So overwhelmed...Relocating to Houston! Help please!! (Sugar Land, The Woodlands: homes, neighborhoods)

[amhills]

Originally Posted by hazwoper

I always see people saying this, but for those coming from the northeastern cities (DC, Philly, NYC, Boston) it really isn't far at all. It is the same distance as me driving everyday into downtown philly from where I live currently. Heck, I know of people from my area that commute to NYC (about 60 miles) everyday.

So true!! Right now both my Hubby and I do the commute too! Only 12 miles=45 mins. That said...we are sick of it...so I am keeping an open mind. Also, now we are going down to only hubby working, so perhaps 1/2 as painful?? Haha

[tstone]

Using Google Maps, from downtown to
Pearland: 15 miles
Sugar Land: 18 miles
Clear Lake/Friendswood: 18 miles
Kingwood: 23 miles
Cypress: 27 miles
Katy: 29 miles
The Woodlands: 29 miles
Fulshear: 33 miles

Then add mileage on the city streets.
That's why The Woodlands is known as having the long commute.

From the downtown court house to my house in Clear Lake is about a 40 minute, door to door commute during peak times. Fair weather and no wrecks.

[Tcoma11]

If you need to drive to downtown, I highly recommend against the woodlands... I lived up there for 2 years and had to commute to downtown and I was ready to kill myself. It was that stressful. The morning wasn't bad cause i was fully rested, but the drive home when your tired from a day at work was insane. Some days it would take me 2 hours to get home cause people are crazy drivers.

Also during the winter months when sunset is at 5pm, made it that much more dangerous in my mind. I ended up staying late and hanging around downtown just to avoid the headache. Sometimes I wouldn't leave to go home until like 7:30pm. ( I'd leave for work at 6am)

[amhills]

Originally Posted by Tcoma11

If you need to drive to downtown, I highly recommend against the woodlands... I lived up there for 2 years and had to commute to downtown and I was ready to kill myself. It was that stressful. The morning wasn't bad cause i was fully rested, but the drive home when your tired from a day at work was insane. Some days it would take me 2 hours to get home cause people are crazy drivers.

Also during the winter months when sunset is at 5pm, made it that much more dangerous in my mind. I ended up staying late and hanging around downtown just to avoid the headache. Sometimes I wouldn't leave to go home until like 7:30pm. ( I'd leave for work at 6am)

Good to know- He will have to drive so that he can have his car for client meetings. See- Now I am back leaning toward the Pearland area again. Thank you PP who posting the actual distances. I have been monitoring the google maps and transtar site!

[hazwoper]

Originally Posted by mikeyyc

Over an hour each way is a really long drive. You can have days like yesterday where one accident makes it nearly two hours. Or when the ice comes tonight, just forget about it entirely.

Just because it's crappy everywhere doesn't make it less crappy. Just equivalently crappy.

Oh, I don't disagree with you, just saying it all relative. For instance, Google maps currently states that from dowtown Philly to my house the drivetime is 1hr 5mins for 36 miles. Still not rush hour either. I have driven I-45 to the Woodlands after work around 5:30 and it was nowhere near the parking lot I find on I-95 outside of Philly at 5:30PM, mostly due to the fact that I-45 has far more lanes than I-95. Plus, you have an entire other highway (Hardy) thar goes the same direction. And heck, if you live west of Philly, try driving the two land Schuylkill Expressway at rush hour....sheesh.

We also don't have HOV lanes in Philly.

[swopoe]

I am from the east coast too (Baltimore), and my husband is from Philly, and we are familiar with east coast commutes (Baltimore to DC, Frederick to DC, Bucks Co to Philly, Bucks Co to NYC). First, no one who commutes from Philly to NYC actually likes it. And all my family back east always complains about the traffic still. My cousin who commutes from Frederick, MD to northern VA complains the most.

With Houston, the distance from The Woodlands to downtown is so great (relatively) that why do that commute if you don't have to? And you don't have to. Sugar Land to downtown on 59 is relatively easy, and I say relatively easy because traffic here is bad anyway (depending on when you leave to go to work and when you come home). But, no matter what, your commute will be faster from Sugar Land than from the Woodlands to downtown. This is just an example because I live in SL, so it is what I know. But, Pearland and others would be the same, I am sure.

I do like The Woodlands, but it is a hike.

[Meyerland]

There are so many nice areas to live in the Houston area, that actively choosing a longer commute than necessary is a strange idea to me. Traffic will only get worse as we get more people moving here.

If I am incapacitated and have an emergency at home, my husband can be home in 15-20 minutes. That is something to consider if you have children.

[newreverie]

If you want master planned The Woodlands without question. Have your husband take the BTD bus The District Park & Rides. $12 round trip, save the gas, the stress of driving. The busses are coach busses with reclining seats.

[chris_ut]

Anytime someone says without question ask some questions . Like, where do I wait for this bus? how long are the lines? Is there shelter from the 100 degree muggy summer weather? How far is my drive from the park and ride to my house?

[amhills]

Thank you all for your responses! I will be there in the morning! Looking forward to community hopping