Houston today
December 9, 2011 12:51 PM
Trip to Houston tomorrow. Have all of Saturday night and Sunday to get a 'feel' of the city. Suggestions?
Yes, I've seen previous questions tagged Houston. However, I'm really looking for neighborhoods to explore for a possible relocation. For us this means:
- Proximity to downtown and the medical center for work (Downtown is where my job would be, the medical center is an assumption as my wife is a physician)
- House big enough for family of 5 (oldest child is 3, so schools will be important shortly)
- Someplace a person of "metafilter demographics" will feel comfortable socially (we currently happily live in the Northeast, now CT, previously Boston and the Bronx)
We have (very) extended family in Sugar Land and I've a friend who lives in and recommends the Woodlands, so I will at least hit those. We live on the coast now but that doesn't sound pleasant in Houston. I'll be staying downtown and will have a car.
Bonus Q: Is there anywhere we can live that meets the above AND allows us to commute on light rail?
Yes, I've seen previous questions tagged Houston. However, I'm really looking for neighborhoods to explore for a possible relocation. For us this means:
- Proximity to downtown and the medical center for work (Downtown is where my job would be, the medical center is an assumption as my wife is a physician)
- House big enough for family of 5 (oldest child is 3, so schools will be important shortly)
- Someplace a person of "metafilter demographics" will feel comfortable socially (we currently happily live in the Northeast, now CT, previously Boston and the Bronx)
We have (very) extended family in Sugar Land and I've a friend who lives in and recommends the Woodlands, so I will at least hit those. We live on the coast now but that doesn't sound pleasant in Houston. I'll be staying downtown and will have a car.
Bonus Q: Is there anywhere we can live that meets the above AND allows us to commute on light rail?
Sugar Land and the Woodlands are both very far from downtown and the Med Center. Try Bellaire, or in the Med Center area itself, because it's not really that far from downtown. West University is nice, but I believe it's pricey. Which is relative, of course, especially if you're coming from the Northeast.
If you are looking for Metafilter sensibility, you want either the Heights or Montrose. Although the Mefites I know personally are scattered all over, and several are in the far-flung suburbs.
posted by MexicanYenta at 1:14 PM on December 9, 2011
If you are looking for Metafilter sensibility, you want either the Heights or Montrose. Although the Mefites I know personally are scattered all over, and several are in the far-flung suburbs.
posted by MexicanYenta at 1:14 PM on December 9, 2011
Check out the Woodland Heights. We are about 5 min. from downtown and 15 from the med. center. Tomorrow may be a rough day to visit, due to tomorrow being our annual Lights in the Heights event ( It's a annual street party that draws over 50,000 people, so bad night for traffic). There is a great elementary school, Travis. It's definitely a progressive neighborhood, made up of professional families with young children.
posted by Buckshot at 1:15 PM on December 9, 2011
posted by Buckshot at 1:15 PM on December 9, 2011
Welcome (potentially!).
Good news: downtown and the medical center are the ONLY places you can get via light-rail at this point. (That's changing, every so slowly, but for now your options will be limited to those areas.) I work in the medical center and live in a huge impersonal (but not awful) apartment complex near Reliant stadium. There are also a number of townhouses and condos in the med center area, that would permit you both to commute via light-rail. Moving north of the med center, you'd want to check out areas along the rail in The Museum District as well as Midtown. Even downtown itself has some interesting loft living options close to the rail line. Downtown is less "livable" just because it mostly shuts down after dark. But with the new Phoenecia market there, as well as some really decent restaurants and nightlife spots (and the new Sundance movie theater!), it's probably pretty doable. So I'd check those neighborhoods driving along the rail line to see what there is to see.
A word of caution: if you're hoping for charming, historic, classical architecture, you're going to be disappointed. We don't have history here in Texas. Or, more accurately, our idea of historical is 1915. So a lot of the architecture is 20th Century. I left the charm of my 200 year old brick rowhouse in Philadelphia to move into a mega-apartment-complex here, and I've slowly developed a greater appreciation for the Giant Sparkling New Modern Townhouse Thing that is so common here in Houston.
As a MeFi Demographic character, you'll want to check out the following neighborhoods as well, which give you a flavor of where people GO in Houston to do stuff (in descending order of potential importance and awesomeness): Montrose, The Heights, Rice Village, The Museum District, Midtown, Upper Kirby, Downtown, The Galleria.
Let us know if there is anything in particular that you are "into" and we can point you to the local version of that particular flavor!
posted by jph at 1:17 PM on December 9, 2011
Good news: downtown and the medical center are the ONLY places you can get via light-rail at this point. (That's changing, every so slowly, but for now your options will be limited to those areas.) I work in the medical center and live in a huge impersonal (but not awful) apartment complex near Reliant stadium. There are also a number of townhouses and condos in the med center area, that would permit you both to commute via light-rail. Moving north of the med center, you'd want to check out areas along the rail in The Museum District as well as Midtown. Even downtown itself has some interesting loft living options close to the rail line. Downtown is less "livable" just because it mostly shuts down after dark. But with the new Phoenecia market there, as well as some really decent restaurants and nightlife spots (and the new Sundance movie theater!), it's probably pretty doable. So I'd check those neighborhoods driving along the rail line to see what there is to see.
A word of caution: if you're hoping for charming, historic, classical architecture, you're going to be disappointed. We don't have history here in Texas. Or, more accurately, our idea of historical is 1915. So a lot of the architecture is 20th Century. I left the charm of my 200 year old brick rowhouse in Philadelphia to move into a mega-apartment-complex here, and I've slowly developed a greater appreciation for the Giant Sparkling New Modern Townhouse Thing that is so common here in Houston.
As a MeFi Demographic character, you'll want to check out the following neighborhoods as well, which give you a flavor of where people GO in Houston to do stuff (in descending order of potential importance and awesomeness): Montrose, The Heights, Rice Village, The Museum District, Midtown, Upper Kirby, Downtown, The Galleria.
Let us know if there is anything in particular that you are "into" and we can point you to the local version of that particular flavor!
posted by jph at 1:17 PM on December 9, 2011
West University Place was recently judged to have the best quality of life in the South.
posted by Ery at 1:28 PM on December 9, 2011
posted by Ery at 1:28 PM on December 9, 2011
Without steering the question too much: We're "into" (god I'm going to sound Typical Mefite) independent restaurants, ethnic groceries (not a big Whole Foods fan), good neighborhood activities (currently I participate in our Father's Club, picnic/holiday events, that kind of thing), walking/running outside. A Catholic church that leans liberal would be a big plus (I've seen this).
Not so into chair restaurants, long drives, streets you can't either walk in or with sidewalks, homogeneity.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 1:58 PM on December 9, 2011
Not so into chair restaurants, long drives, streets you can't either walk in or with sidewalks, homogeneity.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 1:58 PM on December 9, 2011
Adding to those folks who suggested the Heights. Since you'll be there during Lights in the Heights, you may enjoy walking around and experiencing the festival.
posted by blurker at 2:12 PM on December 9, 2011
posted by blurker at 2:12 PM on December 9, 2011
Sounds like the Heights would be great for you...lots of independent restaurants. There's a lot of ethnic groceries around the downtown area and in between downtown and the med center. And all of this is super close to the Heights. But Oak Forest and Garden Oaks...neighborhoods I mentioned earlier are also just a few minutes away from all of this too. We go to a catholic church in Garden Oaks called St. Rose of Lima and it's full of really nice people. I don't know how liberal it leans, but I'm pretty sure Garden Oaks tends to lean liberal. Also, you should take a look at www.ofha.org to get a feel for Oak Forest and the neighborhood activities.
posted by daydreamer at 2:13 PM on December 9, 2011
posted by daydreamer at 2:13 PM on December 9, 2011
I've always liked the Museum
District and Montrose area. Those neighborhoods seem good for the Metafilter demographic.
posted by jayder at 2:33 PM on December 9, 2011
District and Montrose area. Those neighborhoods seem good for the Metafilter demographic.
posted by jayder at 2:33 PM on December 9, 2011
Seconding Lights in the Heights as a chance to check out the Heights and its people (also to see blurker sing). I'm a former Houston resident (native Houstonian!) who fit mostly in your demographic and lived very happily in the Heights for years. Also, I don't know how liberal it is, but there's a Catholic church a block off Heights Boulevard at 11th--I used to live across the street from it.
(Ethnic groceries will not be an issue in Houston. I can think of Middle Eastern, Japanese, Korean/Chinese, plus of course Mexican/Latin American grocery stores my friends shop at off the top of my head--and I haven't lived in Houston for 8 years.)
posted by immlass at 3:56 PM on December 9, 2011
(Ethnic groceries will not be an issue in Houston. I can think of Middle Eastern, Japanese, Korean/Chinese, plus of course Mexican/Latin American grocery stores my friends shop at off the top of my head--and I haven't lived in Houston for 8 years.)
posted by immlass at 3:56 PM on December 9, 2011
Not so into ... long drives
Sorry, welcome to Houston. Long drives are a fact of life here :-). On the upside, you don't say what ethnicity you're looking for in groceries, but Houston is remarkably diverse in the ethnic spectrum. It's mostly in an Asia to Middle East band, but there are bits of North Europe thrown in too.
Houston traffic is for the most part "go towards the city" in the morning and "go away from the city" in the evening, with a little bit of "drive around the beltway or 610 loop towards/away from a feeder road", so anything you can do to avoid that is a good thing. For what you're looking for, you probably want to be inside the 610 loop, and definitely inside the beltway.
One thing that is very popular here is what's called "Master Planned Communities". A developer buys a huge plot of land and puts in houses, schools, churches, sometimes businesses, etc. In theory this is a whole little town that's manufactured from whole cloth. So you're going to see names thrown around like "The Woodlands" (probably the only one that got it right), "Sienna Plantation" (where I live), "Cinco Ranch", "First Colony", etc. These are pretty much the opposite of what you're looking for. If your realtor suggests one of these they're not paying attention to your requirements.
You do not want the Woodlands. There is a daily bus to/from the Woodlands to the Medical Center, but if your schedule doesn't fit it then you're facing an hour at least each way, probably longer at peak times. We have good friends who live in the Woodlands who recommended that we not live there for exactly this reason when we were looking to move to Houston and my wife was facing that daily commute.
Pearland/Missouri City is also common for Medical Center types. I have a number of neighbors who do the commute to the Medical Center. The wife tells me it's a 25-45 minute commute to her office, depending on traffic.
Sugarland has similar issues with traffic headed downtown, and really doesn't have that great access to the Medical Center. Sugarland does have some great ethnic groceries now, but it also does have a Whole Foods :-).
In general the 'burbs are bedroom communities, but with enough density and Houston's ethnic mix that they have to support some interesting stuff. The Indian food in Sugarland, for example, is better than that downtown.
posted by Runes at 4:07 PM on December 9, 2011
Sorry, welcome to Houston. Long drives are a fact of life here :-). On the upside, you don't say what ethnicity you're looking for in groceries, but Houston is remarkably diverse in the ethnic spectrum. It's mostly in an Asia to Middle East band, but there are bits of North Europe thrown in too.
Houston traffic is for the most part "go towards the city" in the morning and "go away from the city" in the evening, with a little bit of "drive around the beltway or 610 loop towards/away from a feeder road", so anything you can do to avoid that is a good thing. For what you're looking for, you probably want to be inside the 610 loop, and definitely inside the beltway.
One thing that is very popular here is what's called "Master Planned Communities". A developer buys a huge plot of land and puts in houses, schools, churches, sometimes businesses, etc. In theory this is a whole little town that's manufactured from whole cloth. So you're going to see names thrown around like "The Woodlands" (probably the only one that got it right), "Sienna Plantation" (where I live), "Cinco Ranch", "First Colony", etc. These are pretty much the opposite of what you're looking for. If your realtor suggests one of these they're not paying attention to your requirements.
You do not want the Woodlands. There is a daily bus to/from the Woodlands to the Medical Center, but if your schedule doesn't fit it then you're facing an hour at least each way, probably longer at peak times. We have good friends who live in the Woodlands who recommended that we not live there for exactly this reason when we were looking to move to Houston and my wife was facing that daily commute.
Pearland/Missouri City is also common for Medical Center types. I have a number of neighbors who do the commute to the Medical Center. The wife tells me it's a 25-45 minute commute to her office, depending on traffic.
Sugarland has similar issues with traffic headed downtown, and really doesn't have that great access to the Medical Center. Sugarland does have some great ethnic groceries now, but it also does have a Whole Foods :-).
In general the 'burbs are bedroom communities, but with enough density and Houston's ethnic mix that they have to support some interesting stuff. The Indian food in Sugarland, for example, is better than that downtown.
posted by Runes at 4:07 PM on December 9, 2011
Thirding the Heights, or West U, or maybe the Historic Sixth Ward (1, 2)? Do *not* live in the Woodlands or other suburbs. It's why people hate Houston (sorry).
posted by unknowncommand at 6:50 PM on December 9, 2011
posted by unknowncommand at 6:50 PM on December 9, 2011
Let me reiterate what Runes said: YOU DO NOT WANT THE WOODLANDS. The Woodlands is a master-planned community that looks and feels like Stepford. It's about as inorganic as you can get.
Sugar Land and The Woodlands are each about 30 minutes away from downtown, and in opposite directions. These places are definitely The Burbs, not Houston proper.
Nthing The Heights, which, while not on the light rail, does have bike paths and roads that can lead you into Downtown rather quickly (maybe 10 minute commute, either mode). It's the most neighborhood-y feeling place "within the loop" (Houston is ringed by two separate highways, the inner loop and the outer loop) that also meets your criteria of indie restaurants and shops and very much has a good family friendly neighborhood feel. Bonus points for a lot of historic (Victorian-era) homes. Woodlands Heights (a smaller part of the Heights) is a bit cheaper than Heights proper. One caveat is that homes/properties are sorta small, but the bang-for-buck you'll get here is WAY cheaper than places like Boston, fo sho.
In terms of ethnic grocery stores, etc. Houston is way, way more diverse than non-Texans give it credit for. We're talking the fourth largest city in America, and a major destination for international business. Downtown is full of Asian groceries, and we just got a kick-ass new world food store called Phoenicia downtown. Outside of the loop there are several pockets of cultural neighborhoods, from Korea to Indian to African.
posted by Brittanie at 3:27 PM on December 10, 2011
Sugar Land and The Woodlands are each about 30 minutes away from downtown, and in opposite directions. These places are definitely The Burbs, not Houston proper.
Nthing The Heights, which, while not on the light rail, does have bike paths and roads that can lead you into Downtown rather quickly (maybe 10 minute commute, either mode). It's the most neighborhood-y feeling place "within the loop" (Houston is ringed by two separate highways, the inner loop and the outer loop) that also meets your criteria of indie restaurants and shops and very much has a good family friendly neighborhood feel. Bonus points for a lot of historic (Victorian-era) homes. Woodlands Heights (a smaller part of the Heights) is a bit cheaper than Heights proper. One caveat is that homes/properties are sorta small, but the bang-for-buck you'll get here is WAY cheaper than places like Boston, fo sho.
In terms of ethnic grocery stores, etc. Houston is way, way more diverse than non-Texans give it credit for. We're talking the fourth largest city in America, and a major destination for international business. Downtown is full of Asian groceries, and we just got a kick-ass new world food store called Phoenicia downtown. Outside of the loop there are several pockets of cultural neighborhoods, from Korea to Indian to African.
posted by Brittanie at 3:27 PM on December 10, 2011
And hey, if you happen to be in town the last weekend of the year, please come to our MeFi Holiday Party!
And everyone else who answered here, please join us, too! Lots of names here that I didn't realize were local.
posted by MexicanYenta at 10:37 AM on December 11, 2011
And everyone else who answered here, please join us, too! Lots of names here that I didn't realize were local.
posted by MexicanYenta at 10:37 AM on December 11, 2011
Thanks all. Spent the day in the Heights, West University Place, Sugar Land and Woodlands. You were all dead on, the first two were much better. Made the mistake of going to the Mall in the Woodlands 2 weeks before Christmas, which sealed the negative impression for me.
Interview is tomorrow AM, wish me luck!
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 6:18 PM on December 11, 2011
Interview is tomorrow AM, wish me luck!
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 6:18 PM on December 11, 2011
Let us know how it turns out and if you do move down here I'd suggest that you set the "Nearby is" field in your preferences to something like 50-75 miles. Houston MeFites, note that it's 30 miles by road from my house to Jones Hall so if you've got it to something smaller than 25 then you've missed the automatic notification of the holiday party.
posted by Runes at 10:39 AM on December 12, 2011
posted by Runes at 10:39 AM on December 12, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by daydreamer at 1:05 PM on December 9, 2011