What part of Houston besides the Suburbs would be a great place to live (Sugar Land: renting, crime)

[ZeusGT]

Hi,

We are looking to move from MN this summer to Houston and we are trying to get an idea of what part of Houston besides the suburbs would be a safe place to live. I understand that every city has it's crime and we know this personally being that we used to live in Memphis TN. But even in Memphis there were nice areas that we could live in without having to worry about someone trying to murder us while we sleep.

The reason I ask is because I am trying to weigh my options on what parts of the city would be good on buying/renting a house and which part of the city has decent schools. I know that Katy, Sugar Land, Richmond and the west side of Houston is good, but I was hoping to get a little more info about the city of Houston.


Any help would be appreciated.

[cheryjohns]

When you are talking about the inner parts of Houston, budget is imperative to know before you can get any worthwhile advice. Most live in the suburbs not because they like to commute, but because they can afford a better home/school district/community with the same or less money.

[diablo234]

Plenty of nice areas inside the loop (I-610) as well including Montrose, River Oaks, Rice Village, The Heights, Midtown, Museum District, and some up and coming areas in Downtown and East Downtown.

It just depends on your budget.

[mikehtown]

I think it depends greatly on your budget and the part of town where you'll be working. Commutes in Houston, like most big cities, can be brutal so you've got to take that into account as it greatly impacts quality of life. Most who go the far out suburb route should pick one with the minimal commute, as the amenities and schools can be matched in different areas of each suburb from my perspective.

If you are working in town and/or like the city lifestyle, then you may want to consider closer in options. Of course, it becomes more expensive and you typically have to make more tradeoffs (e.g. expensive, small, older home) unless you are willing to drop a boatload of cash on a home and private schools.

[EasilyAmused]

Along the westside, from downtown to around Dairy Ashford. But it's pricey. Prices go down the farther west you go.300k at the most western points to upwards of 20 some million.

[DJboutit]

$300k or less you can get a nice home on big lot in Willowbend Westbury Maplewood on the South West side right near the loop

[Lost_In_Translation]

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

Along the westside, from downtown to around Dairy Ashford. But it's pricey. Prices go down the farther west you go.300k at the most western points to upwards of 20 some million.

Why stop at Dairy Ashford? All the way out to HWY 6 south of I-10 is considered the City of Houston and there are several neighborhoods past Dairy Ashford that are very nice.

Oh, and 20 some million. Really? Yeah, there might be that one house in River Oaks, but honestly, once you can afford 2 million, you've covered everywhere in Houston essentially.

[EasilyAmused]

I say Dairy Ashford because some of the school boundaries change west of there and there are pockets of HISD, KISD and some SBISD. Those pockets are odd and make for some weird school bussing and commuting situations. And honestly at Hwy 6, you may as well buy in Katy IMHO.

Dairy Ashford: It's just an easy broad boundary to make to the casual listener.

[JohnnyDA]

If you have the money there are all sorts of places!

[tstone]

Originally Posted by Lost_In_Translation

All the way out to HWY 6 south of I-10 is considered the City of Houston and there are several neighborhoods past Dairy Ashford that are very nice.

It's still a suburb, just within the city of Houston. Really the whole city is suburban in nature. The OP needs to draw a line somewhere and go from there, instead of getting hung up on the city vs suburbs mentality.