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I know there are a ton of threads on these neighborhoods, and I've read them all, sometimes twice, long time lurker first time poster as it were. But most of those threads were started and died around 2014/2015.
Now that my wife and I are getting ready to make the move to the suburbs I wanted to get the most recent views of our target communities from folks in the know about these areas.
Some background. I work from home, so does the wife so commutes are a none issue, we have a 5 month old and plan on trying for a second kiddo in another year or two, so schools are somewhat important but not critical since alot can change in 5 years when our first would head off. We currently live inside the loop and since having our daughter it's become clear to us that's it's time to head for the burbs. The stuff that was cool and exciting is now annoying and stressful, and our 3 storey town home does not baby well, and the cool glass/wood/metal/ton of stairs construction is a disaster waiting to happen when she starts crawling. We want to be closer to family and friends who also have young families.
We'd prefer newer construction (2011+) or inventory home, and are open to building. 2200 sq ft minimum, 3000 sq ft maximum, 4br w/study/3 bath preferred, but a 4br no study, or 3br w/study and 2.5 bath will do, price range is 280k to 340k, single storey preferred since we are sick of stairs.
The contenders:
1. Aliana, top of our price range for new builds, there are a few recent constructions in our range, but they all seem to be on the West Bellfort side of Aliana, is there something less desirable about this area? We drove through the new construction on the West Airport side and like it, but it's slim pickings in our price range.
2. Harvest Green, newest kid on the block. We did a drive through here also, wife love the agri-hood concept and there seem to be a few options in our range. Do they still have just Windstream for Internet? I work from home 90% so I would prefer Comcast/Xfinity, Windstream might be a deal breaker for me.
3. Long Meadow Farms, specifically the new section behind Palladium, i.expect. The Trace. Wife is in love with Highland homes over there, we walked a couple inventory homes of theirs and really liked their style. I also like a couple Calatlantic houses I've seen online, but haven't been inside one yet. Any opinion on these 2 builders in this community specifically? They seem to be building out, any current residents have any thoughts?
4. Grand Mission Estates, which as i understand is different from just "Grand Mission" as in the "Estates" are a tad more desirable? Pricing is the most cost effective, Highland is there so wife will be happy. But I am thinking the lower prices will be reflected in the community and thats it's not as well put together as the other 3?
Any thoughts or opinions from residents of these communities, or folks familiar would be appreciated. And also any insights into the new happenings along this stretch of 99, again alot of the old threads went cold around 2015.
We have lived in Aliana since 2008 and has built 2 houses in Aliana. Madden Elementary is great! All the teachers and staff are professional, supportive, and motivated. I really like the classes offered at the club house, karate, cooking, zumba, etc. It's very convenient. Another club house is soon opening up in March, that means another playground and swimming pool.
I too work from home majority of the time and love that Aliana has fiber optics. Last I've heard, Harvest Green only has Windstream...which will be a deal breaker for our family.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Although you are not focusing on it too much at this point, and its true that much can change in time, both for the future of your child's education and the resale value of your home, I would stay away from the LAMAR ISD.
Although you are not focusing on it too much at this point, and its true that much can change in time, both for the future of your child's education and the resale value of your home, I would stay away from the LAMAR ISD.
Okay I'm going to go ahead and step in here. Let me drop some knowledge:
First, whatever preconceived notions you have about LCISD's academics should be checked at the door.
In 2015, LCISD outscored FBISD on the STAAR.
LCID pulls from similar demographics as FBISD. 37% of FBISD students are economically disadvantaged versus 40% of LCISD's students.
LCISD is top 10 in student growth population in the state. FBISD is nearing build out.
I would put LCISD's top 3 schools (George Ranch, Foster, Fulshear) against FBISD or Katy ISDs top 3 schools in a heartbeat.
You can't generalize an entire district off of your preconceived notions based on one campus (if I had to guess, probably Lamar, which is still a pretty solid school offering AP classes and sending kids to UT/A&M etc. This isn't some kind of inner-city crime infested school run by gangbangers.) Doing so would be akin to me saying well George Bush HS is in FBISD, therefore don't send your kids to any FBISD school.
I could argue at length the merits of keeping high schools capped at 5A populations versus 6A (which LCISD does) and why sending your kid to Clements is actually hurting their chances of getting into Texas schools because of the Top 10% rule.
Last edited by NTexas2010; 02-13-2017 at 07:58 AM..
Back to the OP:
My opinions:
Aliana seems overpriced. Elephant in the room. The West Belfort sections back up to parts of unincorporated Fort Bend county that are not the best. Part of what you're paying for is the Fort Bend ISD name.
Harvest Green - The reoccurring complaint I have heard has been in regards to the internet options (or lack thereof) offered in the neighborhood.
Long Meadow Farms: West of 99 is preferred over east of 99 for a multitude of reasons (aesthetics, some people prefer the portions that are zoned to FBISD versus LCISD, already established so you know what will end up around you.)
Grand Mission Estates: Grand Mission (regular) is zoned to one of the lower performing schools in FBISD, so the phrase "Grand Mission" has a negative connotation to it. Grand Mission Estates is zoned to LCISD and one of its better performing schools, however the location is still somewhat less desirable than the other 3 mentioned. Your main thoroughfare, the Westpark Tollway, is an under built, expensive (compared to GP) toll road that is clogged with traffic from 6:30am - 8:30am and again from 4:30pm - 6:30pm. Grand Parkway south of 1093 does not have this issue.
OP, is there any reason you are focusing on the GP corridor? There are other options in LCISD, Katy ISD, and FBISD that may fit your needs.
Had children in LAMAR ISD......moved two miles away to get out. Glad I did. While the best of LAMAR ISD schools are good, on average, LAMAR ISD schools are not as good as FBISD, and thats a fairly widely held, and valid opinion.
Special Ed in particular is a problem in LAMAR ISD
Had children in LAMAR ISD......moved two miles away to get out. Glad I did. While the best of LAMAR ISD schools are good, on average, LAMAR ISD schools are not as good as FBISD, and thats a fairly widely held, and valid opinion.
Special Ed in particular is a problem in LAMAR ISD
Can't speak to the special education program in LCISD, so to that you may have a valid point. However, my in-laws had issues with FBISD placing my brother in law in special ed classes because they failed to recognize that he actually was just dyslexic and not mentally challenged.
I am an LCISD grad, as are my 5 brothers and sisters, as is my wife and my two brothers and sister in law. My wife's parents left FBISD in 1996 for LCISD. I too can speak from experience the advantages and opportunities I was afforded in LCISD that may not have been as true in FBISD. Additionally, we all attended Lamar, not Foster or George Ranch, so our experiences were not the exception - they were the rule.
Opinions are only as valid as the information that backs up those opinions. When it comes to my opinion, people are uninformed and place too much stock in the name of the district. FBISD is not re-inventing the wheel in education. They perform well much for the same reasons LCISD and Katy ISD do well - demographics, which are arguably pretty favorable for all 3 districts in question (most notably Katy ISD, which has an economic disadvantaged rate under 30% and outscored both FBISD and Katy ISD.) It's a self-fulfilling prophecy - schools in affluent areas tend to perform well, therefore attracting more attention and more affluent families.
Fort Bend ISD is a more "progressive" district when it comes to the latest and greatest in education trends, which isn't always the best thing. Example: In the 1980s and 1990s, it was thought that the open-air classroom was conducive for a better, more organic learning environment. So my wife attended elementary school in FBISD where there were no classroom walls. Instead, they had mobile partitions setup a la an office cubicle workspace to separate the different classes. Thankfully, they eventually recognized that one large room with hundreds of kids with no soundproofing was less than an ideal learning environment and moved away from the open-space design.
FBISD is a great school district, and living there is obviously a solid choice. But you pay for that choice and part of that "payment" is perception. LCISD is also a solid choice, and you pay a little less for perception around that.
If this is a question of home values, I can just as easily point to sub $200k neighborhoods in Houston ETJ zoned to lower-tiered FBISD schools as I can to $1M acreage neighborhoods in LCISD. If you are worried about your home value, pick a neighborhood zoned to one of the better schools - your home value will follow.
Last edited by NTexas2010; 02-13-2017 at 08:45 AM..
OP, is there any reason you are focusing on the GP corridor? There are other options in LCISD, Katy ISD, and FBISD that may fit your needs.
Thanks for your detailed responses, I really appreciate that kind of insight!
I agree with you that I am not so caught up in just X'ing out an entire school district because of reputation, specific schools within school districts can be much better than the overall reputation. And no matter what school my kids go to I plan to be very involved with the school (volunteer, PTA, all that) and my kids at home, which is 50% of the school battle.
To answer your question:
While commute is not a concern, we wanted to stay with a 25 minute radius of my wife's parents (Missouri City), since they are our primary baby sitters and we spend most Sundays at their house. I know everybody says Katy is the way to go, but that's too far west, and so is Fulshear. Why 25 minutes? it's currently 25 minutes to our house inside the loop from theirs, we figured it wouldn't make sense to move to the suburbs and be a longer drive from her parents than we already are.
Pearland is an option, wife lived in Pearland when she was single so she is familiar with the area. Neither of us are familiar with the Richmond 99 corridor, but we noticed that there are several communities in our price range, so that's why I am here seeking counsel.
Back to the OP:
My opinions:
Aliana seems overpriced. Elephant in the room. The West Belfort sections back up to parts of unincorporated Fort Bend county that are not the best. Part of what you're paying for is the Fort Bend ISD name.
Yeah the prices in Aliana are just a tad higher than I think they should be, but the location is the best for our situation, and based on their amenities, the new elementary school, and the new development I see close by it looks like they may justify that price in the long run, which is what we are in for 10 years minimum (barring some unforseen disaster). We are looking for our long term family home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NTexas2010
Harvest Green - The reoccurring complaint I have heard has been in regards to the internet options (or lack thereof) offered in the neighborhood.
This is what i was afraid of, looks like Harvest Green is falling off the list, Windstream is a no go, shoot, I'm hoping where ever we go AT&T fiber is there or soon to be there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NTexas2010
Long Meadow Farms: West of 99 is preferred over east of 99 for a multitude of reasons (aesthetics, some people prefer the portions that are zoned to FBISD versus LCISD, already established so you know what will end up around you.)
The west side is looking unlikely, since I haven't seen many 2011+ houses in our price range, that meet our needs or preferred home aesthetic. Again, don't mind LCISD, I have heard that Aldophous elementary is good. And bottom line is I think my wife is a bit enamored with the new builds on the east side.
Any insight into the east side of LMF? Even though its split by 99, all amenities are available to all LMF residents right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NTexas2010
Grand Mission Estates: Grand Mission (regular) is zoned to one of the lower performing schools in FBISD, so the phrase "Grand Mission" has a negative connotation to it. Grand Mission Estates is zoned to LCISD and one of its better performing schools, however the location is still somewhat less desirable than the other 3 mentioned. Your main thoroughfare, the Westpark Tollway, is an under built, expensive (compared to GP) toll road that is clogged with traffic from 6:30am - 8:30am and again from 4:30pm - 6:30pm. Grand Parkway south of 1093 does not have this issue.
Thanks for this demarcation, that kind of info is exactly why I am here, I didn't understand the difference between regular GM and GM Estates, but I knew there was one. WPT is terrible for commuters, but that wouldn't be a concern for us, our friends coming in from the inner loop might visit less because of that though....who am i kidding they are gonna visit less no matter where we move outside the loop.
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