Thoughts on Westchase? (Houston, Austin, Bellaire: middle-class, real estate, cheap apartments)

[micmac99]

I am a graphic designer who has been in Houston since August 2010. Lived in Austin for six months prior, could not crack the job market or get a freelance design business off the ground (moved there from Phoenix where I lived for five years prior before the Great Recession made it critically important to me to get the heck out of there). Stayed in the East End in a boarding house until I was hired by a major downtown employer last month. Now I am staying in a hotel off Beltway 8 and Richmond.

I have been targeting the Westchase district pretty much since I arrived in Houston. I am still actively considering getting an apartment in Westchase within the next month or two. I would recommend the area to African-American professionals relocating to Houston and looking for a neighborhood to consider. I'm a Black man, early 40's, divorced dad living alone right now so I can't comment on the quality of the local schools.I like it for the following reasons:

1. Plenty of retail, especially supermarkets.
2. Neighborhood served by several METRO bus lines.
3. Plenty of apartment complexes.
4. Fairly diverse population. Apartment residents seem to be 80% African American which surprised me, because the area is not "advertised" as a predominantly Black community, rather a "business-friendly" area. Interesting contrast from the East End/Harrisburg/Canal Street area where I was, which is 80-90% Latino, blue collar and a little run down in spots. (I feel that Houston in general as a city/metro area is way too ethnically segregated.)
4a. Close to "New" Chinatown along Bellaire.
4b. Seem to be a reasonable international immigrant population as well (African, Indian, Middle Eastern, etc.) which I like.
5. Close to "Energy Corridor" and Memorial corridor which seems to lean upscale in sections.

What bothers me about Westchase:

1. I am concerned that the fact that there is a majority Black residential population in much of the area might slow down or drive away business/corporate development.
2. Not seeing a lot of hard-core "gangbangers" but I'm not into the sagging jeans and wannabe "thug" ways either, and I am seeing a lot of that - but I'm also seeing a lot of young Black blue-collar couples with kids in the area - makes me think they got the heck out of neighborhoods 10 times more dangerous so they can raise a family in a relatively safe environment.

I'd like to hear from people whi 1) live in Westchase now or 2) considering it. Is it a great area of Houston in your opinion? why or why not? Would you recommend it to someone coming here from say, Atlanta or Oakland?

[westres1]

I live in Westchase and Im not black. I dont live in an apartment complex and wouldnt advise on living in any along Wilcrest or Hayes or South of Westheimer. The area is great for getting around Houston...easy access to all major frwys and tolls. Close to Town and Country,City Centre and Memorial. I dont think it is 80% AA...possibly if you only count apartments but not sure. Where did you get this info?
It is also very near Terry Hershey hike and bike which is nice!

[micmac99]

Originally Posted by westres1

I live in Westchase and Im not black. I dont live in an apartment complex and wouldnt advise on living in any along Wilcrest or Hayes or South of Westheimer. The area is great for getting around Houston...easy access to all major frwys and tolls. Close to Town and Country,City Centre and Memorial. I dont think it is 80% AA...possibly if you only count apartments but not sure. Where did you get this info?
It is also very near Terry Hershey hike and bike which is nice!

The info is just my observation from spending time in the area looking around, not based on any official stats, but I haven't ventured north of Westheimer too much. I have been along Briar Forest, which seems a little more upscale to me. North of Westheimer seems to be less apartments and more single-family homes, and I am looking for an apartment, and I'm trying to strike the right balance between affordability and "nice", as in no police coming by on a nightly basis. I would rather not pay more than $600/mo for a 1BR; if I could afford more than that, I'd look more closely near the Galleria or Midtown, which I understand is rather pricey for apartments. The complexes south of Westheimer might fit that bill, but I'm still looking. Access to buslines seems to be better south of Westheimer. I don't own a car so that's pretty important. The whole area seems similar to most of the neighborhoods in the Phoenix area where I lived for five years - lots of big box retail clustered on major intersections with apartments in between.

I thought the Terry Hershey trail was more Energy Corridor rather than Westchase but I've only crossed it on Eldridge by the library.

[westhou]

It's a nice area. I drive through there from time to time when going to Katy. I live Uptown which isn't far from Westchase. Of course it is in Alief so there is going to be a little more Blacks in the area but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Arab....pretty much all the same. Just people. I would have no problem living there. If I worked in the area I would definitely live there. I just happen to work Uptown so that's why I live Uptown.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by westhou

It's a nice area. I drive through there from time to time when going to Katy. I live Uptown which isn't far from Westchase. Of course it is in Alief so there is going to be a little more Blacks in the area but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Arab....pretty much all the same. Just people. I would have no problem living there. If I worked in the area I would definitely live there. I just happen to work Uptown so that's why I live Uptown.

That has to be one of the most heinous sentences I have ever read on city-data.

[micmac99]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

That has to be one of the most heinous sentences I have ever read on city-data.

On the surface I might agree, but think about why this person said this: my understanding is that Alief, like many parts of Houston, was mainly White until recently when a lot of Blacks moved in. Correct me if I am wrong about that. Coming from the West Coast I am struck by how segregated Houston is by ethnicity. In the Bay Area, even Phoenix, segregation is largely by income and immigrant status (although Phoenix has had its share of white flight with the boom in the Black and Latino populations over the last 15-20 years).

I'm concerned because Westchase seems to be on a roll and if only Blacks live in the area over time, will there be enough of a middle-class presence to keep the businesses and the companies coming, or will they just find another suburb? I understand West Oaks Mall was supposed to be an upscale mall but I went in there on a weekday and the place is a ghost town.

Maybe it's the boom-and-bust nature of the Houston economy, but my understanding is that neighborhoods in this town see dramatic demographic turnover over way too short a period of time.

[cheryjohns]

Only part of Westchase is in Alief. Westchase is weird - it looks good but crime is high and I would not want to live there. The reason is a high concentration of apartments, which never bodes well for an area, either in crime rates or schools.

As to racial make-up - it's pretty mixed.

You might consider going just north of Westheimer instead.

[cheryjohns]

Originally Posted by micmac99

Maybe it's the boom-and-bust nature of the Houston economy, but my understanding is that neighborhoods in this town see dramatic demographic turnover over way too short a period of time.

Not really. Before coming back into real estate, I did demograhics of this city for the Houston Chronicle for over a ten years, for marketing and advertising purposes. Areas are fairly easy to plot and predict. It took Westchase almost 3 decades to slide to where it is now - and it's been that way for awhile - and still looks good physically, due to the number of office buildings.

It could come back if some of the apartments are torn down and townhomes are built, for the workers nearby. I would rather see townhomes than cheap houses, which I suspect would be built.

[worldlyman]

I live in Westchase and it's a grab bag, in true Houston form, lol. Like someone mentioned, it's still physically looking good.

I love the Hilton and Mariott nearby for safe ATM use. I LOVE being able to walk to Kroger and to the various offerings of the Carillon Square.

Some of the rougher parts are along Meadowglen west of the Beltway 8 and it's not nearly as bad as regular ghettos.

Due to the mixed nature, there will be crime. In various apartments, my car's been broken into about 3 times (probably the same person, m.o. was the same). Someone got shot at a gas station at night last year.

But using common big city sense (like avoiding markets and gas stations at night whenever possible) will go a long way. NEVER leave valuables in your car, of course.

If you really have to go shopping at night, I would go to the Kroger on Buffalo Speedway...or get gas at the stations up and down Kirby Dr. It's worth it if your concern is safety first.

I take the good with the bad in Westchase. The amenities are great, the accessibility is great. I sometimes even use and enjoy taking METRO to work.

Yeah, a lot of blacks live in some of the apartments. But they are mostly working class families...and there are many whites, Latinos and some Asians as well that live in my current complex.

[MrSykes]

Westchase is hit or miss. One thing I was surprised about were the sheer number of dirt cheap apartments for rent all clustered together. Big red flag for me. I'd personally stay north of Westheimer, towards the Energy Corridor.