I'm in the middle of a job hunt, I'm about to finish my master's.  I'm interested in a couple of jobs in the Houston area, one in Sugar Land.  I am preparing my application, and I am also doing background research on the area so I'll know the overall picture.

What can you tell me about the Sugar Land area, or the Houston metro area in general?  

What are the good areas to live in?  Where to avoid?  

Do people who work in Sugar Land usually live nearby, or is it a commuter town?

My wife and I have a preference for older housing--like, 1920-1930, bungalow/craftsman style houses, or older, 1880's-1900's Victorians.  Most of what I'm seeing around Sugarland is very new (since the town is actually pretty new).  Where in the commuting area would we look for older, well-kept, but not astronomically priced homes?

We'd rather stay away from anything built in the post-WWII period.  Don't like ranch homes either.  

Suggestions?  Any help would definitely be appreciated.

Jim

My brother lives in Sugarland and I spend alot of time there. You need to consider commute times. There are some real traffic bottlenecks depending upon where you decide to live ( west or northwest in particular ). I do not think the schools there are that good. I work in far north Houston and live in the Woodlands because the schools are pretty good there. You should check out the Pearland area. I know someone that lives there and is quite happy. The beltway is a straight shot over to Sugarland.

Quoted: We'd rather stay away from anything built in the post-WWII period.  Don't like ranch homes either.   Jim

Sorry dude but you aren't gonna have much luck on that request.  

It's a decent town with a lot of asians and middle eastern people.  

I live in Missouri City and work in Stafford.

How much of a commute are you willing to put up with? If you don't mind a bit of a drive go house hunting in Richmond/Rosenburg.  They are older. more rural communities a little South of Sugarland.  Pearland wouldn't be a bad choice either but it's growing pretty quickly as are Sugarland, Missouri City, and (from what I hear) Richmond.

Sometimes a rapidly growing area has "growing pains" until the police department hires enough officers.

I've been living in Sugar Land for 12 years now. To be PC, it is quite "Ethnically Diverse". There are some older homes around on the north side of 59, mostly newer (80's and later) on the other side. Official population stands at about 60,000, but that's going to just about double overnight when they annex in some the existing subdivisions (New Territory, Greatwood, etc). SLPD has been hiring for a while and the fire department has built some new stations to get their services set up in the outlying area. If you can work in Sugar Land, living here is pretty good. I hate having to drive into Houston traffic. Also, living in Fort Bend county gets you a small break on your insurances (currently).

 You really do not want to commute in Houston if you don't have to.  It can be done but 2 or more hours a day in travel time really add up.  I commuted from Pearland to the Galleria area for 8 years and it was bad.  Now, 10 years later the traffic is even worse than back in "95".  I think Richmond/Rosenberg would have the type of homes you are interested in and the drive would be better than commuting through Houston.  JMO, Bruce

Quoted: I'm in the middle of a job hunt, I'm about to finish my master's.  I'm interested in a couple of jobs in the Houston area, one in Sugar Land.  I am preparing my application, and I am also doing background research on the area so I'll know the overall picture. What can you tell me about the Sugar Land area, or the Houston metro area in general?   What are the good areas to live in?  Where to avoid?   Do people who work in Sugar Land usually live nearby, or is it a commuter town? My wife and I have a preference for older housing--like, 1920-1930, bungalow/craftsman style houses, or older, 1880's-1900's Victorians.  Most of what I'm seeing around Sugarland is very new (since the town is actually pretty new).  Where in the commuting area would we look for older, well-kept, but not astronomically priced homes? We'd rather stay away from anything built in the post-WWII period.  Don't like ranch homes either.   Suggestions?  Any help would definitely be appreciated. Jim

Jim, as many have mentioned you may not be able to find the type of home your looking for in Sugar Land.  
You may look into the "Heights" if your looking for some old trendy contruction.
The drive would be a killer though.  
You may look at living somewhere that has close/easy access to Beltway 8.  That will help get you to Suger Land a bit faster(in most cases)

Good Luck