Monarch Oaks - Spring Branch (Houston, West: apartments, townhomes, transfer)

[NYCtoHOS]

How safe is Monarch Oaks in Spring Branch?

The area consists roughly of Westview and Long Point as the north/south borders and Hillendahl and Glenmore Forest/Gingerleaf as the east/west borders.

Monarch Oaks Civic Association. A residential community in Houston, Texas

[gwarnecke]

I live nearby and have heard nothing but good things about the neighborhood from its residents. It's very safe by close-in Houston standards. A few things to consider:

-City of Houston has installed lots of traffic-calming jewelry in the neighborhood (speed bumps, mini-roundabouts, oddly-placed median islands on one side of the road or the other). They're probably worth it if they slow traffic down, but as a visitor they're annoying. When home shopping we turned down an otherwise-beautiful home in the neighborhood because it had one of those weird median warts right in front of it.
-If you're particularly concerned about being in an area with minimal foot traffic, don't buy a house at the north end of the neighborhood or along Hillendahl. If you live on Hillendahl, you will be reminded daily of Houston's lack of zoning - you'll find an office building, apartments, upscale homes, upscale townhomes, a medical center, and a church operated out of an old ranch house, all right next to each other! It's intriguing, but not for everyone.
-If you have school-age kids - the zoned middle school is not well regarded, but SBISD currently allows transfers to Spring Branch Middle School. This arrangement may, or may not continue indefinitely. Elementary school (VOE) and High School (MHS) are great.