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Old 06-27-2022, 11:28 AM
 
15 posts, read 12,318 times
Reputation: 16

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My wife and I are having trouble finding areas in Houston that are similar to Orange County (Irvine-Newport Beach Area), California. Most of Orange County has really great roads, all underground utilities, great schools, and well-maintained shopping centers. Haven't seen an area in Houston anywhere near that well-developed. The Woodlands seemed appropriate at first, but it's ultimately way too far from our offices and I find the tree canopy claustrophobic.

Sugar Land has ancient construction and tons of power lines. Sienna Plantation doesn't have enough stores (one grocery store and a Panda Express? LOL). Cypress seems...okay, but I am not impressed with the quality of the shopping centers (mostly dilapidated strip malls). Is Katy any better? Haven't explored it too much. We just want something upscale and not too close to a burned-out shopping center, which is very hard to find in the Houston area.

Even an area similar to Plano/Allen in N. Texas would be nice, but I haven't seen anything so far like it...

Our budget is $1m. thx.
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Old 06-27-2022, 11:48 AM
 
Location: Memorial Villages
1,513 posts, read 1,791,916 times
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Cypress, Katy, and Sugar Land are such large and diverse areas that they can't really be painted with a broad brush. Each has plenty of tired and/or downright dilapidated areas, but they also have 1-2 nicer shopping centers with mid-to-high-end housing nearby.

Look into LaCenterra / Cinco Ranch in Katy and Towne Lake in Cypress, they may offer what you're looking for. Just expect a potentially-rough commute and (especially in Towne Lake) some lower-end areas 5-10 minutes away. Also expect that, unlike the case in The Woodlands, you'll probably be driving inside the loop or to The Galleria/Memorial City/CityCenter for higher-end shopping or dining.

I doubt anything inside the Beltway will meet your needs. Even the highest-end ITL neighborhoods have power poles, beat-up roads nearby, and average-at-best public high schools. Memorial Villages offers better public schools and larger lots, but the tree cover is similar to The Woodlands and you still have power poles.

Underground utilities are overrated unless you're in a newer neighborhood. I've lived in some of the first Houston-area neighborhoods to install underground utilities (developed in the 1970s/80s), and by the time they're 30-40 years old they get flakey and the power goes out anytime it storms a bit.

Regardless of where in the Houston area you look, $1mil will go much much further than it would in Orange County.

Last edited by gwarnecke; 06-27-2022 at 12:02 PM..
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Old 06-27-2022, 12:06 PM
 
15 posts, read 12,318 times
Reputation: 16
I don't mind overhead lines if the area is older - I just find overhead lines inexcusable in new areas.
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Old 06-27-2022, 12:33 PM
 
Location: Florida
2,441 posts, read 2,523,524 times
Reputation: 1799
Why not to stay in Orange County?
It's one of the most upscale counties in the entire US. Hard to find something comparable in other states. Maybe South Florida? If you already moved to Texas, that's your choice. How do you like Texas heat these days?
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Old 06-27-2022, 12:43 PM
 
15,426 posts, read 7,482,091 times
Reputation: 19363
Quote:
Originally Posted by DoBetterHouston View Post
My wife and I are having trouble finding areas in Houston that are similar to Orange County (Irvine-Newport Beach Area), California. Most of Orange County has really great roads, all underground utilities, great schools, and well-maintained shopping centers. Haven't seen an area in Houston anywhere near that well-developed. The Woodlands seemed appropriate at first, but it's ultimately way too far from our offices and I find the tree canopy claustrophobic.

Sugar Land has ancient construction and tons of power lines. Sienna Plantation doesn't have enough stores (one grocery store and a Panda Express? LOL). Cypress seems...okay, but I am not impressed with the quality of the shopping centers (mostly dilapidated strip malls). Is Katy any better? Haven't explored it too much. We just want something upscale and not too close to a burned-out shopping center, which is very hard to find in the Houston area.

Even an area similar to Plano/Allen in N. Texas would be nice, but I haven't seen anything so far like it...

Our budget is $1m. thx.
The shocking thing is that Panda Express gets away with false advertising. They do not serve any dishes containing panda.
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Old 06-27-2022, 01:41 PM
 
2,549 posts, read 4,052,054 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WRM20 View Post
The shocking thing is that Panda Express gets away with false advertising. They do not serve any dishes containing panda.
Or do they....?
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Old 06-27-2022, 04:48 PM
 
225 posts, read 135,640 times
Reputation: 217
Nothing in Houston as nice as OC. The Woodlands may be the closest you will find.
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Old 06-27-2022, 05:00 PM
 
Location: Beautiful Northwest Houston
6,291 posts, read 7,497,291 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DoBetterHouston View Post
I don't mind overhead lines if the area is older - I just find overhead lines inexcusable in new areas.
In that case with your budget why not check out The Heights, or even West University place. Both are inner loop upscale neighborhoods that are close to upscale shopping as well.

Regards
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Old 06-27-2022, 05:59 PM
 
5,673 posts, read 7,450,763 times
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You probably won't find it in Houston.....Houston does have pockets of nice.....But it's surrounded by riff raff.
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Old 06-27-2022, 06:30 PM
 
1,041 posts, read 567,320 times
Reputation: 2473
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost Town View Post
Why not to stay in Orange County?
It's one of the most upscale counties in the entire US. Hard to find something comparable in other states. Maybe South Florida?
Good suggestion.

South Florida and South O.C do share similar clean, artificially nice, spanking new, non-threatening cookie cutter, somewhat plastic, “sterile” aesthetic that to a certain type of people equates “upscale” and “modern”.

Last edited by achtung baby; 06-27-2022 at 06:42 PM..
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