safe and unsafe areas of Houston (Sugar Land, Bellaire: houses, schools, living in)

[tstone]

Most any Houston area Wal-Mart is an adventure, especially on 8PM Fri/Sat. At that time, you'd swear there must be a secret club in the basement, judging by the way some people are dressed. Otherwise in some stores, I've seen some extremely stupid antics & disgusting things. The only 'scary' thing I saw was 2 unchained Pit-Bulls in the back of someones pickup truck, ready to pounce on anyone who got too close. Anyway, when you step out of your clean suburban neighborhood, the Wally World Zoo gives you an idea of who is really living around you. I know it's hard for some people to accept this.

As far as not opening your windows driving, I don't see any problem doing this in broad daylight. Now is a great time of year for this!!

[StereoDevil]

I wanted to weigh in because I grew up there and still visit and will move back. Greenspoint is a really bad area and to the Aldine / Alief question. Don't move to Aldine. I wouldn't without an AR-15.

I'm not being nutty but my Mom still lives there. Right in the middle and when punks are shooting up someones trailer right down the street you probably should arm yourself. When I was a kid you could play up and down the street. No freaking way I would let my kid do that. Thugs and punks out everywhere. You have to be vigilante and watch your surroundings. You should be anyways.

I went there on New Years Eve and she said stay inside at Midnight and I was like "Why?" and she said, "It will sound like a war zone". And true to that at midnight I never heard so many guns going off. It was crazy. I'm not exaggerating. This went on for half an hour.
[mod edit - racist]

[Alphalogica]

Originally Posted by JL

You can get mugged and beaten in any part of Houston! Just make sure you check out people when out and about!

This is true. This also depends on how much you "stand out." I'm Asian-American, dress fairly plain (fleeces, cargo pants, and army boots), drive an old Toyota Corolla, and feel relatively safe even in some of the worst parts of Houston. If you're rolling in an M3 down Fondren at 3 AM wearing Armani and a Tissot T-Touch, not the best of ideas.

On the other hand, both my mom (who is white) and I have been robbery victims in Sugar Land, and both separate incidents were many years ago. I was robbed near the First Colony Post Office in 2002 (2nd degree, suspects convicted) and my mom was robbed at gunpoint at the Sugar Land Wal-Mart in 2004 (no arrests). Both excellent areas.

I personally feel Downtown Houston (and much of the surrounding area, i.e. Washington Rd, some of Midtown, etc). with its massive law enforcement presence (HPD, HCSO, Federal Police patrolling govt. buildings, Metro Police, etc.) is much safer than many outlying suburbs.


My personal word of advice is dress/look "poor."

[txstate]

Look If you mind your business, tend not to be flashy and do what you need to do. You can go in any place in Houston,

[Alphalogica]

Originally Posted by txstate

Look If you mind your business, tend not to be flashy and do what you need to do. You can go in any place in Houston,

That's exactly right.

[AcresHomes44]

Originally Posted by MrSykes

I don't know, when I think of S/SE I'm thinking South Park, South Acres/Crestmont Park, Sunnyside, Hiram Clark, South Central (Third Ward/Yella'stone), Hobby Airport area. The relatively small part of Fondren SW you're talking about has nothing on these areas.

You aren't lying. Those areas are notorious for violent crime. You liable to get your car shot up with an AK. Folk know how wild those areas can be, especially South Park.

Originally Posted by jluke65780

Thinking the same thing. Their is nothing scary or creepy about that wal-mart. Seriously, people see random random crackheads standing on the corners and automatically assume an area is dangerous. The north side has always been the worst to me and has the look and feel of death. Southwest is so bad because of the apartment complexes, but outside of those it's not as bad. I'd take the southwest any day over the northeast.

When the Northside and Southside were going to war 10 years ago, Northside was considered to be the gutter side of town. Most of North Houston is relatively safe, it's that you have to know the dividing line between the hood parts of Northside and the upper-middle/upper class areas of Northside. If you really want the look and feel of death, come to Acres Homes and ride through the rural parts of it at night, you'll get the look and feel of death real quick

Originally Posted by jluke65780

I just feel it gets no worse than the north side. Your at risk of being killed or robbed just stopping at a corner store. Gulf bank is pretty sick too. My aunt use to live in there and whenever I'd come down to Houston I'd stay there. It was pretty wild at night, especially with the bayou running right behind her house and random thugs and hobos walking the streets at night. Once a man's body was founding floating down the bayou right behind her house. He was shot and robbed.

Gulf Bank is definitely no joke, same with Cavalcade, Tidwell, etc.


Houston has it's good and bad areas as does every city. Portions of N & S, NE, NW, SW & SE can be rough. Like someone said, it changes from block to block. One block can be squeaky clean with pretty houses and lawns and the next one over, you feel like you're in Baghdad hearing random rounds of gunfire and seeing folk get their face blown off (that actually happened not too long ago). You just have to know the dividing line from the nicer to hood areas of the aforementioned quadrants. Although I'll let y'all in as a clue to when you're in the hood: If you see Timmy Chan's/Frenchy's, liquor stores and hole-in-the-wall churches on every corner, you're in the hood.

[robertrulez]

5th ward and 3rd ward has some AWFUL areas, i drove by there one day and it looked like a 3rd world country

its hard to imagine that a few miles away we have some of the most upscale neighborhoods in the whole city

[modster]

Originally Posted by AcresHomes44

Although I'll let y'all in as a clue to when you're in the hood: If you see Timmy Chan's/Frenchy's, liquor stores and hole-in-the-wall churches on every corner, you're in the hood.k

You forgot having a Palace Inn, multiple check cashing places within the same block, & a rent-a-tire place.

You get bonus points if you have a Kroger which does not carry things like ground turkey but does sell chicken feet.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by modster

You forgot having a Palace Inn, multiple check cashing places within the same block, & a rent-a-tire place.

You get bonus points if you have a Kroger which does not carry things like ground turkey but does sell chicken feet.

Hell, in that case pretty much all of Houston is bad.

[modster]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Hell, in that case pretty much all of Houston is bad.

That's why I don't worry too much about it. Stuff is everywhere, especially close in even in the "good areas." Maybe I have just been lucky but I don't take my safety too much for granted and stay aware of my surroundings, especially at stop lights. I am on Bellfort between Broadway and Telephone almost daily. I stop at the store to get a can of coke, I get the oil changed on one of my cars there, eat at Shan Hu regularly & probably taco bell along there more than I should.

I spend a lot of time between Glenbrook, Lindale, Eastwood, etc. I am on Telephone, Cavalcade, Lockwood, Navigation almost daily. Like I said I do keep an eye out at stoplights since I have what I would consider a higher end car, (Jaguar) that could make me more of a target.

I do have a tendency to avoid certain areas. I don't go to the Walgreen's on Broadway & Bellfort b/c it is right by the bus stop and you have the "hanging out" factor right there that I tend to avoid.

Of course when something happens in the so-called "safe areas" like the multiple home invasions in the Heights, the second recent hold up at Woodlands Mall, or the knife incident outside Nordstroms at the Galleria or the shooting a month or so ago at First Colony, people just can't believe it happened there. Let the first thing happen at Gulfgate and people will be all sorts of "aw well, there ya go! It's that neighborhood!"

Your safety has a lot more to do with you than than area.