Relocating to The Woodlands (Conroe, Spring: real estate, lease, custom home)

[tree1007]

We have been relocated to The Woodlands for my husband's job. I am so confused as to where to live and not sure about all the schools. We have 4 children so neighborhoods with families and kids are key. But we like mature trees and not houses stacked on top of one another. HELP!
Also, our kids are coming from private catholic school. Will this be an adjustment for them in the public schools? Are the kids accepting of new kids? Or should we look into the catholic schools as well?
What is the difference between Spring and the Woodlands? He will be working in the Woodlands, is the commute okay from Spring?
Any information would help. Thanks so much!

[colcat]

First of all, welcome! The Woodlands is an awesome place to live and very family friendly. The schools are top notch as well. When we moved here 14 years ago, my kids also came from a private school and adjusted well to the schools here. There is no need to worry about that. There is a catholic school here if you choose that for your kids, however. I suggest you focus your search for houses in the villages of Cochran's Crossing, Indian Springs, Alden Bridge, or Sterling Ridge. You have not mentioned your budget. There are parts of Spring that are nice, however, if your husband is working in The Woodlands, that's where I would focus my search. Yes, the prices of houses are higher in The Woodlands, but I do believe you will not regret choosing The Woodlands. What ever area you choose, however, chances are houses will be close together, unless your budget is very large. Hope this helps!

[tree1007]

Thanks for your reply.
Budget is 400-650k.
Which areas in Spring are nice? Online I like benders landing and champion forest but again, not sure of commute. Woodlands looks lovely for families but I like the size lots I am seeing in spring--just worried about schools there and making sure kids are there too. Thanks!

[vwgto]

There are tons of people moving into the area, so being "new" is no big deal to anyone. The public schools can be very large, but generally still very good. I would get in-touch with a real estate person to help you narrow your choices. In the end, you have to visit, as the different areas can have a very different "feel" to them - - even inside The Woodlands. We had always lived in older/eclectic neighborhoods before coming to Texas ten years ago. My wife pushed for The Woodlands, and in hindsight, with the knowldge we now have regarding the northern suburbs, it was the best quality-of-life decision we could have made.

[Redlionjr]

Originally Posted by tree1007

We have been relocated to The Woodlands for my husband's job. I am so confused as to where to live and not sure about all the schools. We have 4 children so neighborhoods with families and kids are key. But we like mature trees and not houses stacked on top of one another. HELP!
Also, our kids are coming from private catholic school. Will this be an adjustment for them in the public schools? Are the kids accepting of new kids? Or should we look into the catholic schools as well?
What is the difference between Spring and the Woodlands? He will be working in the Woodlands, is the commute okay from Spring?
Any information would help. Thanks so much!

I don't know much about the schools because I don't have children. I can tell you that the commute from The Woodlands to Spring is pretty much a piece of cake. Commute time in between the 2 is literally like 10 mins. or less. Depending on a traffic during rush hour on I-45 maybe a good 15 mins. The difference between The Woodlands and Spring is The Woodlands is a master-planned community. It's a township while Spring is somewhat of an old town but now is overran with suburbs and somewhat of a rural feel to certain area's because of the suburb. Not a bad place to stay but i'm more of a fan of The Woodlands. The good thing is you won't be missing anything in The Woodlands if you do happen to move to Spring because again their right next door to each other.

[colcat]

Benders Landing is really nice. However, my personal opinion is that if it were my kids, I would move so they can attend the schools in The Woodlands.

[plaidfrogg]

Good info already stated above. We came here with a preference for larger lots and mature trees. We leased in Sterling Ridge first so we could spend some time and decide where to buy. We looked at Kingwood, The Woodlands, Benders Landing, Spring Trails, Champions, and a few other areas in Magnolia and Humble. We found many lovely homes with nice amenities (schools, parka, shopping, etc) but found we weren't willing to compromise on mature trees. The areas a previous poster mentioned have a variety of home styles and lot sizes with mature trees.

We ultimately decided on The Woodlands. It's been good for us and our elementary age kids. The schools (Conroe ISD) are considered to all be good, if not exemplary. We've a few friends who live in Benders Landing. The lots are much larger, with custom homes and zoned to Conroe schools. However, a couple of things to consider friends have noted....they spend most of their time back and forth to the woodlands for their kids' sports, activities, entertainment, and shopping. Also, look into future development plans...last I heard, the Grand Expressway was planned to be right at the entrance of Benders.

Best of luck with you relocation!

[tree1007]

What about champions forest? Do you have friends with elementary and middle school ages living in there? Those homes are less but have a very custom feel to them in my opinion. I'm just worried schools aren't as good. Woodlands look lovely but lots so small...help!