Posted: 10/10/2012 5:19:52 PM EDT
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Considering an opportunity that may land me working in SE Houston . I know nothing about Houston. Pls give me to run down on the City, where to live, where not to live, etc. Job pays $125k +/-, schools not a concern. |
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Your fucked, unless you can move to the area around Nasa/Kemah, that is a very nice area. Sadly there is only one way in and out in case of emergency.
Were are you coming from, generally that type of salary can get you a lot in the Houston area but with Nasa and all the oil refinery's in that region the nice areas are pretty pricey compared to the woodlands or the northwest side. I forgot, your best friend is HAR.com its a great resource for house hunting. The interactive map is worth gold to me. |
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Quoted: Your fucked, unless you can move to the area around Nasa/Kemah, that is a very nice area. Sadly there is only one way in and out in case of emergency. Were are you coming from, generally that type of salary can get you a lot in the Houston area but with Nasa and all the oil refinery's in that region the nice areas are pretty pricey compared to the woodlands or the northwest side. I forgot, your best friend is HAR.com its a great resource for house hunting. The interactive map is worth gold to me. thank you. IIRC the traffic is bullshit in houston, no? Is living "in the country" even a realistic option? Living in a 1800 sq/ft 2 bedroom place now with a 1 car garage so I dont need much but I refuse to live in the hood. A small but nice yard is also must for my dags. |
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Believe it or not, traffic is not bad in Houston. It really depends on the ability to have alternative paths and times. I avoid I-45 like the plague at all times. Houstonians drive very fast and ride your bumper if your in the wrong lane. I find traffic jams to be better here than in Austin or Dallas by far. Be prepared to put serious miles on your car here in Texas.
I dont know enough about SE Houston, work takes me down there and its nice were I go but there are some hoods to avoid. Neat stuff flys out of the airport down there too. Military and Nasa experiments constantly. The Nasa area is a very clean area to live in but thats off I 45. Also looks mighty expensive with all the yachts, mansions, etc. I am sure you can use HAR to find a good place though. Just remember when you get too close to the coast your going to be under the flood waters for a hurricane. If your working at the refineries, then thats off Hwy 225 and there are a lot of hoods to avoid, but also some nice areas. Pearland can service the refinery area and there seem to be some nice areas there and you can use the beltway to get there(low traffic). Houston received the most of all other cites, hood rats from New Orleans after Katrina. They are the bottom of the barrel scum that have really screwed this city. Be vary aware of this when choosing a place to stay. Be prepared to invest in the company that make mosquito repellant. |
| Where in SE Houston are you looking at? There's several good, and bad, areas in that part of town. We lived in the Southbelt at I-45 area and were pretty happy with it for the most part. You have good access to both the Beltway and 45 with lots of stores and restraunts of all types. There's a few neighborhoods to stay away from, not really "hoods" by most standards but still areas you probably wouldn't want to live in. If you're going to the ship channel / refinery area then parts of Pasadena, as well as most of Deer Park and LaPorte are nice. The Lomax area has some homes on larger lots and small acreage to look at. It has some shacks also but mostly nicer homes. The Clear Lake area is nice but the home prices and traffic are pretty bad if I recall correctly. Good luck and welcome to Houston if you make the move. |
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I live in the clear lake area, and it is pretty nice. The traffic is not too terrible, it has its times and is pretty predictable. I45 N backs up in the morning until just before Ellington Field, and is mostly open until Airport Rd.
I haven't come across much of what I would call country living around the area. I can't speak to home prices since I am in an apartment, but apartment prices weren't bad compared to other places I looked around Harris County. Like Ghetto said, I would also look around League City. Seems like a pretty nice area. |
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I'm in Clear Lake within jogging distance of JSC. It's ok.
Traffic is what it is, but the patterns are relatively stable. Depending on how close to water you look, inquire on how close storm surge from Ike got to the place. Also worth asking if they lost power during Ike and for how long, and whether they had water issues during Allison. Just me, but I would not live anyplace that required me to use 288 to get anywhere. I'd take 45 seven days a week and twice on Sunday before I'll use 288 for anything. 610/288 South at 5:30 on a weeknight is some of the most belligerent driving in the whole city. I would stay away from the neighborhoods from El Camino to 45. Lots of apartments and (I believe) higher rates of burglary. Pearland is hit and miss. Same for Friendswood. League City can be ok, but be sure to inquire on weather-related influences on the neighborhood. Once interested, make sure to go through your potential new neighborhood at night. What looks fine by day goes to shit when you find out it's poorly lit, 90% of the neighbors park in the street and just driving through becomes an obstacle course. That's what kept us from buying in Friendswood. |
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Quoted:
I'm in Clear Lake within jogging distance of JSC. It's ok. Traffic is what it is, but the patterns are relatively stable. Depending on how close to water you look, inquire on how close storm surge from Ike got to the place. Also worth asking if they lost power during Ike and for how long, and whether they had water issues during Allison. Just me, but I would not live anyplace that required me to use 288 to get anywhere. I'd take 45 seven days a week and twice on Sunday before I'll use 288 for anything. 610/288 South at 5:30 on a weeknight is some of the most belligerent driving in the whole city. I would stay away from the neighborhoods from El Camino to 45. Lots of apartments and (I believe) higher rates of burglary. Pearland is hit and miss. Same for Friendswood. League City can be ok, but be sure to inquire on weather-related influences on the neighborhood. Once interested, make sure to go through your potential new neighborhood at night. What looks fine by day goes to shit when you find out it's poorly lit, 90% of the neighbors park in the street and just driving through becomes an obstacle course. That's what kept us from buying in Friendswood. hell you're not too far from me at all. I pull out of the apartment complex and stare at JSC land. |