I don't get it...people used to tell me Pasadena was a bad area?? (Houston: crime, house)

[wrxrick]

What's up guys, I'm trying to buy my first house for under 90k (I'm single, in my twenties, no crazy obligations). I looked up the Houston area crime map and to my surprise, it shows Pasadena as being safe! Is this true? I understand it may stink in Pasadena and the schools may not be A+ schools, but is it a safe place to buy a primary residence?

[texas7]

If you go to south Pasadena you'll be far enough away from the plants in hey 225 that you won't smell anything different from other Houston areas. It's pretty safe as they have a good police force and a lot of armed residents. People Say it's unsafe because the population is predominantly Hispanic. Most are just hard working family people and not criminals. There are a lot of lower income areas. It's quite convenient to a lot of Houston areas.
Between spencer and highway 225 are older, rougher, less safe and not so good schools. Look in the areas bounded by spencer highway and Genoa red bluff and Burke and red bluff -- those are the nicer newer areas with the better schools. But those home could be more than the 90s -- not sure though. You might also find homes in your price range in deer park or laPorte. Out of the three deer park has the best schools.

[wrxrick]

Interesting. So basically the area bounded by Red Bluff (to the north), BLTY8 (to the east), Burke (to the west), and Spencer (to the south)? I just wanna be clear... so anything north of Red Bluff going towards 225 is not the safest part of pasadena? Thanks!

[DanielWayne]

Agreed with above. Some of Pasadena is quite rough. But there is a lot that is really nice. The area around the big shopping centers (Barnes and Noble) is filled with pleasant neighborhoods. I think the area around the college is decent, too.

[jerbear30]

Pasadena was actually my first exposure to Houston metro. My wife and son and I stayed there with a friend of hers and we had a great time. There are some issues in some places, but that's like most of Houston. Pasadena is criminally underrated.

[Failed Engineer]

For the price range, South Pasadena really is one of Houston's hidden gems.

[alsal29]

Avoid the areas mentioned above, but to me the worst is the area just around Red Bluff close to 225. My friend grew up in the area and said it was downright scary. That being said, there are some great parts of Pasadena also. I would also look at La Porte on the east side of 146. There are some older homes there as well and as long as you do not go north of Main it is safe.

[texas7]

Anything along fairmont parkway is mostly good. Try and look in that area but not past Burke.

[tstone]

At your age & status, if you're going that far south you may want to consider the Clear Lake area, zip code 77058. There are a number of small units you can buy for under 90k, and the amenities in this area are the best and most diverse for the entire south-eastern side of town. However South Pasadena is slightly closer to the city core; the streets there are huge, and traffic flows well. A lot of residents take some pride in their neighborhoods and as a result, Pasadena cleans up better than many, many large parts of Houston. You can find a lot of great Mexican food there that rivals the best of San Antonio or McAllen's and there is also a lot of new-ish big box shopping around Beltway 8 / Fairmont.

However the one BIG issue is that there are just too many people there who are uneducated and exceedingly low class. They could turn to La Porte or even the Gulfgate area to learn a few things in this department. No offense to anybody- but if someone actually cared to turn around the schools then the perception issue would fizzle, and in 5-10 years it could actually be considered a hidden gem.

[Oildog]

If you are in an area with lots of homeowners, generally it will be better than an area with mostly renters. Owners have an interest in keeping property values up. Race is not a factor in that. Just keep an eye out for dwelling that may hold more people than they are intended too.