[patty_g]

We are seriously considering a move to Houston, possibly within the next few weeks. I would like some feedback on the areas that are good to live in. We homeschool (3 kids), are fairly crunchy/AP, and I am planning on starting my midwifery practice in January-ish. Suggestions would be very welcome.

Patty

 

[ZakareyasMama]

I don't live in Houston, but I grew up there... We lived in Spring Branch and my parents moved into a small condo so I could attend Memorial HS. (If you plan to continue homeschool, you don't have to worry about schools.) I have some friends now who have moved to the Heights and Montrose area. Those are historic areas that have been somewhat revived. There are a lot of eclectic homes/shops in that area and it's not a bad commute to downtown. Schools might not be so great in that area.

Houston is really large and diverse. How large of a home are you looking for? That and your housing budget will make a difference in what part of the city you end up in. Also, remember that in the city of Houston itself there are no virtually no zoning rules, so commercial and residential areas are quite mixed.

 

[Mama_of_1]

What are you looking for in your neighborhood? There are a lot of good neighborhoods, depending on what your specific needs are. There aren't that many Whole Foods but most of the larger HEBs now carry a good selection of organic and whole foods.

Criteria? Closer in, farther out, more sedate, more lively...

 

[patty_g]

Thanks everyone for replying! It's kind of a mixed bag for me. I would *love* a 3-4 (not huge) house on an acre where I can have some chickens and such but I also hope to open a birth center and had thought about the idea of having a duplex and living in one side and using the other side as a birth center so that I would be able to be close for my kids, etc. So the area that Zakareya's mom mentioned sound like it would be great for that. And we tend to do a lot of zoo, museum, etc type activies and nevermind street fairs if they are around....WE ARE THERE. Of course, we try to stick to the family friendly ones. I see a lot of driving in my future, LOL.

Patty

 

[Mama_of_1]

I'd recommend to make a list of your top 5 priorities and then go with that. For a whole acre, you'll have to look pretty far out. Even living in Katy, there's nothing with a whole acre for several more miles out. It's Houston - you should be prepared to drive no matter what. As far as duplexes go, there aren't many here as far as I know. But you could find a property that has two houses on it, or put a second house or a trailer up. For using trailers, there are association restrictions in most places but it can be done in an area that doesn't have an association. What kind of commute with any other adults be willing to contend with?

You can check out http://www.har.com for available properties. There's a very good filter for criteria built into their site. Remember that the closer to downtown you go, generally the small the house, more expensive the property, you get. In the offset, the cultural sites are all centrally located. Museums, zoos, children's centers, are all mostly in the downtown and surrounding area.

For most residents of Houston that do not live inside the 610 loop, driving is understood.

 

[ZakareyasMama]

If you want that much land and to legally have chickens, you'll need to look outside of Houston proper. Also, I think driving even if you live near downtown is pretty much expected. Traffic is pretty bad. I remember i-10 being horrible but it's gotten better since they widened it. I'd really consider traffic if I moved there. Also, consider how your clients will get to your home.