Memorial area vs. Rice University (Houston, Spring: middle-class, apartments, renters)

[StepRN3]

My husband and I are in our early 30's and looking to buy a single family home in either Memorial area or Rice University. We don't want to spend over $950,000. Which area is SAFER? We are looking to find the pro's and con's to either one. We don't have children yet.

THANK YOU!!!

[jfre81]

Barring accidents or amputations, you can count on your fingers the number of murders that have occurred since the beginning of 2005 (and including the whole Katrina/Astrodome episodes) inside the loop, west of 288 and south of 59. Houston Crime Maps and Statistics You can check it out here.

Property crimes, a few robberies, drug crime and the odd aggravated assault are the here and there are going to show up at times just about anywhere, even outside of large metros. These even happen around River Oaks and that's on another level from Memorial and Rice. When it comes to thieves, the amateurs are in the hood and the pros are hitting the places where people are rich and complacent. People invest in security everywhere here and for good reason. This is life in the big city.

I can say I have never witnessed anything remotely hazardous going on in Rice Village except some bad drivers. This is Houston. Get used to that.

If it was me I'd do Rice because I have more transit options (light rail). That spending range will get you wherever you want....the sky is the limit except maybe River Oaks (and I figure you could even find something on the low end there).

Disclaimer: I openly admit to Inner Loop, pro-transit bias here, but fact is, Houston doesn't get much safer than Rice. You have Rice police and they do not play. (Do not speed there either.) You have Metro police everywhere. Then there's Houston PD and Harris County (always see them around the Medical Center which is right next to Rice). This is a whole new world from, say, Fondren Southwest where you've got maybe three or four HPD cruisers on patrol overnight. HPD is a train wreck but when you have more agencies cruising the area your safety level rises. Most of all you do not have cheap FEMApartments (to coin a phrase somebody else likely has before) nearby which are basically federal housing projects now (to both locals and hurricane evacuees) and these are crime vectors. You have renters around you but they are going to be decent people, and if they're not, they risk a lot of exposure in much of that area should they want to try to break into anything. There are renter-occupied duplexes (but there are plenty of SFH's) where you have several renters spreading out the cost. This is how middle-class people can afford the Inner Loop. Do keep in mind that it's Houston and there's no zoning so things are still open-ended on property rights most everywhere you go. There's a Mr. Gatti's pizza right next to a house down the road from Rice Stadium. They will be extending public transit, light/commuter rail in all parts of the city in the coming years so consider that. Everyone benefits from more options for getting around this vast city, but there have been protests in often upper-crust neighborhoods that will be changed by the new construction.

I'll leave Memorial to someone who hangs out more over there and can give a better feel for it...hate to be so one-sided here but I don't have a lot of recent experience around there besides sitting in traffic and cruising on Memorial Drive at night occasionally.

[modster]

The Rice Village area has much more character IMO. You have, of course, the Rice Village right there, the tree-lined Boulevards like Vassar, North & South, and Sunset. You are right next to the Museums, Hermann Park, the Medical Center, Downtown, the restaurants in Montrose, easy access to Highland Village & River Oaks shopping Centers, and not that far to the Galleria.

I am defining Rice Village as: Shadyside, Shadowlawn, Boulevard Oaks, Broad Acres, Chevy Chase, Southampton, Southgate, West U & Southside Place.

Memorial has the woods and large lots. The homes tend to be more secluded. You are generally closer to the Galleria. That is more the area if you are looking for the large lot.

The definition of Memorial varies, I am talking about the area south of I-10 to Buffalo Bayou, west of Memorial Park to about Gessner.

Either of these would be great choices so it would boil down to where you can find a house that meets your needs/wants. In either area good listings can get multiple offers, especially Southampton.

[Bike4Life]

Rice Village area is it. My favorite small town charm is in Southside Place or West University. Memorial is a nice drive through but to live there isn't that friendly with bicyclist. A few years ago, they were giving tickets to bicyclists - yikes!

Okay, another thought...do you really need to spend $950K for a McMansion? Maybe a right-sized house will do.

[Premont]

I tend to think of Memorial as more insulated. There's all these trees and fancy neighborhoods and you generally don't drive through the neighborhoods unless you live in them. With the Rice and West U areas, there's a lot of traffic that cuts through their neighborhoods. They have beautiful older homes, but it just seems there's a little less breathing room out there. I think the Memorial area offers homes that are beautiful and a bit more tucked away. It also has the advantage of being in the district of Memorial High School. I vote Memorial.

[Vicman]

The Rice University district is zoned to Houston ISD's Lamar High School, which is considered to be among the best of HISD's comprehensive high schools. Lamar has more of an "urban" feel than Memorial, and there is more variation in ethnic and socioeconomic status. Also, a lot of people come from outside the Lamar attendance boundary.

With Memorial, the school is solidly White and upper middle class, and I believe almost everyone is within the Memorial attendance boundary.

Generally the eastern Memorial area (excluding small bits of Piney Point Village and Hunters Creek Village) is zoned to Memorial HS in Spring Branch ISD. Unfortunately, small bits of Piney Point and Hunters Creek are zoned to Lee HS (although one can get a transfer to Lamar HS and Westside HS). In particular, the Piney Point bit in HISD is also zoned to Emerson ES and Revere MS (not very good schools). The Hunters Creek bit in HISD is zoned to better elementary schools (Briargrove ES and Grady MS), but IMO all of Hunters Creek and Piney Point OUGHT to be in the Memorial HS zone in SBISD.

[A.L.I. Designs, Inc.]

The Memorial Neighborhood will have more families in your age range and income bracket.