Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
May 3rd 2012, 8:54 am
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 9
Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
Hi,
My husband has been offered a job in Houston. We currently live in Aberdeen and have two children aged 7 and 5. I have never been to Houston and have heard many negative comments about the place. I do feel that 'Katy' would be the best place for us to live with the children but they would be going to the British School of Houston if we decide to go. Are there any other 'nice' areas nearer to the school or is the commute possible from Katy? My husbands office is in San Felipe. I also believe there are good schools in Katy but they don't follow the 'British' curriculum and have been told they are 'big' schools which would scare my daughter as she is currently attending a small village school.
Any information/advise would be greatly appreciated.
My husband has been offered a job in Houston. We currently live in Aberdeen and have two children aged 7 and 5. I have never been to Houston and have heard many negative comments about the place. I do feel that 'Katy' would be the best place for us to live with the children but they would be going to the British School of Houston if we decide to go. Are there any other 'nice' areas nearer to the school or is the commute possible from Katy? My husbands office is in San Felipe. I also believe there are good schools in Katy but they don't follow the 'British' curriculum and have been told they are 'big' schools which would scare my daughter as she is currently attending a small village school.
Any information/advise would be greatly appreciated.
May 3rd 2012, 10:33 am
#3
Joined: Jun 2010
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 2,262
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
Hello
We did the move from Aberdeen to Houston 20 months ago. Katy to San Felipe commute varies between 25-45 mins depending on traffic. Houston is like any other place, some good and some bad. It's hot and humid (it was 80' by 9.30 am this morning). It is set up for the heat though. There are splash pads for the kids to cool off at, everywhere is air conditioned, even the zoo has cooling mist sprays. I'm out in Katy. I find the locals friendly, plenty of things to do and generally enjoy myself. It's a pain being so far from family, but that goes for any over seas posting.
Personally I wouldn't use either the British school of Houston or their prep school in Katy. Ours goes to a private pre-school/Kindergarden. Our friends with kids the same age moved from a small village school to a US school and the kids haven't encountered any difficulties, but it's your personal choice where to send them.
http://www.britishschoolofhouston.or...nts/BusService
This links to the bus routes offered by the British school. All of those areas are nice. Lakes on Eldridge is a big expat place but I thought it was scarily stepford wives.HAR.com is the best place to give you an idea of houses and the high cost of renting in Houston.
Anything else I can do to help, let me know. The big thing I would consider is commute to work as if you live along way, it can take forever in Houston traffic.
We did the move from Aberdeen to Houston 20 months ago. Katy to San Felipe commute varies between 25-45 mins depending on traffic. Houston is like any other place, some good and some bad. It's hot and humid (it was 80' by 9.30 am this morning). It is set up for the heat though. There are splash pads for the kids to cool off at, everywhere is air conditioned, even the zoo has cooling mist sprays. I'm out in Katy. I find the locals friendly, plenty of things to do and generally enjoy myself. It's a pain being so far from family, but that goes for any over seas posting.
Personally I wouldn't use either the British school of Houston or their prep school in Katy. Ours goes to a private pre-school/Kindergarden. Our friends with kids the same age moved from a small village school to a US school and the kids haven't encountered any difficulties, but it's your personal choice where to send them.
http://www.britishschoolofhouston.or...nts/BusService
This links to the bus routes offered by the British school. All of those areas are nice. Lakes on Eldridge is a big expat place but I thought it was scarily stepford wives.HAR.com is the best place to give you an idea of houses and the high cost of renting in Houston.
Anything else I can do to help, let me know. The big thing I would consider is commute to work as if you live along way, it can take forever in Houston traffic.
May 3rd 2012, 12:13 pm
#4
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2009
Location: Houston
Posts: 522
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
*Waving from Lakes on Eldridge* - glory, do we appear Stepfordish? 
Anyhow, we love Lakes on Eldridge (we are in the North one). It has the direct bus to British School and Awty, plus everyone else seems to car pool to some private school.
If you are looking for the better public schools in Houston, Katy is great, but Barbara Bush Elementary in Memorial is one of the best public schools.
If your husband is working down on San Felipe (I'm assuming around the 610 and Post Oak area? Near Galleria?) then your husband will hate his life having that commute to and from Katy. 25 minutes is off rush hour; 45 minutes to an hour will be the norm. My husband's boss lives in the second phase of Cinco Ranch and some times it takes him about 1 hour from Gessner/I-10 (Energy Corridor). He now goes to work at 5:30 AM and leaves by 3 PM. Crikey, the part from Gessner to I-610 is always backed up, and 610 is a nightmare at rush hours and lunch. For your husband's sake, look into Bellaire or Galleria areas. (Pricey, but what is your budget?)
Katy has cheap housing and looks like a housing estate (think Westhill) on steroids. Prices out there run about $80 a square foot, so you get a lot of house for your money.
Lakes on Eldridge homes run about $130 a square foot. If you look around Bunker Hill, Hedwig and Piney Point - nice lovely big older lots but you'll be looking at $200 or more a square foot. These are all within good public schools.... and close enough to the British School.
The Heights is a great area with close community... and close to British School and reasonable for getting to San Felipe.
Why all the Brits run to Katy is beyond me. The restaurants are all chain, and life is all geared around the schools. Its very family-oriented, but it remains 17 miles from downtown. Maybe it is the allure of a big house? (Which you have to pay to air condition it, mind you!)
The area around Lakes of Eldridge isn't that great, but inside the community is lovely. We tend to go out for shopping and eating to Memorial and Galleria areas. If we had another choice on where to live, we'd go toward Piney Point or Hedwig Village; mostly as it is closer to hubby's work. But we'd sure miss the lakes and amenities here!
If budget isn't driving your housing, then consider places in lovely neighborhoods in Houston, not Katy. JMHO.
There are wonderful private schools here other than British School; just sayin'. I don't think its considered one of the better private schools... do you have a choice or does your employer pay only for that? At your kid's ages, the high school British required curriculum (like the year 13) shouldn't be the determining factor.
We came from Aberdeen two years ago as my husband too was transfered for Oil and Gas. There are tons of us all over Houston!
Anyhow, we love Lakes on Eldridge (we are in the North one). It has the direct bus to British School and Awty, plus everyone else seems to car pool to some private school.
If you are looking for the better public schools in Houston, Katy is great, but Barbara Bush Elementary in Memorial is one of the best public schools.
If your husband is working down on San Felipe (I'm assuming around the 610 and Post Oak area? Near Galleria?) then your husband will hate his life having that commute to and from Katy. 25 minutes is off rush hour; 45 minutes to an hour will be the norm. My husband's boss lives in the second phase of Cinco Ranch and some times it takes him about 1 hour from Gessner/I-10 (Energy Corridor). He now goes to work at 5:30 AM and leaves by 3 PM. Crikey, the part from Gessner to I-610 is always backed up, and 610 is a nightmare at rush hours and lunch. For your husband's sake, look into Bellaire or Galleria areas. (Pricey, but what is your budget?)
Katy has cheap housing and looks like a housing estate (think Westhill) on steroids. Prices out there run about $80 a square foot, so you get a lot of house for your money.
Lakes on Eldridge homes run about $130 a square foot. If you look around Bunker Hill, Hedwig and Piney Point - nice lovely big older lots but you'll be looking at $200 or more a square foot. These are all within good public schools.... and close enough to the British School.
The Heights is a great area with close community... and close to British School and reasonable for getting to San Felipe.
Why all the Brits run to Katy is beyond me. The restaurants are all chain, and life is all geared around the schools. Its very family-oriented, but it remains 17 miles from downtown. Maybe it is the allure of a big house? (Which you have to pay to air condition it, mind you!)
The area around Lakes of Eldridge isn't that great, but inside the community is lovely. We tend to go out for shopping and eating to Memorial and Galleria areas. If we had another choice on where to live, we'd go toward Piney Point or Hedwig Village; mostly as it is closer to hubby's work. But we'd sure miss the lakes and amenities here!
If budget isn't driving your housing, then consider places in lovely neighborhoods in Houston, not Katy. JMHO.
There are wonderful private schools here other than British School; just sayin'. I don't think its considered one of the better private schools... do you have a choice or does your employer pay only for that? At your kid's ages, the high school British required curriculum (like the year 13) shouldn't be the determining factor.
We came from Aberdeen two years ago as my husband too was transfered for Oil and Gas. There are tons of us all over Houston!
Last edited by Bomjeito; May 3rd 2012 at 12:16 pm.
May 3rd 2012, 2:48 pm
#5
The worse half of Weeze
Joined: Mar 2012
Location: Back in TX
Posts: 3,231
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
Wow! Weeze didn't set out to offend you personally, so please don't be!
Each to their own, I'll give my opinion on the points raised as I work in Galleria and live in Katy. We only have a child in pre-school, so I can't talk about schooling in either
I found as long as I leave before 6 AM, I can be at my desk in 30 minutes. We live in East Katy, off Fry. I come in via I10 and then exit on Chimney Rock. 610 is always to be avoided. As long as I leave before 4:30 PM it takes 40 minutes. If I leave after that, if I go up Westheimer it takes 45 minutes, as the lights are very well timed. You are right on Westheimer in the Galleria area.
In Aberdeen we lived in Kingswells. If I left at the wrong time there, my commute could also be 45 minutes.
We pay over $1/square foot for a 4,000 square foot house. We looked all over Houston, and, honestly, availability of any housing is a big issue. We also looked in Lakes on Eldridge, Memorial corridor, etc. You get a bit more house for your money out here. Our next door neighbour's house is on for $525k, and there are houses nearby on for over $1MM - Katy is large enough to have a wide range of prices.
Katy feels like an actual community - if you are in Cinco Ranch, you have access to something like 17 different pools I think. You have more choice over the type of HOA you can live in. Again, availability of housing was a huge issue - there was very little for us to choose in anywhere other than the Woodlands, and we weren't moving there. There are plenty of non-chain places to eat, or we can choose to drive to the same places as you would go to eat unless you are living in the Heights or midtown.
As an expat brat myself, having been through a whole bunch of schools, including the US one, at that age I personally would have no concerns with public education - it has additional advantages for integrating with the community for kids.
Of the expats I know, there are a few in Lakes on Eldridge, one in Sugarland, one in the Woodlands, a few in Katy, and a few in Memorial. There is certainly plenty of choice.
Each to their own, I'll give my opinion on the points raised as I work in Galleria and live in Katy. We only have a child in pre-school, so I can't talk about schooling in either
If your husband is working down on San Felipe (I'm assuming around the 610 and Post Oak area? Near Galleria?) then your husband will hate his life having that commute to and from Katy. 25 minutes is off rush hour; 45 minutes to an hour will be the norm. My husband's boss lives in the second phase of Cinco Ranch and some times it takes him about 1 hour from Gessner/I-10 (Energy Corridor). He now goes to work at 5:30 AM and leaves by 3 PM. Crikey, the part from Gessner to I-610 is always backed up, and 610 is a nightmare at rush hours and lunch. For your husband's sake, look into Bellaire or Galleria areas. (Pricey, but what is your budget?)
In Aberdeen we lived in Kingswells. If I left at the wrong time there, my commute could also be 45 minutes.
Katy has cheap housing and looks like a housing estate (think Westhill) on steroids. Prices out there run about $80 a square foot, so you get a lot of house for your money.
Lakes on Eldridge homes run about $130 a square foot. If you look around Bunker Hill, Hedwig and Piney Point - nice lovely big older lots but you'll be looking at $200 or more a square foot. These are all within good public schools.... and close enough to the British School.
Lakes on Eldridge homes run about $130 a square foot. If you look around Bunker Hill, Hedwig and Piney Point - nice lovely big older lots but you'll be looking at $200 or more a square foot. These are all within good public schools.... and close enough to the British School.
Why all the Brits run to Katy is beyond me. The restaurants are all chain, and life is all geared around the schools. Its very family-oriented, but it remains 17 miles from downtown. Maybe it is the allure of a big house? (Which you have to pay to air condition it, mind you!)
The area around Lakes of Eldridge isn't that great, but inside the community is lovely. We tend to go out for shopping and eating to Memorial and Galleria areas. If we had another choice on where to live, we'd go toward Piney Point or Hedwig Village; mostly as it is closer to hubby's work. But we'd sure miss the lakes and amenities here!
The area around Lakes of Eldridge isn't that great, but inside the community is lovely. We tend to go out for shopping and eating to Memorial and Galleria areas. If we had another choice on where to live, we'd go toward Piney Point or Hedwig Village; mostly as it is closer to hubby's work. But we'd sure miss the lakes and amenities here!
As an expat brat myself, having been through a whole bunch of schools, including the US one, at that age I personally would have no concerns with public education - it has additional advantages for integrating with the community for kids.
Of the expats I know, there are a few in Lakes on Eldridge, one in Sugarland, one in the Woodlands, a few in Katy, and a few in Memorial. There is certainly plenty of choice.
May 3rd 2012, 3:29 pm
#6
Chocoholic !
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Houston, TX - Officially Not Shit since 2009
Posts: 2,324
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
We moved from Stonehaven to Houston 4 years ago when my son was 9 (had just finished P5 at Dunnottar). He went into 4th grade which kept him with his age group.
We like Houston and have just got our green cards in fact so plan to make it our home long term. We 'bucked the trend' and moved to Pearland (south of Houston) to keep away from all the Brits in Katy and Lakes on Eldridge
Actually we chose it for commute times for my husband who spends his time 50/50 East/West Houston.
Cons: It is hot and humid as others have said, the traffic can be a nightmare and everything is really spaced out so you can spend a lot of time in your car. With older kids I have found it a bit harder to meet people.
Pros: You get a lot more bang for your buck (bigger house, nicer cars etc) but I don't necessarily find it cheaper than Uk. Lots to do, you may have a community pool or even a pool of your own. Sports events are very family orientated, concerts, theatre, lots of community stuff put on. You are almost guaranteed good weather so you can make plans for the weekend, BBQ, day out at the beach without worrying if it will rain.
We checked out The British School and didn't love what we saw, was very run down. Our dude settled very well at our local elementary, we found that the teachers were excellent and really helped him settle in. The kids were taken from class to class and the teachers wait outside with them until parents come to do pick up. My son actually complained that they treated him like a baby so although the schools are bigger than what we are used to I don't think your daughter would feel 'lost'.
I was very nervous about the move but am so glad we did it now. Even if we had ended up going home to UK it has been a fantastic experience and my son who is now 13 says he never wants to go back to UK.
We like Houston and have just got our green cards in fact so plan to make it our home long term. We 'bucked the trend' and moved to Pearland (south of Houston) to keep away from all the Brits in Katy and Lakes on Eldridge
Actually we chose it for commute times for my husband who spends his time 50/50 East/West Houston.
Cons: It is hot and humid as others have said, the traffic can be a nightmare and everything is really spaced out so you can spend a lot of time in your car. With older kids I have found it a bit harder to meet people.
Pros: You get a lot more bang for your buck (bigger house, nicer cars etc) but I don't necessarily find it cheaper than Uk. Lots to do, you may have a community pool or even a pool of your own. Sports events are very family orientated, concerts, theatre, lots of community stuff put on. You are almost guaranteed good weather so you can make plans for the weekend, BBQ, day out at the beach without worrying if it will rain.
We checked out The British School and didn't love what we saw, was very run down. Our dude settled very well at our local elementary, we found that the teachers were excellent and really helped him settle in. The kids were taken from class to class and the teachers wait outside with them until parents come to do pick up. My son actually complained that they treated him like a baby so although the schools are bigger than what we are used to I don't think your daughter would feel 'lost'.
I was very nervous about the move but am so glad we did it now. Even if we had ended up going home to UK it has been a fantastic experience and my son who is now 13 says he never wants to go back to UK.
May 4th 2012, 1:19 am
#7
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 9
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
*Waving from Lakes on Eldridge* - glory, do we appear Stepfordish?
Anyhow, we love Lakes on Eldridge (we are in the North one). It has the direct bus to British School and Awty, plus everyone else seems to car pool to some private school.
If you are looking for the better public schools in Houston, Katy is great, but Barbara Bush Elementary in Memorial is one of the best public schools.
If your husband is working down on San Felipe (I'm assuming around the 610 and Post Oak area? Near Galleria?) then your husband will hate his life having that commute to and from Katy. 25 minutes is off rush hour; 45 minutes to an hour will be the norm. My husband's boss lives in the second phase of Cinco Ranch and some times it takes him about 1 hour from Gessner/I-10 (Energy Corridor). He now goes to work at 5:30 AM and leaves by 3 PM. Crikey, the part from Gessner to I-610 is always backed up, and 610 is a nightmare at rush hours and lunch. For your husband's sake, look into Bellaire or Galleria areas. (Pricey, but what is your budget?)
Katy has cheap housing and looks like a housing estate (think Westhill) on steroids. Prices out there run about $80 a square foot, so you get a lot of house for your money.
Lakes on Eldridge homes run about $130 a square foot. If you look around Bunker Hill, Hedwig and Piney Point - nice lovely big older lots but you'll be looking at $200 or more a square foot. These are all within good public schools.... and close enough to the British School.
The Heights is a great area with close community... and close to British School and reasonable for getting to San Felipe.
Why all the Brits run to Katy is beyond me. The restaurants are all chain, and life is all geared around the schools. Its very family-oriented, but it remains 17 miles from downtown. Maybe it is the allure of a big house? (Which you have to pay to air condition it, mind you!)
The area around Lakes of Eldridge isn't that great, but inside the community is lovely. We tend to go out for shopping and eating to Memorial and Galleria areas. If we had another choice on where to live, we'd go toward Piney Point or Hedwig Village; mostly as it is closer to hubby's work. But we'd sure miss the lakes and amenities here!
If budget isn't driving your housing, then consider places in lovely neighborhoods in Houston, not Katy. JMHO.
There are wonderful private schools here other than British School; just sayin'. I don't think its considered one of the better private schools... do you have a choice or does your employer pay only for that? At your kid's ages, the high school British required curriculum (like the year 13) shouldn't be the determining factor.
We came from Aberdeen two years ago as my husband too was transfered for Oil and Gas. There are tons of us all over Houston!
Anyhow, we love Lakes on Eldridge (we are in the North one). It has the direct bus to British School and Awty, plus everyone else seems to car pool to some private school.
If you are looking for the better public schools in Houston, Katy is great, but Barbara Bush Elementary in Memorial is one of the best public schools.
If your husband is working down on San Felipe (I'm assuming around the 610 and Post Oak area? Near Galleria?) then your husband will hate his life having that commute to and from Katy. 25 minutes is off rush hour; 45 minutes to an hour will be the norm. My husband's boss lives in the second phase of Cinco Ranch and some times it takes him about 1 hour from Gessner/I-10 (Energy Corridor). He now goes to work at 5:30 AM and leaves by 3 PM. Crikey, the part from Gessner to I-610 is always backed up, and 610 is a nightmare at rush hours and lunch. For your husband's sake, look into Bellaire or Galleria areas. (Pricey, but what is your budget?)
Katy has cheap housing and looks like a housing estate (think Westhill) on steroids. Prices out there run about $80 a square foot, so you get a lot of house for your money.
Lakes on Eldridge homes run about $130 a square foot. If you look around Bunker Hill, Hedwig and Piney Point - nice lovely big older lots but you'll be looking at $200 or more a square foot. These are all within good public schools.... and close enough to the British School.
The Heights is a great area with close community... and close to British School and reasonable for getting to San Felipe.
Why all the Brits run to Katy is beyond me. The restaurants are all chain, and life is all geared around the schools. Its very family-oriented, but it remains 17 miles from downtown. Maybe it is the allure of a big house? (Which you have to pay to air condition it, mind you!)
The area around Lakes of Eldridge isn't that great, but inside the community is lovely. We tend to go out for shopping and eating to Memorial and Galleria areas. If we had another choice on where to live, we'd go toward Piney Point or Hedwig Village; mostly as it is closer to hubby's work. But we'd sure miss the lakes and amenities here!
If budget isn't driving your housing, then consider places in lovely neighborhoods in Houston, not Katy. JMHO.
There are wonderful private schools here other than British School; just sayin'. I don't think its considered one of the better private schools... do you have a choice or does your employer pay only for that? At your kid's ages, the high school British required curriculum (like the year 13) shouldn't be the determining factor.
We came from Aberdeen two years ago as my husband too was transfered for Oil and Gas. There are tons of us all over Houston!
thanx for the info. My kids don't have to go to the British School of Houston. What other private schools are there out in Houston that are good?
May 4th 2012, 3:20 am
#8
Chocoholic !
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Houston, TX - Officially Not Shit since 2009
Posts: 2,324
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
http://www.greatschools.org/ - reviews of some of them
I don't have personal experience of any of them and everyone I know who has moved has their kids in the local schools - sorry.
May 4th 2012, 3:36 am
#9
Rootbeeraholic
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,280
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
Can't help with the schooling yet as mine is too young at the moment to give any practical advice.
We live out towards Cypress (Barker @ West) and I commute to the Galleria (my office is also just off San Felipe @ 610). The commute is okay pre 6am or post 8.30 it's only 25 mins for me but it can be an hour in traffic. I used to commute 1.5 hours each way into London every day so compared to that it's a breeze.
Katy is also nice and has the benefit that I-10 has been completed and is a much nicer drive into the center than 290. There are plenty of nice areas on the West side from Katy up towards Spring it just depends where you want to be and how much you want to spend.
We bought our house last year. You can get a lot for your money if you buy, but renting is much more difficult. There is far less choice. It all depends on what your priorities are. Ours were nice area, decent schools, being able to have a decent sized yard for our son to play in and to have the sized house that we wanted (circa 3,600 sqft). We live in the Copper Lakes area and absolutely love it. All of our neighbours are really nice and friendly and we really like the area. There are chain restuarants all over Houston, this isn't isolated to just Katy and there are non-chain restaurants around too.
The beauty of being outside the city is that there is a lot of family stuff to do. A lot of the sports activities take place further out. Having lived downtown myself, I wouldn't recommend it with Children and actually although there are a few nice bars/restaurants in the midtown/downtown area, it's not somewhere I'd want to live now.
We live out towards Cypress (Barker @ West) and I commute to the Galleria (my office is also just off San Felipe @ 610). The commute is okay pre 6am or post 8.30 it's only 25 mins for me but it can be an hour in traffic. I used to commute 1.5 hours each way into London every day so compared to that it's a breeze.
Katy is also nice and has the benefit that I-10 has been completed and is a much nicer drive into the center than 290. There are plenty of nice areas on the West side from Katy up towards Spring it just depends where you want to be and how much you want to spend.
We bought our house last year. You can get a lot for your money if you buy, but renting is much more difficult. There is far less choice. It all depends on what your priorities are. Ours were nice area, decent schools, being able to have a decent sized yard for our son to play in and to have the sized house that we wanted (circa 3,600 sqft). We live in the Copper Lakes area and absolutely love it. All of our neighbours are really nice and friendly and we really like the area. There are chain restuarants all over Houston, this isn't isolated to just Katy and there are non-chain restaurants around too.
The beauty of being outside the city is that there is a lot of family stuff to do. A lot of the sports activities take place further out. Having lived downtown myself, I wouldn't recommend it with Children and actually although there are a few nice bars/restaurants in the midtown/downtown area, it's not somewhere I'd want to live now.
Last edited by Bink; May 4th 2012 at 3:55 am. Reason: Additional info
May 4th 2012, 5:07 am
#10
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2009
Location: Houston
Posts: 522
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
Ahh - no offense on being in LOEN. Only one particular group of ladies seems to be Stepfordish, and I'm not a part of that group.... but we moved here not knowing that our neighbors most likely would not be Texan or American by birth. In our cul de sac of 8 houses, one is of a Texan couple who moved from Memorial with their 4 kids. They home school. The others are Pakistani, Indian, English, Scot, Chinese, Thai and the other is Japanese. Lets just say our block party has great food!
The communities out in Cypress are quite nice too, and I have friends at Copper Lakes. The only problem is they are far from downtown, if you like the eating and theater places around Montrose, Rice Village, etc.
As for private schools, and other areas of Houston, look into City-data.com. Just recently another thread went up about private schools. Here is that one: http://www.city-data.com/forum/houst...s-houston.html I realize those are high schools, but you can post the question for private elementary schools.
We chose Lakes on Eldridge North because we travel so much that the house is vacant often. The idea of a monitored, gated community with sheriff patrol attracted us. Along with the lakes and amenities - the second biggest draw was the 7 mile drive to hubby's work. Our first plan was to live in Memorial, but the stock of housing was quite aged and we weren't ready to do renovations along with our move here.
What is so important is to get a good feel of the neighborhoods first, esp if you cannot rent. We also went with a local Houston realtor (she was exceptional - I'm happy to recommend her) instead of the realtor the company offered (a Brit who had only lived here about 4 years and insisted Katy was the only place for us...) - and we did Katy for rush hours, school let out times, etc. After a few days, we knew Katy wasn't for us (which means for US, not for everyone else! Many people love it out there, especially those with kids!) We then spent time in Cypress - loved it out there but decided that closer was better for us, as my husband did not want to get up at 5 AM to get ready for work.
We lived on the south part of Aberdeen and often had 30 minutes wait at the Brig o Dee. After Houston, that wait won't affect us in the least!
I've lived in Dallas, Fort Worth and Las Vegas before, and Houston traffic is some of the worst I've seen in the USA. Even locals will tell you - try to live close to where you work.
Above all, get a good feel for the neighborhood by spending time in them. One Aberdonian insisted they were moving to Fairfield, sight unseen, because so many other Brits told them how great it was. They got here, rented in there, and hated it because it was far from work and other activities. They had a home built in Bridgeland. I'm giving you these names so you can google them for location.
My husband's company is British, and mostly expats in his department. The single folk tend to go toward Galleria, Rice V and Montrose. The married and young folk without kids tend to be in the Heights, Montrose, Rice. The married with kids seem to be Bellaire, Copperfield, Cypress and Katy. The Lakes of Eldridge crowds tend to be older marrieds with teens or empty nests. The Twin Lakes crowd is definitely family as those houses are rarely under 4000 sq ft. Shell and BP stock these last communities. Everyone in our cul de sac of 8 is in the oil and gas sector except the two homes with retirees, and one of those is retired oil folk. So I can see Katy having more of a melting pot of people from all over the world (including many more natives) than some of these neighborhoods so close to Shell, BP, etc.
The families I know that moved to Katy are quite happy there. Is this a permanent move? We were offered 3 months rental by the company first and we chose the Memorial Area. They let us choose the area, which was really helpful. This gave us time to look around, see places and decide.
It'll be a nice adventure for you all, and you'll find many friendly folk here.
The communities out in Cypress are quite nice too, and I have friends at Copper Lakes. The only problem is they are far from downtown, if you like the eating and theater places around Montrose, Rice Village, etc.
As for private schools, and other areas of Houston, look into City-data.com. Just recently another thread went up about private schools. Here is that one: http://www.city-data.com/forum/houst...s-houston.html I realize those are high schools, but you can post the question for private elementary schools.
We chose Lakes on Eldridge North because we travel so much that the house is vacant often. The idea of a monitored, gated community with sheriff patrol attracted us. Along with the lakes and amenities - the second biggest draw was the 7 mile drive to hubby's work. Our first plan was to live in Memorial, but the stock of housing was quite aged and we weren't ready to do renovations along with our move here.
What is so important is to get a good feel of the neighborhoods first, esp if you cannot rent. We also went with a local Houston realtor (she was exceptional - I'm happy to recommend her) instead of the realtor the company offered (a Brit who had only lived here about 4 years and insisted Katy was the only place for us...) - and we did Katy for rush hours, school let out times, etc. After a few days, we knew Katy wasn't for us (which means for US, not for everyone else! Many people love it out there, especially those with kids!) We then spent time in Cypress - loved it out there but decided that closer was better for us, as my husband did not want to get up at 5 AM to get ready for work.
We lived on the south part of Aberdeen and often had 30 minutes wait at the Brig o Dee. After Houston, that wait won't affect us in the least!
I've lived in Dallas, Fort Worth and Las Vegas before, and Houston traffic is some of the worst I've seen in the USA. Even locals will tell you - try to live close to where you work.
Above all, get a good feel for the neighborhood by spending time in them. One Aberdonian insisted they were moving to Fairfield, sight unseen, because so many other Brits told them how great it was. They got here, rented in there, and hated it because it was far from work and other activities. They had a home built in Bridgeland. I'm giving you these names so you can google them for location.
My husband's company is British, and mostly expats in his department. The single folk tend to go toward Galleria, Rice V and Montrose. The married and young folk without kids tend to be in the Heights, Montrose, Rice. The married with kids seem to be Bellaire, Copperfield, Cypress and Katy. The Lakes of Eldridge crowds tend to be older marrieds with teens or empty nests. The Twin Lakes crowd is definitely family as those houses are rarely under 4000 sq ft. Shell and BP stock these last communities. Everyone in our cul de sac of 8 is in the oil and gas sector except the two homes with retirees, and one of those is retired oil folk. So I can see Katy having more of a melting pot of people from all over the world (including many more natives) than some of these neighborhoods so close to Shell, BP, etc.
The families I know that moved to Katy are quite happy there. Is this a permanent move? We were offered 3 months rental by the company first and we chose the Memorial Area. They let us choose the area, which was really helpful. This gave us time to look around, see places and decide.
It'll be a nice adventure for you all, and you'll find many friendly folk here.
Last edited by Bomjeito; May 4th 2012 at 5:10 am.
May 4th 2012, 5:26 am
#11
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 9
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
http://houstonprivateschools.org/ - list of houston area private schools
http://www.greatschools.org/ - reviews of some of them
I don't have personal experience of any of them and everyone I know who has moved has their kids in the local schools - sorry.
http://www.greatschools.org/ - reviews of some of them
I don't have personal experience of any of them and everyone I know who has moved has their kids in the local schools - sorry.
Thank you!!
May 4th 2012, 6:05 am
#12
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 9
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
Ahh - no offense on being in LOEN. Only one particular group of ladies seems to be Stepfordish, and I'm not a part of that group.... but we moved here not knowing that our neighbors most likely would not be Texan or American by birth. In our cul de sac of 8 houses, one is of a Texan couple who moved from Memorial with their 4 kids. They home school. The others are Pakistani, Indian, English, Scot, Chinese, Thai and the other is Japanese. Lets just say our block party has great food!
The communities out in Cypress are quite nice too, and I have friends at Copper Lakes. The only problem is they are far from downtown, if you like the eating and theater places around Montrose, Rice Village, etc.
As for private schools, and other areas of Houston, look into City-data.com. Just recently another thread went up about private schools. Here is that one: http://www.city-data.com/forum/houst...s-houston.html I realize those are high schools, but you can post the question for private elementary schools.
We chose Lakes on Eldridge North because we travel so much that the house is vacant often. The idea of a monitored, gated community with sheriff patrol attracted us. Along with the lakes and amenities - the second biggest draw was the 7 mile drive to hubby's work. Our first plan was to live in Memorial, but the stock of housing was quite aged and we weren't ready to do renovations along with our move here.
What is so important is to get a good feel of the neighborhoods first, esp if you cannot rent. We also went with a local Houston realtor (she was exceptional - I'm happy to recommend her) instead of the realtor the company offered (a Brit who had only lived here about 4 years and insisted Katy was the only place for us...) - and we did Katy for rush hours, school let out times, etc. After a few days, we knew Katy wasn't for us (which means for US, not for everyone else! Many people love it out there, especially those with kids!) We then spent time in Cypress - loved it out there but decided that closer was better for us, as my husband did not want to get up at 5 AM to get ready for work.
We lived on the south part of Aberdeen and often had 30 minutes wait at the Brig o Dee. After Houston, that wait won't affect us in the least!
I've lived in Dallas, Fort Worth and Las Vegas before, and Houston traffic is some of the worst I've seen in the USA. Even locals will tell you - try to live close to where you work.
Above all, get a good feel for the neighborhood by spending time in them. One Aberdonian insisted they were moving to Fairfield, sight unseen, because so many other Brits told them how great it was. They got here, rented in there, and hated it because it was far from work and other activities. They had a home built in Bridgeland. I'm giving you these names so you can google them for location.
My husband's company is British, and mostly expats in his department. The single folk tend to go toward Galleria, Rice V and Montrose. The married and young folk without kids tend to be in the Heights, Montrose, Rice. The married with kids seem to be Bellaire, Copperfield, Cypress and Katy. The Lakes of Eldridge crowds tend to be older marrieds with teens or empty nests. The Twin Lakes crowd is definitely family as those houses are rarely under 4000 sq ft. Shell and BP stock these last communities. Everyone in our cul de sac of 8 is in the oil and gas sector except the two homes with retirees, and one of those is retired oil folk. So I can see Katy having more of a melting pot of people from all over the world (including many more natives) than some of these neighborhoods so close to Shell, BP, etc.
The families I know that moved to Katy are quite happy there. Is this a permanent move? We were offered 3 months rental by the company first and we chose the Memorial Area. They let us choose the area, which was really helpful. This gave us time to look around, see places and decide.
It'll be a nice adventure for you all, and you'll find many friendly folk here.
The communities out in Cypress are quite nice too, and I have friends at Copper Lakes. The only problem is they are far from downtown, if you like the eating and theater places around Montrose, Rice Village, etc.
As for private schools, and other areas of Houston, look into City-data.com. Just recently another thread went up about private schools. Here is that one: http://www.city-data.com/forum/houst...s-houston.html I realize those are high schools, but you can post the question for private elementary schools.
We chose Lakes on Eldridge North because we travel so much that the house is vacant often. The idea of a monitored, gated community with sheriff patrol attracted us. Along with the lakes and amenities - the second biggest draw was the 7 mile drive to hubby's work. Our first plan was to live in Memorial, but the stock of housing was quite aged and we weren't ready to do renovations along with our move here.
What is so important is to get a good feel of the neighborhoods first, esp if you cannot rent. We also went with a local Houston realtor (she was exceptional - I'm happy to recommend her) instead of the realtor the company offered (a Brit who had only lived here about 4 years and insisted Katy was the only place for us...) - and we did Katy for rush hours, school let out times, etc. After a few days, we knew Katy wasn't for us (which means for US, not for everyone else! Many people love it out there, especially those with kids!) We then spent time in Cypress - loved it out there but decided that closer was better for us, as my husband did not want to get up at 5 AM to get ready for work.
We lived on the south part of Aberdeen and often had 30 minutes wait at the Brig o Dee. After Houston, that wait won't affect us in the least!
I've lived in Dallas, Fort Worth and Las Vegas before, and Houston traffic is some of the worst I've seen in the USA. Even locals will tell you - try to live close to where you work.
Above all, get a good feel for the neighborhood by spending time in them. One Aberdonian insisted they were moving to Fairfield, sight unseen, because so many other Brits told them how great it was. They got here, rented in there, and hated it because it was far from work and other activities. They had a home built in Bridgeland. I'm giving you these names so you can google them for location.
My husband's company is British, and mostly expats in his department. The single folk tend to go toward Galleria, Rice V and Montrose. The married and young folk without kids tend to be in the Heights, Montrose, Rice. The married with kids seem to be Bellaire, Copperfield, Cypress and Katy. The Lakes of Eldridge crowds tend to be older marrieds with teens or empty nests. The Twin Lakes crowd is definitely family as those houses are rarely under 4000 sq ft. Shell and BP stock these last communities. Everyone in our cul de sac of 8 is in the oil and gas sector except the two homes with retirees, and one of those is retired oil folk. So I can see Katy having more of a melting pot of people from all over the world (including many more natives) than some of these neighborhoods so close to Shell, BP, etc.
The families I know that moved to Katy are quite happy there. Is this a permanent move? We were offered 3 months rental by the company first and we chose the Memorial Area. They let us choose the area, which was really helpful. This gave us time to look around, see places and decide.
It'll be a nice adventure for you all, and you'll find many friendly folk here.
May 4th 2012, 6:29 am
#13
Joined: Jun 2010
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 2,262
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
Just re-read your post. I heard a lot of negative comments from people about Houston too. Mostly from those that had never been. My oh's company paid for me to visit for a week. I went round different neighborhoods, viewed some houses, I even went to grocery stores (exciting I know!). It helped a lot to see it for myself and know more about what we'd be moving to.
Bomjeito, it was the hoa regs that scared me in LOE. As we were viewing a house we were told how long the grass had to be cut to and what planting was allowed front of house. Saying that, we probably have similar regs here, I just haven't read them!
Bomjeito, it was the hoa regs that scared me in LOE. As we were viewing a house we were told how long the grass had to be cut to and what planting was allowed front of house. Saying that, we probably have similar regs here, I just haven't read them!
May 4th 2012, 6:57 am
#14
Rootbeeraholic
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,280
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
Ahh - no offense on being in LOEN. Only one particular group of ladies seems to be Stepfordish, and I'm not a part of that group.... but we moved here not knowing that our neighbors most likely would not be Texan or American by birth. In our cul de sac of 8 houses, one is of a Texan couple who moved from Memorial with their 4 kids. They home school. The others are Pakistani, Indian, English, Scot, Chinese, Thai and the other is Japanese. Lets just say our block party has great food!
The communities out in Cypress are quite nice too, and I have friends at Copper Lakes. The only problem is they are far from downtown, if you like the eating and theater places around Montrose, Rice Village, etc.
The communities out in Cypress are quite nice too, and I have friends at Copper Lakes. The only problem is they are far from downtown, if you like the eating and theater places around Montrose, Rice Village, etc.
We're not really in an expat community where we're at. It's predominately American's and I think I may even be the only O&G in our section.
As for Houston itself. I actually love it here. I don't like that you have to drive everywhere but that's one of the only real downsides for me. I like to drive so even that isn't so bad (get a comfortable car, you'll spend a lot of time in it and be thankful for it!). I love being able to finish by 4 and go and spend the early evening in the sun, playing a round of golf or soaking up the sun in a pool. You can find anything here, I think you just have to learn to do things slightly differently. For example, shopping isn't as easy as it is in the UK as things can be quite spread out, so you need to be a bit more organized in having an idea of where you're going with a plan in mind, but there are far more specialist shops (at least in my opinion).
May 4th 2012, 7:01 am
#15
Rootbeeraholic
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,280
Re: Possible move to Houston from Aberdeen
Just re-read your post. I heard a lot of negative comments from people about Houston too. Mostly from those that had never been. My oh's company paid for me to visit for a week. I went round different neighborhoods, viewed some houses, I even went to grocery stores (exciting I know!). It helped a lot to see it for myself and know more about what we'd be moving to.
Bomjeito, it was the hoa regs that scared me in LOE. As we were viewing a house we were told how long the grass had to be cut to and what planting was allowed front of house. Saying that, we probably have similar regs here, I just haven't read them!
Bomjeito, it was the hoa regs that scared me in LOE. As we were viewing a house we were told how long the grass had to be cut to and what planting was allowed front of house. Saying that, we probably have similar regs here, I just haven't read them!
