Rural towns with good schools? (Houston, San Antonio: house, to buy, school districts)

[naadarien]

Hi. I recently was hired to work in the Texas Medical Center area, and I want to relocate my family here from Vermont over the next year.

We live in a rural area now and want to keep it that way. I am looking for suggestions of towns or communities between Pearland and Sugarland and within 36 that are zoned for at least horse property (if not fully rural) that have good schools. I would prefer at least some diversity since I grew up in Los Angeles, and we are coming from a homogeneous environment (while the kids are still young, I want them to meet a variety of people), but being able to buy some small acreage reasonably and being able to build as we please, and have a few chickens matters more. The problem with developed communities is the price of the land jumps and the type of homes built narrows, but I am open to suggestions.

I am used to commuting at least 90mins to and from work so the drive isn't an issue. I see it as "me" time. :-)

I have been to Houston before. My dad lived in Kingwood for 7-8 years, but that is definitely not what we are looking for (for example). The area was nice but way too crowded and developed.

I am visiting in the last week of September so I was hoping drive around and look at things so any ideas/suggestions of communities I should visit/research would be great. I am trying to decide if I should let the kids finish this school year in VT or move them out to start school in January so the focus is definitely on schools at this point.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. :-)

[Failed Engineer]

I don't know exactly where it sits, but there is stuff like that just outside the SE boundary of Sienna Plantation. Probably around Juliff. And I think they are zoned to the same schools as Sienna, so that's a plus. I don't know about pricing and/or availability.

[naadarien]

Originally Posted by Failed Engineer

I don't know exactly where it sits, but there is stuff like that just outside the SE boundary of Sienna Plantation. Probably around Juliff. And I think they are zoned to the same schools as Sienna, so that's a plus. I don't know about pricing and/or availability.

Thanks! I will check it out.

[Failed Engineer]

I was kind of curious so I checked out HAR. Don't know what your budget is, but here is 9 acres near Sienna zoned to pretty solid, diverse schools.

1628 Lawson Rd, rosharon TX 77583 - HAR.com

Another one, 4 acres

http://www.har.com/8603-hidden-hollow/sale_49094443

And this area will have a relatively good commute to the med center. Straight up 521.

[testmo]

Parts of 521 near Siena in the more open areas stinks something awful. Dont know if its the landfill or a plant but there are homes and "country" places right in the thick of it. It can be very bad

[Htown2013]

Originally Posted by naadarien

Hi. I recently was hired to work in the Texas Medical Center area, and I want to relocate my family here from Vermont over the next year.

We live in a rural area now and want to keep it that way. I am looking for suggestions of towns or communities between Pearland and Sugarland and within 36 that are zoned for at least horse property (if not fully rural) that have good schools. I would prefer at least some diversity since I grew up in Los Angeles, and we are coming from a homogeneous environment (while the kids are still young, I want them to meet a variety of people), but being able to buy some small acreage reasonably and being able to build as we please, and have a few chickens matters more. The problem with developed communities is the price of the land jumps and the type of homes built narrows, but I am open to suggestions.

I am used to commuting at least 90mins to and from work so the drive isn't an issue. I see it as "me" time. :-)

I have been to Houston before. My dad lived in Kingwood for 7-8 years, but that is definitely not what we are looking for (for example). The area was nice but way too crowded and developed.

I am visiting in the last week of September so I was hoping drive around and look at things so any ideas/suggestions of communities I should visit/research would be great. I am trying to decide if I should let the kids finish this school year in VT or move them out to start school in January so the focus is definitely on schools at this point.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. :-)

Rural Texas is completely different than rural Vermont or New England with cultures and attitudes. Most of the good schools in TX are in suburban areas, although depending on your budget there might be acreage sites zoned to good suburban schools, possibly Pearland, Sienna Plantation, outer Sugar Land, Clear Lake, or Lamar Consolidated George Ranch.

[War Beagle]

Needville ISD is rural and well respected.

[Houston321]

The rural you are used to in Vermont is going to be much different than the rural here. I am from the New England area and have lived here for about 12 years.

My personal opinion is that I don't like the way the "rural" is heading out that way, and prefer the rural of Fulshear..and out further that way. However, that would be a nightmare commute. What is your budget? If it is pretty high, I would try and get some acreage around or near Sienna.

[LocalPlanner]

To the OP, please understand that counties in Texas do not having land use zoning powers. Just because an areas has attractive acreage residential properties doesn't mean a developer couldn't build a subdivision on the edge of your property - or a chemical plant, for that matter.

Your only assurance of having adjacent properties stay as acreage residential is to buy into an "acreage residential community" which is really semi-rural living (true rural living means that your neighbor can put a trailer home on their property). These are exurban subdivisions with deed restrictions that typically prevent further subdivision, having minimum home standards, livestock standards (chickens might be questionable) etc. etc.

Some rural incorporated towns may have land use zoning but many don't.

I would agree with other suggestions that you should look in SE Fort Bend County, though I'm no expert on the school quality there. As noted earlier, most school districts that are perceived as high quality in Texas are in the suburbs, not rural areas. The reason is that many people seem to think that a school must have a uniform household income profile that tilts toward affluence if it's to be any good. Most rural districts in Texas have a lot of poorer people, plus often a large share of African-American and Hispanic students - not sure if that's what you're used to in New England.

Again, that's perception, which in my opinion may not necessarily reflect your child's actual chances of getting a good education; but in this forum most folks seem fairly committed to that idea.

[naadarien]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

To the OP, please understand that counties in Texas do not having land use zoning powers. Just because an areas has attractive acreage residential properties doesn't mean a developer couldn't build a subdivision on the edge of your property - or a chemical plant, for that matter.

Your only assurance of having adjacent properties stay as acreage residential is to buy into an "acreage residential community" which is really semi-rural living (true rural living means that your neighbor can put a trailer home on their property). These are exurban subdivisions with deed restrictions that typically prevent further subdivision, having minimum home standards, livestock standards (chickens might be questionable) etc. etc.

Some rural incorporated towns may have land use zoning but many don't.

I would agree with other suggestions that you should look in SE Fort Bend County, though I'm no expert on the school quality there. As noted earlier, most school districts that are perceived as high quality in Texas are in the suburbs, not rural areas. The reason is that many people seem to think that a school must have a uniform household income profile that tilts toward affluence if it's to be any good. Most rural districts in Texas have a lot of poorer people, plus often a large share of African-American and Hispanic students - not sure if that's what you're used to in New England.

Again, that's perception, which in my opinion may not necessarily reflect your child's actual chances of getting a good education; but in this forum most folks seem fairly committed to that idea.

I have seen a few of those though I was looking around San Antonio at the time. I'll see if I can find exurb communities around Houston. Thanks!

I am fine with variability in the properties around me though I don't, of course, want a chemical plant next door. A variety of housing types though is fine. I don't really want cookie cutter. We have that kind of mixhere. You can easily have a $400k house next door to ranch on one side and a crappy mobile on the other, a house half built and a farm further down. Point well taken. I'll be sure to inquire about adjacent properties. You can only know so much at the time of purchase. I could find the perfect house that will hold its value forever...and dislike my neighbors (and vice versa), the equivalent of a chemical plant. Nothing's bullet proof.

I get your point about schools. I am from California. I definitely get the idea that people think schools full of affluent, white kids are the only good schools. I was bused to the inner city though as part of a desegregation plan in my city and I got an excellent education at two mostly black and latino schools (and one mostly white, affluent, country club school). I also live in a state with a bunch of crappy schools and Vermont is supposedly the whitest states (per capita) in the union so there's that. I am of the mind that education is at least as much about experience as it is about learning. Homogeneous environments lack opportunities as far as experience is concerned IMHO. I would remind people that both Centennial High and Sandy Hook (and many others I could Google) are schools located in affluent areas. It is a false sense of security that assumes they must be safe and that a good education can't be had elsewhere...but to each his own.

I appreciate your advice. Thanks!