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Commuting Question..Woodlands

Kismet21Kismet21
in Houston Babies

My DH and I are moving to Houston in April and are starting the House Hunt.

I heard that the Woodlands is a nice area. So my questions are:

1. Is that true? Are the woodlands nice?

2. How much of a commute would it be for him it get downtown??

TIA?

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Re: Commuting Question..Woodlands

  • melrrrmelrrr

    1. It is a nice area, but it is a LONG WAY from downtown. I can't give you a commute time though, because I live near downtown and try to avoid trips out that far. My guess is at least an hour during rush hour.

    Check with the local nest board: https://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/3230676/ShowForum.aspx you'll get better responses there!

    I will say this: I have friends who recently moved there from L.A.. They were there about a year and do not have kids, but she is pregnant. She hated living there (bored out of her mind). They chose it because her husband plays a lot of golf, but as a young couple they would have been much better off where they could more easily take advantage of what Houston Proper has to offer! They're now in the process of moving back to L.A. 

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  • melrrrmelrrr
    Another thought, since you guys don't have kids yet (good luck with the IVF!!) it might be a better idea to rent something closer into town for a while and get to know the city. There are other nice, closer in, suburbs to choose from and you might find something you like better, or decide you want to stay in town for a while. Especially as schools aren't an issue just yet!
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  • Kismet21Kismet21

    OK. Thanks. Thumbs down then.

    I think the furthest out we are willing to go is a 30 minute commute downtown.

    I have been looking on har.com, but have had a hard time getting sense of what all of the best inner loop neighborhoods are.

    We would like to look in Bellaire, West U, Montrose, etc., but har.com is not great about that. I am also not sure what we can afford, but coming from the bay area where the housing marketing is crazy, I think we will be in okay shape.?

    What we need is for DH's job to assign us a relocation person so we can really start looking. ?

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  • Kismet21Kismet21

    Thanks for the tip! (And thanks for the well wishes with IVF. With any luck, I will be moving to Houston already knocked up!)

    We will be living with my parents who are in Bellaire for a while before we buy. It gives us a little bit of wiggle room.

    My parents have only been there a few years, so they don't have the whoel lay of the land yet. ?

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  • TexasSmithTexasSmith

    If you currently own in the Bay Area, I think it's fairly safe to say you could buy nearly anywhere in Houston and be able to afford it.

    The Woodlands is a beautiful area, but is very far from downtown. During rush hour I'd say it's over an hour. From Bellaire (where I live) to the Woodlands w/o traffic is 30-40ish minutes.

    You might check out Katy and Sugarland. I like both those 'burbs and they are a bit closer to downtown (although still a hike). You might like the Spring Branch area too. Page bpaullo...she lives there and is a realtor in the area :)

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  • rayskit10rayskit10 member

    i agree with texassmoith. y ou'll find the cost of living here much more bearable than the bay area. you can really take your pick of parts of town.

    i will say that i have driven to the woodlands from my home close to downtown on a weekend and it's taken me 45 minutes. a guy my husband works with says his commute is close to an hour and a half.

    i live close to the city. this means i pay more for a smaller house, but my husband can also work a 10-12 hour day and be home to put the kids ot bed or even for dinner.

    if you'd like to live somewhere that is very family friendly, a <10 minute commute to downtown and one of the only pedestrian friendly parts of the city, check out the Heights. i love it here and can't imagine living in another part of the city.

    here is a great resource for more information. the 1st link is the "moving to houston" forum and the second is Heights specific.

    https://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/index.php?showforum=87

    https://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/index.php?showforum=10

    if you have any questions about the Heights, let me know. i love to brag about my hood!

     

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  • KKMMexKKMMex

    1.  The Woodlands is awesome if you already have children and also if you have children and stay at home. 

    2.  Your commute to downtown would be grueling, so if that's a major sticking point I can't recommend TW for you guys.

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  • thepopkinsthepopkins

    i agree with everyone.  the woodlands is gorgeous but wayyyyy to far from downtown.  i live in sugar land, and it's about a 20-30min drive into town.

    if you are looking on har.com try using zip codes:

    bellaire- 77401

    river oaks- 77019

    galleria- 77056/77027

    the heights- 77009, 77008

    west u- 77005

     

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