Coolest Part of Cinco Ranch to Live in If West University, Bellaire or The Heights Was Your First Choice (Houston: how much, house)

[usc619]

Kelliwood would be your best bet.

[Mommy/Artist/Lawyer]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Don't kid yourself. There aren't many places like West U/Bellaire or the Heights in America much less the Houston area. Accept the fact that you are moving to a different world and focus on the positives.

I can only speak for Dallas because that is where I just moved from but there are residential neighborhoods all over the City of Dallas like West U, the Heights and Bellaire. Lakewood, Hollywood Heights, the M-Streets, Forest Hills, Kessler Park, Stevens Park, the White Rock Lake area, Swiss Avenue, Uptown, Knox Henderson, Munger Place, Junius Heights just to name a few and that is just on the east side of the city. Those neighborhoods are full of character, mature trees, cool restaurants, beautiful updated older homes and new construction, wonderful families and for the most part 350,000 to 400,000 will buy you a great house. Even Mckinney, a conservative suburb of Dallas in Collin county ( much like Katy) has a historic downtown area with great houses, eclectic shops and restaurants and laid back people.

I am optimistic that a metropolitan area the size of Houston and its suburbs has to have more than four cool residential neighborhoods. When it comes right down to it, people not houses are what give a neighborhood character so even a master planned community can be warm and eclectic with the right neighbors.

[stratfordspartans]

Originally Posted by usc619

Kelliwood would be your best bet.

Some areas of kelliwood reminds of West U. The trees that line Fry rd and provide a canopy over the street is an example.

[Mommy/Artist/Lawyer]

Thanks usc619 and stratfordspartans, I will check out Kelliwood on HAR.

[westres1]

Try Briargrove Park or Walnut Bend. Both near Terry Hershey with lots of kids. Not as far out as katy. Still in Houston Proper.

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by westres1

Try Briargrove Park or Walnut Bend. Both near Terry Hershey with lots of kids. Not as far out as katy. Still in Houston Proper.

Except they are not zoned to the best schools.

That's why most tend to stay in SBISD that can afford your price range.

[houstoner]

Originally Posted by Mommy/Artist/Lawyer

I can only speak for Dallas because that is where I just moved from but there are residential neighborhoods all over the City of Dallas like West U, the Heights and Bellaire. Lakewood, Hollywood Heights, the M-Streets, Forest Hills, Kessler Park, Stevens Park, the White Rock Lake area, Swiss Avenue, Uptown, Knox Henderson, Munger Place, Junius Heights just to name a few and that is just on the east side of the city. Those neighborhoods are full of character, mature trees, cool restaurants, beautiful updated older homes and new construction, wonderful families and for the most part 350,000 to 400,000 will buy you a great house. Even Mckinney, a conservative suburb of Dallas in Collin county ( much like Katy) has a historic downtown area with great houses, eclectic shops and restaurants and laid back people.

I am optimistic that a metropolitan area the size of Houston and its suburbs has to have more than four cool residential neighborhoods. When it comes right down to it, people not houses are what give a neighborhood character so even a master planned community can be warm and eclectic with the right neighbors.

There are more than four, true. Those Dallas neighborhoods you named on the east side are all right next to each other, aren't they? It is like that here in Houston, too. People use the Heights and Montrose and West U to roughly describe the larger areas, but actually there are smaller neighborhoods within them -- like Woodland Heights and Audubon Place and Southampton, and those are just a few of the ones on the west side. There are a few more, like Eastwood and Idylwood, on the east side. This board is mostly about the suburbs, so you won't hear much about inner loop neighborhoods. Look for posts by a user named modster, or go to HAIF for that.

[ZeroTX]

Originally Posted by Mommy/Artist/Lawyer

Thanks "HTBU".
The main problem with the houses that I have found for 400,000 and under in these neighborhoods is that they all been well under 2000 square feet, in need of remodeling and usually have no yard to speak of. I owned a 1500 square foot Craftsman in the M-Streets in Dallas before I had a child and loved it but now that I have a little boy my needs have changed. I want him to have space in the house and in the yard so I am looking for a minimum of 2500 square feet and a house that is either updated and not in need of a major over haul (been there done that) or new with a decent backyard. West University and Bellaire are really family friendly and residential but Montrose seems to be geared more toward adults with no kids. I want my toddler to have plenty of kids to play with in our neighborhood. Have I missed some houses?

Easily Amused, sadly I have accepted that my funky days are over but I was still hoping for a little visual charm and some smart, friendly and open minded neighbors. I'd hoped these qualities could be found even in a newer neighborhood.

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I checked out Nottingham Forest on HAR and really liked it. Do you know if there are any young kids in the neighborhood?

You have ONE child, so you need 2,500 sq/ft of living space? Wow have times changed. My mom, her 3 sisters and 2 parents lived in an 850 (being generous) sq/ft bungalow house for her entire childhood. Sure, they eventually added a room on the back when the girls were teenagers, and I'll grant that this was too little space, but people have some warped ideas about what kids "need" nowadays.

[sbhubbell]

Why do you feel the need to judge someone for using the term "need" instead of "want" in regards to square footage of house? Everybody knows "need" is a relative term, and the OP has every right to seek a bigger house than what your mom grew up in if she can afford it.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by sbhubbell

Oh, and I have yet to see a SINGLE yard sign (either Mccain OR Obama) in Cinco Ranch. I know they are not forbidden by deed restrictions, but I think people don't want to mess up the aesthetic or something. That said, my neighborhood is EXTREMELY diverse ethnically.

My Obama sign was stolen off my front yard. I'm calling this a high-crime neighborhood especially with that rapist hanging around the Kroger gas station at 99 & Highland Knolls and the Cinco Ranch High School student printing counterfeit money.