River Oaks/Memorial vs The Woodlands

[inwood dreams]

Check out West U too.

[BCEagles01]

Originally Posted by testmo

no way is a house price in LA comparable to a house price in River Oaks. he said he lived West, but he'd have to give more info to say something like that. He'd have to explain his budget, but if it is in the millions RO would be the ideal

You should drive through Brentwood,Pacific Palisades and Bel Air alone. All withing the city of Los Angeles. Or under the jurisdiction. He could possibly be from one of those areas. And even then, with the median price pushing 400k, I would imagine he could very well afford to go most anywhere in houston.

Beverly Hills isn't the only nice place in LA.

[elevenbridle]

We relocated to Houston from LA 4 years ago due to a job transfer.

For reference, I would relate the Woodlands to Calabasas, Memorial to Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino. Sugar Land to the south bay. West University to SantaMonica/Brentwood. River Oaks to BH/Bel Air. This reference is just to help you establish the type of neighborhood. This is not meant to compare; the culture here is quite different.

We reside in the Museum district and could not be happier living in town. We spend so much less time in our vehicles and have an abundance of great restaurants within a 10 minute drive. Many of the in town neighborhoods or close in Memorial have all the amenities one would desire.

Best of luck and welcome to Houston.

[abcdfam]

The Woodlands has a ton of exotic cars driving around, but so does RO and Memorial. It seriously depends on your lifestyle. If you have a family, I would say The Woodlands simply because it has better schools than any other area. The Country Clubs are superb, some of the best golf courses in all of TX, etc. Carlton Woods homes start in the millions, and so do some homes in River Oaks, and Memorial. However, homes in The Woodlands will be a lot newer. Young money in The Woodlands, Old money in River Oaks, a little of both in Memorial. However, there is a LOT to do in Houston which is about a 30 minute drive from The Woodlands. Like I said, really depends on your lifestyle.

[DejaBlue]

Think like this:

You want to live next to Bob McNair owner of the Texans? You live in River Oaks.

You want to live next to Texans players and Co? You live in Memorial.

RO is very nice but it's very old money and mostly the older crowd.

I like how Memorial is a good mix. You have the senior citizens who own the big companies in Houston and you have the 50 somethings and younger.

Not true in every respect but a lot. If I had the money I'd so live in one of the Villages in Memorial because the only way I'd have that kind of money is building my own money from the ground up or becoming famous or something. Just because I use to be a regular person.

If I was already rich, inherited and couldn't remember what it was like to not have millions in the bank and my grandma couldn't remember or find in my family line where we weren't rolling in millions I'd live in River Oaks.


The Woodlands is really nice but it's definitely a little bit of a downgrade from Memorial and a good deal from River Oaks. It's not as diverse as Memorial or RO people wise as far as the rich people.

[Newbe10]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

Houston does not have a "bad part of town" , the neighborhoods are all mixed together with good and bad parts scattered about. It is not a far drive from either The Woodlands or River Oaks to get to a "bad area".

Agreed. The "bad" parts of Houston are small and indeed spread around, since the city is so big. Overall, for a city of over 2 million people, Houston is pretty safe. I personally feel much safer in Houston than I would in either Chicago, LA, New Orleans or Kansas City, MO.

[14Bricks]

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

There's no comparison between River Oaks/Memorial and The Woodlands.

It's like Beverly Hills v. Irvine.

Originally Posted by AK123

River Oaks = Best located (very central), super-upscale, old money, history.

Memorial (I assume you mean Memorial Villages/77024) = a little further west but still "in" the city, more suburban in nature, upscale, old + new money.

The Woodlands = very far north in a different county, more "country" I guess, master-planned suburb. Ranges from middle class to new money. Sugar Land is another one, except closer to town than the Woodlands. Looking at counties alone, Fort Bend (Sugar Land) is actually the wealthiest, mostly because there are so many poor areas in Harris County (Houston) that bring the rest of it down.

I don't know what your budget is, but if you had the money I'd go with River Oaks first. Good comparison to Beverly Hills. The Woodlands or Sugar Land would be more like Orange County. Here, those are the places you live for nice housing and great schools when you can't afford the very few areas of Houston proper that have the same, or if you work in those areas (they do have several companies and a few headquarters.) But River Oaks is the absolute best-located, super convenient to just about everything.

What they said.

[14Bricks]

Originally Posted by abcdfam

The Woodlands has a ton of exotic cars driving around, but so does RO and Memorial. It seriously depends on your lifestyle. If you have a family, I would say The Woodlands simply because it has better schools than any other area. The Country Clubs are superb, some of the best golf courses in all of TX, etc. Carlton Woods homes start in the millions, and so do some homes in River Oaks, and Memorial. However, homes in The Woodlands will be a lot newer. Young money in The Woodlands, Old money in River Oaks, a little of both in Memorial. However, there is a LOT to do in Houston which is about a 30 minute drive from The Woodlands. Like I said, really depends on your lifestyle.

LOL, people who live in River Oaks aren't worried about schools. When you get in that tax bracket, schools are irrelevant. Most people in river oaks send their kids to the best private schools.