Relocating to Houston--thoughts on commute (Katy to Sam Houston Pkwy) (The Woodlands: apartment, renting)

[relocator_tx]

Hi,
I am relocating to Houston and am haven't decided on place yet, but I have two places in my mind and they are Woodlands and Katy. I have young children (6&3) and am leaning towards Katy area, but I am worrying about the distance. My office close to N. Sam Houston Pkwy W and I believe the distance is going to be around 37-40 miles from Katy area and am not sure how long the commute is going to take in peak and non-peak hours. I am thinking of renting condo or apartment for sometime until I get comfortable with the place, commute, etc. Do you think it's going to be challenging to commute from Katy/Cinco to N. Sam Houston Pkwy W?

I really appreciate your input or suggestions.

Thanks
Relocate

[kchryies]

I think it would be a hassle in peak hours...maybe you should stick to The Woodlands area

[Rip808]

The traffic on the beltway wont be bad but traffic on I-10 is horrible. Do you have flexible working hours?

[relocator_tx]

I can stick to Woodlands area, but I heard the housing prices are little expensive. I am not sure whether I would be able to buy the house with budget limit I have ($250-270k) in good school district areas in Woodlands .

I don't think I will be having any flexible hours.

Thanks
RL

[Meyerland]

You won't get many responses here because that is not a commute many people do. In fact, I have never heard of anyone driving that commute. Try posting for homes in Cypress, Spring, or the Woodlands. There will be homes there zoned to excellent schools with a shorter commute. By posting the individual areas, you will be advised by people who know those areas really well.

good luck!

[Athena2c]

Like all the others have said, there are very good neighborhoods and schools a lot closer to where you work than Katy...Cypress, Tomball, The Woodlands.
My husband's work is near where you are describing and we bought near the Tomball/Cypress border. We looked at Katy because I work at UH and we have friends who bought there, but to be honest, I really didn't like Katy much. I prefer all the trees, etc. in this area, so I do the commute (I have flexible hours).
Have you actually looked at anything in these areas yet? I wouldn't make any decisions until you actually see these areas and how far Katy is from where you work.

[jtothemak]

I used to make that commute, living in South Katy just west on 1093 of Grand Parkway it would take me 45-50 minutes leaving between 6-6:15 in the morning and leaving work at 4-4:30 I usually could make it home in under and hour. Once you hit the Sam Houston is it smooth sailing but the Westpark and I-10 after 6:15 in the morning has a good amount of traffic.

I had a company car and company paid tolls so they were not a big deal to me, make sure to keep those two cost in mind when looking at cost of a home vs commute.

[trbstang]

So based on your description, your office is between Hwy 249 and Greenspoint/ I-45 area? I would certainly look at Cypress or Tomball or by where I live in the Jersey Village/ West Rd/ Sam Houston Tollway area. You can get some nice homes in your price range in good CyFair schools and a nice area around me. I'm about 12 miles from I-45 via the beltway, probably 20-25 min in traffic at the most. I would love a short commute like that if I could.

Good luck on your search!

[dejamiller]

Absolutely no reason to live way in Katy, with all the other available options that people have already mentioned.

[Rip808]

If you can leave Katy at or before 6 you should not have issues with that commute. I work in The Woodlands and live in Katy. Just time it right and it's not bad. And on the way back if you don't mind paying for the HOV lanes for one toll you can bypass a lot of traffic in the afternoon.