Sugar Land, Katy, or The Woodlands?

Question

Just looking for some opinions. Thanks in advance. My family and I are moving to Houston at the end of May. I have narrowed down my home search to the 3 areas above, mostly due to the good schools. I have 4 boys and their education is a big priority for us.

I will be working on Bellaire Blvd, just off Beltway 8. Obviously for proximity, Sugar Land would be best, followed by Katy, and the Woodlands.

I will be flying for work A LOT, so I'm actually considering the Woodlands because it is closer to Bush. After looking at houses, we would prefer the Woodlands, mostly because Sugar Land seems crowded, and with Katy we would have to deal with I-10. Unfortunately, from the Woodlands, I'm scared of the commute from the north. Any advice? Thanks!!

Answer 1

Now, I am quite biased, but I happen to LOVE the Katy ISD schools. I think that this would be a great school district for your boys. There are so many programs and opportunities. My husband happens to teach at Morton Ranch HS. He teaches Health Science Technology and EMT-B classes. This school district is one of the best that he has ever dealt with.......he used to work with mentally retarded kids and their schools. He says that, for the most part, things here are better than most in the area. http://www.katyisd.org
There are many great houses on the market right now, new and older. If you haven't looked, check here: http://www.har.com
Also, if you do not have a realtor, I can recommend a great one that helped us find our house in a great established Katy area home last year. Her name is Jean Stanton and she works for ReMax. She is VERY knowledgeable about the Katy and Sugar Land areas. http://www.remax.com/residential/find_an_agent/index.aspx
As for the travel, it is not going to matter where you live; you are going to hit traffic. If you time your trip just right, your trip from the Katy area to the Beltway and I-10 will not take that long, There really is no way around the traffic going ANY direction. You might not want to live close to the airport. My dad used to live in the Spring area, just a few miles from the IAH. Everything was just so loud. If you like loud noise and the thought of all that loud noises at night while you are sleeping, then live by IAH. I think that, despite the difference in mileage, living away from the airport would be the best. Too many people have moved into housed built near the airport and now are complaining about the noise.....go figure. Good luck finding the best spot for you and your family!

Answer 2

I would def. Choose Katy .. because with the Woodlands and Sugar Land you're looking at a hard and terrible commute every day AM and PM ... Katy's not as bad as the other 2. I wouldn't want to live around the area you're working at though .. Bellaire has had the worst crime rate for the past 5 years. Katy's a very nice part of Houston ... I would def. Go with Katy

Answer 3

Well, let's see... the Woodlands to Bellaire and the Beltway in morning traffic. First you deal with I-45 for about fifteen miles, which may not be horrible if you leave early enough. Then there's the tollway. It is a cluster-foxtrot from 290 to I-10, with speeds dropping to 5-10mph (because of the construction and because a lot of people work in the Energy Corridor. The trip between I-10 and Bellaire Blvd is six or seven minutes at worst.. Whoever said 20-30 minutes doesn't understand the distance involved. This commute would be 40 miles. There is a five mile stretch of stop and go traffic between 290 and I-10 (according to my wife, who goes the opposite direction to work in the morning). You'll be lucky to do it in 50 minutes during rush hour periods, either direction.

http://www.hctra.com/system/map_tl.html

Sugar Land, on the other hand, may be a lot closer, but you deal with 59 traffic and tollway north traffic (very slow moving between 59 and I-10 northbound). You're only going a few exits up, so your commute would be 20-25 minutes depending on where you live in Sugar Land.

From Katy you can take the Westpark Tollway to the Sam Houston tollway, and get off at the first exit. You'd be getting on at the Grand Parkway or Peek or Mason. Bad news if you move to Katy north of I-10, but not bad if you are south of I-10. Your commute would be from 20 to 40 minutes, depending.

http://www.hctra.com/system/pdf/westpark.pdf

(North of I-10, and you're stuck with I-10!)

Answer 4

A commute down the beltway would take you from The Woodlands to Bellaire in about 40-45 minutes. With your office being based where it is and the fact that you have to fly a lot, just get used to the idea of commuting. There is no other way around it no matter what you do. Have you thought about the Cypress area? It's up north on Hwy 290. It's not so crowded. 290 can be a pain sometimes in the morning, but once you make it to the beltway you will be fine. You would also be sort of in between everything. Hwy 6/290/1960 is a decent area. Lots of shopping and new homes.

Answer 5

Since you will be working around Bellaire Blvd, then you should not live in The Woodlands. I am a Chinese American so I wanted to be closer to Chinese businesses on Bellaire Blvd. The Woodlands is not very convenient to Bellaire Blvd.

I looked at both Sugar Land and Katy communities (south of I-10 for good schools), and end up choosing Seven Meadows in Katy. Katy is quieter than Sugar Land and cheaper too (10% cheaper). I'd highly recommend South Katy

Answer 6

The Woodlands is beautiful but the price in quality of life from Bellaire to the Woodlands daily...can't see that being healthy or positive. I would go with Katy definetly. Sugarland is nice but the feel of Katy is better. Try Cinco Ranch. I think you will be happier.

Answer 7

Hey!=)
You have done a great job of narrowing down your search! The three areas are an amazing place to raise a family. But I have to admit I am partial toward Sugar Land. Reason being, I have spent the last 13 years of my life here, and trust me its is not over crowed at all! It known for its beautiful nature surrounds, upscale shopping centers, enormous homes, and is home to many Rockets basket ball players. Sugar Land was recently ranked #3 City in the entire Nation to raise a family! (you can't beat that-at least not in Texas). Knowing you are concerned about your sons schooling I do want to inform you that Sugar Land has some of the most exemplary schools! I am actually a Realtor specializing in the Sugar Land market, for more information on homes in general you can visit my site www.NaraLakhani.com, and if you are not currently working with a Realtor I would love to help make your move as simple as possible! Good Luck and Best Wishes :)

Answer 8

All three are great areas of town. Unfortunately you're gonna have a terrible commute regardless of where you live. My personal favorite is Cypress, but since that isn't an option, The Woodlands is great. The education there is fantastic, it is convenient to the major highways and, as you pointed out, it is near the airport.

Answer 9

Most definately Cinco Ranch, its between Katy/Sugarland off 99. It is nice.

Answer 10

Go to the woodlands, it's a nice quiet area.