23 y/o female relocation to Houston in October (Dallas, Fort Worth: apartment, for rent)

[seachitex]

I am a 23 y/o female relocating to Houston in October. Originally from Seattle, lived in Chicago for college, and been in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for just under one year. I made a huge mistake when I moved to DFW living in the suburbs to be near work - I had a hard time meeting people and generally just hate suburban life altogether. Regardless, I'm really excited to start over in Houston! From what I understand, Midtown, Montrose and Rice Military are the best places for me to look for a (somewhat) urban feel and/or are neighborhoods where I can walk to coffee shops, restaurants, nightlife, etc.

First order of business: finding an apartment! (I've been running into some trouble in this arena) I really can't go over $900 for rent and would prefer to stay under $800 if possible. Is this a realistic budget? I'm not concerned with being in a huge complex with all the amenities (pool, exercise facilities, etc); actually, I prefer a duplex/4-plex or a unit in a small building. Are there any good places to look besides Craigslist and PadMapper? I've found some great places but can't get people to call/email me back about setting up showings.

Also, what kind of commute times can I expect driving from the inner loop to the energy corridor? (my new office is right about where Katy Fwy meets the Sam Houston Tollway)

Any input on cool things to do/see, good places to meet new people, or anything else you can think of would be welcomed and appreciated as well!

Thank you much!

[OducksFTW!]

I am a 22 y/o male thats living in Sugar Land so I can relate to your pain of living in suburbs. But let me try to help you out on some of these questions here....

First of all a $900 dollar budget is definately do-able for a one bedroom apartment, and you could still get those amenities you were talking about (pool, exercise, etc.)

The places I would suggest personally is probably upper kirby they have alot of younger people living there. I used to work in the Post Oak area and went to the LA Fitness above Costco(a gym is always a great place to meet people), and it was filled with Yuppies. Another place would be the Midtown, but for a single young lady such as yourself, it might be a bit sketchy and since your working in the Energy Corridor, that can get to be a very heavy commute. My best suggestion for you would be the Washington Ave. area, there are great bars and clubs in that area but you might reach the upper limit of your $900/month limit. But the best part about living in the Washington Ave. area.... the commute. You can hop on I10 and its a straight shot to the Energy Corridor.

A huge disclaimer about Houston, you wont be able to walk to very many things... the culture in Houston isn't like Seattle or Chicago where there is a concern for "walkability", most of the things here in Houston are car accessible only. And the places that are "walkable" would require you to pull your car into a parking lot and then walk around.

Houston might not be a crazy "party awesome nightlife" type city but with the right people it can be bearable....

[seachitex]

Yeah, I figure I won't be able to walk a lot. I'll just consider it a major added bonus if I can find anything with a couple neighborhood spots close by

I'll be sure to check out Washington Ave. and Upper Kirby. Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate ya!

[houstonfan]

I agree with Oducks. Washington corridor is best with the commute in mind. However, rent a little away from Washington itself as too many cars and people during club nights. Welcome to Houston. Midtown is happening but it feels a bit sketchy in some blocks (others are really nice) and your commute will be considerably longer.

[14Bricks]

Originally Posted by seachitex

I am a 23 y/o female relocating to Houston in October. Originally from Seattle, lived in Chicago for college, and been in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for just under one year. I made a huge mistake when I moved to DFW living in the suburbs to be near work - I had a hard time meeting people and generally just hate suburban life altogether. Regardless, I'm really excited to start over in Houston! From what I understand, Midtown, Montrose and Rice Military are the best places for me to look for a (somewhat) urban feel and/or are neighborhoods where I can walk to coffee shops, restaurants, nightlife, etc.

First order of business: finding an apartment! (I've been running into some trouble in this arena) I really can't go over $900 for rent and would prefer to stay under $800 if possible. Is this a realistic budget? I'm not concerned with being in a huge complex with all the amenities (pool, exercise facilities, etc); actually, I prefer a duplex/4-plex or a unit in a small building. Are there any good places to look besides Craigslist and PadMapper? I've found some great places but can't get people to call/email me back about setting up showings.

Also, what kind of commute times can I expect driving from the inner loop to the energy corridor? (my new office is right about where Katy Fwy meets the Sam Houston Tollway)

Any input on cool things to do/see, good places to meet new people, or anything else you can think of would be welcomed and appreciated as well!

Thank you much!

Also try the Houston Press. I agree with the Washington suggestion, also you might want to look at city centre, a mix use complex that has apartment, condos and Brownstone townhomes an you would be real close to your job.

[dejamiller]

^^^

However there definitely wouldn't be anything in her price range in that area.

[Seoid]

I would try The Heights. There are quite a few garage apartment/quad plex/smaller complexes that are still in good shape especially in the Woodland Heights area. When I was single, that's where I lived and LOVED it. It was quiet yet close to night life and you can walk to a few places. (Onion Creek, Beer Island, Fitzgeralds, etc) and maybe we're nuts but we walked to Target using the bike trail and to Kroger at 11th for smaller grocery trips. Oh and best of all- I paid way under $800/mo for a cute, historic place.

My husband works in the energy corridor and does the Heights- EC commute out every day. It's usually around a 20-30min commute with traffic. Without, maybe more like 15.

[seachitex]

Originally Posted by 14Bricks

Also try the Houston Press. I agree with the Washington suggestion, also you might want to look at city centre, a mix use complex that has apartment, condos and Brownstone townhomes an you would be real close to your job.

I'll check that out, too. Thanks!

[seachitex]

Originally Posted by Seoid

I would try The Heights. There are quite a few garage apartment/quad plex/smaller complexes that are still in good shape especially in the Woodland Heights area. When I was single, that's where I lived and LOVED it. It was quiet yet close to night life and you can walk to a few places. (Onion Creek, Beer Island, Fitzgeralds, etc) and maybe we're nuts but we walked to Target using the bike trail and to Kroger at 11th for smaller grocery trips. Oh and best of all- I paid way under $800/mo for a cute, historic place.

My husband works in the energy corridor and does the Heights- EC commute out every day. It's usually around a 20-30min commute with traffic. Without, maybe more like 15.

That's way better than I was expecting! Also, The Heights sounds just up my alley I will definitely see what I can find there.

[Frankie2011]

There are some places that you can get in Rice, Montrose area for under $900 but not much. And don't expect to get into a property that was recently built. I have been doing apartment locating in these areas for the last 5 years so I am very familiar with it.