Is this crazy: Commuting from Austin to College Station? (Houston: rentals, neighborhoods)

[dewfur30]

My husband and I are considering a move to Texas for a job opportunity at Texas A&M. I'm a bit nervous about the town based on some of the research I've been doing. We are both "city people" and my sense is that although B/CS is a great college community, it may not offer the amenities of a larger sized city.

Here's my dilemma. I would love to be closer to Austin, and my husband is willing to commute (he would only be going in 2 days a week). We would be looking for areas that are in between Austin and College Station that would have a great neighborhood feel but wouldn't have too much traffic for his commuting days. I would also like for it to be close enough that we could get to Austin for social things during the week. I may be taking a job in Austin based on the opportunities.

So...if this is the craziest thing you've ever heard of, please say so. We are in the brainstorming stages and we're just weighing our options. Thanks in advance!

[centralaustinite]

Its not that far, I know many people who go back and forth, some claim you can get there in 45 minutes but it is probably a bit farther than that.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Its not that far, I know many people who go back and forth, some claim you can get there in 45 minutes but it is probably a bit farther than that.

90 min. minimum....closer to 2 hours depending on where in Austin & CS one is traveling.


If only 2 days a week, i wouldn't think it's crazy. It's a nice drive....BUT...i'd be looking on the east or NE side so you don't have to deal with Austin traffic as well.

Like East RR, Hutto, Pville or Georgetown. (maybe Bastrop).

Are kids/schools an issue? And have you considered the area around Lake Conroe (lots of "nice neighborhoods" there) in & around the town of Montgomery?

[love roses]

I agree with hound 109. Look a bit Northeast of Austin. It would put you both somewhere in the middle of Austin and B/CS. I WOULD NOT want to make that commute very often, but 2 days a week might not be too bad. You could also go somewhere in the other direction and choose a town like Brenham and be close to B/CS and Houston.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by dewfur30

My husband and I are considering a move to Texas for a job opportunity at Texas A&M. I'm a bit nervous about the town based on some of the research I've been doing. We are both "city people" and my sense is that although B/CS is a great college community, it may not offer the amenities of a larger sized city.

Here's my dilemma. I would love to be closer to Austin, and my husband is willing to commute (he would only be going in 2 days a week). We would be looking for areas that are in between Austin and College Station that would have a great neighborhood feel but wouldn't have too much traffic for his commuting days. I would also like for it to be close enough that we could get to Austin for social things during the week. I may be taking a job in Austin based on the opportunities.

So...if this is the craziest thing you've ever heard of, please say so. We are in the brainstorming stages and we're just weighing our options. Thanks in advance!

B/CS is probably a better place to live in than most think, but definitely doesn't have a big city feel.

I think two good choices to consider are Round Rock and Bastrop. The drive to CS from Round Rock through Hutto and Taylor is not bad at all. Bastrop to CS driving on 21 is similarly easy (a bit shorter than Round Rock). Bastrop schools are so-so while Round Rock schools are excellent.

[donnaaries]

Have you considered northwest suburbs of Houston? It's a bit closer than Austin.

I think you should give the B/CS area a look before overlooking it completely. It's not by any means a major urban area, but it's consistently rated one of the best places to live in Texas (and has low cost of living compared to Austin). It's not as small town as you may think, plus weekend trips into the cities are easy to manage from B/CS.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by love roses

I agree with hound 109. Look a bit Northeast of Austin. It would put you both somewhere in the middle of Austin and B/CS. I WOULD NOT want to make that commute very often, but 2 days a week might not be too bad. You could also go somewhere in the other direction and choose a town like Brenham and be close to B/CS and Houston.

I would second this recommendation. Houston is a great city too and a bit closer to college station. I havent ever lived in any of the cities near houston so I cant really comment on them, but I have done the drive from houston to college station a lot and it isnt bad at all.

Conroe, montgomery and hempstead are all pretty close to college station and an easy drive into houston as well

[AmberAzeneth]

Originally Posted by Austin97

I would second this recommendation. Houston is a great city too and a bit closer to college station. I havent ever lived in any of the cities near houston so I cant really comment on them, but I have done the drive from houston to college station a lot and it isnt bad at all.

Conroe, montgomery and hempstead are all pretty close to college station and an easy drive into houston as well

Conroe, Lake Conroe, and Montgomery would be okay. Plus, the sprawl of Houston goes all the way out to the Conroe area. You would have your big city feel. Lots of big city amenities. It would be a good 90 min drive to Bryan/College Station from these areas.

[HappyTexan]

Closest big city to College Station is Houston (70 miles away).
That's one heck of a commute on non highway roads.
Weather conditions (fog, rain, ice) could make that commute into a day trip.

College Station, Texas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• Cities with population over 500,000 within 200 miles (300 km)
  • Houston, Texas 69.7 miles (152 km) (Population: 2,200,000, Metro Population: 5,500,000)
  • Austin, Texas 107.7 miles (173 km) (Population: 656,562)
  • San Antonio, Texas 169 miles (267 km) (Population: 1,144,646)
  • Fort Worth, Texas 173 miles (278 km) (Population: 534,694, Metro Population: 6,500,000)
  • Dallas, Texas 187 miles (268 km) (Population: 1,188,580, Metro Population: 6,500,000)

[dewfur30]

Originally Posted by hound 109

Are kids/schools an issue? And have you considered the area around Lake Conroe (lots of "nice neighborhoods" there) in & around the town of Montgomery?

Thanks so much for the responses so far.

Kids aren't in the picture now, but we plan to have kids relatively soon. I haven't considered any of the lake property. Is this actually a year-round community or mostly summer/vacation rentals?