I was hoping for some ideas on where to live - either in College Station area or between College Station and Houston. I am going to be starting a new position at Texas A&M. I have been living on the west coast for my job and my fiance is currently living in Houston. Right now I am looking to rent a place for a year that is either near my job (I am in my early 30's and not looking for single life, so a nicer area, not students would be more ideal), or somewhere halfway between College Station and Houston where I could commute halfway to my job and halfway to my fiance. Eventually we will end up in the same house, but for now he has a custody agreement that he can't take his kids out of the county. Any suggestions on places for me to live are appreciated. Thank you!

Since you are out of state, call Aggieland Apartment Finders and they can help you find a place. They are a free locator service in town and know the area top to bottom. I know several people that have used them and they a can save you a lot of trouble.

I agree with Stupe. Rent in CS for a year.

Plenty of options in south CS near Hwy 6 that'll get you to campus quickly (20 minutes tops).

Houston is an easy drive depending on where your fiance lives. You can run into delays on 290 if they have the highway closed while working on Grand Parkway. What part of Houston does he live in?

I would definitely avoid the "living half way between Houston and CS" option. It's like the worst of both worlds -- you're not close to your fiancee, and you're not close to work. I know someone who's doing this very thing right now, by the way, and suffice it to say that they're not particularly happy with the highlights of life in Montgomery, TX, or the commute back and forth on TX-105.

Getting a place here in CS seems like the way to go, and finding a place that has a smaller density of students won't be too difficult.

Good luck to you in the move, and welcome to the A&M community. I hope you have a successful time here.

Houston has become insane.

Sadly toll roads are taking over, and commute time and cost will drive you crazy.

Depending on where he lives in Houston and what time you go, it can take very little time to get between Houston and College Station. I've done the commute both ways and I would pick living and working in B/CS and driving in to Houston over the other way around. And there really isn't much between here and Houston that will give you any kind of benefit over just driving. I can make it from south College Station to the museum district in Houston in about 90 minutes on a weekday using the HOV lanes or toll roads. You just have to figure out when to go and come back to avoid the traffic. The HOV on 290 now has the option of paying a toll to use it if you don't have the required number of people in the car. If he lives in south Houston or east Houston, that might be a different story. Houston is ridiculously huge geographically.

Thank you so much for all the replies. It is very helpful to read. I am really excited for the new position and your community! Fiance lives in Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown Metro Area. I agree that it makes more sense for me to live closer to my job. I would rather not deal with a long daily commute. I don't want to be halfway between both in not really a neighborhood. Especially because he travels a great deal for work, so half the time he isn't even in Houston. And when he is home, he doesn't have an office base to commute to, so it's easy for him to be where I am. His kids are in Houston so that's where he is going to keep a home for now. I'll have to drive down to see him. Kind of crazy, but we'll make it work.

@Stupe, thank you for the tip on the apartment finder.

If he lives down in Sugar Land, that's an easy drive. Hwy 6 to 290 to Grand Parkway toll (99). Any further down 290 can be a total cluster. I'd find something in south CS and then drive down to Houston.

The Grand Parkway toll sucks, 290 to the Beltway to 59 is a better way to get to Sugar Land - half the way down the tollway/99/90 is lights. Plus it passes through Katy, where dreams go to die and people go to settle.

Point is, get an EZ tag.

I don't think you meant Sugarland- Houston -Baytown as an " area" .. That's damn near all of Harris County below I-10 all the way from Ft Bend County to Clear Lake!!!
I assume Sugarland... The drive to Sugarland via the new toll road is ( with moderate mid-day traffic) about 90-120 minutes. Depending on you job hours you could leave CS on Friday afternoon and be in Sugarland ( missing the 5oclock Houston traffic by 7-7:30. Leave Sugarland at 5am on Monday ( no later due to Houston traffic) and be in CS by 7am-ish. I have a friend that did that for 5 years and survived.

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Point is, get an EZ tag.

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BINGO!!!

There is a house for rent on Kernstown in Shenandoah subdivision right now - its a family neigborhood - not students. I would agree with the others and say rent here closer to work.

It all depends on what you really WANT. First, unless you live in West Houston (outside Beltway 8), live in College Station unless you enjoy very very long commutes or can't live without certain amenities.

If you want there to be an abundance of non-college bars and generally better restaurants (though personally I feel that typical suburban fare is about on par with B-CS, more or less), live in the Houston area. (Big fan of Safeway in the West Coast? Randalls is basically the same thing, right down to dcor and product mix)

If you want to have shorter commutes (though be warned, there are times when roads are jammed on weekday evenings) and are willing to settle for less, move to College Station. We've got most of the collection of chain restaurants and stores you'd find in most suburbs.

If you want to find an in-between place, you'll probably be miserable (long commutes either way) unless you find Navasota and Hempstead to be particularly charming.

Folks I know who live in The Woodlands and commute love it.

Houston-Sugarland-Baytown metro is just slightly larger than the state of New Jersey. Big area. If fiance travels for work, then live in South College Station. You'll be headed to Houston on weekends and the traffic won't be as bad going that direction. I moved here from the west coast. Traffic is totally different here in College Station and between Houston/College Station than on the west coast. You'll be cruising most of the way from CS to Houston any time of day. Then once you get to Houston you have to figure out a way to get around. Fiance probably can guide you there.

Welcome to Texas. We have lots of land and we like to sprawl out so enjoy.

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Houston-Sugarland-Baytown

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Not from around here are you my friend?

That's kind of like saying I am moving to Manhattan Beach/San Bernardino/San Diego. Where is the nearest 7 Eleven?