College Station-Bryan questions (Winters, Howe: relocation, houses, rent)

[john4355]

I'm headed to Texas A&M for gradutate school this fall, but I've never been there. My wife and I are thinking of renting a place at first, and then look around for a cheap place to buy. How much can I expect rent to be for a two bedroom apt. within a mile of campus?
I also wondered about the climate. I know it's hot and humid, but are the winters mild enough for palm trees? How about citrus trees? I've looked around, and haven't found very many good photos of the area to see what kind of vegetation grows there. Also, are there any trail systems for running/biking?

[RSTX]

I lived in Bryan back in 1996/97. I can't help much with apartments since it has been so long, but I would assume A&M would have some sort of relocation assistance dept. that can give some guidance. Other than that just google apartments in B/CS and see what comes up. Call them and get some quotes.

The winters are mild, but palm and citrus trees might be a stretch. We do get some freezes and an occasional hard freeze.

The A&M campus has lots of hiking/biking areas. During class time they are usually full, but after hours and summer they are pretty open.

Good luck and enjoy your stay.

Rick

[grapeguy]

Hi John,

Don't have a current figure for you on rents, but you could look into it online (that's what we did when we moved here ~7yrs ago). But generally speaking, rents within a mile of campus are similar to what you would pay in your average university town (i.e. quite expensive). However, price of buying a house is significantly less than average. If you're planning to buy anyway, you might just check out houses right away. There's quite a selection.
Climate: Yes it does get HOT here in the summer, but the humidity is not really that bad-- less than i was expecting. Winters are not bad; we usually get a few freezes circa 26-32F per winter, but with averages probably in the 40's-60's. There are a sprinkling of (landscaping) palm trees around that make it through the winter. As for citrus, you could probably grow mandarins with possibly a light protection from the episodic frosts. As for native vegetation, the wooded areas are dominated by post oak and red cedar (juniper), with open areas dominated by mesquite. It's not exceptionally picturesque as forests go, but could be worse i guess (it's not west Texas). Soil is a fairly heavy clay for the most part, which along with the heat limits the vegetation possibilities.
Hiking etc; Not a lot to offer in town. There are a short trail or two between parks in College Station. But when the summer heat kicks in from June-Sept., there isn't much of a tendency to want to be outdoors anyway.

[john4355]

Appreciate the info

[askinnybuddy]

You can rent anything from a "ghetto" apartment in Bryan for less than $500 a month to a luxury apartment closer to campus for $1500 a month. Depends on who you want as neighbors, how far you want to commute, and what you want to spend. Choice of duplex versus complex living, too.

[Bear's mommy]

Hi, I also have some questions about relocating to the Bryan-College Station area. I have been reading online about the bug problem there, and it is freaking me out!!!

I live in Germany right now, and my husband may be getting a job there, and I would really like to know just how bad they are. Over here, there are no screens on windows, and everything gets in the house, and they do have everything over here.

I was just wondering if I am going to be able to stand the insect, spider, africanized bee, roach and snake problem, or will I be staying indoors my whole life??!! I was pretty excited about moving there, until I started reading that stuff. Also, how bad is it for the dogs with the fleas, fireants and ticks. Any help, anyone can give, is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[RSTX]

Bear's Mommy, please do not get worked up over bugs. They are not bad. In fact, odds are you will not even notice them. I do not understand why some people make such a bid deal over this issue.

All of our windows have screens on them.

[Marlow]

Your windows will have screens and you'll get in the habit of keeping the door shut to keep the mosquitos out and the air-conditioning in. There are lots of effective roach controls you can buy for inside the house and your vet will have flea and tick controls for pets. Africanized bees are rare and I've never seen a poisonous snake in town. I hope for the day I see a garden snake in my yard because that will mean I've created a viable ecosystem!

In short, don't worry. The bugs will not keep you from enjoying life.

[Bear's mommy]

Thank you so much for re-assuring me about the bug thing. I was up at 4am surfing the net for information, and by the time my husband got up for work at 6:30, I was in melt-down over this. I read horror stories of waking up to scorpions on the ceiling and june bugs getting stuck in your hair etc... I told my husband that I didn't know if I could move there because of the bugs. I need to just remind myself that there are good and bad things about everywhere that you live.

[john4355]

Yeah, I bet the problem isn't that bad (lol...I've never been there). You could make any place look bad enough that nobody (who had never been there) would want to move there. Every place has it's good/bad points. People complain about the heat in the summer, for example. But I've lived in Idaho & Utah (currently), where it's so COLD in the winter that you can't really go outside.