Bryan / College Station vs metro Houston? Which would be better for a family relo? (Austin: rent, low crime)

[NativeDetroiter73]

I received a job offer in Bryan, TX and am looking for advice to see if it'll be a fit for my family. My wife and I were planning on relocating to the Houston area this summer and had initially started researching jobs. The Bryan offer came in and now we're a bit confused. Don't know too much of the area except that A&M is a significant part of the area's culture. Can anyone give some opinions on Byran and college Station and how attractive it is for a new family (baby on the way)? Is it just a small college town populated only with a college demographic? Cost of living compared to suburban Houston? Can an outdoor adventurist enjoy living in Bryan/CS? Quality of living?

[TXRunner]

If you move there I would definitely stay in College Station over Bryan. Bryan has more crime/drugs and most of the schools score poorly. I lived in Bryan when I went to A&M and if I had to actually live there I would have bought a house in the College Station side.

Bryan is less influence by A&M, but College Station is pretty much centered around A&M and college life. Many houses are rented out by groups of college students. The streets and businesses are packed with college students and then it's a ghost town in the summer time. I'm not sure I would like living there now that I'm older and not going to A&M. To get to most places in either Houston or Austin it takes around 1 1/2 hours, which is nice. Sam Houston National Forest is not that far of a drive for anything outdoors.

I've never owned a house there, but like any place in Texas, the cost of living is fairly low. There are adult people that live there, but most of them went to A&M in the past or work at A&M.

[debzkidz]

I have never lived in CS/Bryan area but I have lived in Houston, and I visit CS/Bryan quite frequently, as I have a son attending A&M now, and a long family history tied to TAMU. Yes, the town is pretty much connected to the university, but there seem to be tons of families there as well. I have an acquaintance whose son and his family moved there a few years ago, and love it. They are not Texans and have no tie to the university in any way, but they really enjoy living, and do not seem to be bothered by all the Aggie stuff in any way. It seems that every time I am there I always see lots of family activities going on. Soccer fields, little league, parks, its all there. I think the cost of living will definitely be less than Houston, because it is a college town. As TXRunner mentioned there are many houses rented out to groups of college students all over town. Unfortunately, A&M does not have sufficient student housing, (not even enough to house each incoming freshman class) so they are everywhere. But there are lots of nice neighborhoods. I also know another family that lived there (also not tied to the university) and they spoke quite highly of the CS schools.

While Bryan is probably not as nice overall as CS, I think it also has some nice areas. They have renovated their downtown area, with some very nice shops and restaurants. Between the two towns there's pretty much all the shopping you might need, including a mall in Bryan.

I like CS as opposed to Houston, simply because it is smaller, yet still convenient to Houston. You can be in the NW side of Houston, in about an hour, or to The Woodlands, a suburb north of Houston with a very nice mall, restaurants, concerts etc. You could be to the Houston city center in about 1 1/2 hours.

College Station is also becoming a popular retirement area. I think because of the relatively low cost of living, plus the fact that there is good medical care there and it is convenient to both Houston, Austin and Waco.

I would think that CS would be a great location for an outdoor enthusiast simply because it is close to the national forest, several lakes and rivers. I always see lots of people our running, biking, etc.
Good luck in your decision.

[orbius]

Actually Bryan is often a better place to live than CS because they have stricter ordinances about the number of unrelated people who can stay in one house.
College Station has a ton of public parks, tennis courts, swimming pools. Though theres not a huge amount of natural beauty in the town like Austin has.
As far as family living its a good town for that. Has just enough night life and culture to not be boring but also has a quiet small town feel.

Its not too far away from either Houston or Austin so a day trip to Houston or Austin is possible if you set off early.

[Metro Matt]

Bryan/College Station

[HtownHomes4U]

Pretty much agree with everybody else here. I went to A&M and now live in Houston. B/CS is a college town, not much to do in town except bars, movie theaters and shopping at the mall. Houston will of course have a wide variety of activities for family and kids but B/CS will be closer for outdoor activities. Cost of living will vary dramatically in Houston depending on which suburbs you want to live in. I would assume most will be higher in Houston than B/CS. I lived in a rented house in CS, so I'm not familiar with home prices there.

Maybe take the job in Bryan, rent somewhere in B/CS and visit Houston if you haven't been here before. You can always quit and move later after you secure a job in Houston. That way, you do have a job and income.

[MaryleeII]

Much more humid in Houston, plus hurricane threats, you';re right on the gulf.

[chalk32]

Lots of outdoor activities in the b/cs area but it a while to get used to the humidity. Check out Caldwell, Texas 20 minutes from b/cs, no/low crime, low cost of living, emerging cultural center, great place to raise a family.

[NativeDetroiter73]

Just accepted the Bryan/CS job and now am officially in "relocation" mode. My wife and I flew out to CS last week and had the opportunity to meet my prospective employer and take in some of the community for a couple of days. Definitely a small town feel with many large city ammenities. The rolling hills were nice coming into the city off 6 but kind of fizzled out as we approached CS. It was humid for sure when we were there...(coming from Denver last year makes anywhere feel humid). We arrive in 2 weeks and are hopeful to find some good deals on furniture. With B/CS being a university centric city, I would think affordability has to play a role in household furnishings. Anyone have any suggestions on where to look? We already stopped by a 2nd hand furniture store "Quality Used Furniture" and immediately got the impression of flee market quality at walmart prices. In fact, some things new at Walmart were noticeably cheaper than similiar items at QUF.

[Mustang1]

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