Renting a townhome in Houston: Greater Heights v. Rice Military? (Allen: for rent, crime)

[arhim]

Hi guys, my wife and i are moving to houston in august for a position in the texas medical center. We wanted to try living in one of the Houston proper neighborhoods before we committed to purchasing a home. We are looking for a newer town home renting up to $2500/mo and have found some nice possibilities in the Heights and Rice Military. However, I was a little stunned by some of the reports of crime in these areas. Can someone help us in our decision between these two? Specifically, is one more dangerous than the other? Is one area more fun or walkable than the other? Anything else I should know about these areas or should we just look in another area altogether (but we're also looking for a reasonable commute to TMC)?

Thanks in advance, friends!

[Lowexpectations]

The commute to tmc will probably be longer than you think for both locations. I'd also look for a townhome that has a private driveway if possible and either way park your vehicles in your garage. Lock your gate and front door. I have lived in shady acres twice and considered rice military before moving back and took a lower price per foot to buy in shady acres

[testmo]

Honestly id pick a townhouse in montrose over either of those locations. Pretty easy shot down montrose to main into the med center without having to get on a freeway or allow parkway/memorial. About the Sam price as what you quoted for rice military

[chris_ut]

Just make sure you get something with garage parking. A big chunk of the crime is street parked vehicles getting broken into.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

Just make sure you get something with garage parking. A big chunk of the crime is street parked vehicles getting broken into.

Agree, and property crime of that nature are not unique to those neighborhoods, or Houston in particular, for that matter. I think either location would be a good consideration for living in the Med Center, but also second the suggestion to look in Montrose. It's closer to TMC and saves you the trouble of having the cross Allen Parkway. And I only mention that because not once, but twice, when we lived in the Heights from 1998-2001 and worked in the Med Center, we were unable to cross the road due to flooding. Good times

[nautic22]

We currently live in Rice Military and I feel that it's safe enough, I wouldn't hesitate to walk a dog at night for example.

Walkability is fairly good, you can look up local businesses (CVS, El Tiempo, etc.) and calculate walking times on Google Maps. You can also easily jog or bike to Memorial Park. No grocery store nearby though - nearest is Kroger on Studemont or the one on W Gray.

Previous comments are accurate about crime - highest likelihood for crime is leaving a car on the street overnight, especially if it has something attractive visible inside (laptop bag, etc.)

Also agree with other comments that you might want to consider Montrose, or even Midtown. The commute to TMC will be a lot better for you in those areas.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by nautic22

We currently live in Rice Military and I feel that it's safe enough, I wouldn't hesitate to walk a dog at night for example.

Walkability is fairly good, you can look up local businesses (CVS, El Tiempo, etc.) and calculate walking times on Google Maps. You can also easily jog or bike to Memorial Park. No grocery store nearby though - nearest is Kroger on Studemont or the one on W Gray.

Previous comments are accurate about crime - highest likelihood for crime is leaving a car on the street overnight, especially if it has something attractive visible inside (laptop bag, etc.)

Also agree with other comments that you might want to consider Montrose, or even Midtown. The commute to TMC will be a lot better for you in those areas.

I agree, check Montrose, Midtown, Museum Park, and EaDo to make your commute much easier. I should note that the more townhome-ish part of Midtown, the east side, has fewer fun establishments within walking distance than the west side of Midtown. In EaDo, most fun stuff is concentrated along St. Emanuel between Polk and Rusk, so the townhomes further east and south in EaDo won't have as much walkability.

There's also new townhomes in the 2nd Ward (part of the East End) between Harrisburg and Canal, west of Sampson. Not sure if any are for rent.

For commuting to the Medical Center, I strongly suggest considering the Red Line METRORail, or biking if that's a reasonable option. A townhome in Museum Park or Midtown within a reasonable walk to a rail station would be ideal. In Museum Park, you get the added bonus of Hermann Park in your neighborhood.

[montiff]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

For commuting to the Medical Center, I strongly suggest considering the Red Line METRORail, or biking if that's a reasonable option. A townhome in Museum Park or Midtown within a reasonable walk to a rail station would be ideal. In Museum Park, you get the added bonus of Hermann Park in your neighborhood.

Second this.

[arhim]

Thanks guys!! Very valuable info. Really appreciate it. What's EaMo? East montrose?

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by arhim

Thanks guys!! Very valuable info. Really appreciate it. What's EaMo? East montrose?

It's EaDo - East Downtown. Immediately east of US 59 / I-69 from Downtown (basically looking at the backside of the Convention Center).