The Woodlands
3. Katy
4. Friendswood
5. Cypress??
6. Clear Lake?

And would like (though I know I won't get them all:

1. Exemplary public schools with low student to teacher ratio
2. Best commute to downtown
3. Good zoning, clean, family-oriented, COMMUNITY, hard-working, laid back (not pretentious), high-end shopping/living, recreational opportunities
4. Some kind of nature

Thanks for your input!

I grew up in Cypress and it meets 3 and 4 on your list but certainly does not meet 1 or 2. Really none of the suburbs meet 1 or 2.

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by westhou

I grew up in Cypress and it meets 3 and 4 on your list but certainly does not meet 1 or 2. Really none of the suburbs meet 1 or 2.

If your trying to commute to downtown from Cypress; you'd do better walking.

[chris_ut]

The area with the best commute is Kingwood/Humble which you didn't even put on your list.

[Trae713]

Originally Posted by Dmichelle007

I'm looking at:
1. Sugar Land
2. The Woodlands
3. Katy
4. Friendswood
5. Cypress??
6. Clear Lake?

And would like (though I know I won't get them all:

1. Exemplary public schools with low student to teacher ratio

Katy first, an then Cypress.

2. Best commute to downtown

Out of your list, probably Sugar Land.

3. Good zoning, clean, family-oriented, COMMUNITY, hard-working, laid back (not pretentious), high-end shopping/living, recreational opportunities

The Woodlands first (though it's pretty pretentious) and then Sugar Land. South Katy in there, too.

4. Some kind of nature
Thanks for your input!

The Woodlands and Sugar Land.

[Mr. Football]

For big trees, good schools, low crime and beautiful neighborhoods.

My favorites are:

Cypress, The Woodlands, Klein, Champions

[Trae713]

Depends on what side of Cypress though. The Cypress south of 290 is flat, treeless prairie.

[JustCinco]

I would say 1) Katy, 2) Sugar Land, 3) The Woodlands, 4) Cypress, 5) Clear Lake, 6) Friendswood.

[tstone]

As far as public schools, Clear Creek ISD (Clear Lake/Friendswood/League City) was ranked the #1 overall district in the area this year. As far as students:teachers, I couldn't tell you but it probably isn't too bad.

For commute to downtown, northern Clear Lake (where you can watch the Air Show from your back yard) will probably win here among the list. It is about 20-25 minutes on weekends, 30-35 mins in the morning and 40-50 minutes in the afternoon. There is a park & ride nearby to downtown (Fuqua, 10 mins away) that is very convenient which I would most definitely use if I worked there.

Nature: Bay Area Park, Armand Bayou Nature Center, Walter Hall Park... Seabrook will be the closest saltwater fishing spot, about 20 minutes away. Galveston is about 40 minutes away. Being near the bay, though-- hurricane evacuation zone. But we were fine during Ike aside from branches & leaves spread everywhere.

The only downside according to your list is there is no true zoning, and there a few seedy businesses; a new game room just popped up on El Dorado. But I think because of that some HOA's get pretty nazi-like to the point of stupidity (http://www.ultimateclearlake.com/2009/11/deed-restriction-changes-fail-pineloch - broken link). (Glad I don't live in one of those neighborhoods.) I'd say it's pretty laid back overall but the ''high end living'' areas are pretty pretentious which is not at all unusual.

Can't say there is any high-end shopping here. Galleria access is about 30-35 mins on the weekend, so the west/southwest side suburbs may be more convenient to that. But aside from that there is just about everything you could ever want.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by Dmichelle007

I'm looking at:

3. Good zoning, clean, family-oriented, COMMUNITY, hard-working, laid back (not pretentious), high-end shopping/living, recreational opportunities

The strict zoning and real sense of individual community are a few things that put Sugar Land over the top of the others, IMO. It's an incorporated city with its own identity. Houston has no formal zoning. Sugar Land is not a bedroom community as a few of the others are... it has a big corporate presence, and Fort Bend County is always on these lists of places for best job growth. Now, I think the Woodlands is considering becoming incorporated (someone correct me if I'm wrong) so it would rank high on those categories too. Kingwood has a better commute into downtown than the Woodlands however.