Family moving to League City area this summer...need neighborhood advice :-) (Houston: real estate)

[ssillen]

My husband and I are planning a move to the League City area this summer from San Jose, CA. We have 2 children (one will be graduating High School before we move and a 3.5 year old). As of yet, we do not have jobs in the area yet, but are planning a visit at the end of this month to check everything out. We are both in the medical field (radiology technologists), and don't anticipate it being too difficult to find a job in the area. League City is at the top of our list, but we are also open to check out Clear Lake and Friendswood. It would be great if we could get advice as to which neighborhoods to check out (or stay away from!).

Requirements for a house:
-4 bed, 2+ bath, at least 2800 sf, yard for the kids, 2 car garage, newer home, a pool would be a huge plus! ---Budget 300k

Neighborhood/community:
-safe, close proximity to parks/trails, recreational activities
-We will be getting our youngest into sports, so a community that has that available is a must
-close to amenities: shopping, groceries, restauraunts

I would love a neighborhood that has a nice community feel to it...we do not have that where we live now :-(

Any help with this would be very much appreciated. We are in the beginning stages of our move, so it would help if we could narrow our search a bit more and know which areas to check out while we are there. Thank you for your time!

[jasonamd]

Tuscan Lakes, Victory Lakes and Mar Bella are a fewer of the newer developments that would probably fit most of your requirements. Not sure about Victory Lakes and Mar Bella but Tuscan Lakes has quite a few community events throughout the year and has walking trails. Pretty much anywhere you would live in League city you would be within 5-10 miles of shopping, groceries and restaurants. League City has lots of recreation programs available The League City Official Website! - Recreation Programs

[ssillen]

Thank you Jason! They look very nice...will definitely add them to my neighborhoods to check out! I appreciate the input :-)

[DanielWayne]

Yeah there are a lot of places in League City that meet all your criteria. Friendswood, too. To me, Friendswood has more of a small-town community feel, especially in the older parts. League City grew really fast in the last decade, so it has or is real close to anything you could need. Friendswood likes to control their growth, and is all about supporting local small businesses over Wal-Marts. League City has a large sportsplex, and a large baseball tournament field. There's no true "bad part of town" in either city.

[ssillen]

DanielWayne, thank you for your reply. I appreciate it! I haven't gotten much on this forum, so everything helps :-) I will definitely check out Friendswood as well, as I've heard good things about it. I have heard that there are really no bad parts to these areas...(which is great!) but I was wanting to narrow down to some subdivisions so I knew what areas to visit and check out. We are only there for the weekend, so trying to be as efficient with out time as possible :-) I am very excited to visit! Thanks again

[Mod_Momma]

ssillen - Amazingly, for $300k you can easily find all the house you could want for that price. Some things to consider about the area are:
1) League City - It doesn't have a lot of charm or character, but it does have GREAT schools, a huge selection of beautiful and affordable homes(are you familiar with the website: www.har.com? It's the best real estate search site for the whole area), and a growing list of community events that suit multiple interest (Blues & Brews, Christmas events, Boat Festivals, etc.). The police and city offices are also very responsive and helpful when you need them for something - even just to come meet the kids on National Neighborhood Night Out or if you hear something strange go bump in the night. Crime is minor here - like car break-in's at night. Some neighborhoods that sit in the west side of League City (right next to Friendswood) are Magnolia Creek and Westover Park. You might find something you like there, too. (Clear Creek ISD)

2) Friendswood - In our house shopping 5 years ago, we found all homes in the area to cost more per square foot. That confounded us for awhile because we didn't find any real added advantage to what was available in League City (which also has an Old Town area). Similar houses, similar quality of schools, higher price. What we came to understand some years later is that for locals, Friendswood carries a little more "prestige" with them - an old vestige from a time when League City did not have much going on (but does NOW, with new and neat things being added all the time). (Friendswood ISD)

3) Clear Lake area - If you want real cultural diversity (meaning people from all over the world here to work at NASA or in the international shipping and oil/gas industries), then look here. Still good schools (Clear Creek ISD). (League City is a bit more white bread, and Friendswood is much more so.) Affordable (though older but still beautiful) homes here, too. Caveats: too far north in Clear Lake = jet noise from Ellington field, too close to NASA = land that is literally sinking below sea level (like Nassau Bay) and DOES flood in hurricanes, too close to Galveston Bay = much higher hurricane/water risks (lots of the neighborhoods over there suffered heavy damage in Hurricane Ike). But, there are some neighborhoods near Armand Bayou (lovely coastal floodplains area) that "might" be okay. Wish I could remember the neighborhood names.

Also, you didn't mention Pearland - which has great access to the Medical Center up in Houston. There is tremendous growth there, many comparable neighborhoods, a highly educated population (lots of doctors, nurses, etc are there). I, personally, do not find the area as interesting as the greater Clear Lake area. But, it should be a consideration.

Hope this helps!

[texas7]

westover park is a nice neighborhood in League City as is Magnolia Creek