Moving to the coast (Houston, Corpus Christi: rentals, crime, home)

[reginaduyrea]

I'm a mom of 4 girls, 14, 10, 9, & 8 and my husband is a truck driver. We currently live in Waco, but really don't like it here.

Next June we are looking to move. Hope to find a nice rental home under $800 a month by the coast.

What are some nice towns down there to live in? Looking for a friendly environment that is more accepting to rentals. (Where we are now if not a homeowner forget it.) Also, looking for good schools. Very kid friendly neighborhood, which we don't live in now.


These are some of the places we are thinking about. Victoria, Rockport, Bay City, Freeport, Angleton, Alvin, Sugarland, Pearland, Baytown, Brownsville, Wharton, Spring, Texas City, Port Isabel, Bloomington, Clute, Richwood & Galveston.

My husband is hardly ever home so I'm basically the sole parent. So really wanting a very friendly neighborhood.

Thanks,

Gina

[scubashawn]

I just moved to Corpus Christi 4 months ago and love it...Very friendly people here.

Most of the other towns you mentioned are kind of small and dumpy.

Hope you find something you like !

[ejanice]

I'm not a real get-about-town person, but I had to stick up for the places I'm familiar with that scubashawn wrote off as small and dumpy. Sugarland and Pearland are both in "booming" areas with all the amenities you could want, and the big city (Houston) is nearby if you get venturesome. As for Galveston Island, I would recommend Jamaica Beach, which is a small city on the west end of the island. I'll have to admit to bias...I'm originally from the Sugarland/Pearland area, and I moved to JB over 10 years ago. The population here is maybe 2000, and a crime wave is when 2 or more dogs dig out of their backyard on the same day. It's not a problem if that happens, though, because usually several people will recognize the dogs,and someone takes them home. If you want a small friendly neighborhood, you'll love a small friendly town with one traffic light and annual parties at the city park on most holidays.

Go to: Main Page - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and then search on Jamaica Beach, Texas for general info. Links are given at the bottom of the Wiki page, and the 1st one is the city's official site. You should check it out!

[Isle_Gal]

Well, Galveston is actually not a bad place to live, once you get used to it. There's so much to do, and the locals w/kids are super-nice and inclusive. However, public schools (with the exception of one or two elementary schools) are awful. And GISD is undergoing major transition. So, bottom line, I wouldn't really recommend it unless you have the means to private school your older kids. Texas City and Santa Fe have some nice neighborhoods that are much more affordable. Definitely not places I would want to live, but I do know ppl who like it. Friendswood/Clear Lake have some excellent schools and many subdivisions (a bit snootier though). And it's a short drive to the beach and everything else Galveston has to offer. I suggest that you visit Galveston for a mini-vacation, and spend some time driving through some of the nearby cities on the mainland. You may really like them.

[scubashawn]

I didn't say that all of those area's were small and dumpy. I said MOST of them were.
Sugarland seems decent, it's near Houston . I have heard of a lot of serial killings near the Houston area. Some are solved, some not.
I think you might like North Padre Island.