Help With Neighborhoods (Houston, Austin, Deer Park: HOA, house, new construction)

[Austinitegirl]

Hello everyone:

My husband is taking a job in the Galena Park area near I10& Beltway 8. I would like to work at Rice or U of H.

Where can we live without either one of us having to commute 7 hours a day, without having to worry about getting shot at or having our car stolen or paying $2000/month for a 60 year-old shack in a crack house neighborhood?

I'm an Austinite and very spoiled by our new, moderately-priced, shiny, safe, (relatively) crime-free suburbs where everyone drives a minivan and there are lots of parks, clean community pools and nice, convenient shopping areas. I've visited Houston frequently (to visit family members who live near the Heights area) and been very turned off by the ummm... shall we say... "industrial" look of the city.

Are there any nice (i.e. safe, clean, family-friendly) parts of Houston that don't require a six figure paycheck to afford?

Any info you can provide about neighborhoods to avoid, neighborhoods that might work, etc. would be so helpful. Thanks!

[Premont]

You could possibly live in the Clear Lake/Webster area where your husband could take the beltway to work while you could take the Gulf Freeway to Downtown. It's a bit if driving, but that's a very nice area. You're going to find that much of the east side is more industrial looking than The Heights.

[Mom2Feebs]

Clear Lake will be your answer. Try the subdivision of South Shore Harbour. If you are working in the medical center, take the Bay area Park and Ride's METRO Bus for a direct route. They are nice buses, and a well-used alternative to driving. The route information is here: http://www.ridemetro.org/pdf/routes/gulfcorridor.pdf

Good luck!

[Poltracker]

Actually, Deer Park would also be a good place to live. Very quiet and secure community right off Beltway 8 and the commute to Rice area is a lot better on 225/610 than it is on 45 and you could use the tunnel or beltway 8 to Galena Park. Deer Park schools are superior and the city services beat Houston's (Clear Lake) all to heck, you actually see a police officer within 10 minutes if you need one. Garbage pickup 2x/week with heavy trash pick up weekly if you need it. City codes are actually enforced so it really does not matter if you are in an area with a HOA or not. Home prices are also reasonable with alot of new construction and well-kept older homes available.

[Premont]

Deer Park is a nice underrated area. The only drawback might be that it's so close to the oil refineries