Clear Lakes League City info (Houston, Friendswood: lease, insurance, crime) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

raithrovers1 · 10-10-2011, 03:58 AM

Hello again guys.
I have been trawling the threads looking for info and some of the threads are quite old so I would like to ask this question:
I am looking to relocate to the Clear Lakes/ League City area of Houston from Scotland as my work is close to this area. I have lived in Florida for a few years so I know what the humidity on the Gulf Coast is like so no problems there!
I am looking for more particular information like personal experience of the area. Is the Clear Lakes School district still as good as people say?
What is the area like for a 40 year old couple with two children ages 11 and 13?
Is there a community spirit that we can try to get involved with?
Has the insurance problems since the hurricanes got any better?
I am information hungry so the more info the better.
Thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to reply

MNCold · 10-12-2011, 06:18 AM

I live in Clear Lake. I moved here last winter. It's a nice and safe area . Churchs, shopping, grocery stores and restaurants are plenty here. My girl just starting school this year and so far it's been good experience. I was able to make a few friends since moved here. I think it's all depend on your attitude. If you seek out and want to make friends, people is very friendly and it's easy to make friend. The same goes for community spirit. My experience has been very positive so far .

People here is VERY proud about their school district. I just signed up with the PTA at my kids school as they are very active in informing and recruiting new mumbers. Lots of school events and activities and the PTA moms seem to be very nice. This is our first school year experience so I don't know how good it is compare to other places but our experience has been great so far.
I don't know about insurance rate as I'm still renting but most people here doesn't seem to worry or panic about the hurricane. They do take precaution . At my company, we have annual hurricane training to remind employee how to deal with . When hurricane season starts, each city has its own hurricane preparation meeting . Other than that, things are very normal and I don't hear a lot of people talking about hurricane here. A co-worker of mine told me that he send his wife and kids up north when there's a hurricane but he always stays behind and work .

phaedra_p · 10-12-2011, 09:58 AM

I lived in League City for a year and Friendswood nearby for 2 years.

I wasn't sure what to expect but I really like it. It's safe, schools are very good, and people are friendly, like MNCold said.

I think we do pay higher homeowners' insurance rates but you would need to consult a realtor or insurance broker about that. As far as I'm concerned, housing is so inexpensive it makes up for it.

MNCold · 10-12-2011, 02:14 PM

One thing I did notice though (based on reading on Bay Area newspaper) that there are more crimes reported on this paper than in Clear Lake area. Actually, the majority of crime reported on this newspaper are from League City. No major crime but theft and such. I don't know if this is due to the size or whatever or due to the transioness of the area but that's just my observation.

MNCold · 10-12-2011, 02:33 PM

I'm in Clear Creek ISD. Does anyone know if the schools within this district is relatively comparable? I'm currently zoned to Clear Lake City Elementary and Clear Lake Intermediate. My lease is up in December so we will have the opportunity to move around if need to.
I have couple of friends whose kids go to Brookwood Elem and Space Center Intermediate. They all tell me how great the Brookwood school is and try to convince me to send my kids there b/c 'it's worth it'. I looked up in Har.com and houses there are close to $300K. The houses are nice BUT I don't really care about the house. We're very modest when it comes to living standard. However, I care about schools. The house that we live right now is zoned to Clear Lake City Elementary/Clear Lake Intermediate. Houses in this subdivision is about ~150K .
I'm wondering if anyone has experience in these schools and would be able to share thoughts. How is the gap in quality of education between these schools within the same district? I'm trying to determine whether the differences within these schools worth the $150K.
We can afford both of these options. I can't decide whether the differences b/t the schools worth putting up that extra amount of money or to save the extra money would be better.

Any help????

jasonamd · 10-12-2011, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNCold

One thing I did notice though (based on reading on Bay Area newspaper) that there are more crimes reported on this paper than in Clear Lake area. Actually, the majority of crime reported on this newspaper are from League City. No major crime but theft and such. I don't know if this is due to the size or whatever or due to the transioness of the area but that's just my observation.

League City is by far the largest city in the Clear Lake Area so of course there will be more crimes. League City is 6-10x the size of the other cities considered part of the Clear Lake Area. If you break down the number of crimes compared to population, League City is well below average and I feel a very safe place to live. I have no problem going for walks in my neighborhood after dark.

I keep up with what is going on close to where I live and a majority of the crimes are theft from vehicles it seems. The report usually reads something like "<insert a electronic device here> stolen from front seat of unlocked vehicle".

MNCold · 10-12-2011, 06:55 PM

raithrovers1 - Sorry. I meant to create a new thread for my question. I didn't to hijack your thread with my question. Let me pull it to a separate thread.

MNCold · 10-12-2011, 07:07 PM

Agree about the correlation about the size and crime. Plus, most crimes are petty crimes. League City is also very safe compare to many other parts of Houston. The whole area around Clear Lake, Friendswood, League City and Seabrook is great place to live. I would have no problem living there in any of these places. I have several friends who live in League City and they are very happy. If it's not for the distance to work (I want to live super close to work), I would choose League City bc it's more affordable than Clear lake and you can find new housing stocks.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonamd

League City is by far the largest city in the Clear Lake Area so of course there will be more crimes. League City is 6-10x the size of the other cities considered part of the Clear Lake Area. If you break down the number of crimes compared to population, League City is well below average and I feel a very safe place to live. I have no problem going for walks in my neighborhood after dark.

I keep up with what is going on close to where I live and a majority of the crimes are theft from vehicles it seems. The report usually reads something like "<insert a electronic device here> stolen from front seat of unlocked vehicle".

tstone · 10-12-2011, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonamd

I keep up with what is going on close to where I live and a majority of the crimes are theft from vehicles it seems. The report usually reads something like "<insert a electronic device here> stolen from front seat of unlocked vehicle".

The Houston part of the Clear Lake Area is basically the same way. HPD will not come out if you call them to report a vehicle break-in. They will simply give you a case number to file with your insurance.

Also close your blinds when you leave... some of those lawn guys with access to your back yard are unsavory characters, responsible for smash & grabs.

I'd think both of these are common sense wherever you live, but some people don't think about it, let their guard down and get victimized.