It looks like my wife and I will be moving to the Houston area. Right now it is looking like we will move to The Woodlands but there is also a job opportunity where we would probably live in the Sugar Land area. We don't know much about the area and any insight on the good/bad would be much appreciated. If there has been another thread on this feel free to repost.

Do a lot of people commute from The Woodlands to the Galleria or downtown Houston? How terrible is the commute?

Thanks!

This thread should help you get acquainted with the tine: https://texags.com/forums/38/topics/1402686

You should check out the area called Cottage Grove.

Place sounds like heaven on earth.

Lived in Conroe and commuted to the Galleria area for about 5 years. After trying all sorts of routes you basically end up taking the Hardy Toll road south to downtown and then a right on Memorial / I10. The mornings were not bad if you left early enough but the evenings could really suck.

If you can swing flex time and do 7am to 4PM it's not too bad assuming you cheat a little on the 4 PM and make it 3:45. Every 10 minutes you wait to leave after 4 will add an additional 10 minutes to your commute time. If you don't leave by 4:30-4:45 you might as well wait until 7 PM.

This was 3 years ago but I don't think much has occurred with traffic flows since then to change much.

Like most stated here, I would avoid if at all possible. But hey, it's Houston and a commute is kind of part of the deal.

Sugar Land to Galleria isn't completely terrible...probably the best option of the outer burbs. The Woodlands is probably the worst.

I can usually do 30-40 min in the morning, 45-60 minutes in the afternoon. A good part of that is just dealing with the traffic cluster surrounding my office from which there is no escape. But I am older Sugar Land inside HI6...can probably tack on 15 min getting to/from the newer areas further out by 99.

I did the commute from The Woodlands area to Galleria for about a year. Longest it ever took was 2 hours...one way

SJEAg said:

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Sugar Land to Galleria isn't completely terrible...probably the best option of the outer burbs. The Woodlands is probably the worst.

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This is the best answer. Otherwise live ITL with the other hipsters and people who can afford mortgages of 500k+ on 40 year old homes.

I actually avoid banking clients in the Woodlands because I would have to drive up there a couple times a year.

TXTransplant said:

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I live in The Woodlands, and while I don't commute, most of my neighbors do. Most of them that do hate it. The commute to downtown probably isn't as bad, if you don't mind spending up to three hours a day in the car. The commute to the Galleria would probably make most people want to gouge their eyeballs out.

There are park and rides (buses). Many of the people I know use that service.

If your commute is to downtown, you're probably better off trying to live somewhere south of The Woodlands proper, near where the Hardy, Grand Parkway, and 45 intersect. That would shave a good 20-30 min off of the trip.

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You think Bender's landing would save much commute time vs. Panther Creek or similar location?

A buddy of mine is selling a nice house in Imperial Oaks if you're interested. It's not listed right now so some money might be able to be saved.

Wycliffe_03 said:

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TXTransplant said:

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I live in The Woodlands, and while I don't commute, most of my neighbors do. Most of them that do hate it. The commute to downtown probably isn't as bad, if you don't mind spending up to three hours a day in the car. The commute to the Galleria would probably make most people want to gouge their eyeballs out.

There are park and rides (buses). Many of the people I know use that service.

If your commute is to downtown, you're probably better off trying to live somewhere south of The Woodlands proper, near where the Hardy, Grand Parkway, and 45 intersect. That would shave a good 20-30 min off of the trip.

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You think Bender's landing would save much commute time vs. Panther Creek or similar location?

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I would think so, only because, between the GP and Hardy, you could avoid 45 altogether. If you lived in Panther Creek, you'd have to take 45 to get to the Hardy.

I can't figure out where the OP is actually working/living

I see Sugar Land, Galleria, Downtown and The Woodlands.

I imagine one will be downtown and the spouse will be galleria

I greatly appreciate all the responses. I have a flexible schedule and I'm a morning person so I could leave early. My company has an office in the Galleria that I could transfer to and I could probably work from home some days. Current commute for me is 30 minutes so wondering how much worse off it would be. No kids yet but certainly in the near future. Not the hipster type so no Heights for us but we will be sure to visit.

I know some people in Sugarland and somewhat familiar with that area but I don't know much about The Woodlands. What type of people live in The Woodlands? Is The Woodlands filled with a bunch of snobby types or are there a lot of good friendly Aggies around? Is there anything to do there? We went to eat dinner near the waterway during the week and it didn't seem like there was a lot of activity. I saw a lot of golf courses, but I'm not much of a golfer.

I have been told The Woodlands is one of the nicest areas to live in Houston. If this is the case, it seems to be worth the extra drive time but trying to learn more about it to make sure it is a good fit for us.

Commuting from the Woodlands to "the hospital" and to the galleria would be a nightmare. No matter where "the hospital" is. There's nothing special about the woodlands that would make that commute worthwhile.

What hospital? In the Med Center? Houston's a large city. Hospitals everywhere. Don't live in the Woodlands and drive to the Galleria. Terrible idea.

If you don't want to live ITL, go to Sugarland

I think the hipsters have been priced out of the Heights.