Agree! That is one of the main reasons I got out of there. I only go back when I have to.Originally Posted by Charlie206
Agree! That is one of the main reasons I got out of there. I only go back when I have to.
Bernard
2012 Pheonix 921 - Yamaha 250 SHO
Sorry, I haven't been on the board much lately, but I'll weigh in. Kingwood is a really nice area with pine trees like you see in east Texas. Katy is mostly farm land, converted rice paddies. Kingwood HS has historically been stronger in girls athletics, Katy leaps and bounds ahead in boys. Both school districts are excellent, but I'd give Katy the edge academically. Taylor, Cinco Ranch, and Seven Lakes have all been successful in girls sports, the other schools less so. My kids went to Katy HS which is the big football school, with a very good band, drill team, cheerleader organization, and is huge in FFA if your kids are interested in that. It's the closest thing to a country school in either area. Avoid anything in Morton Ranch or Mayde Creek attendance zones. Depending on where you're working, I think the Katy freeway into Houston is far superior to anything around Kingwood, but basically the traffic sucks no matter where you live. From Katy, you can go any direction you want and be fishing in an hour, fresh or salt water. Kingwood gives you lake Conroe pretty close and Sam Rayburn an hour and a half away, Lake Houston is a mud hole. Kingwood has better golfing, if that's your thing. I lived in Katy for almost 30 years, so I'm obviously partial to that area. Most of Katy is on the I-10 corridor, so getting in and out east to west is generally pretty easy. Kingwood seems to funnel off 2 or 3 main arteries onto Hwy 59 which makes for more congestion to and from the house. Sorry for the ramble, hope any of that helps.
Last edited by katyag; 08-16-2018 at 08:38 PM.
I say neither, I’d suggest Magnolia, The Woodlands, Conroe, Montgomery area.
I have lived in Katy area since 2003. Schools are good and facilities are as good as you will see on a college campus. Most academic programs will be good as long as there is a strong parental involvement. Schools in Katy are huge and the area is still growing. 80,000 students in the Katy school district. If your child has an interest they will have a program. School taxes are high and you really dont have much say so in your property tax if you live in a large urban area like Katy. They will go up every year as your home value increases. But that is the way the Texas tax system works. As far as getting around, I dont really see any difference in traffic if you have to get somewhere downtown. Its bad any where you live in the Houston metro area. North, south, east , or west traffic is really bad. Katy has a lot of amenities, world class health care within 20 minutes, tons of restaurants etc. Come join the throngs of people that keep moving here. A few more wont impact my drive time any.
Just wanted to thank everyone for their feedback. Has given us plenty to consider. Looks like we will have another week or two before deciding. I think I'm leaning Katy area just for more areas to live and commute options for work. I'm almost certain academically, it will be a major upgrade for my girls from where they're at here.
don't know if this will help or not, but I have lived in and around Katy for most of my life, while I love the town and area (people make a big deal out of I-10 , but I think 290 and 45 are much worse ).. I drive 10 to work every morning (I leave @ 530-6am each day and usually run 70 all the way in.. ) as far as the schools, both of my girls graduated from katy HS, great school but I think its getting too big.. my boy (now in 5th grade) is going to a charter school and will probably stay there to graduate.. and honestly he would be in a charter or private school no matter where we lived in the Houston area.. I don't know of a HS around Houston that has fewer than 3000 kids.. I think that is too much to keep under control..
next subject, the flooding, a lot of places in and around katy got flooded (don't really know how humble faired) some worse than others but so did a lot of other areas.. in general it seemed the neighborhoods that got it worse were the older ones.. I don't know that to be a fact, but around me that seemed to be the case. I live in one of the older ones and we got @ 60" of rain in about 30 hours. I got 3" of water in one room and the water was gone the next day.. most other areas o town that got water did not fair as well.. a lot of them had water for weeks. now during and after the rains there wasn't much getting around.. a lot of roads were closed because of high water, or damage or debris.. but I think that was pretty much all over.. as far as accessibility for fishing... 3 hours from t-bend, 2.5 hrs from rayburn, 1.5 from Livingston, 1 from Conroe, 1 from Fayette, 1.5 from Bastrop, 1.5 from Somerville, 2.5 from coletto, 3-3.5 from choke canyon, also 2-3 hours from most of the upper texas coast (port O'Conner to trinity bay) , Katy and eagle lake (30-45 minutes south of katy) has world class goose and duck hunting.. so I like katy, it has gotten vey large,but so has everywhere around here.. but you cant go wrong with either.....
Great info, thanks so much
Get flood insurance no matter where you live. It’s cheap and piece of mind to me. Will you be fishing any, that’s something to consider with local lakes?
On the fishing side of things, I am very easy. I'm 100% recreational only. If it swims, I enjoy catching it. Eventually I will be looking at an aluminum CC such as the Ranger RB190 or something similar after we get settled in.
Sorry I'm late to the party. Both are good areas honestly but renting for a year is a good idea. I live on south side of Houston, but have friends in Katy and Humble area and I sell in new subdivisions all across greater Houston. Lov to hear why Katy and Humble made the final 2, but here is some food for thought.
Katy area has probably tripled in size in the last 15 years so much of it is brand new including schools. Humble has grown also, but not like Katy.
With that growth in Katy though comes a lot of traffic congestion everywhere not just work commute. Weekends can be brutal on smaller roads. You can get away from it and renting a year will give you some insight.
Schools in both areas are huge. Lots of good and bad with that. Sports in both districts are extremely competitive, but Katy area takes it to levels most have not seen including girls. You have to be great just to make the team.
Just a 1/2 mile can make a huge difference in property tax rate which can mean the difference of $1-2k every year. Same thing with flood insurance now days. Just something to consider and research.
Population growth happens faster out here than most people can comprehend so keep that in mind because 'out on the edge' probably will be in the middle in 5 years. When we moved to this area in 2001, we bought a house in a subdivision with about 500 homes. In 2001, it was out in the country to the point we said we had to go into town to go grocery shopping. The subdivision built its first home in 1999. Today, less than 20 years later the population in our 'neighborhood' is about 20,000 with over 5000 homes.
I would suggest to look into the Tomball/Magnolia area. Schools are very good, but a little smaller. Great access to everywhere especially since they completed the toll road through that area. Some guys on here live up there and I have 2 co workers that love it.
I imagine that once you get the kids into a particular school district, you will not be moving out of that school district. Do the right things for the kids' education and all will be well. Even as a rental, flood insurance and the right choice of a high and dry home would be the top of my list.
Since you are a recreational fisherman, almost any area around Houston will put you within one hour of either a lake; river or one of the saltwater bays.
My choice would probably be the Katy area for access to good schools, and access to Fayette County lake (FW) and saltwater flats fishing, too. I love saltwater flats fishing, so that influences me.
I live up North just South of Spring, and it's a long drive to any fishing other than Lake Conroe for me.
These guys complaining about I10 have never been on 290. I live in Katy, Schools are great. but very competitive sports wise, depending on what school zone you choose.
Where you gonna be working? Traffic in the coming weeks will reach the worst point of the year.
I commute to downtown from Katy everyday on a bus.
Bryan McDonough
2023 Nitro Z21 XL
Nitro Team
Hmmm, I've been away. I thought that 290 was FINALLY finished???
290 will never be finished, until it’s done all the way to Austin, a future suburb of Houston lol.
We really do have a superb baseball program, mostly because of parental involvement in the leagues before high school. Gonna have a real good football team this year also, if they play up to their potential. We shall see.
Did someone mention Humble is a shithole.....do yourself a favor and move to Montgomery county if possible.
Montgomery County is not great anymore either...all of the trash from Houston has moved north and taken over; not to mention the meth heads on the other side of the county. Trust me...I was born and raised there.
Wishin' I was fishin'...
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I work with a lot of people that live in Kingwood and most are still dealing with their flooded homes from last years hurricane. You couldn’t pay me to live there or anywhere else that flooded.
I saw a bumper sticker a while back that said "Forget the wall, Finish 290"..
Hell, they were working on 290 when I lived in Friendswood in 2000
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