Good areas of Houston...

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...

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.

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.