Cali Fam Moving to Houston and We Need HELP! (Sugar Land: new home, neighborhoods)

[mmyoung00]

Our family will be moving to Houston in the next few months. Need some solid advice from the locals on neighborhoods to consider as our new home. What's important to us:

1.) We will be working in Downtown and DO NOT want a crazy commute. We live in LA and we know what "it's only 30 miles from Downtown" really means = more than an hour in traffic one way. NO WAY for us!
2.) We need a great public schools. We are in late elementary and getting ready for Middle School so we need more than great elementary schools. And they must be public.
3.) We prefer a more diverse area (both for schools and neighborhoods). We are an African American family and don't want to be the only black family for blocks or one of a few black families in the school. We are looking for all types of diversity - so it's not just about African Americans.
4.) We want to live in an area where the house lots are more than 5000 sqare feet.
5.) We are in early 40's so we are looking for a community with some folks our age, with families, with things to do, etc.

HELP! We need your suggestions. THANKS SO MUCH from a family in CA.

[Malvie]

Originally Posted by mmyoung00

Our family will be moving to Houston in the next few months. Need some solid advice from the locals on neighborhoods to consider as our new home. What's important to us:

1.) We will be working in Downtown and DO NOT want a crazy commute. We live in LA and we know what "it's only 30 miles from Downtown" really means = more than an hour in traffic one way. NO WAY for us!
2.) We need a great public schools. We are in late elementary and getting ready for Middle School so we need more than great elementary schools. And they must be public.
3.) We prefer a more diverse area (both for schools and neighborhoods). We are an African American family and don't want to be the only black family for blocks or one of a few black families in the school. We are looking for all types of diversity - so it's not just about African Americans.
4.) We want to live in an area where the house lots are more than 5000 sqare feet.
5.) We are in early 40's so we are looking for a community with some folks our age, with families, with things to do, etc.

HELP! We need your suggestions. THANKS SO MUCH from a family in CA.

Welcome to Houston!

Well, let's see, you're about like everybody else (including me): Want it all and don't want to pay much (by the way, you may both be neurosurgeons and make $1,000,000 a year; you don't tell us, so it's kind of hard to determine what kind of recommendations to make--what kind of price range are you seeking?).

HISD is good in spots, bad in spots. You can have HISD schools and live "close in", or you can go to one of the other school districts and drive. It's about that simple. Katy and Sugar Land both have excellent schools; you are probably looking at close to an hour commute. Both of those communities are racially and culturally diverse, though not nearly as much as the "inside the Loop" area.

Inside the Loop, you have a choice of some very eclectic communities (Montrose), some exceedingly affluent, mostly white communities (River Oaks, West U, Bellaire = Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Westwood) and the African American dominant inner city areas (Fifth Ward/Kashmere = Compton).

So, just like LA, you have the choice: do you get a much bigger house with better schools in a suburban area with a fairly significant commute, or do you stay close-in, have a short commute, and deal with the schools?

It's not easy.

You might look at the Spring/Cypress area for schools, but again, you're talking 290, which is pretty dreadful.

Good luck!

[westres1]

Get zoned to Roberts/Lanier/lamar in HISD
inside the loop but it will cost over 400,000 unless you rent

[Oildog]

Sugarland, Missouri City or Sienna Plantation may be a fit.

[EasilyAmused]

Well I would say the Memorial Villages, but diversity is not the name of the game there. It more about location and Success. West University might work...but something tells me it might not be what you are looking for.

Diversity + good public schools+5000sf house = a commute. Sorry. Maybe look at Sienna Plantation or Summerwood.

You never mentioned a price range. Close to downtown,with a house that size, with good public schools starts over 800k.

[usc619]

There are parts of Humble and Galena Park you should check out

[texas7]

I would go with Pearland - would seem to satisfy most of your requirements. Good schools, diversity, near dtown (if you live on the 288/518 end of Pearland) Silverlake, etc.

[westres1]

She didnt say a 5000 sq ft house but Lot....also Galena Park is a long way away from DT

[mmyoung00]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions so far. Some places I haven't heard of before.

To answer some of the questions in the thread above from my original post:
1.) Although we would LOVE a house that is 5000 square feet, we are not neurosurgeons so that is out of the question! When I wrote "5000 square feet" earlier I was referring to lot size. We just want something that let's us have a decent sized house (3-4 bedrooms) and still have some type of yard for our kids.

2.) As for home pricing - we would be looking for something less than $800K.

3.) And a question for EasilyAmused (or anyone else) - tell me about West University. What's the details on that area? When we went driving around recently, I like this area. Reminded me of where we live now in the LA area.

4.) and we spent some time driving around Memorial - which is lovely! But from the school details online it looks like we might be one of only a few black families ---- which wouldn't be the end of the world but it's always nice when your kids go to a school where a few faces look similar to them (not all, just some - that's all I'm sayin'!)...

Thanks again!

[westres1]

I think West U / rice area would be great. South Gate, South Hampton in particular