Question on commute from Katy to the intersection of HWY 249 near Beltway 8 (Houston: house, neighborhood)

[Meyerland]

Originally Posted by TexasTony

With a budget of $500k think about Woodlands. It might be similar commute to 249 as from Katy and the community + houses are comparable if not nicer

That would not be a good commute either. Why does everyone want to sit in traffic? There are lots of great communities closer to the work location with great schools.

[waterdamaged]

Originally Posted by Meyerland

That would not be a good commute either. Why does everyone want to sit in traffic? There are lots of great communities closer to the work location with great schools.

I think there's a lot of outdated notion in regard to the 290-249 area. If you haven't been over there in the last 5-10 years and really explored further outward, then you just won't know about it. If I had a vision of how it looked like 1995-2005, then I probably wouldn't recommend it either.

[TexasTony]

Originally Posted by Meyerland

That would not be a good commute either. Why does everyone want to sit in traffic? .

Until the grand parkway extension to I-45 is complete, the commute from Katy to 249 is probably worse than Woodlands to 249 during peak hours.

[DejaBlue]

Originally Posted by ipuck

I lived in the NW part of town for many years. The 290 cypress area, beside the nightmare commute on 290, is extremely middle white class. To some people that is perfectly acceptable, but to me it is not.

The Tomball area is about the same with the newer development on 249 north.

1960 is getting worse and worse imo. The bad elements are moving further and further west from veterans memorial and imo is past Jones road now. I know quite a few people that won't shop at Willowbrook mall after 5pm.

The schools are solid, but there are better schools in other parts of town. There is a reason you are getting your money's worth here.

Well good for me. Less people there since I shop after work traffic dies down anyway. Willowbrook is not Greenspoint. The little gangbangers/wannabe hard thugs etc in high and middle school have taken over AMC 24 at night but the mall is fine.


With that budget OP should look in the area. Champions, Spring, Cypress (depending on where you live in Cypress you can take Louetta, Spring Cypress or Cypresswood to avoid 290 and be directly lead to 249). Even Tomball.

There's also that neighborhood off Cutten. I can't remember the name offhand but it's zoned to Cyfair and it's the one Mark Lanier lives in. Champions something behind Methodist Willowbrook and County Line BBQ.

[Meyerland]

Originally Posted by TexasTony

Until the grand parkway extension to I-45 is complete, the commute from Katy to 249 is probably worse than Woodlands to 249 during peak hours.

Yes, both are bad. Wouldn't recommend either one.

[waterdamaged]

Originally Posted by ipuck

I lived in the NW part of town for many years. The 290 cypress area, beside the nightmare commute on 290, is extremely middle white class. To some people that is perfectly acceptable, but to me it is not.

The Tomball area is about the same with the newer development on 249 north.

1960 is getting worse and worse imo. The bad elements are moving further and further west from veterans memorial and imo is past Jones road now. I know quite a few people that won't shop at Willowbrook mall after 5pm.

The schools are solid, but there are better schools in other parts of town. There is a reason you are getting your money's worth here.

I agree with your comments regarding commutes in the short-term, however if he lived in the area near where he works then commute wouldn't really be an issue for OP. With that being said, grand parkway from 59 south of town to 59 north of town will be completed within the year. I'd agree that the neighborhoods just west or north of 1960 for a few miles outward are solidly middle class, but there are a a few enclaves of upper-middle class to even slightly affluent along 290 and 249 once you get far enough out, and the number of homes/families that fall in this category is fastly growing. The argument I'm trying to make will probably look even stronger in a few years time. There are several mixed use projects and a nice mall or two proposed along grand parkway, so I think in due time the more affluent areas I speak of will never use the 1960 area for shopping. I will agree that it is cheaper for a reason also, but crime has not yet really been a factor. The bigger factors still currently is proximity to downtown and the relative lack of amenities compared to some other affluent suburbs, but with that lack of proximity, amenities, and desire comes less congestion and more heavily wooded areas. I guess it depends on OP's preferences and budget on what makes more sense for their home.

[ipuck]

Originally Posted by DejaBlue

Well good for me. Less people there since I shop after work traffic dies down anyway. Willowbrook is not Greenspoint. The little gangbangers/wannabe hard thugs etc in high and middle school have taken over AMC 24 at night but the mall is fine.


With that budget OP should look in the area. Champions, Spring, Cypress (depending on where you live in Cypress you can take Louetta, Spring Cypress or Cypresswood to avoid 290 and be directly lead to 249). Even Tomball.

There's also that neighborhood off Cutten. I can't remember the name offhand but it's zoned to Cyfair and it's the one Mark Lanier lives in. Champions something behind Methodist Willowbrook and County Line BBQ.

Champions Centre and Champions Estate. They have some beautiful big homes there and Cutten Road in general is a beautiful street past FM1960. However, I believe the price are not holding as well as the HS zoned to it is Cypress Creek HS, which is going through "white flight".

[waterdamaged]

Originally Posted by ipuck

Champions Centre and Champions Estate. They have some beautiful big homes there and Cutten Road in general is a beautiful street past FM1960. However, I believe the price are not holding as well as the HS zoned to it is Cypress Creek HS, which is going through "white flight".

You just listed two neighborhoods literally adjacent to fm1960. The new neighborhoods along and north of Louetta and Spring-Cypress are a lot nicer, and that's just one part of where I mentioned above in a previous post. I think most people are referring to areas this far out when they're saying there are nicer homes in the Cypress/Tomball area. Also, you tell me you're going to buy a $500-600k home and not be able to afford private school also? Priorities.

[DejaBlue]

Originally Posted by ipuck

Champions Centre and Champions Estate. They have some beautiful big homes there and Cutten Road in general is a beautiful street past FM1960. However, I believe the price are not holding as well as the HS zoned to it is Cypress Creek HS, which is going through "white flight".

According to HAR there were 1190 white kids at Cypress Creek. They sure aren't flying out of there. Most of the white people I know in the area have no problems with the school. Location wise regardless, the "bad" kids and lower SES aren't 10 minutes from Dangerous Minds extras like elsewhere in the city so parents can deal.

[tigertiger11]

Thanks for all the input above. We have decided to live in Katy, but we are not sure which part of Katy is best for us. Does anyone have any input on the following communities in terms of commute to I-249 near Beltway 8: Cinco Ranch, Cinco Ranch Sourthwest, Cinco Ranch Northwest, Grand Lakes, and Seven Meadows?

Thanks!