Where to live near the Univ. of Houston (San Antonio, Van: wood floors, to rent)

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by Guerilla

Try Afton Oaks, too. That neighborhood is in the middle of Greenway Plaza, just off of Richmond Avenue.

A great choice. I think Greenway Plaza is quite possibly my favorite place to be in the entire city. Especially at night .

[hello13685]

Thanks to all! And to mpope, I didn't mean to offend you at all. Three robberies just sounded so extreme, even for a city cat. Maybe I'll just have to become Carrie Bradshaw (from Sex and the City) and get mugged of my handbag and designer shoes every now and then

[modster]

Afton Oaks is a wonderful area, I lived there for about 5 years, however, it does not fit what the poster has asked for when he said relatively affordable. At least to me an area where the vast majority of the homes are over $500,000 doesn't really fit that definition. You can buy a "tear down" in there for in the low $300's or maybe spend $350 to $400k on something facing Richmond Avenue, a very busy 6 lane street. There might be one or two that can be had under $400,000. But you certainly wouldn't have a lot of choices. Certainly nothing if you are wanting to stay under $300,000.

People who have never set foot in areas like Idylwood for example, will be very quick to direct you to points west because they have no real knowledge of some of the nice areas to the east. Personally I don't see the point of going west unless you feel the need to be closer to the Galleria than to your job.

Everyone has different priorities and tastes, but since you would be working at U of H, I would encourage you to talk to people at the University, and drive some of these areas at night and/or dusk to get a feel for them and see what you think before deciding on areas that are a farther commute and less architecturally interesting for the money.

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by hello13685

Thanks to all! And to mpope, I didn't mean to offend you at all. Three robberies just sounded so extreme, even for a city cat. Maybe I'll just have to become Carrie Bradshaw (from Sex and the City) and get mugged of my handbag and designer shoes every now and then

Yeah, well that's all it was, a mugging. It wasn't a break-in or anything like that. If I experienced a break-in more than three times, there's no chance I would stay in that neighborhood, only because I work hard for everything I have.

...and I hate Sex and the City

[eastwest]

Originally Posted by mpope409

A great choice. I think Greenway Plaza is quite possibly my favorite place to be in the entire city. Especially at night .

Greenway Plaza is AWESOME, I love that area

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by eastwest

Are you kidding me? Neighborhoods/housing surrounding the campus are HORRID. It's super dangerous to venture into the neighborhoods around UH. The dorms are old, but not dangerous and filled with drug dealers, like 3rd ward wrapping around UH is. You've obviously never been to Scott St or Telephone Rd.....

I just noticed you put that. Telephone Rd isn't anywhere near the U of H campus.

But in my opinion, the best way to put it is that the area surrounding the TSU campus is the "bad" part. Not really UH. Texas Southern is smack-dab in the Ghetto.

[houstoner]

There are some very nice areas near UH and TSU and some that are not-so-nice. My daughter used to attend the Catholic Montessori school a couple blocks away from TSU. I felt more unsafe living in the Montrose and the Heights than I ever did in Third Ward and I like all three neighborhoods. Like someone else said, it really is a block-by-block adventure. That's just urban living for you. If you're not cut out for it, you won't like it. I'll take the energy, the history, and the colorful characters of neighborhoods like that to the blandness of the 'burbs any day. To each her own.

[houstonman]

Originally Posted by modster

No, like most of the areas closer in it can be a "block-by-block adventure" because of our lack of zoning, where you have good areas next to bad. If someone has a Katy-Spring-Sugarland mentality there is very little over there that someone like that would find appealing. It is better suited for more urban minded people....(you know who you are)!

Very Well stated. "block-by-block-adventure": good way of putting it. Which is very very true of this area. But I must agree, the Univ. Oak division just south of UofH is quite stable and very nice.

And to Visitor2007, just because an area may be classified as a "ghetto" (whatever in the heck that means), does not necessarily make it dangerous. Kinda of partial against the 3rd Ward aye

[houstonman]

Originally Posted by eastwest

Stay away from areas near UH. I've gone to school there and trust me, everything surrounding it is GHETTO. Plenty of my friends have gotten robbed, held up a gunpoint, carjacked. etc. by "gangstaz" coming in from 3rd ward. Do yourself a favor and move to the Heights or something with less violent crime and crackheads.

Ever heard of anyone getting robbed in the Galleria or Sharstown area. Probably NOT if one chooses to use look at events selectively or with a narrow myopic view. So far as your Heights being totally safe and untainted with crime, please read the story about a couple killed in their nice upscale townhouse http://www.khou.com/news/local/houstonmetro/stories/khou051222_ac_floydshooting.d1a756.html (broken link). Or, if you will, lookup all the illicit behaviors in and around the trails Memorial Park. Also, within 1 mile of the campus along S & N MacGregor, there is some of the largest homes in Houston and the majority are non-white (since the 1950's)

And to all others, I know that I have selected a few aberrant events, but it is just to show that violence does happen everywhere

Also, remember: "STATISTICS DONT LIE, IT'S THE INTERPETOR OR THE INTERPREATION THAT DOES"

[modster]

So what did the original poster end up doing? Did you take the job at U of H or not?