Sugarland, Pearland, Katy, where should I live in Houston? (Pasadena: crime, homes)

[bibio7]

Originally Posted by houstonfan

If you wanted closer to the museums, zoo, restaurants, you might want to check out Galleria, Riverside Terrace and other parts inside the loop. It's definitely more expensive though, for a 3-4bdrm, single home in established area, you will need at least 400k.

Thank you Houstonfan. I will look into those too.

[350days]

Originally Posted by bibio7

350days, thank you for the insight on the taxes. You also said there is a lot of marketing for Masterplan communities. Is that a bad thing, in your opinion? What do you consider the pros and cons of masterplan communities? You also said I would paying through my nose for other things. What types of things are you refering to? Please enlighten me so I know what other research I need to do. Thank you.

From my experience with living in a masterplanned community you may find yourself driving 30 to 40 minutes to get to a supermarket, library, or post office. When I first moved to a masterplanned community there wasn't important services like these close by. Now they are starting to build these features. Right now there isn't a full-service post office, so I have to drive a great distance. And other thing you might find yourself not anywhere to a main highway. Also make sure you check the overall rating for a school district not just one school. The public schools in Texas are below par. You may find that the private school education is what you would get back east for free in a upper middle class neighborhood in the tri-state area. If you want to be close to downtown without being in a major city, you may want to look into Pearland. It is a Houston suburb 20 minutes from downtown. I must worn you that the traffic in Houston is worst than New York City. The drivers are not the most friendly. Although, Texas may be affordable compared to where you are, this state has alot of problems people don't want to talk about, so make sure you do your homework to become well informed before you move here.

[skabbaraju]

Hi there,
I am new to this forum. I am moving to Houston area as well next month and due to my job location, I am forced to live in the south Houston area. Pearland and Friendswood are my options so far. What do you think? I am moving with my family (2 kids 2 and 7). Please throw your ideas...Thanks.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by skabbaraju

Hi there,
I am new to this forum. I am moving to Houston area as well next month and due to my job location, I am forced to live in the south Houston area. Pearland and Friendswood are my options so far. What do you think? I am moving with my family (2 kids 2 and 7). Please throw your ideas...Thanks.

Both Pearland and Friendswood are nice. I live in West Pearland closer to 288.
Where exactly will you be working? That will determine your best location. Schools in both suburbs are excellent. Friendswood has a more small town feel.

[skabbaraju]

Well, I'll be working in Texas City but my spouse will be working closer to Houston SE or SW. I am looking to rent apts with all amenities and good neighborhood in Pearland area? Any suggestions please?

[honeyinhouston]

Originally Posted by skabbaraju

Well, I'll be working in Texas City but my spouse will be working closer to Houston SE or SW. I am looking to rent apts with all amenities and good neighborhood in Pearland area? Any suggestions please?

The Villas at Shadow Creek are nice. They are located on Business Center Blvd. Google it. Also check out Waterford Place as well...:-)

[skabbaraju]

How about St. Andrews on Broadway.? My wife was in Houston and she says its nicer than Remington etc..

[shoobeedoo]

Hi Bibio7,

I think you are describing my neighborhood. I lived in the burbs of Houston for several years.... I looked everywhere and ended up picking Roberts Elementary in Southgate/Morningside place in town, i.e. my husband has a 15 minute commute to downtown. If you want the most racially diverse environment for your child, it will be at Roberts Elementary with 700 plus students from over 40 countries. The proximity to the med center here has a lot of medical professionals living here. There is NOTHING diverse about any of the suburbs no matter what people will tell you. It might be nice to have 4000 square feet on a 12K lot for under 500K but you sacrifice a lot in lifestyle. We have friends who left their huge house in pearland and moved here to be in a smaller house (small being still 3000 square feet) but with much better quality of life.

750K buys you a very very nice house in zip 77030, more house than you might need. You can walk your kid to a world IB/fine arts magnet school, walk to restaurants, shops etc. We have 7 kids on our block alone and they are always outside. My neighbors are from Canada, Venezuela, Barbados etc. that's just on this side of the block. It is, after much travelling within the US and internationally, the best neighborhood to raise kids in in Houston - hands down. Woodlands I would stay away from. If you are moving here from DC, you will love this neighborhood. it has everything. Everybody that moved here loves it. The only thing that it does not have, and I have to say that in fairness to those who favor the burbs is things like home depot right next to lowes right next to walmart, right next to target right next to marshalls right next to....you get the idea. Its ugly but sometimes you want to be efficient and run several errands in one go and its not as convenient from where we live. But outside of the errand-running convenience of suburban living, this area cannot be beat....:-)

[CDeb]

Originally Posted by shoobeedoo

There is NOTHING diverse about any of the suburbs no matter what people will tell you.

Yup, just us white folks out here.

[chicagomama]

Nothing diverse in the suburbs?
Hmmmm. Here is our elementary school... Man that 34% white is threatening.....

African American 39 6.58% Hispanic 19 3.20% White 204 34.40% Asian/Pacific Islander 330 55.65% Native American 1 0.17%