Westbury neighborhood of Houston: good or no?? (Spring: area, photos)

[CaroleF]

Originally Posted by houston-nomad

Nice. But expensive!

About Beldens on No Braeswood at Chimney Rock. I shop there a lot. It has a lot of kosher food and a lot of things you can get at Wholefoods but cheaper. It is more expensive than other regular grocery stores. I agree that the HEB on the corner of Chimney Rock and S Braeswood is horrible.

[CaroleF]

Any updates on the townhomes in Westbury Square and Westbury Gardens? And what about the ones south of Westbury high. The subduvisionion is called Stone Throw. They are south of Dryad on Burdine and between Chimney Rock and Main. All of these townhomes are to Westbury HS. And the former are near Westbury Hospital, which I had never noticed before. I'm wondering about safety in these townhome communities. Thanks.

[hsp1231]

I found a great house, at a great price, in the neighborhood right across Westbury High School. Is this area safe? What's the general opinion on Westbury High School? We are new to the area, so I know what I've read online - which is pretty mixed. I know several years ago (2006?) there was a drive by shooting in the area, and more recently there have been several bomb threats at the school. The house we're interested in is in Westbury Section 4, which I know is not as desirable/nice as sections north.... I'm just curious to know what others think about this area. We have a young son and would like to make sure we're in an area we feel safe going for walks around the neighborhood. Thanks!

[txdemo]

My 75 year old mother has lived there for 20 years and has never had a break in or any problems at all. She walks around Anderson elementary every single day and feels very safe. As long as you have an alarm system you're very unlikely to have any problems. Just my 2 cents.

[testmo]

it is a safe area. i see women and strollers walking around at nearly all hours of the day and it isn't uncommon to see a family walking around past 10pm. south of ludington and more so south of west airport can be kind of rough. the area is selling aroudn 240,000. if you found a house for much cheaper there is a reason. if you have a young son i am guessing he's not going to be ready for high school any time soon

[LeavingDetroit]

Westbury High School. Look at the stats, you can find a lot of info on the school tools on HAR. If you follow the houses on market in the area, and I mean Westbury, Willow Meadows, Meyerland etc., the houses zoned to Westbury will always command less that those zoned to Bellaire HS. There's a reason for that. Most professional parents do not choose to send their children to Westbury High. My colleague lives on a nice street there, it might even be actually Meyerland. He loves his neighbors, has no problems with safety, but his oldest kid is only in elementary school. He knows that by high school, he either has to move or pony up for private school.

[wclanton423]

I live in Westbury 4 between Westbury HS and Anderson Elem. It's a nice area. Everyone keeps up with their lawns and looks out for each other. Houses are constantly renovated in this area. You will find some great neighbors. A lot of the homes are also home healthcare homes or retirees. When original owners move out young families or gays are move in (which is awesome for any neighborhood). The area north of Ludington is nicer but prices are anywhere from $180K-200K+. Go north of W Belfort and prices jump another $100k. Houses can be in the $300K range. I've been watching home prices since I moved there two years ago and they are constantly on the rise in Westbury 4 and 5. The apartments at Chimney Rock and Gasmer are an eye sore and so are the students at Westbury HS but the hours I work I never see the students during the school year. I have an alarm on my house but never use it. I did when I first moved in but I feel very safe there now. Hager Park is used by a variety of people. You will get the apartment neighbors in the park but families are always walking around as well. My only complaint is that some people throw there trash out the cars and don't even bother to pick it up. You will hear people say how horrible this area is but really, these people don't live around here and are scared of a little "color" in their lives. If Westbury Square or the shopping strip on W Belfort are rebuilt, it would do wonders for this area. Westbury HS is the main reason houses are lower in Westbury 4 and 5. I think it's a great investment neighborhood and can only go up.

[testmo]

i watch the HAR prices too. homes in westbury are now at 260,000-300,000. westbury 4 fastly approaching 200k. it has been crazy. i doubt any "riff raff" is buying a 2000 sq ft home at that price so people shouldn't be worried. there are a few eye sores, but i haven't had any issues with them or the people that live in them. it will only be a matter of time before the schools improve and some of those apartments are bull dozed. i believe it'll also only be a matter of time before our civic association gets stronger and starts becoming a borderline HOA. there are pros and cons to that depending on what you think a neighborhood should be

Hager Park is large and really nice. the playground equipment could be updated and apparently that is in the works. people from all walks of life take their kids there. Westbury Park is in the midst of a big renovation. Willow Waterhole is continously growing and i think is supposed to be complete next year

[deckhanddavy]

I'm glad to see Westbury on the up and up. This will definitely help improve the area. I just checked HAR an the homes are average 200-250, which is pretty darn impressive.

[wclanton423]

Here's the link to the Westbury Crier which is from the Westbury Civic Club.
Westbury Civic Club

And the link to the current and past criers that are delivered to everyone's doorstep each month.
Westbury Crier - Westbury Civic Club

It'll give you a good idea how involved the Civic Club is with the neighborhood.