Family of 4 considering a move to The Woodlands-Want to know all about it! (Houston: for sale, HOA)

[ai321409]

My husband and I are considering moving to The Woodlands with our daughters (currently 4 and 6) within the next few years once I am done with my associates degree in nursing. My husband is a physical therapist assistant and an air force veteran. We currently live in a small town in Connecticut with amazing schools and low crime. We lived in Phoenix metro area in Arizona for 4 years so the heat is not a a problem for us (we prefer it to the bitter cold winters here). We have a few questions on the area and what we should expect.

1) In our small town, we pay for all of our utilities separately (trash, electric, oil, etc). We also have our own septic, so we do not have a water bill. I would like to get some average estimates of how much we would expect to be paying monthly for all of our essentials (Would be for a 2000-3000 square foot home). Any other area expenses I may not be thinking of?

2) Are there HOA's and what is the average monthly cost of an HOA? We are mostly interested in the Alden Bridge, Cochran's Crossing, Indian Springs, or possibly Grogan's Mill villages.

3) Employment opportunities for a nurse with an associates (but continuing education for bachelor degree) and for physical therapist assistant with a bachelor degree. I have seen a lot of hospitals and physical therapy offices listed for The Woodlands so we are hoping to be able to find jobs pretty quickly once moving to the area. And if there is anybody employed as one, what should we expect our salaries to be? Certain salary websites vary greatly in salary medians. Also, what does the commute look like from the furthest area in The Woodlands to the line of hospitals near the highway?

4) We are no strangers to hurricanes as we are about 45 minutes to the closest coast here in CT, but curious on the affect of hurricanes in The Woodlands. Is power usually lost, and for how long? Are there mandatory evacuations? Flooding? Home damage? Fallen trees? Also, how often do tornadoes occur?

5) Closest beach, hiking, and fun things to do with young kids and preteens?

6) Best bagels, pizza (we do love Grimaldi's), any Italian delis or sandwich shops? Best restaurants (we love all food!)

7) Internet providers and cost per month for relatively fast service?

8) Is there a downtown/main street (something lined with american flags, small shops, cafes) in any part of The Woodlands?

9) What sort of holiday events are normally organized (pre-covid)? Parades, city parties, festivals, etc?

10) Crime-do you feel safe living there? Is there any specific crime that is more prevalent in the area? Any areas of the city to avoid?

Any other input is greatly appreciated! I definitely have more questions, but I think I have asked enough for now. Thank you!!

[DanielWayne]

I don't know all about the Woodlands, but I do live near Houston so I've been to the Woodlands a few times. I stayed on the Waterway recently so I could look around and get a feel for possible relocation in the near future. I am looking to move to that area to escape flooding from hurricanes. I don't worry about power outages as long as my home isn't taking in 8 feet of water. When you are near a large population center, the power companies tend to place a lot more emphasis on restoring power in your area after a hurricane. Not something to worry about.

The closest beach is Galveston. That is a mixed bag. There is a national forest in Huntsville, which is about a half hour from the Woodlands. But hiking trails with hills probably starts 3 hours west, although Huntsville is a little hilly itself.

I just ate at Grimaldi's over the weekend. There is an abundance of restaurants on the waterway. You will find whatever you want there.

Look up the Woodlands Waterway/Market Street. That is your downtown/main street and it is beaming with civic pride. There is a boat taxi (not sure if it is operating now due to the virus), a major concert venue, and there is a beautiful little park in the middle of a large pedestrian area (look up Market Street) where they have a giant Christmas tree that is synced to music for a short musical on the hour. Just saw a wedding proposal in front of that tree. Now this area also has a handful of high end shops like a Rolex store and a Ferrari dealership. So there are some well to do residents living nearby. I haven't looked at housing costs yet, but this can be one of the more expensive suburbs. Also consider looking at nearby towns like Conroe.

I don't know what they do for the holidays, but they are already full of Christmas lights right now in the Market Street/Waterway area.

The Woodlands is one of the safest areas around the Houston Metro. You still hear about incidents every once in a while in the news, but I have never heard of any bad area as in a 'bad side of town.' They have mounted police patrolling the Market Street area. It feels far safer than any major metro.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

3. The Woodlands (if not othwr nearby cities/suburbs) should definitely have plenty of Employment for nurses

4. Woodlands is quite inland, isn’t very prone to hurricanes.

5. Galveston is the closest real beaches (quite the drive) But Conroe (which is must closer) has some artificial beaches particularly along the Margaritaville Resort

6. Not sure about the woodlands. But some great stuff in Houston. Vinny’s in downtown/EaDo makes the best pizza!

8. Amwrican Flags? Sure you’ll find some in Downtown Woodlands but I wouldn’t say lined up. The downtown woodlands is very nice though! It actually has its own Louis Vuitton store which is unseen in Texas suburbs a store of that caliber.

9. Plenty of holiday events in the Woodlands. Light shows outdoors to Woodland Mall Events. You’ll have to try not to find holiday events out there

10. Thw woodlands is a very safe area. Sure, anywhere in the world you never know when you’ll be unlucky at the wrong place at the wrong time. But it’s a safe place none the less.

[texas7]

For questions 8,9, 10 — friendswood really ticks off all those boxes with great schools as well. Unfortunately very near the coast so evacuation during hurricanes likely. Lost of community spirit and everything is about the community’s Kids. Also flood prone but not all of it so people have to be very careful what neighborhood they choose and check out its flood history. League city also nice but also near the coast.

[ai321409]

Thank you for all of your replies! We have looked into Friendswood and League City, but as I was scrolling through homes for sale, the floor factor for most was a little too high for my liking. Otherwise, we would have considered the area more. Is anybody familiar with the cost of monthly utilities? I had read somewhere that everything is compacted into one monthly payment (trash, water, electric, etc). I am used to paying separately for everything up here in CT.

[crone]

Originally Posted by ai321409

Thank you for all of your replies! We have looked into Friendswood and League City, but as I was scrolling through homes for sale, the floor factor for most was a little too high for my liking. Otherwise, we would have considered the area more. Is anybody familiar with the cost of monthly utilities? I had read somewhere that everything is compacted into one monthly payment (trash, water, electric, etc). I am used to paying separately for everything up here in CT.

It depends on where you buy. An incorporated city will provide those needs for a fee.. If you buy in unincorporated Harris County, there will be a legal entity for that.

Texas has Municipal utility district, MUDs. The developer buys land, puts in 3 houses. Those people vote to form a MUD or Public utility district. The developer sells bonds to finance the water, sewer lines and treatment plants, streets, Some also do recreational areas. My MUD tax is 500 a year. It pays off the bonds, provides water, sewer, a park and security. We also then have Homeowner associations that pays for common ground maintenance, trash pick up, the pool and tennis courts. That fee is also 500 a year. All that is contingent on where you buy. Large master planned communities may be cheaper. Or more, depending on the amenities.

We have a 3400 square foot house. The electricity averages annually about $105 a month, natural gas 40 a month, water $15, sewer $17, the regional water authority fee average 35. For 2019 we paid a total of $2984 for all utilities.

This is also iffy. Depends on the house, does it get southwest sun for 6 hours a day? Any trees for shade? Double paned low e windows? Insulation?

good luck with your search.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by crone

It depends on where you buy. An incorporated city will provide those needs for a fee.. If you buy in unincorporated Harris County, there will be a legal entity for that.

Texas has Municipal utility district, MUDs. The developer buys land, puts in 3 houses. Those people vote to form a MUD or Public utility district. The developer sells bonds to finance the water, sewer lines and treatment plants, streets, Some also do recreational areas. My MUD tax is 500 a year. It pays off the bonds, provides water, sewer, a park and security. We also then have Homeowner associations that pays for common ground maintenance, trash pick up, the pool and tennis courts. That fee is also 500 a year. All that is contingent on where you buy. Large master planned communities may be cheaper. Or more, depending on the amenities.

We have a 3400 square foot house. The electricity averages annually about $105 a month, natural gas 40 a month, water $15, sewer $17, the regional water authority fee average 35. For 2019 we paid a total of $2984 for all utilities.

This is also iffy. Depends on the house, does it get southwest sun for 6 hours a day? Any trees for shade? Double paned low e windows? Insulation?

good luck with your search.

Just to clarify: the MUD issues the bonds, which then fund the reimbursement to the developer for their up-front infrastructure expenses.

[ai321409]

Thank you for your in depth response. I’ll have to look more into MUDs so that I understand completely. Thank you for all the information!

[magni]

We live in the Woodlands and I hope these can help:

1. Things may be different from house to house but in our case:
electric: $100-200 depending on the month
gas: $50-$150 depending on the month
trash/water: $50-$150 depending on the month (lawn watering makes the difference)

2. No separate HOA but there is property tax paid to the Woodlands township. With all property taxes combined you generally end up somewhere between 2-3%.

3. Lots of hospitals and demand for your field. It should be fairly easy to find a job locally but I can not know salaries etc.

4. As mentioned above, The Woodlands is inland and safer than most of the greater Houston area. We get flooding from time to time. We were hit by Harvey in some sections and several local flooding cases occurred over the last five years. Not aware of any tornadoes.

5. Galveston is the closest real beach, about 2 hrs drive. Lake Conroe is nice and fun and much closer but no beaches. The Woodlands is like a big park itself. Lots of hiking and biking trails. Beautiful scenery, parks all around. There won't be any problems for you in this area.

6. The best restaurants are closer to Downtown Houston and I think some might be the best in the country. The Woodlands has good selections too. In general, a great bagel is one thing you will not find easily in Texas but we have kolaches instead . I am sure you'll find your favorite pizza and sandwich places in short time. Too many to compare and depends on personal taste.

7. AT&T, Comcast are the big two: $50-100 per month depending on speed and combined services.

8. Yes, Market Street, Hughes Landing and Waterway area acts like a Downtown area for the Woodlands and there are lots to see. Shopping, cafes, bars, hiking, and the Woodlands Mall are all in one area.

9. There is always something going on in the Waterway/Market Street area year long. I am not aware of a special festival or a parade though.

10. Yes, it is one of the safest places in the Greater Houston. As long as you are in any of the Woodlands villages, it should be fine. Personally I feel safer away from the I-45, in the west side but it is just me, no data or factual info.

[summersquall]

The Woodlands has changed enormously in the past decade or so with the extension of Woodlands Parkway and Research Forest to the West. With SH99 and FM249 toll road that folding in should only continue.