Possible move to Houston -- good towns for familes to live?

[Lookingup]

I am going to Houston next week for the first time to get a feel for the area.  My hubby -- pilot -- has been displaced from his east coast base once again, and we're trying to find a base he's senior enough to hold.  Houston is our first stop to look.  Luckily I have a friend who lives in Kingwood, and she'll be supplying lots of info about that town.  Any other recommendations?  DH would be flying out of Hobby, and she doesn't know the area as well on that side of the city. 

Actually, ANY recommendations for any Houston area towns are appreciated and I will check them out!  Especially looking for those with good school districts or affordable Waldorf/Montessori schools.  (One we will be homeschooling, but the other wants to stay in school)

Thanks so much!!  I have so much research to do before I go...

[CrescentC]

I have recently moved to the Spring area and will be relocating to the Tomball/Cypress area in the summer.  My daughter attends a great Montessori school, Champions Montessori, in Spring.  We will be enrolling her (and future little ones) at Longwood Montessori when we move to Tomball.  My husband and I are both school teachers in the area--he in Tomball ISD, me in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD.  I think CFISD is waaaaayyyy too big (4th largest ISD in the state of Texas), so our daughter will attend Tomball ISD when she is school age.  

There are actually quite a few Montessori programs in the Northwest Houston area.  I'd do as many school visits as you can--some of the schools are small, some are very large, some take up to 2nd grade, some only take through pre-k or kinder.  

I've also heard that people really love living in the Sugarland and Katy areas.

Good luck with your search!  :)

[Lookingup]

This is so helpful, thank you very much!!

[KeenDoula]

I live in Rosenberg. There are some parts that are nice. I like where we are. Richmond and Sugar Land have nice parts too.

[leviautumn]

I live in Katy, just west of Houston and we really like it. :)

[Lookingup]

Thanks ladies. :) I visited last month and there was lots about the area I really liked.  I so enjoyed the people.  All these random strangers helping me out with a smile.  Seriously I've been in New York too long!  Love how friendly everyone is.

The only part that overwhelmed me was he sheer size of the towns.  Would you say that's what all the Houston suburbs are like?  We're used to small town living here in Putnam.  It's kind of quiet and woodsy... Good for my easily overwhelmed spectrum kid.  Now, obviously we won't find a lot of woodsy there.  But Texas seems to do things big, including suburbs. :)  Am I right?

I'm thinking we just need to shift our perceptions of what we need and what we're used to.  It's just scary.

[PartTimeCrunchy]

Pearland is just about 15min from Hobby with good schools (you want to look farther away from Hwy 288 and closer to I-45). Friendswood is a little farther but even better schools. Deer Park (not Pasadena) is really close too, with excellent schools.

Those are the three closest with good schools. We may not be known for a good place to go on vacation to, but we have jobs galore and our housing market hasn't been hit like the rest of the country. This is where people come to work and have steady jobs!
 

[nia82]

We might move to that area too (several ones are in question right now, but Houston is quite possible). I have been doing some research and I like Kingwood, Woodlands and Katy. There are very many nice houses that fit our budget. Man are houses so much cheaper there than our current city (totally overpriced!). I read the schools in the three areas I found are really good, is that true? I'd prefer to live in an area that has excellent public schools so I don't have to rely on private schools. Once I start working too (I've been a sahm for years now) we would like for the kids to attend the private German-American school which is kind of downtown I think.

If DH's job is in the South of Houston he wouldn't want to live in the North, which cities in the Southern part of Houston have excellent schools?

[PartTimeCrunchy]

Originally Posted by nia82 

We might move to that area too (several ones are in question right now, but Houston is quite possible). I have been doing some research and I like Kingwood, Woodlands and Katy. There are very many nice houses that fit our budget. Man are houses so much cheaper there than our current city (totally overpriced!). I read the schools in the three areas I found are really good, is that true? I'd prefer to live in an area that has excellent public schools so I don't have to rely on private schools. Once I start working too (I've been a sahm for years now) we would like for the kids to attend the private German-American school which is kind of downtown I think.

If DH's job is in the South of Houston he wouldn't want to live in the North, which cities in the Southern part of Houston have excellent schools?

""Pearland is just about 15min from Hobby Airport with good schools (you want to look farther away from Hwy 288 and closer to I-45). Friendswood is a little farther but even better schools. Deer Park (not Pasadena) is really close too, with excellent schools.""

Kingwood, Woodlands and Katy aren't anywhere near the Southern part of Houston. That makes for a really, really long drive. It's at least an hour drive - no traffic to those areas from Hobby Airport.

[Lookingup]

Nia and I are in different situations, I'm assuming though.  My husband only drives to and from work once a week as a pilot, so the 45 minute commute to Kingwood isn't a big deal.  (Right now, he's commuting from NY to Vegas -- now THAT'S a killer.)  The big draw for us about Kingwood is that I have a good friend living there.  Otherwise, I'd be much more inclined to look at the southern suburbs.  

Does anyone have any Montessori or Waldorf school recommendations in the Houston area?  

[monkeyscience]

I live in Kingwood, and I love it. If you want something more country-ish, you can move to the Porter area, north of Kingwood. However, I wouldn't really recommend the New Caney ISD schools in Porter (some of Kingwood also goes to them).

The commute down 59 north is NOTHING like the commute you face on 45. Nothing. Also, for going to Hobby, I would recommend taking 59 down to the 610 loop, and heading east/south until you hit 45. Then you miss the downtown traffic. For a once-a-week commute, it's definitely fine.

We have a great group of crunchy mommies that originally met at Merry Go Round (children's resale/lactation store) that now meets in the community center because it got too big. I know at least one of the moms has her kids in the Pines Montessori School. Not sure about Waldorf options.

[Lookingup]

Thanks, that's helpful!

Now we're just waiting to see where his seniority number is come June, and hopefully we'll be back out to look at rentals.  

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and help!