Relocating, Question about Cy-Fair (Houston, Austin: apartments, low crime, houses)

[VernonK2]

Hey everybody. My wife, 3 kids and myself will be relocating to Houston in the next few months and I had a few questions that I thought the locals could help me out with.

We're focused in the Cypress-Fairbanks area because my kids and their schools are one of my top priorities.

Are there any schools in Cy-Fair that we should avoid? Any areas in particular that we should avoid?

I know flooding is an issue across Texas, but I'm wondering if the area of Cy-Fair sees a lot of flooding and if so, what area(s) see the most?

Is there anything we should be aware of in general before relocating?

I'm also wondering about the smell. From what I hear it's more South East way towards Pasadena but I was wondering if the smell travels up the Cy-Fair way and if so how noticeable is it? Not for someone who's been living there but a new resident such as myself and my family.

Last, I wanted to ask about the beaches. My family and I love the beach and I've heard that the beaches that are close to Houston aren't that great. To enjoy the beach/ocean, where is the best place to go to? Even if it's a bit of a drive.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and answer. This is my first post on here, but I've been reading for a long time and really respect the community's voice.

Thanks again.

Vernon

[cheryjohns]

Originally Posted by VernonK2

Are there any schools in Cy-Fair that we should avoid? Any areas in particular that we should avoid?

I know flooding is an issue across Texas, but I'm wondering if the area of Cy-Fair sees a lot of flooding and if so, what area(s) see the most?

I'm also wondering about the smell. From what I hear it's more South East way towards Pasadena but I was wondering if the smell travels up the Cy-Fair way and if so how noticeable is it? Not for someone who's been living there but a new resident such as myself and my family.

Vernon

I am a Realtor AND I live in the Cy-Fair area.

Langham High is not one of their best.

Flooding isn't really a problem in this area. Closest I can think of was Bear Creek Village subdivision to the south of us during a massive rain we had last June, but it's not Cy-Fair. Even that was an oddity - but they got about 8 inches in a very short time.

The refinery smell you are talking about doesn't make it all the way to here. To get to us, it would have to go through River Oaks - and that's just not going to happen.

Yeah, the Galveston beach is the closest and not all that terrific.

The negative about up here is if you work downtown, do NOT go 290 at rush hour. Instead take Eldridge down to I-10 and go in that way.

[VernonK2]

Thanks for the input.

[Mr. Football]

Cy-Fair is a great area, huge (population 730,000+) with lots of good choices depending on your perspective and what you're looking for. To the South, you have the Katy prairie, with larger master planned communities and other choices on former ranch lands and farms. To the north you have hundreds of cozy, wooded neighborhoods carved out of the forests. The geographic boundary between woodland and prairie is essentially Hwy 290. Areas Northwest of FM 1960 are generally nicer, containing more residential neighborhoods. Price ranges generally from the 100's to the Millions. Generally speaking, Avg HH incomes are higher in the northern half of the district.

Cy-Fair is Texas largest Recognized district with over 100,000 students. It's been one of the best in the Houston area for several decades now. With that said, some schools are better than others, depending on what you're looking for. Everyone has a POV and here's mine. There are nice neighborhoods in every part of Cy-Fair, you'll find that the largest continuous cluster of nice is from Cypress (77429, 77433) to Champions (77070, 77069) these areas are bordered by other clusters of nice in Klein (77379) and Tomball (77377) and onward towards Spring and The Woodlands.

If you're looking for predominately white, upper middle, competitive high schools then you go North. That'll be Cy-Fair, Cy-Woods, Cy-Ranch, Cy-Creek. You can't go wrong in the HP Corridor area (Longwood, Lakewood Oaks, Coles Crossing, Northlake, Rock Creek, etc), Bridgelands/Blackhorse/CC Lakes or Fairfield/Lakes of Fairhaven/Lakes of Rosehill and Champions area neighborhoods as well as Towne Lake/Stone Gate/Copper Lakes.

I would suggest driving down Hwy 249, hooking a left on Louetta and start your search there, checking out all of the neighborhoods between Cypresswood, Louetta and Spring-Cypress from 249 to 290. This is the "HP Corridor" area and there are a ton of great choices. Exemplary schools throughout, big trees, low crime, six-figure avg HH incomes, etc. This area also encompasses some neighborhoods zoned to Tomball ISD.

Other high schools are good. They're more diverse, predominately white and hispanic, but fairly evenly balanced demographically. I would list them as follows: Langham Creek, Cy-Falls, Jersey Village, Cy-Ridge, Cy-Springs and Cy-Lakes. Each of these has a diverse enrollment zone containing really nice neighborhoods, starter home neighborhoods and apartments.

There's a nice cluster of upper middle cluster of neighborhoods ($300's+) developing around the Lakes on Eldridge area. If they all sent their kids to public school, those schools would be much better, but a lot of people there opt for private in that area.

Langham is benefitting from a re-zone that consolidates all of the Copperfield area neighborhoods, jettisoning the lower income areas to the South and will probably get back to being a more desirable school for middle/upper middle families looking in the area.

I'd avoid Cy-Lakes and most areas South of 529 (West of Hwy 6) in the Katy part of the district. I probably wouldn't consider Cy-Springs though its enrollment zone is changing and the area is filling with nicer $200K+ housing in its enrollment zone. Cy-Ridge enrolls kids from some really nice upper middle class neighborhoods as well as lower middle class neighborhoods, so it has more diversity income-wise. It's considered 'rough' by CFISD standards, it would compare to one of the better HISD High Schools. It's the closest in to Houston of the CFISD HS.

With that said, each have their own individual strengths and weaknesses. All outperform the state averages.

Here's a link to my Cypress photo thread:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/longwood/

[graytabbie]

[quote=cheryjohns;12686685]I am a Realtor AND I live in the Cy-Fair area.
The refinery smell you are talking about doesn't make it all the way to here. To get to us, it would have to go through River Oaks - and that's just not going to happen.

[VernonK2]

Thanks for all the information. Got a PM that mentioned that I had forgotten to put our price range that we're looking.

We're hoping to spend around $160-200k.

[AK123]

As far as the smell... all the years I lived in the city limits I never smelled anything except once. That day we were in Uptown for something and I'm still wondering if it was something from east I was smelling or something totally different. I don't think you'll ever smell anything in the western suburbs. I seriously "smelled" things worse when living in Austin because somehow all that smoke from the slash-and-burn farm fires in Mexico always seems to make it into central Texas each year.
edit: When driving to Florida from here via I-10, I do smell the areas east of Houston as we're passing through. But I never have reason to go to east Houston unless driving to states east (I expect it's the same for most others here.)

As far as Galveston... the sand is brownish, sometimes full of broken shells and seaweed and the water is silty. But they're not bad. Coastal Living Magazine built their 2008 Idea House there.

More on Galveston:
//www.city-data.com/forum/12697198-post41.html
//www.city-data.com/forum/houst...-pictures.html

[EasilyAmused]

I don't know why you don't focus on Clear Lake. You never gave the work location so maybe that's the reason. Clear Lake has a very good public system, in fact I think it was name the best school district in the metro this year. It has more Tier One High schools than all the others. Not to mention you would be very close to the water.

[Mr. Football]

I don't see where they asked about Clear Lake. If their concern was bad air, then I'd recommend they steer clear of the South/Southeast/East side of Houston. You can actually see the refineries from the Clear Lake area. Recent studies show that the ship channel smog pattern basically makes its way from the industrial Southeast side to the Southwest side over Sugar Land in Fort Bend County. The best air in the Houston area is in the North/Northwest burbs.

[SteveArmy]

ya. give this one to Mr Football. He's the Cy-Fair expert