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No, the Oil bust in the 80's, white flight, readily available cheap land outside of Houston, and an abundance of apartments caused the area to turn what it is today.
I do not see much improvement in the area within 1 to 1.5 mile & crime reduction in the next 5yrs. I have seen some nice homes listed forsale on the net for a decent price but I would never live there
Quote:
Originally Posted by LizzySWW
When you see nice 4000 sqft homes for sale @ 200K inside the city limits, there's always a catch (good ex: Fondren Southwest/ Lakes of Fondren). The public schools aren't useable & you're surrounded by......well you know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rb4browns
People who aren't white? God forbid...
And that's the thing. Fondren SW and SW in general isn't nearly as ghetto as people think. It's pretty sad people have their stereotypes and prejudices against an area because it's full of minorities, but that's just how things are. It may surprise some people that my family and I currently (a white family) live in a predominately white neighborhood in Fondren SW that is mostly lower middle class white folks.
Fondren SW will continue to be a diverse area of lower income families, middle class blacks, middle class Asians, and surprisingly middle class whites. That's probably not going to change.
For a family like ours, those areas would be ideal as one of us works in Sugar Land and the other (me) off and on in the TMC. Many other families like this. But we need good public schools at all levels, and can't afford a $700k house somewhere like Bellaire.
I'm hoping one day, the land on the southwest side inside the Beltway will become valuable enough that most of the worst apartments will be torn down to make way for single-family homes (and hopefully not just the $500k+ kind) and mixed-use development. But I'm not holding my breath...
It's called Meyerland, Westbury, and Willowbend and it has been increasingly gaining value and white people, the two things the seem very sought out on this board. Not to mention pockets of Fondren SW that have good neighborhoods. Furthermore, there are many great, affordable private schools in the area if the kids aren't able to get into a better school through a magnet transfer.
The thing is, why buy a house in an area with more crime and worse public schools (causing you to pay for private school) when you can just settle for a longer commute and achieve safety, cleanliness, and great public schools. Once you realize this, you can see why zoning and apartments aren't really a factor considering the next, upcoming area will just be built 5 miles down the road.
Never said that. I was in ref to the areas with a million crime stat bubbles over their apartment homes on the Houston crime map.
A 200K, 4000sq ft house in the Lakes of Fondren area gets you into some of the poorest performing public HISD schools and surrounded by some of the heaviest crime bubble concentrations on the city crime map. No?
I couldn't tell you if the people in those heavy crime apartments are pink or purple, lol!
My point........there's a reason you can get a whopper sized home for very little cash over there.
And that's the thing. Fondren SW and SW in general isn't nearly as ghetto as people think. It's pretty sad people have their stereotypes and prejudices against an area because it's full of minorities, but that's just how things are. It may surprise some people that my family and I currently (a white family) live in a predominately white neighborhood in Fondren SW that is mostly lower middle class white folks.
Fondren SW will continue to be a diverse area of lower income families, middle class blacks, middle class Asians, and surprisingly middle class whites. That's probably not going to change.
You're absolutely right - it's not at all a ghetto. As far as too many minorities, wouldn't you rather have an African-American architect or Chinese scientist (like I have) for neighbors than a white dude who is running a meth lab? :-)
When my black wife and I (Caucasian) were househunting four years ago she pointed the realtor at a couple of neighborhoods she had been eyeing for years - Frontenac, Lakes of Fondren, and Fondren Lakes in the Fondren SW area. I had never been in them but she was under the impression that they were 70-80% black since the oil bust. We did end up buying in Lakes of Fondren and she's been rather surprised how FEW blacks are there, and about a third to half of black folk are actually from Nigeria and Cameroon. She still says it's cool because there are still enough black hair care places around - even though she ended up with a Japanese lady who really rocks on some exotic far eastern method of hair straightening (I though Japanese hair was always straight; I guess not!) There is still probably a minority of white folk and a large number of those are orthodox Jews who are required by the Torah to give up their motorized vehicles and appliances on the Sabbath Day and walk to the two Temples just outside the sub-division.
There are also a sizeable number of Asians and the fastest growing group are probably Hispanics moving up from poorer neighborhoods in the old east-side barrios and Sharpstown as well as some new professionals in from Mexico. One of the newer phenomenons I've noticed is that many Hispanic ladies marrying the white and black fellows.
It's a very unusual area - not at all most people's perceptions. The house neighborhoods are an absolute UN/melting pot of professionals and skilled blue collar folk while only the apartment complexes on the main streets are the stereotypic "Fondren Ghetto" of black and hispanic gangbangers, cholos, and welfare queens (I'm being facetious here because the majority of apts are largely hardworking hospital orderlies and aids in the nearby Texas Medical Complex and Memorial SW and similar lower paying jobs or had too many kids to support in style).
In my three or four years I DO see change for the better with a lot of the complexes being rehabbed and thus being able to charge more and screen applicants better and be more selective. Unfortunely a few horror shows still exist and these are 90% responsible for the poor overall crime figures. Just be aware that this is mainly drug dealers duking it out over territory or gangs fighting over turf **** marking. I see more young professionals of all races buy houses in the area as the new subdivisions are being built farther and farther out and freeways becoming more and more clogged. Those that just can't handle the poor public schools (with the exception of Bellaire) are either puting them in the excellent private schools right in the area (Strake Jesuit, St Agnes Academy, Westbury Lutheran) or if their kids are smart and competitive into the public charter / specialty schools (Performance Arts, Natural Sciences, Leadership Academy, Language Arts, etc). While HISD has some pretty crappy general population schools they've also got many gems, including some excellent charter schools and specialty schools.
Just because you have kids doesn't mean you have to endure hour comutes into town from The Woodlands or Kingswood. You just have to do your homework a little more diligently. You can tell all your friends in TW, KW, and Katy you've become an edgy urban pioneer while you're really living in a delightful and interesting environment with half their commute.
Last edited by bamba_boy; 01-17-2010 at 04:40 PM..
When my black wife and I (Caucasian) were househunting four years ago she pointed the realtor at a couple of neighborhoods she had been eyeing for years - Frontenac, Lakes of Fondren, and Fondren Lakes in the Fondren SW area. I had never been in them but she was under the impression that they were 70-80% black since the oil bust. We did end up buying in Lakes of Fondren and she's been rather surprised how FEW blacks are there, and about a third to half of black folk are actually from Nigeria and Cameroon. She still says it's cool because there are still enough black hair care places around - even though she ended up with a Japanese lady who really rocks on some exotic far eastern method of hair straightening (I though Japanese hair was always straight; I guess not!) There is still probably a minority of white folk and a large number of those are orthodox Jews who are required by the Torah to give up their motorized vehicles and appliances on the Sabbath Day and walk to the two Temples just outside the sub-division.
There are also a sizeable number of Asians and the fastest growing group are probably Hispanics moving up from poorer neighborhoods in the old east-side barrios and Sharpstown as well as some new professionals in from Mexico. One of the newer phenomenons I've noticed is that many Hispanic ladies marrying the white and black fellows.
It's a very unusual area - not at all most people's perceptions. The house neighborhoods are an absolute UN/melting pot of professionals and skilled blue collar folk while only the apartment complexes on the main streets are the stereotypic "Fondren Ghetto" of black and hispanic gangbangers, cholos, and welfare queens (I'm being facetious here because the majority of apts are largely hardworking hospital orderlies and aids in the nearby Texas Medical Complex and Memorial SW and similar lower paying jobs or had too many kids to support in style).
In my three or four years I DO see change for the better with a lot of the complexes being rehabbed and thus being able to charge more and screen applicants better and be more selective. Unfortunely a few horror shows still exist and these are 90% responsible for the poor overall crime figures. Just be aware that this is mainly drug dealers duking it out over territory or gangs fighting over turf **** marking. I see more young professionals of all races buy houses in the area as the new subdivisions are being built farther and farther out and freeways becoming more and more clogged. Those that just can't handle the poor public schools (with the exception of Bellaire) are either puting them in the excellent private schools right in the area (Strake Jesuit, St Agnes Academy, Westbury Lutheran) or if there kids are smart and competitive into the public charter / specialty schools (Performance Arts, Natural Sciences, Leadership Academy, Language Arts, etc). While HISD has some pretty crappy general population schools they've also got many gems, including some excellent charter schools and specialty schools.
Just because you have kids doesn't mean you have to endure hour comutes into town from The Woodlands or Kingswood. You just have to do your homework a little more diligently. You can tell all your friends in TW, KW, and Katy you've become an edgy urban pioneer while you're really living in a delightful and interesting environment with half their commute.
Good post. Fondren SW isn't going to be everyone, in fact no one area is going to be for everyone. The fact of the matter is the Fondren SW isn't a ghetto or crime ridden as people think. Yes, there is more crime at first glance, but you have to delve into the type of crime. Unfortunately, there is more drug related violence, but generally that is more directed towards those involved in the drug industry.
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dv1033
It's called Meyerland, Westbury, and Willowbend and it has been increasingly gaining value and white people, the two things the seem very sought out on this board. Not to mention pockets of Fondren SW that have good neighborhoods. Furthermore, there are many great, affordable private schools in the area if the kids aren't able to get into a better school through a magnet transfer.
We were pretty much priced out of Meyerland too. And the other two places don't seem to have consistently good public schools at all levels.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dv1033
The thing is, why buy a house in an area with more crime and worse public schools (causing you to pay for private school) when you can just settle for a longer commute and achieve safety, cleanliness, and great public schools. Once you realize this, you can see why zoning and apartments aren't really a factor considering the next, upcoming area will just be built 5 miles down the road.
But the next area out on the southwest side with the good qualities you mention is basically Sugar Land. Which is more than 5 miles.
Never said that. I was in ref to the areas with a million crime stat bubbles over their apartment homes on the Houston crime map.
A 200K, 4000sq ft house in the Lakes of Fondren area gets you into some of the poorest performing public HISD schools and surrounded by some of the heaviest crime bubble concentrations on the city crime map. No?
I couldn't tell you if the people in those heavy crime apartments are pink or purple, lol!
My point........there's a reason you can get a whopper sized home for very little cash over there.
DV1033 articulated it pretty well. Fondren SW's reputation as ghetto and crime ridden is way overblown. It may have been like that at some point, but not now. The crime in the apartments for the most part stays in the apartments and is heavily drug related. This is not my opinion, you can see for yourselves at houstoncrimemaps.com. It's a diverse working class neighborhood with great housing deals that's close to the Med Center and not a bad drive to downtown. The biggest negatives are the garbage public schools and not a ton of shopping options beyond run down strip malls within a mile or so.
DV1033 articulated it pretty well. Fondren SW's reputation as ghetto and crime ridden is way overblown. It may have been like that at some point, but not now. The crime in the apartments for the most part stays in the apartments and is heavily drug related. This is not my opinion, you can see for yourselves at houstoncrimemaps.com. It's a diverse working class neighborhood with great housing deals that's close to the Med Center and not a bad drive to downtown. The biggest negatives are the garbage public schools and not a ton of shopping options beyond run down strip malls within a mile or so.
If find this true in most of Houston. Crime is usually contained in the apartment areas and rarely spreads to the single family neighborhoods. That said, I wouldn't want to live NEXT to them. A couple blocks away isn't a problem. In fact that's my situation now, and there has been ZERO activity in my neighborhood for over 20 years, minus the car break in stuff.
To me the biggest negative to Fondren SW is the the people who roam the major streets. It's just doesn't inspire confindence in the person driving through or looking to buy. The schools ar horrible, and the thugs that attend them. But with the bargin you get in the housing, private school is more than a better alternative considering the state of all public school, exemplary or at risk.
If find this true in most of Houston. Crime is usually contained in the apartment areas and rarely spreads to the single family neighborhoods. That said, I wouldn't want to live NEXT to them. A couple blocks away isn't a problem. In fact that's my situation now, and there has been ZERO activity in my neighborhood for over 20 years, minus the car break in stuff.
To me the biggest negative to Fondren SW is the the people who roam the major streets. It's just doesn't inspire confindence in the person driving through or looking to buy.The schools ar horrible, and the thugs that attend them. But with the bargin you get in the housing, private school is more than a better alternative considering the state of all public school, exemplary or at risk.
Black and brown people roaming the street does lower property values, but I think the city is looking in to ways to keep them locked up at home. Matter of fact, I was driving home and I saw a big pack of *roaming people* when I was stopped at Fondren and Bellfort. I made sure the doors were locked.
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Where all the black people?
