Woodlands vs Sugarland vs Katy vs Missouri city which is best for families, schools, safety, crime rate. (Houston: low crime, houses)

[lesgru]

I will be moving my family to Houston area from MI. Looking for housing no more than 250k. 5 bdrms at least 3 full bthrms. Excellent schools low crime. Have heard very good things about all these areas. Like trees but not too woodsy. Love sunshine. I just found out about the woodlands sounds similiar to where I live now. Is it in my price range? How do the areas compare to each other. Pros and Cons. All info and opinions appreciated.

Lesgru

[lesgru]

I found another thread comparing suburbs of Houston. It seems they are all good and everyone pretty much rates the same 7 or 8 top for different reasons. It seems as if you can't lose with any of those I listed. Will visit all. It is nice to know so many good choices available. Houston burbs here i come!

[geeoro]

My wife and i are buying a couple of properties near Houston. It seems the places to avoid are in the south east areas. Is that true? Spring looks good, also Katy and most areas north or west.

[texas7]

Southeast isn't to be avoided - just certain areas - which is true on all sides of Houston. Southwest has bad areas until you get to Missouri City/Sugarland, Northeast and Northwest can be bad as well in certain areas. THe majority of the suburbs that people gravitate to are outside of Beltway 8 -- all the way around the city. The exceptions to that are the high-end, upper income areas such as Memorial, West University, Heights can be pricey but not as much as the previous two but is on its way, Montrose. Other than that - any side of town has wonderful suburbs outside of Beltway 8.

[geeoro]

Thanks for that. We obviously will look when we come over but we have seen some amazing houses at rock bottom prices in Spring katy woodlands etc.

[texas7]

Houston overall probably has some of the best housing prices in the country - it isn't a city known for beauty - it is known for affordable housing, low unemployment rate, etc. We have parks, etc. but overall it is just a large spread out city with a lot of nice suburbs surrounding it and most of those 'burbs' with good schools too. One thing to consider is where your employment is located - Houston is vast and spread out - commutes can get old so it is often a good idea to try and live in an area on the same side of town or close to your employer if possible. When you visit - take that into consideration when house shopping.

[BearBranch]

Though Houston is not known for its beauty, wooded areas like The Woodlands and Kingwood are very beautiful.

[mtbmike]

Sugar Land would be my vote for you to consider, I've lived in Sugar land for 14 years. For that price range there should be plenty of options. A couple of places that may not be obvious would be New Terrority (Robinson Landing) and Sugar Mill off of Alt-90.

[AK123]

Families, schools, safety: All four places are generally good for those, though you have a few neighborhoods that aren't as good as others. For example, in Sugar Land you'll want to generally stay away from the northern part of the city, and in Missouri City you'll want to stay away from the eastern part of the city. Eastern Sugar Land and western Missouri City are identical as one blends right into the other.

Commute: Depends on where your commute is to. If it's into Houston, this is where The Woodlands and Katy are going to be less desirable...

[Mr. Football]

As far as the burbs go...Champions, Klein and Cypress would get my vote along with The Woodlands (and Kingwood)

A million people can't be wrong. Northwest is best, we've got the big trees. Demographically, its one of the largest continual blocs of 'nice' there is in the Houston area. We've got very low crime and good schools. If you're concerned about Houston's reputation for air quality, it's better to be upwind and far away from the major industrial centers and smog belching freeways when you live in a metro-area like Houston.

Start in The Woodlands, go South down to 1960 turn West and go all the way past 290 to Longenbaugh, then back up North to Bridgeland. Inside this area, you'll find a hundred or more beautiful neighborhoods.