Job Relo to Galveston - Need advice on where to live? (League City: renting, insurance)

[Swack]

If you don't like master planned communities and are interested in a mix of people, then Galveston Island is right up your alley. In general, the school districts are not good but since you have a 2 year old and will only be there a few years, I think you will enjoy your time there. There are homes in all price ranges and rentals available on the island as well.

[DanielWayne]

Normally I would say League City or Clear Lake or Friendswood (of course I am biased), but it sounds like you could make Galveston work. There are nice areas all over the island, but the fun-nice areas are usually right across the street from run down hole-in-the-wall places. Just be safe. Sounds like you are already well prepared and would be happy there.

[Meyerland]

We have friends that bought a Victorian house there and love it. My grandmother lived there for 25 years and loved it. It's definitely not a master planned community, but it has a unique and funky vibe.

I do recommend getting an alarm, but I also recommend doing that anywhere in the Houston area.

Look on har.com for rentals or buying a single family home or condo in your budget.

[crono_clone]

Generally, it's better to live on the west end of the island (west of 61st Street) if you want something safe and quiet. Maybe look into the Jamaica Beach neighborhood? The neighborhoods around UTMB or near Ferry Rd might also be decent. I'm not really familiar with the rental market though so can't help there, sorry.

[GidgetGoesNutso]

Meyerland: har.com is great! Thank you.

[Texamichiforniasota]

Nobody on here seems to know much about Galveston. I've lived in both Clear Lake and the East End of Galveston, and I liked Galveston much more. Everyone will tell you it's a 30 minute commute from Clear Lake to Galveston, but people in Houston tend to only count the amount of time they are on the freeway as their commute. So yeah, it's 30 miles on I-45, but they don't count the 15 minutes it takes on Harborside to UTMB, and they don't count the 10 minutes on the Clear Lake side to get to the freeway. League City is a little closer, but your probably only cutting your commute to 45 minutes.

As for specific neighborhoods, west of 61st St is typical 1960's-1990's suburban areas. The schools tend to be a little better, and the population more middle class. The portion of the city from 25th St to 61st and north of Broadway is a mixture of industrial sites, housing projects, empty lots, and an occasional nice house mixed in. I wouldn't look in this area. From ~21st St to 61 St South of Broadway is an interesting area. It's a big mix. There are beautiful well maintained houses on Ave O and Ave P. Some of the side streets have dilapidated houses, some have nice ones. It's almost block by block. In general, the higher the street number, the newer the houses, but most of the city east of 61st was developed by the 1950's. There are some really good independent restaurants tucked in the neighborhood, like Queen's BBQ and DiBella's. East of 21st and South of Broadway has some ok places for food and drink, but the neighborhood is a little rougher and I wouldn't want to live there.

Now on to last quadrant of the city, which has some really good housing options for someone working or going to school at UTMB. There's downtown Galveston which has some nice apts and lofts, probably not the best for a young child. There are plenty of restaurants and coffee shops downtown though. One of the best neighborhoods for Victorians is the area between 21st, Broadway, 14th, and Market. The closer you are to Broadway in this neighborhood, the grander the houses. North of Market is not a great neighborhood, but my friends that lived south of Market did not have many problems with crossover crime. The area east of 14th and south of Market to Broadway is again a little mix. I had plenty of friends renting places here, and it tends to be a mix of students and blue collar families. It's pretty safe. There are some decent restaurants in the area, Sunflower bakery, Mosquito Cafe, The Original Mexican Cafe. The housing stock tends to be older, some of it is beautifully maintained, some of it is not. Then there are the apts east of UTMB. Some are decent, some are rundown. There tends to be a lot of students in this area. A few of the complexes are a little rough. Some are ok. It's kinda building by building. The last part of town is Fish Village, which I would guess is a 1960's suburban area. If you look at the map, it's the area near Ferry Road where all the streets are named after fish. It's smaller ranch houses. There are no sidewalks, which I find annoying. A lot of employees at UTMB live in the area. It's a nice enough neighborhood, the biggest downside is on weekends Ferry Rd gets really backed up, but you'll learn to take Holiday Dr. instead.

[GidgetGoesNutso]

Texamichiforniasota: Love your username. Thank you very much for the motherload of detail. I'm sure I will refer back to it often. You are awesomely helpful!

[Texamichiforniasota]

Originally Posted by GidgetGoesNutso

Texamichiforniasota: Love your username. Thank you very much for the motherload of detail. I'm sure I will refer back to it often. You are awesomely helpful!

I should have mentioned, I moved away just before Ike, but I've been back to visit a few times and the neighborhoods don't seemed to have changed much in that time. I think my above comment still holds true, but someone on the ground will probably have more current info.

[GidgetGoesNutso]

In case anyone is wondering, the interview went well (2 hours!). We did some drive-bys on rentals on the island & in League City. You certainly get more for your $ in LC, but we still hope to find something in Galveston. Saw the most beautiful updated older home in the mid-city area, but found out it wasn't available. It's hard to find a decent home with a garage & 2 bathrooms @ a reasonable price in this town. And it truly is different block by block. We'll get serious once there's an offer. I truly appreciate all the advice from everyone & welcome more. Thank you.

[GidgetGoesNutso]

Update: My husband got the job! Now we can get serious. Can't afford as much as I hoped, so keeping fingers crossed, hoping to find something that suits us at a reasonable cost.