Most “complete” suburb in Houston? (Sugar Land, The Woodlands: homes, employment, schools)

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Figured since people bring this up all the time, there should be a thread about it. One could argue that the right answer is Memorial/EC, but since it’s in the city limits, that’s an argument for another day.

[SugLandDAd]

Difficult to say what makes a suburb "complete".

Sugar Land (117,869 pop.) is fairly compact when compared with Katy, which is more an area than a town (21,729 pop. in the town, over 340,000 pop. for the area). Size wise, Sugar Land is closer to the size of the Woodlands (113,819 pop.)

In its actual town footprint, Sugar Land has:


a professional sports team in the Triple A Skeeters, a minor league ballpark.
a large concert venue in the Smart Financial Centre (6,400 cap.)
an airport, albeit one for only private and corporate aircraft.
large employers in Schlumberger, Fluor, Champion X, TI.
several Hospitals.
still viable shopping mall.
a riverside events venue.
parks.
decent restaurant scene.
good housing stock.
decent schools.


Which makes it pretty complete.

[As Above So Below...]

I voted Sugar Land.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

My vote for most complete goes to Katy. While the most high class is obviously the Woodlands. Even with concerts and having the nicest suburban mall in GH give it complete points, but the lack of diversity affects its dining and nightlife which keep me with Katy.

Even if Sugar Land is currently over Katy in amenities, Katy is growing so fast that this will change if it hasn't already.
- Katy Asia Town was a huge boost when it opened
- Tiger Woods is building is building a heck of a golf and event center
- The Katy Boardwalk will be another major boost.
- Great food and decent nightlife
- Typhoon Texas
- Good overall shopping. People say "Katy Mills sucks" but who cares? La Centerra and the strip malls are better anyway.

The lone thing I could legit say that Sugar Land and Woodlands have over Katy is the amount of high paying, on site employment. Katy is still behind SL and TW in this regard, but their proximity to EC along with Academy, etc make it not even matter as much.

[mojo101]

Originally Posted by As Above So Below...

I voted Sugar Land.

it floods

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by mojo101

it floods

You sure about that? Most of the flood prone areas in that part of Fort Bend are actually in Missouri City, not Sugar Land.

[AcresHomes44]

I voted SL, but Katy is catching up and may eventually surpass SL if growth continues in that area, if not already. I want to see Houston suburbs grow to where they offer similar amenities as the city of Houston itself.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by AcresHomes44

I voted SL, but Katy is catching up and may eventually surpass SL if growth continues in that area, if not already. I want to see Houston suburbs grow to where they offer similar amenities as the city of Houston itself.

Welp. That’s kind of a high bar to set lol! But I know what you mean. Katy definitely is in the best position to be this in the future though. Katy Asia Town and La Centerra were game changers. and the Katy Boardwalk and Tiger Wood’s new golf event center will be game changers as they complete as well.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

As far as the Woodlands, in theory it could go down as the most complete suburb. It has the best suburban mall in the region, the Cynthia Woods Pavillions even competes with the Toyota Center for concerts. A fairly impressive amount of employment and even more if you include Sporingwood Village. And even diverse employment with HP & HPE, Exxon, Woodforest National Bank, etc.

But what sets it back is simply lack of diversity. Without that, it won’t get Katy or Sugar Land’s good ethnic eats or nightlife.

Then again, that particular demographic has brought the Woodlands impressive things I wouldn’t have imagined. I knew it was an affluent suburb. But to attract stores like Louis Vuitton and Tiffany. And high end chains like Fogo de Chao, Mastro’s, etc, it’s becoming something I wouldn’t even have imagined.

[gwarnecke]

I vote for The Woodlands - IMO it has it all over Katy and Sugar Land in terms of natural beauty, outdoor amenities/activities, and high commercial development standards/consistent aesthetics. Market Street + The Woodlands Mall are a cut above anything offered in Katy and SL. Proximity to IAH is also a plus.

Having said that, I wouldn't personally live in The Woodlands because it's too dang far from Houston. A drive into the city is "an event", whereas from older parts of Sugar Land it's a relatively short hop.

Katy vs Sugar Land is too close to call IMO, both have their pluses and minuses. I'd pick whichever is closer to work.