Where to live - Energy Corridor vs. Katy (Houston, Spring: crime, house)

[kva]

Hello -
I work in the Galleria area, 610 and San Felipe specifically. My husband and I are trying to decide where to live. We are looking for a safe, nice neighborhood with good school districts. We are considering the area of Katy probaby not any farther west than Fry Rd as I am trying to minimize the commute as much as possible. We really like Green Trails so that is at the top of our list for Katy. Everything that I have read so far about Green Trails has been very positive. Can anyone tell me if there is anything negative about this area that we should be aware of? Does anyone know what the commute would be like to the Galleria area.

We are also considering the Energy Corridor since that area is closer in however I have not found much information on that area in terms of safety and schools. It seems to border some areas that are not so safe and a little run down. Does anyone have more information about this location? Any recommendations on subdivisions?

Thanks so much!

[EasilyAmused]

What's your price range?
Remember, you'll get twice the house size for the money in Green Trails. The good neighborhoods in the energy corridor start at about 350 for a small, one story. The schools are excellent though, Spring Branch ISD. I live in this area. It takes me about 20 minutes to get from my house to San Felipe and Post Oak during rush hour. It's a very easy area to live and is an excellent quality of life. Everything is close by and they are building the CityCentre 1 mile away for even more things.


Green Trails is very nice. Might be a longer commute with the backups on I-10 down that way. And it's a different school District.

There are options south of the bayou, in the EC, though in HISD schools, but really good ones. It just depends on your "needs."

[westhou]

There are a few neighborhoods I would suggest to you.

Twin Lakes, Lakes on Eldridge, Eldridge Park, and Concord Bridge

All of these are near the Energy Corridor. They are also within the Cypress Fairbanks school district which is very good.

[usc619]

Can't go wrong with Green Trails

[kva]

Thank you everyone for your responses. Our price range is between 250 and 350. It sounds like both locations would work though we will get more for our money in Green Trails. We really like Green Trails and are leaning more towards that location but driving through the Energy Corridor with all of the new building that is going on there definitely makes that location worth consideration - not to mention Terry Hershel park! If we go with Energy Corridor, we are looking to stay south of I-10 so I guess that knocks out some of the neighborhoods on Eldridge mentioned above. We also would like to stay in the Spring Branch school district. Does anyone know neighborhoods here zoned to that district? How about crime there...anyone ever feel unsafe? Thanks again for the feedback!

[EasilyAmused]

Try Nottingham Forest,Westchester,Memorial Plaza,River Forest and Thornwood(some parts of it are in KISD though). Crime is next to nothing IN the single family neighborhoods. Those are a few you might be able to find in the 350k range. Nottingham Forest would be my first choice in that price range, but they are hard to find. If you were able to swing 400, I would say Wilchester.

Terry Hershey is wonderful. It's right in my backyard and I love it.

If you can get this house a little lower, it's in an excellent location. It needs cosmetic work, but the name of the game in the EC is location first, make the house pretty second.
http://search.har.com/engine/dispSea...9%20Kickerillo

[westres1]

Go for Nottingham,westchester,River Forest...you can not go wrong and your home values are very safe!

[mark_92465]

A house in Energy Corridor can belong to 3 major ISDs.
try to avoid KISD, it has higher tax rate and relatively speaking less compatitive elementry school. If you can live with that, go to Green Trail for sure.

SBISD and HISD are all good. A very small part of the Energy Corridor is in HISD with Barbara Bush Elem. That is one of the best school area in city of Houston. And Houston tax rate is lowest in all three.

But 350K only buys you a 2400 SQFT house there.
You can easily find 3400 SQFT house in katy with that kind of money.
In westchester, you are talking about less than 2000 SQFT and over 40 years old house.

I am looking for a house in Energy Corridor too.

[kva]

Thanks again everyone for your responses. We will definitely be considering Energy Corridor now so I will check out the suggested neighborhoods.

Here is my last concern with living in the Energy Corridor. I read somewhere that construction was to occur on Memorial Drive, specifically near the neighborhoods mentioned above. Here is a direct quote from the article I found: "TxDOT is currently planning to expand a large portion of the Memorial Drive, two way drive, thoroughfare from George Bush Park eastward to Gessner Road. Currently the road is only four lanes wide, and regularly experiences large backups in traffic, mostly due to construction closures on the Katy Freeway. This expansion was revealed by Houston's City Council member Palm Holm in a Nottingham Forest VIII/Westchester neighborhood homeowners' meeting in May 2007." Does anyone know anything about this? I know it is hard to escape construction in Houston but it would be nice to know if we were about to buy in a neighborhood that is about to undergo major construction. Thanks again in advance for any information!

[EasilyAmused]

Yes it will be occuring. It's in the planning stages right now and will probably start in 2011. I don't really anticipate it will be that big of a headache. It's resurfacing and adding MUCH NEEDED left turn lanes between the Beltway and Dairy Ashford. I think the biggest problems with traffic will be in that commercial section between Bateswood and Dairy Ashford.

PS- I don't know of any heavy traffic backups other than EAST of the Beltway on Memorial. If you call 10 cars stacked at a light "heavy traffic," then I guess we are. And it wasn't bad during the Katy Expansion except when they shut the freeway down. That's all done now, and now it's pretty quiet.
Now, west of Eldridge it's a whole different story. Traffic is bad down that way.