Does Houston have any villages? (Highland Village, Tomball: rental car, transplants, apartment)

[LIGuyandGal]

My wife and I are thinking about moving to Houston from Long Island, NY. We currently rent an apartment in Babylon Village (for those NY transplants who read this) and we're curious if we could find the same atmosphere in Houston.

Basically, a town where most of the amenities (shops, restaurants, bars/nightlife, parks, movie theater, etc.) are all within walking distance.

We've visited Houston several times, but mostly the outer regions such as Waller, Tomball, and Cypress, which looks like you need a car to get around. Have we missed such areas as described above?

[daisee1203]

Nope! Haven't missed a thing! Houston is commuter city. You must have a car here unless you live Downtown or in Midtown. And while nice, they are new and there isn't enough down there yet to really sustain yourself. My gf that lives and works down there and was talking about how they have no grocery store. Nearest Target or the like is about 10m away. If you live and work downtown (or from home) then you might fare okay but still you will need a car to do anything else b/c mass transit system is not set-up to travel long distances.

Please don't let the whole "cost of living" down here fool you, either. You can buy a house here for much cheaper than where you might be but you will pay for gas, car upkeep and a/c. If you really feel a pull to here then go for it...Houston welcomes you! But I suggest y'all coming here for about 4-5 days with no rental car, staying downtown and see if it works for your preferences.

Plus Points:
Tex Mex
Great for families - lots of family supportive communities
Every form of art or performing art you could want/strong art scene
Lots of coffee shops
Great shopping

Not so hot points:
You will need a car
Public transport can use improvement
The heat (no real weather seasons)
The traffic/construction
The potholes in the roads
Not many parks/squares/common areas to hang out, like NY or Boston

[Danbo1957]

Jersey Village.

[LIGuyandGal]

Thanks Daisee,
Besides having family in Waller, housing appears to be much more affordable in Houston. The price of gas is cheaper in TX than in NY, and the money saved from not paying property taxes on Long Island would more than make up for what we would need to spend on gas.
We were hoping to find a place in the outer portions of Houston rather than the more expensive city center, but it really depends on where we end up working.
Danbo, what exactly makes Jersey Village a village? I saw signs for it on my last trip but I never went through the area.

[westres1]

Originally Posted by Danbo1957

Jersey Village.

Gimme a break!!!! you cant walk to the movies,grocery in Jersey Village.... The only place where this can happen is in West U,Montrose,South Gate or Afton Oaks. Look up HAR.com and they have a walkability score.

[daisee1203]

Originally Posted by LIGuyandGal

Thanks Daisee,
Besides having family in Waller, housing appears to be much more affordable in Houston. The price of gas is cheaper in TX than in NY, and the money saved from not paying property taxes on Long Island would more than make up for what we would need to spend on gas.
We were hoping to find a place in the outer portions of Houston rather than the more expensive city center, but it really depends on where we end up working.
Danbo, what exactly makes Jersey Village a village? I saw signs for it on my last trip but I never went through the area.

Jersey Village is not a "village" in the New York sense. I think they were joking. Again, no real village areas.The closest places are where I listed.

Depending on where you live, property taxes can get steep. And again, don't let the gas fool ya either. Its cheaper (about .08 a gallon) but you buy it more often due to all the driving you have to do. If you live in the outer areas there might be some things less expensive, but I suppose you will have to test the waters y'all's self. (Yes, that's a word. hah hah)

Most people that move here that aren't from here really seem to enjoy it. Best of luck to you!!

[usc619]

Originally Posted by Danbo1957

Jersey Village.

Originally Posted by westres1

Gimme a break!!!! you cant walk to the movies,grocery in Jersey Village.... The only place where this can happen is in West U,Montrose,South Gate or Afton Oaks. Look up HAR.com and they have a walkability score.

Have you ever heard of an expression called "sarcastic"? Not everyone on this board is a Realtor/Homer trying to steer people towards their neighborhood/area lol

Try it sometimes

[texas7]

Rice Village, Highland Village areas. Midtown or downtown.

[daisee1203]

I grew up near the Heights, went to school in West U/River Oaks, live near the Heights now and have friends in Downtown. Only movie theatre in DT is Angelika...not that there is anything wrong with it. Nearest theatres to other places: Edwards on 59 or i-10@Silber. Its always been this way. I have never seen an area in Houston where you can just walk outside, hail a cab or hop the bus and a few ways down is the exact store you need or a movie theatre. We just aren't set up that way.

Long Island: Don't let the names ending in "Village" fool ya. They are just areas of town or neighborhoods. Do the walkability tool on HAR as someone suggested.

However, Rice Village you CAN walk about in. But you'd still have to drive to get there. Even if you lived in West U or North Hampton, with both being about a 5 min drive...

[texas7]

a 5 minute drive but a nice walk.