I've lived in Houston my whole life, aside from some time in CS and Huntsville. My wife and I have lived in Spring Branch since 2015 and with a new baby have outgrown our house. We're looking at moving to Katy. We like Cinco Ranch and Kelliwood but I know very little about the specific area aside from it being generally nice and parts of it flooded. We're putting an offer on a house today. What do I need to know about the area?

My wife already made the decision lol, good to know what I'm walking into. I've got some friends in the area that seem to like it well enough. Sometimes you just say yes ma'am

Here's a map that shows what flooded during Harvey. That SHOULDN'T happen again since the Army COE lost the lawsuit for letting the reservoir get too high during Harvey so they will be more likely to open the dam up sooner.

https://maps.woolpert.com/harvey

Sounds like you'll be zoned to Patterson Elementary which is the school everyone fights tooth and nail to keep zoned to so its crazy overcrowded. Taylor HS is good. A lot of the area zoned to it has aged out of having school aged kids at home so its not as populated as it once was and it doesnt have as many "Tiger moms" getting their kids tutoring for getting a B in AP English.

Its now an older part of Katy so it doesn't have all the brand new restaurants popping up around it but at the same time its well established and the area has held its value for a long time so you can feel good about moving in and sticking around.

We live essentially at Westheimer and Fry Road and have been here for 20 years. We didn't flood and we like the area. I'd stay on the west side of Fry road but that's Harvey trauma talking. You could be zoned to either Cinco or Taylor, which are both solid schools if your kids hang with the right kids and you are involved. I taught at Beck JH and enjoyed it; there are many good kids there.

Thanks for the info! We used that map to help us pick what house we wanted. We're putting an offer in on a house in Kelliwood place right now and it didn't flood. Our current place is by Addicks and I remember Harvey vividly stressing about it. I like the 90s houses ... modern enough to be good but still built well.

Schools is really the reason we're moving. We're zoned to the Northbrook schools in SBISD right now ... so I want something a little better. I'm super excited

Great this is super helpful. The neighborhood is between Fry and Westgreen so I'm feeling pretty good it won't flood. After Harvey I helped my boss clean out his house that did flood and it was something that's burned into my memory forever.

Schools are super what I care about. Zillow says the house is zoned such:

• Elementary: Hayes Elementary School
• Middle: Mcmeans Junior High School
• High: Taylor High School (Katy)

cryption said:

---

Great this is super helpful. The neighborhood is between Fry and Westgreen so I'm feeling pretty good it won't flood. After Harvey I helped my boss clean out his house that did flood and it was something that's burned into my memory forever.

Schools are super what I care about. Zillow says the house is zoned such:

• Elementary: Hayes Elementary School
• Middle: Mcmeans Junior High School
• High: Taylor High School (Katy)

---

Very solid schools. Also, don't feel like your kid has to play the GPA game that a lot of people fall into.

I have family that lives in Oaks of Green Trails and a friend at work that's near Taylor. Both like it but the coworker w/ a 2 story house has $500+ light bills in the 90s house.

When I was driving around the house I want to buy I noticed a few garages with golf carts in them. Is that a thing? Do people drive them around the neighborhood? The house we're looking at is right down the street from the park. It would be super convenient

Man oh man I'll bust out my caulk gun and fix them windows! That would hurt our current bill is pretty small in my 1800ft house. It's our forever house I'll have to add some energy efficient stuff. Assuming we can come to an agreement.

I live in this neighborhood (since 2012) and my kids both go to Hayes. It is a great school and pretty small relative to other Katy elementary schools. We love the school and the neighborhood, happy to answer any other specifics you may have.

Curious as to the what street you are looking at (we just had a house listed on our cul de sac last week).

cajunaggie08 said:

---

Here's a map that shows what flooded during Harvey. That SHOULDN'T happen again since the Army COE lost the lawsuit for letting the reservoir get too high during Harvey so they will be more likely to open the dam up sooner.

https://maps.woolpert.com/harvey

Sounds like you'll be zoned to Patterson Elementary which is the school everyone fights tooth and nail to keep zoned to so its crazy overcrowded. Taylor HS is good. A lot of the area zoned to it has aged out of having school aged kids at home so its not as populated as it once was and it doesnt have as many "Tiger moms" getting their kids tutoring for getting a B in AP English.

Its now an older part of Katy so it doesn't have all the brand new restaurants popping up around it but at the same time its well established and the area has held its value for a long time so you can feel good about moving in and sticking around.

---

as a proud member of their inaugural class, I must point out that the name is Pattison.

I'm still annoyed that I was outvoted by the girls in my class when we voted on school colors and mascot. The Purple and White Ponies was a big letdown after being a Nottingham Knight previously.

Where do you work and how often do you go in?

That traffic is effin terrible.

We've had a golf cart for a couple of years now. We were one of the first in the neighborhood at the time, but the trend has caught on and there are now quite a few around. As you mention, we take it to the park and to friends houses in the neighborhood (also a number of golf carts usually at Hayes after school pick up each day).

AlaskanAg99 said:

---

Where do you work and how often do you go in?

That traffic is effin terrible.

---

I work in Memorial City and go in most days. I agree the traffic on I-10 is bad, especially in the evenings (the section around Hwy 6 is a bear). Try to work around it with my schedule to the extent possible but some days it is unavoidable. I commuted from Kelliwood to downtown for 8+ years, so while my current commute is not ideal nothing like what I dealt with prior.

Sending you a DM

I work at Clay and BW8 and I'm just going to accept the traffic is bad. My poor wife works downtown 3 days a week. Going to have to upgrade her to a car with some self driving stuff. Houston is expanding so fast - it'll be solid out to Sealy in a few years

cryption said:

---

I work at Clay and BW8 and I'm just going to accept the traffic is bad. My poor wife works downtown 3 days a week. Going to have to upgrade her to a car with some self driving stuff. Houston is expanding so fast - it'll be solid out to Sealy in a few years

---

that commute sucked for my dad 30 years ago. Can only imagine how it is now.

Yeah - she usually goes in before 6 and gets off around 3 so hopefully she'll be before the bulk of the traffic. It'll suck for sure. Sacrifices we make for our kids.

Diggity said:

---

cajunaggie08 said:

---

Here's a map that shows what flooded during Harvey. That SHOULDN'T happen again since the Army COE lost the lawsuit for letting the reservoir get too high during Harvey so they will be more likely to open the dam up sooner.

https://maps.woolpert.com/harvey

Sounds like you'll be zoned to Patterson Elementary which is the school everyone fights tooth and nail to keep zoned to so its crazy overcrowded. Taylor HS is good. A lot of the area zoned to it has aged out of having school aged kids at home so its not as populated as it once was and it doesnt have as many "Tiger moms" getting their kids tutoring for getting a B in AP English.

Its now an older part of Katy so it doesn't have all the brand new restaurants popping up around it but at the same time its well established and the area has held its value for a long time so you can feel good about moving in and sticking around.

---

as a proud member of their inaugural class, I must point out that the name is Pattison.

I'm still annoyed that I was outvoted by the girls in my class when we voted on school colors and mascot. The Purple and White Ponies was a big letdown after being a Nottingham Knight previously.

---

My bad. I knew something sounded off when I wrote it.

At least they honored the vote. I got to vote on the colors and mascot for Cinco Ranch HS and we all know the Pink Flamingos was the top vote getter and instead we wound up with maroon cougars.

I live at Peek and Highland Knolls. We didn't flood during Harvey, although the water did get higher than at any point in the 25 years we've been here. During Harvey, I went out with a friend who owns a boat to help people out of their homes that backed up to the Barker reservoir area. We put that boat into the water right to the east of McMeans JH on Westheimer Parkway. There was a house in the neighborhood (a Cinco neighborhood) located directly east of the school grounds that my wife and I had considered, and I was thankful we passed on it since it was flooded.

This many years later, every time I go through the intersection at Westheimer Parkway and Fry (heading east), I remember boating right under the traffic lights and being able to reach up and touch the freaking lights (had I wanted to, that is). The water was quite deep at that point.

Your wife can take the 221 bus from Kingsland Downtown if she doesn't want to drive. It's still a bear, but at least she won't put miles on her car.

Area is good, but older so houses will need more work. Elementary and middle schools are excellent. High school is good.

drumboy said:

---

I have family that lives in Oaks of Green Trails and a friend at work that's near Taylor. Both like it but the coworker w/ a 2 story house has $500+ light bills in the 90s house.

---

Wow. Our house in that same general area was built in '81 and our highest electrical bill has been about $350 this past summer. All our windows have been replaced in the last 5 years. Can't imagine what it was like w/ the original single-pane windows.

I do like this side of "Katy," along w/ the North and South Lake Village area of Cinco. West of 99 has the newer, flashier homes and stuff, but some of those neighborhoods could add 20-30 minutes to an already crappy commute.

NoahAg said:

---

drumboy said:

---

I have family that lives in Oaks of Green Trails and a friend at work that's near Taylor. Both like it but the coworker w/ a 2 story house has $500+ light bills in the 90s house.

---

Wow. Our house in that same general area was built in '81 and our highest electrical bill has been about $350 this past summer. All our windows have been replaced in the last 5 years. Can't imagine what it was like w/ the original single-pane windows.

I do like this side of "Katy," along w/ the North and South Lake Village area of Cinco. West of 99 has the newer, flashier homes and stuff, but some of those neighborhoods could add 20-30 minutes to an already crappy commute.

---

Confirmed. I live by Tompkins HS and occasionally have to go to Beltway and W. Little York for work and by the time I get to I-10 and Fry I'm already 20-25 minutes into my commute if I leave after 6:30.

I just looked it up! I'll let her know thanks for that. I'm getting a list of podcasts for the commute too lol

Why does traffic ALWAYS slow down to a crawl on 99 next to Cinco Ranch High School?

A combination of construction and idiots. But mostly idiots.

Buford T. Justice said:

---

Why does traffic ALWAYS slow down to a crawl on 99 next to Cinco Ranch High School?

---

99 curves at the same location as an on-ramp/exit ramp. People brake to slow down which creates a chain of events that results in stop and go traffic. Its the same reason traffic goes from crowded to stopped at places where there are overpasses over surface streets

Diggity said:

---

I'm still annoyed that I was outvoted by the girls in my class when we voted on school colors and mascot. The Purple and White Ponies was a big letdown after being a Nottingham Knight previously.

---

I learned a few years ago that my fifth grade elementary school -- which was brand new at the time, so like you we got to choose colors, etc. -- had changed the mascot from Superstars to Sharks.

Not that I care, but it did make me wonder why. I guess Superstars was too '70s??

EclipseAg said:

---

Diggity said:

---

I'm still annoyed that I was outvoted by the girls in my class when we voted on school colors and mascot. The Purple and White Ponies was a big letdown after being a Nottingham Knight previously.

---

I learned a few years ago that my fifth grade elementary school -- which was brand new at the time, so like you we got to choose colors, etc. -- had changed the mascot from Superstars to Sharks.

Not that I care, but it did make me wonder why. I guess Superstars was too '70s??

---

Mine went from Superstars to Cheetahs. We thought Superstars was a dumb mascot in the 90s but I don't think anyone cared enough to change it. Maybe too many staff members impersonating Mary Katherine Gallagher forced their hand.

too many former students suing for false advertising after inevitable flameout in middle school.

We are in Cinco South of Westheimer Parkway/East 99 but my kids are zoned to Beck/Cinco when majority of their elem school goes to Mcmeans/Taylor. When we looked 10 years ago, we wanted Green Trails, but the houses were expensive and outdated. We landed on Cinco and actually like being closer to 99/La Centerra vs i10, I can't stand the area of Fry/i10. We like it but our kids are definitely the minority at our school.

Same with this. New windows and new insulation. Electricity bills are less than $250 for a 3500+ square foot houses. Keep it at 76/79 downstairs and upstairs so that gets savings, but still.

I've lived in Katy on and off for 30 years. Graduated from Taylor HS in 2000.

Number one piece of advice based on where you are moving is to eat at Mafia Sushi! Leong and Jenny the owners are friends and that place is awesome!! Seriously. We met through our kids at school.

And yes traffic is horrendous and I hate it and Katy is full.