I'm relocating to The Woodlands once my child completes 2nd grade in May. Unfortunately, I will have to leave my "dream house." The homes that I like the most in that area (most like my current home) are in a small patio home development in Sterling Ridge (all resales and nothing is currently available) or new homes in Creekside Park. I had initially ruled out Creekside Park because 1) it is in Harris county and 2) the schools (Tomball ISD). The new elementary schools (Creekside and Timber Creek) look ok, but the junior high and high school are way the heck out. Considering my son has a while before jr high and high school, what are the long terms plans for building a new jr high and high school closer to the Creekside development? Also, can someone please tell me where Timber Creek is? When I search for the address (given on the Tomball ISD website) Google maps takes me to Creekside Elementary.

A new Jr. High is already in the works for Creekside. A new High School, however,might be a long wait.

What is your price range? If above 300k then live in Panther Creek or Sterling Ridge.

With the exception of custom home builds and certain garden homes, the only area with new home construction in The W is Creekside. As mentioned, you are in Harris County. Creekside has the best YMCA and Community Pool in The W; however, you are at a distance from most things in The Woodlands. We live in Sterling Ridge and love it. We thought about building in Creekside 4 years ago when we moved to the The W, but decided we wanted to be in Montgomery County - we moved into a 1.5 yr old home in Sterling Ridge. I'm glad we did. Our kids attend private school, so schools did not matter. However, we have many friends that live in Creekside and have heard good things about the schools (Tomball). If they build a high school it will be Tomball and not Conroe like the rest of The W. Conroe is much better.

My budget tops out at about $350-$375k. I definitely want a newer home (less than 10 years). I love these houses in a small Sterling Ridge patio home community just off of Woodlands Parkway, but the only two homes on HAR in that neighborhood show as pending. The builder is building the same homes/floorplans in Creekside, but the schools and taxes there are a concern. In addition to living near work, I would like my son's schools to be near our home. The situation with Creekside/Tomball ISD pretty much rules that out once he gets out of elementary school.

I'm also looking in the Shenandoah area, off of Grogans Mill, since that is only about 2 miles from where I will be working. That would put him at Lamar and Woodlands College Park (I forget the name of the intermediate school).

Oh, and isn't some of Sterling Ridge in Magnolia ISD?

[This message has been edited by TXTransplant (edited 12/5/2012 3:20p).]

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[This message has been edited by TXTransplant (edited 12/5/2012 3:22p).]

Just south of SR is an area called May Valley. I believe there is an elementary school there that's in Magnolia ISD. We've heard it's not good. In fact, several kids started attending private school with my kids b/c of the school, and we have other friends trying to move from there b/c of the school.

Shenandoah is a good area, small, but good. There are also newer areas off Hwy 242 near College Park HS you might check out.

I would highly recommend finding a realtor and giving them your criteria. We were in your spot 4-5 years ago. Wanted newer home (<5 yrs old) and found a great home in StRidge. We've lived in three different parts of Houston and this is the one area I would highly recommend a realtor b/c there's just too much to know that HAR won't tell you.

[This message has been edited by cmac98 (edited 12/5/2012 4:01p).]

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Thanks! I have a realtor and we have spoken on the phone and exchanged emails. I think she is tuned into what I like. In fact, she wasn't even going to recommend Creekside to me because it doesn't meet my criteria. The only reason I brought it up was because I found these specific houses that I like.

I have been trolling the HAR every day for new listings. I may drive down this weekend to stake out a few more neighborhoods. That was how I found Shenandoah...just drove around until I found houses that I liked.

FWIW, we found our house b/c of a floor plan in Creekside. Didn't want to live in Creekside but wanted the floorplan. Was told they weren't building it in StRidge but that we could wait for a resale. Couple of weeks later the floorplan became available.

If you don't find what you're looking for BUT find the location you want to live in, then wait on buying a home. The most activity is in the spring (as it is most everywhere). If there's any chance you can wait until Feb/March, you will see a plethora of homes pop up for sale.

Best of luck to you and welcome to 'the bubble'.

[This message has been edited by cmac98 (edited 12/5/2012 4:48p).]

[This message has been edited by cmac98 (edited 12/5/2012 4:49p).]

That is a funny coincidence...I wouldn't have even looked in Creekside if I had not Googled the name of the builder. I'm thinking I will just wait it out a little longer. I'm not in a hurry, since we won't actually move until school is out. I've just been warned by my realtor that inventory is at an all-time low, many houses are only staying on the market for a few days, and there are often multiple-offer situations. I feel like I need to stalk the HAR to be sure that I don't miss out on something. But, my strategy is the same as yours...I want to wait and see if another of these specific houses (or something similar) comes on the market in this neighborhood. If not, I think we could be perfectly happy in Shenandoah.

I am excited about the move and the new opportunities. I had never been to The Woodlands until I interviewed for this position, and I was just blown away.

Houses in your price range do not stay on the market for long. I am not a realtor but know many and they will all say the same.

You and your family will enjoy being here.

Depending how long you'll be in TW, I would choose areas the feed either Bush/Buckalew/Galatas or maybe David elementary schools, then feed into Mitchell Intermediate and then feed McCullough Jr HS. HS can be debated as CP is getting better (and does contain the Science & Math Academy), but both are top notch

As of right now, that's the best school route in CISD as all are top schools (key is Mitchell and McCullough....as rated 2 of the top in the state).

House should be secondary choice

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Play for the name on the front of your jersey, not the back...

dreaded double post....somehow, someway...

[This message has been edited by 90ags (edited 12/6/2012 8:04a).]

We love our house in Grogan's Forest off Grogan's Mill and Research Forest. The proximity to 45 and everything at the front of TW is perfect, but we're zoned to Lamar. With a 2.5 yr old we'll probably be looking to move in the next couple years to one of the areas 90ags mentioned.

[This message has been edited by Linz02ag (edited 12/6/2012 9:05a).]

This will be house number 4 in three years, so I plan to stay quite a while. I heard good things about all of those schools you mentioned. I also heard that The Woodlands HS is better than College Park, but I love the idea of the math and science academy.

If anyone has information about GT programs, that would be helpful. Right now, that is the thing that my child enjoys most about school.

I'm trying to find a good compromise between school and house. Luckily, I can take a little bit of time. Something tells me, though, that I will be the one compromising on the house.

TXTransplant, I graduated from CP two years ago and I absolutely loved it. I feel as if it was more unified. Both schools are fantastic; however, TWHS is MUCH larger and much more political. I have a lot of friends at TWHS who enjoyed it but did admit the size was an issue. I only went to CP for three years and knew of everyone in my senior class of about 600. Most kids at TWHS barely know 200 students in their graduating class. Whatever you do though, do not put your kid in the academy. It's like a mini Rice University up on the third floor. I knew many kids in the program, but 90% were a bit quirky. If your child is in all AP classes he'll be in good shape.

Thanks for the feedback! Wow...a graduating class of 600 and that is "small"! I graduated with <150 and thought that was a great size. I guess I will have to adjust my mindset before mine gets to HS . Everything really is bigger in TX...

My moms place in Shenandoah would be in your price range. If your interested in some details, username at geemail.

I will send you a message. Is it already listed on the MLS? There are about 3 properties there that I've been watching.

"I also heard that The Woodlands HS is better than College Park, but I love the idea of the math and science academy."

The math and science academy is a district-wide magnet program that you must apply to. Doesn't matter if you live in the attendance zone for another CISD high school. You're better off buying in the WHS zone and then applying for the math & science academy later.

Thanks for the clarification.

One comment on Creekside in addtion to the ones above... we have two friends that live in Spincaster - their houses are really awesome, but they've both told us that there are a lot of homes owned by Mexican families that split time between The Woodlands and Mexico. They don't feel like it has the same "neighborhood" feel as some of the other areas in The Woods. Maybe that'll get better when they finish some of the construction?

We live in Indian Springs and love the area. You're going to love The Woodlands!

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I am really looking forward to starting my new job and finding a new home for us. Not so thrilled about leaving my dream home and packing/moving again, but once it is all complete, I know we will be happy.

In case anyone has any leads, what I am looking for is a smaller patio-type home (also looking at townhomes in East Shore, but the HOA dues are obnoxious) that is no more than about 2500-2600 sq ft. Many of the homes in my price range (up to about $375k) are over 3000 sq ft. It's just two of us, so that is really excessive. I want a smaller home with many of the "luxury" amenities that you would find in a larger home (ie, granite counter tops, high ceilings, nice cabinetry, nice tile, preferably no carpet, etc).

I have heard that there are a lot of Mexican nationals as well.

All I have to say is wow. I can't contemplate spending that much on a house, even with interest rates this low. More power to you if you have the income that can float that kind of payment. I'm in 2300 square feet for less than 1/2 that price in Spring.

It's all about location. As a single parent, location and minimizing my commute is the #1 priority. Those are the going rates for properties (that meet my criteria) within about 1-7 miles of my office. I could still be priced out, though; I've seen properties under 3000 sq ft that are priced well over $400k (even outside of Eastshore). It's a tough pill to swallow, since my current home cost over $100k less than my new upper limit. I don't take for granted that, between the equity in my current home and a nice raise, I will thankfully be able to afford it.

[This message has been edited by TXTransplant (edited 12/10/2012 12:39p).]

Talked to a Harris County Constable the other day about the influx of Mexicans building in Creekside. He said they're paying cash for these $350-600K homes. He didn't explicitly say, but the impression I got is these purchasers have cartel ties.

There is very little middle class in Mexico. there are the poor, and there are the wealthy. Not all the wealthy are involved in the drug trade directly, but quite a few of them profit on the side of it. Mostly, the wealthy have been trying to get out of there and get into the US and put roots here while they can, whether they got all their money legit or not.

Not sure about the cartel ties (though, who knows). I don't think these are criminals, but as the above poster said - there are a lot of very wealthy people in Mexico. One of the friends of ours in Creekside (she's a doctor, I'm guessing the house is easy $500+) said their neighbor owns two homes in The Woodlands. Heck - a neighbor of ours worked at Repsol (from Argentina) just moved to Madrid in August... the family was back this week because they bought a house in The Woodlands as a rental.

My understanding is that a few years ago, The Woodlands started advertising heavily in Mexico - and that advertising has paid off - now Houston, specifically The Woodlands, has become a home-away-from-home destination for a lot of these families with the cash to get out of Mexico. Crazy.

So, I've been looking at houses, and I have to say that I am really impressed with some of the homes in Creekside. There is hardly anything new in The Woodlands proper (ie, Conroe ISD), and what is available, people are asking crazy prices.

On top of that, I am very seriously considering sending my son to private (Catholic) school at St Anthony of Padua. A few coworkers are doing the same, but I'd be curious if anyone here has opinions. If he goes to private school, it doesn't matter where we live. I've also heard about an all gifted school in The Woodlands, but from my understanding, it is not affiliated with Conroe ISD. Does anyone have feedback on that option?

[This message has been edited by TXTransplant (edited 12/29/2012 2:15p).]

Tell us about your son- age, academic abilities, what you want out of his education. Then ill help you out. I know more than most about the schools in creekside (hint, hint) and will give you an honest opinion.

quote:

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My understanding is that a few years ago, The Woodlands started advertising heavily in Mexico - and that advertising has paid off - now Houston, specifically The Woodlands, has become a home-away-from-home destination for a lot of these families with the cash to get out of Mexico. Crazy.

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There is a realtor that has gone to Monterrey (I believe thats the city)and been advertising the woodlands and more specifically now Creekside since its new development. They come here and buy nice houses in a safe area and their kids get to learn English. Everything I know about these families is they are just wealthy (not by drugs), looking for a better life for their kids. Some have been said to leave after a couple years and go back to Mexico, but I think most are sticking around.

My son is currently in the gifted program, and that is his absolute favorite thing about school. His experiences in GT are the things he comes home and talks to me about. He alo does better with older, more experienced teachers. He is very smart and he likes a lot of one on one attention from his teachers. I tend to think smaller class size would be really beneficial to him, but he also needs to be stimulated with more challenging work because he is very smart.

He is currently in 2nd grade, so we have a ways to go. I tend to think that the longer he can stay at one school, the better off he will be.

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As a teacher, here's what I would do:
Take a tour of the school and while you are there request a meeting with the GT specialist. I don't know who the specialists are at those schools, but if they understand gifted learners and their unique needs as they should, it won't be news to them to talk to parents.

All I know is Tomball does offer lots of enrichment activities and has one of the last remaining pull out and in class GT programs. Your child will have to be retested and the standards are a little different than surrounding areas, for the most part I hear its slightly higher requirements.

They would hopefully give you an honest opinion. . if they are like me, they dont try to "sell" public school to people you either come or you don't.

The thing about Tomball is the demographics are quite diverse based on your location and everyone is aware of that. Its basically 3 areas: There's "south" Tomball that is Lakewood/Cypress/Canyon Gate area where it is wealthier and less ESL students. Typical suburbia.
North Tomball is true Tomball 249/2920 which is a mix of rural, low SES, ESL and wealthy.
Then there's the Woodlands which has much nicer facilities and obviously the wealthiest on average.

The plans are for the two elem schools in Creekside to remain K-6 until 2016-2017. Fall 2016 a new jr high will open. At that time the elem school will become K-5 and the jr high will be 6-8. No plans made known for another high school since the 2nd high school just opened.



Lots of words, but I hope this helps

MrsHouston, that is all very helpful - thank you very much! I think the specific subdivision (or village) that I am looking at is zoned to Timber Creek, and I'm not exactly sure where that school is. I like the idea of him being at one school K-6. The Catholic school is K-8, which, in my mind, is even better. I just don't want him to be lost in the crowd. I also don't want to sacrifice our quality of life by having a long commute to and from school. I am also a big believer in public schools, because that is the system I was educated in, but the schools I went to were much smaller. Part of me thinks that we really can't go wrong either way, but there is always that little voice of doubt that creeps in. I really appreciate all of the feedback, because I am sort of feeling overwhelmed by the options. Where we live now, public school is the only feasible option, and thankfully, our elementary school is outstanding.

By pull out and in-class GT, do you mean that the GT kids are clustered in one main classroom and also spend time with a separate GT teacher? That is the case where we are now (although, the GT kids are in two classes because there are so many of them) and it really seems to be working for my child.

[This message has been edited by TXTransplant (edited 12/29/2012 9:15p).]

If you're looking at private schools in the Woodlands area, there are a couple notable ones:

Cooper School is very competitive and expensive. Academically comparable to Kinkaid.

Woodlands Christian Academy is a nice Christian school but really has no academic edge over the already strong public schools there. You're really paying for the bible classes and wholesome environment.

I can't tell you anything about the Catholic schools up there.