looking for feedback (Houston, The Woodlands, Spring: best cities, transplants, crime)

[PHL_transplant]

i have been offered a relocation through my existing employer to the houston area. I am a Philadelphia borned and raised individual but see that Houston has alot of oppurtunity for myself and my family. looking for any feedback from anyone that has relocated to the Houston area. the web is a great tool to find information but personal experience is always more reliable. I am in my late 30's now so moving myself and my family of 3 is a huge decision weighing on my shoulders. I am looking at Spring, Texas as being our new hometown so any feedback would be appreciated. thanks for any information that you can provide

[Sampaguita]

Do you have any specific questions? Many of us are transplants. I'm a transplanted NYer via Southern California.

Are you looking at Spring because that is where your job is taking you?

[Texascrude]

I honestly think Houston is one of the best cities in the country to raise a family in. My family and I moved here about a year ago and haven't regretted it for a minute -- great people, great opportunities, and great cost of living. I know moving your family from everything that's familiar can be a hard decision to make, but if I were you I'd go for it. The worst thing that can happen is that it doesn't work out and you move back two or three years down the road. On the flip side, if you don't take this opportunity you'll never know what you could have missed out on.

Now, if you were single or didn't have a job opportunity here my advice would be different, but I really do think Houston is a great place to raise a family. If you give us more details about yourself and your situation you might get some more directed responses.

[EasilyAmused]

I hope your job location is north of the city.

[PHL_transplant]

My employers main office is in downtown Houston but we have jobsites across the area that i would be required to support. I work in IT so most of my job is remote, the particular location i would be working out of is around the Spring, TX area. Like i said we have looked at numerous houses online over the past 5 months and Spring and the woodlands look like the areas that we are concentrating most of our interest on.
I have an 8 year old son and a 4 year old daughter, my son will be starting 3rd grade this year and my daughter will be starting Preschool. we have looked into the Klein school district benignus elementary is one that has particular caught our attention. I have noticed that the area in question is quite convenient to all needs(shopping, restaurants, ent, etc)
my Son is an advanced brown belt in Kenpo karate, I see that kenpo studios seem to be almost non existance and the ones i do see appear to be highly concentrated on the jujitsu aspect of Kenpo. Family ATA I noticed is in the Spring area and in comparison to what he is in now Taekwondo is very similar I think he would have no problem with the transition. I would hate to have the little guy not accomplish his blackbelt that he has been working so hard on for the past 3 years. A co-worker that lives in The Woodlands now recommended that I concentrate my house hunting towards the West of 45, not sure why so i would appreciate any information about developments, or communities in that area, specifically in the Benignus elementary district.
thanks again for any advice and recommendations, this decision is weighing heavy on my Wife's and my mind but from what we have seen and heard so far I believe it would be a great move for the family.
thanks again.

[joesixpack123]

I've lived in Spring my entire life, and I love it. Close enough to Houston if you have to work there, but far enough away from the noise of the big city. Not sure if you Yankees eat boiled crawfish up there in Philadelphia but we have a crawfish festival in Old Town Spring every year.

Spring is a good town to raise a family in. Quiet, and there's new neighborhoods popping up. The most common nuisance you'll come across is kids being kids, whether it's driving around with their loud stereos or "wrapping" someone's house with toilet paper. I've never had my house broken into, never had my car broken into, never had a gun pulled on me. Of course, these things can and do happen, but crime can happen anywhere. Law enforcement is provided by Harris County Sheriff's Dept. and Harris County Constable, Precinct 4.

As far as shopping goes, you have the Willowbrook Mall to the south, and The Woodlands Mall to the north. If you want to go looking for antiques or small shops, you can go into Old Town Spring (just get on 2920 heading east, cross under I-45 and keep going straight) or you can go into Tomball (2920 heading west all the way - just don't speed in that town, Tomball police are notorious for catching speeders).

Some parts of Spring are in Klein ISD and some parts are in Spring ISD. Spring ISD is a little bit of a "rougher" school district than Klein.

I think your friend was correct about searching west of I-45. Technically, Spring is located east of I-45, but you can live all the way to 249 and have a Spring address. Benignus was just built a few years ago, and there are nice homes and neighborhoods in that area. You will be close to the Kuykendahl/2920 area, which has been growing big time in the past 5-10 years (I remember when it was nothing but trees).

All in all, I think you will enjoy living in Spring.