Opinions on Pearland vs. Clear Lake Area (Houston, Pasadena: fit in, real estate)

[cjulian214]

My husband has a job offer to start next summer at a plant in Pasadena. We are basically looking into schools in CCISD or Pearland, because it looks like those are some of the top school districts in the area, which is very important to us.

We are moving from a small town in NM so would like a more laid back feel. Which would be better commute-wise for him? I've looked at the maps but those don't always tell the whole story in terms of traffic.

Any opinions? We will be traveling out there in March to get a better feel for the area and I'm in the researching phase right now...I've read tons of threads on here but am trying to get more info for our particular situation. We were in Beaumont this past summer and drove through Seabrook once to check out the area. We only really saw but did like the older side of it (near Tookies?) but are nervous about living so near the water. Our home budget would be around 200k, but I think we are interested in renting first and staying at or under 2k/mo to start. Are the taxes/home owners insurance incredibly different between the two or are they just consistently high throughout?

Thanks for any input!

[Texas Ag 93]

I have only been in this part of Houston (Kemah) a few months, so my information is relatively new, but based on what I know so far:

1. For work in Pasadena, Pearland will be farther away than the Clear Lake area, but still entirely doable. You are wise to probably avoid anything in Pasadena, Texas City, LaMarque etc.

2. Your purchase budget of 200K will be tight (impossible?) for anything around here, or anywhere in Houston for that matter. For your short term plan of renting at 2K, I think you are fine.

3. Both CCISD and Pearland have good schools, however, as a third ISD option, you should consider Friendswood. From what I have read on here, I think the general consensus is CCISD=Friendswood > Pearland. Others might not agree. In any event, some schools are better than others, even within the same districts. But see my #2 above about your budget. Purchasing a home at your budget in these school districts is going to be hard.

4. I don't know if there is an appreciable difference in property taxes. Pearland is essentially split between Brazoria and Harris counties. Clear Lake is Harris county. Just South (Kemah, League City) is Galveston County.

[texas7]

Personally I prefer clear lake but both are nice family communities.

[cjulian214]

Texas Ag 93-thanks for all the info! We've been able to find homes right around the 200k mark on Zillow, although there are more available in Pearland at that price range but also a few scattered around the clear lake area, so I think it will just be waiting to see what's available in the area. We may be able to do more, but I'm estimating low since I'm not sure how the budget will all settle in once we get used to the differences in cost between TX and NM.

Do both communities have pretty good family activities, in terms of the libraries and city sponsored events?

We also read that about Friendswood schools, but a few posts said that it can be hard for outsiders to make friends there and that the schools can be really clique-y. I know those are just a few peoples opinions and that cliques exist everywhere but it still made me nervous! Also, it seems like it may be the area with the highest income levels, so I'm not sure how well we would fit in there!

I also read somewhere that Pearland traffic is pretty awful.

Texas7- what is it that you like about clear lake, in particular? Just a different vibe or...?

[wintersbone]

ccisd is on the harris county side of friendswood. FISD is the real friendswood schools. Yes friendswood has quite a few stuck up residents but most are nice. Yes fisd can be clicky but that's if you want to be in with the sports, cheerleaders, dance people or not. I didn't care about sports so I could care less. I stayed out of peoples business and everyone left me alone even though I was very shy. You really cant beat FISD when it comes to safe schools. They just don't have gang problems,shooting and such. The drug of choice when I was at friendswood was alcohol,weed but most of the time it was the parents buying it for their kids party. I don't agree with it but it happened. You rarely heard of people doing hard dugs. But being that the school district is like 93% white people its not hard to figure that one out.

If I was working in Pasadena though I would live in clearlake. pearland is just a little to far out. DONT even consider Pasadena that place is a dump and their schools are even worse. I would do without to pay for private school if had only Pasadena isd to choose from.

Whatever you do you need to check flood plain maps before you buy a house. Don't let those small creeks fool you into thinking they cant flood badly.

[jerbear30]

I live in northwest Houston and rarely get down to either Pearland or Clear Lake. That being said, I did do some research on both areas before deciding on Spring Branch. Between the two areas, I much prefer Clear Lake. My main reason is that the houses seem to be a bit older and there seem to be more mature trees in residential areas. That's a huge plus for me. I also think you can get more for your money in Clear Lake.

[nana053]

We live in Pearland and when we first moved here, my son was working in Pasadena. He knew how to get there with fewer problems, but I am not sure what route he took.

Pearland ISD has great schools. The elementary schools do vary. We are zoned to Massey Ranch which is the only IB school in PISD and we loved it (kids are in middle school and jr. high now and doing well there). People zoned to Silverlake Elementary and Silvercrest Elementary seem to love those schools as well, but they are a bit overcrowded and use some portable classrooms.

The area is very family friendly, but it depends on where in Pearland you live. We live in Southwyck. Homes are older. The subdivision has lots of kids who play in the neighborhood and at the small park. There is access to 3 different pools and a splash pad due to an agreement with Silverlake where we use facilities in both neighborhoods.

We fought to get a library on the west side and it's very nice to have one. Both libraries have lots of activities for kids of different ages and you can also go to any of the Brazoria County libraries for activities.
Pearland Library
Pearland Westside Library

There is also a YMCA (although I was a bit nonplussed that the pool is an outdoor one so you can't use it when it rains here). They also have kids programs as does the Pearland Parks and recreation district. There is a Natatorium run by the Park district with an indoor pool - membership is not too expensive, but not cheap either. There is a higher membership if you do not live in the city limits, btw and there are areas which are in the county, not the city.
City of Pearland, Texas : Facilities

There is also a Little Gym (we used that when the kids were younger - toddler to preschool age) and a Lone Star Bounce Town - good for birthday parties as well as just kid fun.

There are lots of parks other than the HOA ones, including a dog park at Southdown. The park at Southdown has music programs (very country) in May and June on Friday evenings. City of Pearland, Texas : Concerts in the Park

There is a bowling alley my grandkids enjoy. There is also a roller skating rink.

We have a wonderful children's theater. Kids' Backporch Productions

We have a relatively new live theater for adults (small venue though). Pearl Theater - Pearland Theatre Guild

We have access to many events in Friendswood as well.

[tstone]

You can find newer and cheaper in Pearland. $200k can be done in Clear Lake City- look at the lower end of Bay Glen, Meadowgreen, Oakbrook West, Middlebrook. They will all be roughly 25-45 year old fixer uppers.

[pilotpair]

What is traffic from Pearland to Pasadena and back at rush hour? I think you should do a test drive from any area in Pearland you are considering. Clear Lake is closer to Pasadena and has more surface streets that you can take.

What are property tax rates Pearland vs Clear Lake (which is within Houston city limits)?

I live in Clear Lake and love it. You have CCISD good schools and Clear Lake Water Authority but Houston fire and police.

If you want to avoid Houston, you can live in Pasadena in the area adjacent to Clear Lake and still have CCISD schools.

Your real estate agent should be able to help you with the questions.

[nana053]

My son says Clear Lake will be better for your commute. He doesn't work there any more, so it is hard to say if the traffic has gotten worse. Lots of the people who work for NASA live in Clear Lake.