My wife and I are considering moving to the woodlands area for my job. The office is right on the waterway.

We currently live in college station to be close to wife's family (help with kids). We have a 2 year old daughter and a 5 month old son. My wife and I are both 28.

We are trying to get a sense of where we should buy a house if we were to move to the area. We are open to the woodlands and the surrounding areas. Would like to have good schools for our young kids. And I think the area needs to be very family friendly.

Just looking for some pointers on where to look, or places to stay away from. Any comments are welcome! Thanks!

Lived here since 1985. Best villages, depending on your budget, Cochran's Crossing, Alden Bridge, Sterling Ridge, as all have excellent schools that are in The Woodlands High School zone, which is part of Conroe ISD. All are family friendly, with local parks and bike paths throughout.

There are good private schools as well (John Cooper, The Woodlands Christian Academy, Legacy) if that is something you're interested in.

I'm happy to help answer more if needed.

I live in The Woodlands, but in Creekside, which is Harris County. Been here since 2013, and my son graduated from Tomball ISD. I actually moved here from College Station.

If you opt for Woodlands adjacent, my advice would be to stick to Montgomery County. After living here, I would not purchase property in unincorporated Harris County, unless it was in The Woodlands. There is a certain level of organization and government support that The Township provides that can be very helpful, especially if you have a problem.

I will also say that property values in Creekside are absurd, and every single year it's a fight with HCAD. It was great when we first moved here, but given the cost and explosion of growth at the high school, personally, I'm not sure I'd move here with a family today.

Woodforest is great for young families and about 20 min from the waterway. Been here since 2013. Great schools (MISD side)

I would say come to the East Side of 45. We're still Conroe ISD and have great schools but we're full and not The Woodlands.

StillNotAnAggie said:

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I would say come to the East Side of 45. We're still Conroe ISD and have great schools but we're full and not The Woodlands.

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so, the poorer side? I lived in Panther creek 5th grade through HS.

I would like to learn more about the east side of 45 as there seems to be some new development over there. Still close to the waterway with good schools. What are the downsides to being east of 45?

I've helped / am helping several clients buy in Montgomery county right now. It's definitely a good fit for a lot of younger Ags and their families. My contact info is in my profile if you'd like to talk. We provide full service buyer rep services and split our commissions with our buyer clients at closing.

WakeEmUp38 said:

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I would like to learn more about the east side of 45 as there seems to be some new development over there. Still close to the waterway with good schools. What are the downsides to being east of 45?

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What's your budget?

WakeEmUp38 said:

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I would like to learn more about the east side of 45 as there seems to be some new development over there. Still close to the waterway with good schools. What are the downsides to being east of 45?

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Biggest downside is roads. The east side of 45 is a mess. There are no north/south routes, and going east you hit the railroad tracks pretty quickly. And the only real east/west route is Rayford, which is pretty far south of Oak Ridge, Shenandoah, and Harper's Preserve. If you end up over there, you want to be sure you are close to an HEB and the schools you are zoned to.

The only access to 249 from the south is I-45, and there is currently major construction there. I suppose one day it will be finished, but for now, I avoid that area like the plague. We have friends who live in Harper's Preserve. It's really nice but getting there is a PITA.

99 east of 45 is also Montgomery County. If I were looking on that side, that's where I would focus my search. Bender's Landing, Woodson Reserve, Spring Trails, etc.

The biggest complaint I hear about that area is the schools. But it does seem like people complain about the schools no matter what they are zoned to, so YMMV. Bender's Landing also had some flooding in Harvey.

Maybe 15-20 houses in Benders Landing (and Estates) got water during Harvey and it was pretty minimal. Parts of the woodlands have flooded as well so just do your diligence and buy flood insurance.

We've been in the area since 2016 and have had a great experience in Harmony and Benders Landing Estates. Schools have been good, but as with any school it's principal and teacher specific.

Even in rush hour, you can get to the waterway area in 20-30 min unless there's some crazy accident shutting things down. We go from Benders to the back of the woodlands multiple times a week. Airport and downtown are quicker to get to as well from here

Yes, true about flooding in The Woodlands as well. Creekside had flooded houses, as well as homes in/near the Flint Ridge area and the far south part of Panther Creek, that is adjacent to the Mitchell Reserve. And there is Glen Loch, that had flooding issues well before Harvey, but that is all low income housing/rentals now, in part because of the flooding issues.

I would say flood insurance isn't necessary for the vast majority of homes here. But it's definitely a question to ask your realtor about.

redag06 said:

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20 minutes ? At midnight ?

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Sorry, was typing on the phone while in traffic and fat fingered. It's about 30 minutes (but can be less) during most times of the day. It's 13 miles from my front door to the Woodlands Mall.

But 1488 sucks and is getting worse. I avoid going down it at all possible.

AgFlyGuy said:

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But 1488 sucks and is getting worse. I avoid going down it at all possible.

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Things I never thought I'd hear in 1995. I can still picture the intersection of 1488/2978 as a 4 way stop with not another vehicle in sight on Saturday morning, heading off for another lake/camping/road trip.

I remember the biker bar at that spot of 1488/2978. It was so dark driving on 1488 coming from College Station back to the Woodlands that the biker bar seemed to be the only light source for miles.

I'm bias, but this is the best place to live around Houston. We are in Cochrans crossing and pretty centrally located. 10 mins to waterway. Top rated public schools through College Park. Close enough to everything. Property values will hold, but like a previous poster mentioned, tax values are insane and you're contesting annually (you should be doing this regardless). I will say that the rate is somewhat reasonable around town (mine is 2.1%, which is about 0.5% lower than creekside).

TXTransplant said:

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WakeEmUp38 said:

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I would like to learn more about the east side of 45 as there seems to be some new development over there. Still close to the waterway with good schools. What are the downsides to being east of 45?

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Biggest downside is roads. The east side of 45 is a mess. There are no north/south routes, and going east you hit the railroad tracks pretty quickly. And the only real east/west route is Rayford, which is pretty far south of Oak Ridge, Shenandoah, and Harper's Preserve. If you end up over there, you want to be sure you are close to an HEB and the schools you are zoned to.

The only access to 249 from the south is I-45, and there is currently major construction there. I suppose one day it will be finished, but for now, I avoid that area like the plague. We have friends who live in Harper's Preserve. It's really nice but getting there is a PITA.

99 east of 45 is also Montgomery County. If I were looking on that side, that's where I would focus my search. Bender's Landing, Woodson Reserve, Spring Trails, etc.

The biggest complaint I hear about that area is the schools. But it does seem like people complain about the schools no matter what they are zoned to, so YMMV. Bender's Landing also had some flooding in Harvey.

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This is mostly correct. We're out in the Bender's/Woodsons area. It's crowded but not any more crowded than The Woodlands proper. We moved here in 2016 so it's all too crowded for me. Woodson, Bender's and Spring Trails all have their own elementary schools. The schools get crowded when they get to 7-8. The are opening a 9th grade campus this year and the new 7-8 is in the works. You can email me at my username @ gmail.com if you want to ask any specific questions or areas.

AgFlyGuy said:

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redag06 said:

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20 minutes ? At midnight ?

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Sorry, was typing on the phone while in traffic and fat fingered. It's about 30 minutes (but can be less) during most times of the day. It's 13 miles from my front door to the Woodlands Mall.

But 1488 sucks and is getting worse. I avoid going down it at all possible.

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13 miles yes.....but it can take 10 minutes alone to get through the light at that Kroger.

It is only going to get worse with 2 Step Farms.

What are the older, original neighborhoods in the Woodlands called? Those seemed to have big lots, large, mature trees, etc. I always thought those were really nice areas. Are they still?

That area is Grogan's Mill. It's a mix. There are quite a few tear downs with multi-million dollar homes going up in their place. Of the original properties, as you would expect for things built in the 70s and 80s, some are a run down mess and others have been renovated, likely with questionable design choices.

There have been a few renos that are very high end and well-designed, but like the new builds, they are very expensive per square foot.

aren't those the lowest ranked schools in the Woodlands as well? I think the older families and modest amount of low income housing built in the Woodlands likely contributes to that.

Still far better than most cities, but if you're moving to the area for the schools, something to think about.

The elem and middle/intermedate schools yes. High school/9th grade are fine, assuming you're good with your kid attending school with 1100 other classmates in the same grade (although, it's becoming really tough to find any high schools that are smaller).

I know that zip code (77380) also overlaps with the low income housing on Glen Loch and extends down into areas that are not part of The Woodlands. As I stated previously, this area is low income in part because of the flooding problems that go back way before Harvey. Prices plummeted (relative to the rest of The Woodlands) because of the flooding problems.

If you're on/around the golf course and The Woodlands Resort, property values are still high. But as you move south, towards Sawdust Road, it starts to look more and more like unincorporated Harris County (which it's not - it's in Montgomery County, I'm just using that comparison to illustrate the issues).

The most desirable K-8 schools in the "original" part of The Woodlands are in 77381 and 77382; of these two, 77382 has the newer homes (built in the 90s and early 2000s).

You're doing it wrong

It just took me 10 minutes from Perry's to the mall at 7pm, it's typically about 15.