Relocation to Golden Triangle / Orange (Houston, Beaumont: real estate, insurance, new home)

[slfountain]

We may be moving to Orange this summer for my husband's job, and I am wondering the best area to search for homes. We have a grade-schooler, so being in a good school district is at the top of our priority list. We would also like to live in an area with young families so that he has neighborhood friends to play with. Alternately, a rural area with room for him and our dog to run around would be great.
Having read some of the posts about the area, I am concerned about flooding/hurricanes and pollution. I also wonder what there is for families to do around there. We like to hike, camp, and kayak, and just looking at the map it does not seem like there are too many places nearby.
Thanks so much for your help!

[southeasttexas]

Welcome! As a life long SE Texan, here is my take on things:

Pollution concerns are greatly overblown. The industry in the area is very clean. Some people just can't get to the point of seeing the truth of it. Hurricaines can and will hit, but it could be years, if not decades between them. Even if hit, unless you live right on the beach, chances are your home would only need roof repairs.

Schools and communities I would choose in the Orange area is Bridge City, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, and Orangefield. All these fit the description of what you are looking for. I would not choose to live in Orange itsself. The WO-S schools face numerous challenges.

[slfountain]

Thanks for the advice. I am a little paranoid about hurricanes since I am from Mississippi and weathered hurricane Katrina. Even 100 miles inland it was still a category 3 when it went through our town, and my mother's house had to be rebuilt after a tree fell on it. I know the chances on one like that hitting again in the near future are slim, but you never know...
Is flood insurance as bad in this area as I have read? Real estate prices seem reasonable, but I would like to know if we will be hit with a huge insurance bill.

[southeasttexas]

Well, it seems EVERY insurance company is costing more, so just throughly shopping around is the thing to do. DM me and I can tell who I found was the cheapest. I dumped Allstate like a hot potato! You are right about being 100 miles inland is no guarantee against storms. Some areas like that suffered worse damage than coastal areas, amazingly enough.

Real estate is a bargain. As you would do anyway, pay close attention to the school districts. A "bargain" in an undesirable SD is not really a bargain. Look hard at Bridge City. Great schools, great community...

[BobTex]

Agree with the schools in BC. Only thing is your are on a saltwater marsh and the mosquitoes can be rough. LC-M would be my 2nd choice with residence in Mauriceville. This would leave your DH a 20 mile commute about.

[texdav]

You might find housing rather tight because the area is booming with industrial growth. There are some very nice country type areas as mentioned north of orange on highway 62.Orange country deos not as stated have the mesquito control program that say jefferson county has. Orange county also does not have the hurricane protection that south jefferson county has. It really like everywhere else when you go more rural you leave soemthngs.One thnig is that housing is reasonable even if building and the value have actually gain quite a biut since 2005 and continue to.If you like lakes they are aabout 11/2 hours from teledo bend and reyburn lake which are in the beautiful piney woods. Huston aboiut 1 her 30 minutes easy drive.Good luck

[slfountain]

Well, we ended up moving to the Little Cypress school district just north of Orange. We did get a nice home in great neighborhood where both us and our kids have friends. The people here are wonderful and the food is great. Fresh seafood is easy to come by. The elementary school has exceeded my expectations, and there is a newcomers group with lots of monthly activities. It has been easy to meet people and make friends
BUT... We had to evacuate 2 weeks afte moving for Hurricane Gustav, and then four weeks afte moving we got hit by Hurricane Ike. Thank goodness our house did not flood, but pretty much everything for 20 miles south of us did. Within weeks of moving, my allergies started going crazy, and after multiple sinus and ear infections I finally had to have surgery. Allergy testing did not turn up anything specific, so I have to attribute this to pollution. Now everyone in our family, even our not-even-two year old, is on allergy medication. Our family was continuously sick for the first year after we moved here with every illness in the book. And there is not too much to do around here - you have to look hard and be willing to drive a bit to find anything.
Overall, If we had to move here again, I would probably choose Lake Charles or the mid-county area (Groves / Port Neches / Nederland). Those areas have more to do, shopping, dining, parks, ect.

[slfountain]

Continued: and I have heard good things about mid-county schools. From Orange, you basically have to drive to Beaumont, Lake Charles, or Port Arthur / mid-county to shop or go out. Houston is not a bad drive except for road work on I-10, there are lots of bad wrecks in the orange-Beaumont-Houston corridor. Obviously lots to do in Houston, and we have had so fun day trips there. Galveston is not a bad drive either for day trips and the beach.
As for camping/hiking/kayaking, we have been deterred by heat, mosquitoes, alligators, and poisonous snakes, and there aren't many pretty places to go in less than an hours drive anyway. Plus I now start wheezing when I am outside too long (sounds funny but it's true). As a result, my husband and I are at record high weight. People eat very well here, it is a great confluence on Cajun, southern, and Tex-Mex cuisine.

[DanielWayne]

You made a good choice in schools. I grew up in West Orange, and the school district there has gone downhill. All my family moved to LCM except my parents who are stubborn. In my opinion Mid-County is the best place to be in the Golden Triangle because it is a nice area close to lots of amenities. LCM is nice, too, as it is a good place to raise a family without a lot of crowding. Good luck with your new home