This is Houston? (best city, private schools, living in)

[texas7]

Originally Posted by tstone

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Houston Crime Map - Clear Lake Patrol Division - 12D10 Beat

Inside the beltway is not Clear Lake. This is the (somewhat rough to very rough) SE side.

Clear Lake is between Ellington and NASA, and a different beat number not on the top 10, though it does kiss that barrio to the north.

HPD should rename this beat to Southbelt, South Point or Fuqua-Almeda-Edgebrook to stop the confusion.

Yeah I met a guy at a restaurant on 45 a few weeks ago who had moved away from Fuqua and a cross street that runs by Almeda Mall. Said he was born in that house, had lived there 40 years since birth and had moved because the crime right there has gotten so bad in such a short amount of time.

[Svensk08]

Originally Posted by Zhang Fei

What zip is this?

Zip code = 77023.

It includes Eastwood and Idylwood, among other up-and-coming older neighborhoods.

[tstone]

Originally Posted by texas7

Yeah I met a guy at a restaurant on 45 a few weeks ago who had moved away from Fuqua and a cross street that runs by Almeda Mall. Said he was born in that house, had lived there 40 years since birth and had moved because the crime right there has gotten so bad in such a short amount of time.

Back behind Almeda Mall and parts of that whole area resembles Fondren Southwest nowadays. Boarded up apartments, businesses, dead shopping area that seemed to be bustling only a few years ago. Call it a **** match, region war or whatever... that area is like night & day compared to Clear Lake crossing over 6-7 miles.

[texas7]

I know - absolutely amazing at how rapidly that area declined. Once it got on the downward track -- it just spiraled.....

[TomNewYork]

So is mold a serious problem in Houston? With all the humidity, and floods now I wonder about it.

I'm really grateful for all of your help so that my next trip there should be more fruitful as I have seemed to went to the wrong parts this time around.

[jimmyev]

Houston doesn't sound like a good fit. You really can't live in a nice neighborhood inside the loop without coming close to the cost-of-living you have now. That pushes you out to Katy/Woodlands/Sugar Land/Clear Lake/Pearland - all of which are beautiful newish suburban areas - generally with long commutes if you don't work in them. You might like an urban area inside an older, smaller city between the East and West coasts. There are a few whose job markets have held up surprisingly well.

[texas7]

Mold happens when you have a water damage (leak, flood, ongoing leak that isn't repaired) that is ignored and allowed to flourish. If you get water in your home - you make sure you get a company that knows how to dry out the walls and treat the wood. If your a/c leaks into the walks, or sink/bathroom leaks - you fix it. If ignored - yes it will mold. Now what people often don't realize is that even if water goes into your home and just gets as high as the baseboards and goes right out - the sheetrock and wood absorbs some of it for anywhere from 1 foot high or more. Many just rip out the carpet - replace and it are done. If you don't have a professional come in with de-humidifiers and some fans - it could mold. Your house won't mold just by being in Houston - there has to be a constant source of wet or a flood.

[cheryjohns]

Never addressed the Park and Ride question. There are Park and Ride satelites in the suburbs - you drive from your home to the satelite and board one of the buses for downtown. Convenient.

[SoHoVe]

I had to LOL when you mentioned the industrial areas...what were you expecting??? With that said I agree with the others who explained that Houston DOES have some very nice areas but unlike some other cities you really need to know where to find them. I've lived in NYC too and I don't think you can compare the two cities about the only thing they have in common is that they both make no apologies for being what they are. Much of Houston lacks zoning which can either makes things seem interesting or seem like a giant mess with no rhyme or reason...its all a matter of perspective.
As open minded as you seem I am not sure you would ever like Houston or maybe even the state of TX. Things are VERY different here. Maybe DFW would be a better fit? It probably depends on the industry but jobs are NOT that easy to find here. I live in a white collar community and we have quite a few folks here who were laid off and have been unemployed for months. I also encountered (and this is just MY experience) employers who seemed quite biased toward hiring fellow Texans rather than people from out of state. The job market isn't as strong IMHO as people from out of state seem to think it is. There will generally be alot of competition out there from people who are also seeking employment.

Best of luck to you and I hope you find what you are looking for.

[Rachael84]

Take it from me...About 15 years ago my dad was offered a transfer for his job with really good pay in Houston. This was while we were living on Long Island. A lot of people at his company took up the offer and really didn't like it there. Most ended up moving back. They had to send their kids to private schools due to the lack of strong public schools. He decided to stay here and I'm so glad he did.