Sugarland OR Katy (Houston, Taylor, Cinco Ranch: HOA, car insurance, house)

[jennj]

Can someone tell me their thoughts on Katy and Sugarland, I live on the East coast and I am considering moving to one of these areas. I would like as much information as I could get. How good are the schools, are certain schools(mostly high school) better than others in the same school district? The weather, the people etc... how well do you think a new kid would be accepted into the 8th grade? Also how are the property taxes in both places? Say on a $180,000-$200,000 house. How are the utility bills, gas, electric cable? Are insurance rates high? car,homeowners. Do you have to pay an association fee for the development that you live in? What are mud taxes?

I appreciate any and all feedback.

thanks

[AustinTraveler]

jennj, while you are waiting for replies to your questions, please use the Search function on this forum to do some research on both places. You will find a lot of useful information and answers to your questions.

[cla]

I relocated to the Houston area about a year and a half ago and the company I work for put us up in an apt in Katy because of the school district's reputation. But the first thing I did was research the schools in every school district in the Houston metro area to determine where I wanted to buy.

Sugarland had only one high school that I'd consider sending my daughter to (Clements), but Katy had 3 great high schools (I'd tie Cinco Ranch HS and Seven Lakes HS for 1st place, then Taylor HS next). That drove my decision to stay in Katy. Additionally, Katy ISD was ranked the 3rd best large school district in Texas last year. My daughter's middle school was ranked exemplary, with average TAKS scores from 95 to 99.

My daughter entered 7th grade when we originally came here and she thought the schools were great - she couldn't get over how friendly the other kids were to a new student. She said back at her old school, new kids were shunned. Here are some links for more information.

Texas dept of education - link to get campus report cards:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfrepor...mpus.srch.html
School district site for Sugarland
http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us/
School district site for Katy
http://www.katyisd.org

Sugarland and Katy are both great places to live. You need to take a visit to each and drive around - they have their own vibe. One thing I wouldn't like about living in Sugarland is that the city is cut in half by highway 59 - you have to get on the highway to get anywhere. Right now, the traffic is heavier in Sugarland. I just like driving around Katy better than I do Sugarland.

Property taxes are high in the Houston area. The Katy ISD property tax rate was 2.0 last year. It has dropped to 1.81 this year. I'd say that in the entire metro area, you can expect to pay a total rate of between 3 and 4. On a 200,000 house, that can mean anywhere from $5000 to $8000 a year. MUD tax stands for Municipal Utility District. It's a water and sewage tax for unicorporated areas. Here's a link for more info:

http://www.jbgoodwin.com/knowmud.htm

But, 200,000 will get you a very nice house in some very nice master planned communities in Katy area. Prices per square foot range from the high $50's to the low $100's. I'd say the average home in south Katy area goes for $150,000. That's the average. If you want to live in the more affluent communities, you will spend more.

Here are a couple more sites to look at:

http://har.com
http://har.com/neighborhoods/default.cfm
http://www.katytexas.com

Electricity is higher in Texas - I think it's twice the national average. In the range of .15 per kilowatt hour. My car insurance went down. Many of the neighborhoods have HOA dues. Anywhere from a couple hundred to a grand.
I spend less money on groceries. And the weather's the same as back home, warm and humid. I hate the cold, so that suits me just fine.

All in all, I'd say the cost of living is about the same here as it was back home in the New Orleans area. Housing is cheaper, but property taxes are higher. But my income also went up dramatically in Houston, so we are definitely better off here than N.O.

[katyfamily]

Another similar thread that may give you more info. (I live in Katy and posted on that thread).

https://www.city-data.com/forum/houst...highlight=katy