AZ/NM Desert Rat looking for "charm" & wants to retire near water/decent shopping/restaurants. Suggestions appreciated. (Houston: insurance, condo)

[Rancho5]

Born and raised in Scottsdale and now live in NM. The kids have all married and left and have no intention of coming back. We will retire in 7 years and are considering the Houston area for its great hospitals, sports, airports and tons of things to do.

Here is my dream list, completely realizing that not all boxes will be ticked:

Within 30 min to the beach
Paved bike trails (20 miles-ish or more)
Green, and shade trees (NM has none)
Stores newer that 20 years old (NM has none)
Decent restaurants/movie theaters/shopping not too far
Charming parks, walkways, outdoor eating, etc. (NM has none)
Pickle ball courts a plus.

While no place is perfect, I'd appreciate suggestions on any place you think might tick off as many boxes as possible.

Budget will be $300-450k, but maybe less considering the property tax (although I read some counties accept +65 exemptions?)

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by Rancho5

Here is my dream list, completely realizing that not all boxes will be ticked:

Within 30 min to the beach
Paved bike trails (20 miles-ish or more)
Green, and shade trees (NM has none)
Stores newer that 20 years old (NM has none)
Decent restaurants/movie theaters/shopping not too far
Charming parks, walkways, outdoor eating, etc. (NM has none)
Pickle ball courts a plus.

If you wanted bike trails and big-box stores in nearby decent looking strip malls, you will have to live in a master-planned community here in Houston. Most of these will be far inland from saltwater fishing you mentioned in the other thread. (There is also freshwater fishing in the lakes to the north of Houston.)

Houston is a very green city with plenty of trees compared to Phoenix and Albuquerque/Santa Fe. My last visit to Scottsdale 1.5 years ago was pretty jarring considering the lack of racial diversity during sunset. The Galleria attracts shoppers from all over the world in comparison. The Macy's stores in Houston have been maintained with up-to-date decor.

$300-450k will buy a nice normal sized home (NOT a McMansion) here in the Houston area. There is a lifestyle center 5 minutes away from my house in West Houston with upscale shopping, outdoor dining, walkways, and a charming town square and bowling green.

Bush Airport is very modern and efficient compared to LAX and PHX. There are flights to every continent in the world (except Antartica).

The hospitals in the Medical Center are top notch, along with the primary care and specialist doctors all over town. Across from the park, the Museum District has incredible exhibits--the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) is world-renowned for its collection and conservation expertise. There are plenty of other museums, restaurants, theaters, and landmark parks in the Inner Loop of Houston.

[Rancho5]

Thanks so much for responding. You mentioned outdoor dining, shopping, etc. W of Houston. What neighborhood would that be?

[Ghost Town]

The beach here is not so impressive.
Pearland or Sienna Plantation will check most of the boxes (house budget, trees, trails, parks, shopping/movies/dining, medical stuff). It's going to be less than an hour drive from the beach.
But that beach is not something to die for.

[Rancho5]

Originally Posted by Ghost Town

The beach here is not so impressive.

We took a gulf road trip a few years ago, starting in Galveston. I felt similar to you, and the further East we went the prettier it got (Orange Beach, Destin) but it might be our reality. Further East is too far from the West for my wife. We’ve thought about Fairhope, AL, for. a while but again too far, and it doesn’t have the huge airports Houston has or the renowned hospitals.

We go to Rocky Point, Mexico all the time for beach, and while it’s OK, it’s not super beautiful. But, it’s beach

[shanv3]

Clearlake. Nice safe suburb, close to kemah and beach, paved sidewalks, tress and the bells and whistles such as malls, theatres, highway access, hospitals , chain restaurants etc.

But if hospital is prioriy, you should live in a condo near tmc which imo is the most beautiful part of the town. Walkable, parks, public transport,dining, trees and trails. But 1 hour to the beach.

If trails is priority, western memorial or energy corridor is nice. The trails along buffalo bayou is great for bike and hike . 350k gets u a nice sfh in a good neighborhood and close to the amenities. There are 2 big hospitals memorialhermann and a mini tmc near katy.

And if u ever think of sienna or sugarland or pearland, you could very well live in arizona itself. Especially sienna.

Personally if beach is the priority, i ll move to corpus chirsty in a minute. You should check it out.it felt as an authentic beach town than galveston.

[DanielWayne]

Yep I 2nd Clear Lake, or surrounding area. I'm in League City, right next to Clear Lake. League City is still growing, so a lot of it is new. It has all your points except the bike trails. There are bike trails here and in Clear Lake, but the longer ones are either in Houston or further south. I haven't tried pickle ball yet, but I know it's available. And yes, it's about 30 mins to Galveston in good traffic.

[Watchful]

Originally Posted by shanv3

Clearlake. Nice safe suburb, close to kemah and beach, paved sidewalks, tress and the bells and whistles such as malls, theatres, highway access, hospitals , chain restaurants etc.

But if hospital is prioriy, you should live in a condo near tmc which imo is the most beautiful part of the town. Walkable, parks, public transport,dining, trees and trails. But 1 hour to the beach.

If trails is priority, western memorial or energy corridor is nice. The trails along buffalo bayou is great for bike and hike . 350k gets u a nice sfh in a good neighborhood and close to the amenities. There are 2 big hospitals memorialhermann and a mini tmc near katy.

And if u ever think of sienna or sugarland or pearland, you could very well live in arizona itself. Especially sienna.

Personally if beach is the priority, i ll move to corpus chirsty in a minute. You should check it out.it felt as an authentic beach town than galveston.

Great post.

[Rancho5]

These are all wonderful responses, thank you so much!

Sienna looks gorgeous! My wife and I were watching videos last night and it's really charming.

The concern I have with Corpus Christi is being so far away from a big airport and medical care. We do have some friends that live in Port Aransas though and they love it, so maybe it's worth checking out. Are the beaches in Corpus Christi nicer than the ones in Galveston? Particularly, more clear water?

Thanks for the two recommendations for Clearlake. It looks beautiful! I love that the homes a little bit inland are in less flood prone areas, at least according to realtor.com. I do realize though that Harvey has taught that no place in Houston is truly free of flooding.

And speaking of water...I like to be prepared so even if we lived in an area that was not designated flood prone I would probably carry the federal flood insurance and I will probably also purchase wind and storm and whatever else is needed, or not "needed". Would someone mind chiming in on how much each of those insurances are? Let's say a 2000 square foot home that cost $300,000?

[Ghost Town]

Corpus Christi is a fairly large city. Actually pretty good suggestion if the beach is priority.
I wouldn't say it's a huge difference in terms of water quality compared to Galveston. But it is better in general. Farther you go west from Mississippi River, more clearer it gets. And Corpus Christi is fairly close to South Padre Island, the best beach destination in Texas. Overall South Padre is comparable to Florida. Not the best FL beaches, but pretty decent.