Millions of questions (Houston, Pasadena, Pearland: house, neighborhoods, buying)

[beeloo]

Hello Houston!

I have been offered a move from my company in Angleton to move there. It is just my wife and I (in our early 30's) and are moving from SE Minnesota. I have been researching Houston for a few weeks and am highly interested in moving there instead of Angleton.

My wife may be able to work from home for now but may need to find a new job. We figured that if we live in Houston, finding a future job would be easier. We also are kids free for a while and wanted to be close to the 'happening' place. But from what I am learning, it looks like Houston is very spread out?

The Galleria area looks promising to us. It has a lot of good bars and restaurants that we would be interested in.

Now I know I have not given much information about us, so here it goes:
- We would sell our house here in MN, and plan on buying one in Houston or a suburb.
- Range would be between 180k and 300K.
- I would be OK with commuting to Angleton as long as there isn't crazy traffic every single day.
- We like going out to bars and restaurants and understand that walking everywhere is not going to work there. How about bars and restaurants that are close or a short cab ride or short car ride?
- We like going to hole in the wall places, ethnic places, expensive places, cheap places, etc. As long as food/drinks taste good, we'll be there..
- We have two dogs and a cat, so a yard would be nice to have.

Instead of asking a million questions I have, I will start with the basics. How is the drive from Houston to Angleton in the morning (7am-8am) and in the evening on the way back (5pm-6pm)? How close to The Galleria can I get without dreading my commute everyday?

[texas7]

Moving to Pearland might be a better option and situate somewhat between Angleton and the Galleria. Although it is a family oriented suburb - its close enough to Houston to satisfy what you need and make your commute to Angleton decent.

[ilikepizza]

I wouldn't suggest living near the Galleria unless you work right there. The commute will be awful if you're working in Angleton.

I agree with the previous poster. Pearland would be ideal for you.

[Houston_2010]

you're looking at 40-50mile drive...about an hour each way not considering traffic. Bad traffic is typically the other way around, althought around Galleria (I live near 610W loop) there is traffic pretty much all the time (mostly for people trying to get to Hwy 59). Galleria area is nice, but I would also recommend looking into Midtown, the Heights area...this of course as long as you're willing to sacrifice a bit of yard and potentially move if you plan to expand your family. I have friends that live in Pearland and they like it...housing can be more affordable than Galleria.

I'm sure other CD friends will chime in with more info for you

[beeloo]

I was pretty sure most people would recommend Pearland. It does look pretty organized and well planned. The Galleria area or other pseudo-downtowns would be around 30min drive from Pearland? Are there places in Pearland that are NOT Olive Garden-type chains? heh, I know restaurants and bars should not be that high of a priority... but again we're young now and plan on starting a family in a few years..

[City Love]

Originally Posted by beeloo

I was pretty sure most people would recommend Pearland. It does look pretty organized and well planned. The Galleria area or other pseudo-downtowns would be around 30min drive from Pearland? Are there places in Pearland that are NOT Olive Garden-type chains? heh, I know restaurants and bars should not be that high of a priority... but again we're young now and plan on starting a family in a few years..

With no traffic, it's about 20 minutes to the Galleria area, downtown, museums, etc. It's not that bad.

There are tons of restaurants at the 518/288 section. Mostly chains though.

Look into 77584 for homes. That would give you a good commute to Angelton, and also keep you real close to the city environment.

[AmberAzeneth]

Move to the Pearland/Manvel area. I used to be over the Angleton area at my job. I had to drive down there almost daily. It is a desolate and boring drive. The closer you are there to Angleton the better off you are. You should also look into moving to Lake Jackson. It is further south of Angleton but way closer than Pearland/Manvel. There are alot of new and very nice up and coming neighborhoods in Lake Jackson. Plus, thaere are alot of amenities there too. Such as: Brazos Mall, Brazosport Medical Center, the beach(Freeport/Surfside area), and plenty of options to eat at. Living in the Galleria area would be a huge mistake if you are working in Angleton.

[beeloo]

@City Love
Oh thanks for that zipcode! Are there any bad neighborhoods in that zipcode that I need to know of? Also, couple of years ago, I looked at Pearland and there was a lot of talk about a landfill. Whats the update on that? I think Shadow Creek Ranch was the neighborhood that was worried about it?
There are TONS of homes in that section. Is there a reason that many are selling? and also many of them are dropping prices/have been on the market for a while.. Should I be worried about that? I am using har.com for home research...

@AmberAzeneth
Yea, I am looking at Lake Jackson too, I will be flying down for a few days to check all the areas out. However, the problem is that it sounds too small for my liking. Our present town's population is 100K+ and I hate not having to have choices to go to.. Small towns generally have very few ethnic restaurants etc. Regardless, I do understand the point you're trying to make; a boring drive everyday is going to suck!

I won't be doing this drive for more than a couple of years...

[nana053]

Originally Posted by beeloo

I was pretty sure most people would recommend Pearland. It does look pretty organized and well planned. The Galleria area or other pseudo-downtowns would be around 30min drive from Pearland? Are there places in Pearland that are NOT Olive Garden-type chains? heh, I know restaurants and bars should not be that high of a priority... but again we're young now and plan on starting a family in a few years..

Yes, Pearland has restaurants that are not Olive Garden type chains

Mama Jordana's Santa Barbara Italian Cafe, Features Fine Italian Cuisine. (three restaurants - one in Alvin, one in Friendswood and one in Pearland - each with a bit different ambiance)

Las BullBoxer31 Restaurant - Welcome (only one location - family owned and run)

Thanh Phuong Restaurant (Vietnamese - small, kinda hole in the wall with decent food - but being sold to new owners, so no data on the new people yet)

Jake's Grill (two restaurants, family owned, kid friendly)

Jake's Grill A Texas Cafe - Reviews B4-U-EAT

Cafe Taraiz (new to Pearland, Mediterranean food, family owned and operated, small and the food is very fresh)

Little Tokyo - Pasadena and Pearland (Sushi, two restaurants, one in Pearland, one in Pasadena)

Chinese Food Pearland, TX (Texas) - Ruby Chinese Restaurant (Chinese food, family run)

Home (two restaurants, one in Pearland, one in Pasadena)

Pearland Coffee Roasters | Coffee Roaster | Espresso Bar (independent coffee house, not at all like Starbucks)

I'm sure there are others I am missing.

[beeloo]

Originally Posted by nana053

Yes, Pearland has restaurants that are not Olive Garden type chains....
CROPPED TO SAVE SPACE
....I'm sure there are others I am missing.

Sushi, Mediterranean, and Vietnamese! Sold! heh... I like City Love's suggestion that its only a 20-30min drive to the galleria.. I think Pearland will work out for us. I was also worried about traffic, but it is sounding like the traffic would be heading the other way as I would be driving south.. and then north when everyone is driving south..