OT: Moving to TX

[jndmommy]

Sorry for being off topic, but I wanted as many mommy opinions as possible... Dh works for Continental... There hq is in Houston. He wants to transfer there by sometime mid next year. We have lived in NJ all our lives; this will be a huge change. I teach and we have two kids 3 & 1. My in-laws would also like to make the move with us, which would help. We have no one else really down there. Dh has looked around down there in the Spring area. Not sure on how difficult it would for me to get a job down there, or what the schools are like for my dd. If any of you are familiar with that area, responses would be greatly appreciated.

 

[cymomtx]

In live in NW Houston, about 25 minutes from the airport. I also work for Cy-Fair ISD - www.cfisd.net , I would be glad to answer any questions for you.

 

[rt2dz]

Sent you a PM

 

[madelyn]

If Continental doesn't change your husband's salary, you will find your money will go alot further in Texas. We live in the Austin, TX area and my husband's job may take him to the Boston area. I found an on-line salary calculator and his salary would almost have to double for us to maintain the same standard of living! I couldn't believe it. I currently stay at home with my 2 kids and a friend who used to live in the Boston area pointed out that I would most likely have to go back to work if we moved to that area. My in-laws live in Houston and we have other relatives and friends there. It seems that everyone we know with a family lives in either the Sugar Land or Pear Land area. I think Sugar Land is known for the quality of its schools and I've heard Pear Land labelled as the "new Sugar Land". The weather in Texas would also be a big change. It is very hot here....especially May though Sept. Wearing shorts on Thanksgiving is not uncommon. The plus is of course little snow and ice.

 

[disneymomtofour]

My brother and his family live in Cypress and my husband's sister and her family live in Katy. I think either area would be a good choice. (We are in San Antonio and our NJ neighbors love Texas. They moved here last summer and had lived in NJ all their lives, too.) Brother's wife also works for Cy-Fair school district.

 

[jndmommy]

Oh thank you all. You are all making me depressed, I want to go now!!!!!! Yeah, the cost of living here and the winters are the biggest factors influencing our move. Together we make around $73-75,000 and the budget is very tight. A shack up here starts around $300,000 and I mean shack, car insurance is around $3,200 a year, utility bill about $100 a month and the food bill well forget about that. So yes, getting more for the money is just what we need with two little kids. Dh is tired of all the shoveling & I become a hermit b/c I hate driving in it. I once got caught in a snowstorm on the way home from work. My commute is usually 45 minutes, that day it was 8 hours!!!!!!! So shorts on Thanksgiving sounds like a blessing to me. I'd rather the heat, that's where the a/c comes in. My in-laws are looking for a place down there also, so we may go down for a visit in the fall sometime. I know dh's co-workers have moved down there and never looked back. Can't wait till that's us. We are looking for apartments until we are 100% sure on what area we like. So right now I am doing my homework as far as my job, apartments, school districts etc. I really appreciate all the feedback.. You are the reason my dh said "the people are so much nicer down there."

 

[mari1992]

I have lived here all my life. Cost of living, esp housing, is favorable here particularly in the suburbs. A friend recently bought a custom 3500sqft mini mansion in the northwest burbs for about 330,000. The suburbs also have good schools. Houston ISD is not as great but still has some strong campuses. There is always a need for teachers in TX--I think you said you were a teacher--so I would guess employment will be ok.
You will LOVE winter here...blue skies, temps 40's (very cold for us, I have seen people wear fur lined boots!) to 50's or more most days. Of course, summer is long and hot but there's always swimming.
I have a 3 year old and there are TONS of fun things to do here with him, too.

Best of luck to you!

 

[mom2rb]

Katy, Sugarland, and Pearland will all be to far for your DH to work. I would try Kingwood or Spring. Kingwood is in Humble ISD and Spring has two school districts, Spring ISD and Klein ISD. Knowing the districts should make it easier to look up the school info. My MIL lives in Spring. There are a lot of nice areas there.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I can't comment on the houston area, just weatherwise compared to NJ its pretty hot and humid sometimes and could get alot of rain, more than you could imagine in NJ. Being from NJ we moved from NY to Texas, all I can say is I cried when we moved there and cried when we had to move back here to terrible NY. We moved to the Dallas area because of DH job. Our money went alot farther, people are so nice and friendly, great place to raise the kids. We still go back each year to visit, except this year because of dh work schedule, we see the yankees vs. rangers ball games and all our old friends etc. We plan to move back there in around 7 years and retire early and just enjoy a better life. You wont regret it one bit. You could just go all over texas for a vacation, dallas, san antonio etc. So much to see and do there. My only advice, get a house with a swimming pool, we found it pretty much our lifesaver in summer.

 

[Ask"WhyNot?"]

Really recommend The Woodlands. Exteremly nice quality of life. Good schools all around. Big bonuses by being in Montogomery county rather than Harris County. Much to do within minutes. Spring is a HUGE area, most is Spring ISD or Klein ISD, some Aldine ISD (not recommended), some Conroe ISD and some Humble ISD. Some may even be Nimitz ISD.

Your money is going to go much, much farther in TX, especially Houston, than it does in NJ. Summer A/C bills might knock you over... You may find yourself in shorts on Christmas. That can be depressing.

Getting a job here shouldn't be too difficult. You don't say when you plan on moving, but I'd start applying as soon as you can. Subbing might be a good option at first or working in a preschool or private school.

I would avoid south of Houston, probably too far from work for your DH, no matter which office it is. Unless you like sitting in traffic for a couple of hours. That would rule out Pearland and Sugarland.

If you get an apartment, I'd try very hard to get it in the area you want. Or think you want.

 

[txmom522]

I am from Houston and grew up here. It is hot and humid, but definitely consider getting a house with a pool or in a community with nice ones. We live in Cypress on the NW side and Cy-Fair schools are great. It is building up both residentially and commercially out here. The closest grocery store used to be about 10 miles or about 15-minutes into town. Now they are 5 minutes away! The housing market is great for buyers.

We do have two sets of friends in the Spring area and both are not too thrilled about their neighborhoods. Both moms are school teachers (one is at home with baby now) and both are looking to move in the future. The Woodlands is very nice, but it definitely is not in tune for the budget-minded. It is very beautiful with lots of trees and lots of high-end retail centers. They have great schools but with stiff gpa competion. Although, you will get that in any of the large districts here. We like the atmosphere for our family out here.

I would definitely recommend living in an apartment for a half a year to a year, before committing to any area. You may love one at first site, but it is nice to hang back and see if it fits your family's style. We are all different!

The apartment market is great, as wel,l as there are plenty of new ones and have options like attached 2 car garages and storage areas.

Good luck to you, your husband and your family! May you have lots of vouchers to Florida!

 

[Ask"WhyNot?"]

The Woodlands is very nice, but it definitely is not in tune for the budget-minded. It is very beautiful with lots of trees and lots of high-end retail centers. They have great schools but with stiff gpa competion.

I am not sure exactly what you mean by this, but for the sake of clarity...

While The Woodlands has several multimillion dollar homes, there are many, many more in the $150,000 to $250,000 range. Several even lower. New and resale. And these are 3-4 bedrooms homes with 2-3 baths, 2 car garage, kitchen w/ breakfast, dining, family, study or living and usually gameroom. I think that is very budget-minded. The median salary of The Woodlands is $75,000/ year-- right in line with the OP. And I'd say at least 20% make a heck of a lot less than that. With the model home parade, that is all very high end homes, I think those that don't live out here can (understandably) get the wrong idea. And the taxes, being Montgomery County are also much lower than the neighborhoods in Harris County so you can pay less for more house (sq. footage & upkeep, even on a more expensive home). Yeck, by being in Montgomery county, even your car, home, life insuriance bills are reduced dramatically. As always, when you look at cost, you have to look at ALL the costs.

And then what you get in amenities is unbelievable. You have golf courses, neighborhood pools (at least one, sometimes more--they are every so many miles, many with toddler splash parks), big parks in every neighborhood and smaller parks spread out between, greenbelts, (jogging/biking trails), Lakes that you can boat on, ponds for fishing, two libraries, wi-fi access throughout the "downtown" heart, tennis courts galore, basketball courts all around, baseball fields, and much, much more that I shouldn't take up the space to list. And the homeowners association is on top of everything. You won't have neighbors that let their grass turn into 4 foot fields of weeds or trucks parked on the front lawn. Not that that happens in a lot of other neighborhoods, but... The parks are kept up--no broken equipment (once reported, same day fixes usually), the pools are in "new" shape, no potholes in our roads, etc.

And, yes, there a lots of high-end retail centers, but there is also everything else too. A dollar general, a $0.99 cent store, Target, Walmart, Super Walmart x2, Dollar Tree x2, Sam's, Ross, Marshall's, Sears, JC Pennies, Kohl's, etc., etc. And we several restruants like Perry's, Kirby's, Amerigo's, Tommy Bahama's, etc. But there are also Macaroni Grill, Friday's, Chili's, Guadalaraja, Fudruckers, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and just your plain old boring fast food. Again, another exteremely high range. But if you are only out here for concerts and don't know your way around where other choices may be, you might not know this at all. And our grocery stores are just the typical grocery stores, except one of our HEB's, but the prices are still the same.

I also don't know what you mean by stiff GPA competition. I don't understand that comment at all. They are competitive schools. But where ever you have good teachers, a good circumlumn, that is going to happen. 99% of these students are college bound. They are not pushed, it just works out that way. And, yes, about 50% of kindergarteners go to private kindergarten, but Conroe ISD is one of the very few school districts out this way that doesn't have full day kindergarten and that is why. It really isn't to get their kids reading early or anything like that. Most of those go into public school at first grade. Those that are pushed usually go to the high-end private schools. But, there are also a lot of other private schools that don't cost as much money, just help those that don't like the public schools--offer smaller classes, etc.

I might have misread your intention in the comment, but I just wanted to clarify. If I misread it, I would imagine that someone else would also. And if you don't know anything about The Woodlands or have misconceptions (which happens a lot)...

I would also be remiss if I didn't point out that you can get all--well, most--the great things in The Woodlands by living in surrounding neighborhoods. There is Legend's Ranch, Spring Trails, Imperial Oaks, Oak Ridge North, Magnolia, Carriage Hills, Shenandoah, White Oaks, Bender's Landing, and Chataue Woods. All within 5 minutes of The Woodlands.

 

[txmom522]

I apologize for offending you I was not trying to bash anyone or anyplace. Wasn't intending this to be a flame...

I was just stating what I have observed from friends that live and have lived in The Woodlands and personal experiences. I know a Woodlands area high school teacher and she sees a lot of unhealthy competition among the students and the parents. Not saying this does not happen in Katy, Cy-Fair or other ISDs, pretty sure it does. She is just worried about her kids when they have to go through high school as we all worry about our own.

I do not think that any area is better than the others although I am very fond our neighborhood and appreciate firm homeowners' associations (I don't like four foot grass or cars on blocks, either) and pay for it. Everywhere in Houston has its share of pros and cons, which is why I stated that it would be best to live in an apartment for a brief time to decide what you would like personally by experiencing it before committing to a home. It is a buyers' market...

I know that there are people that live in our neck of the woods [or lack thereof ]that love it here. Yes, The Woodlands has many ammenities. For some, those ammenities are not as important to them and their families. You can always drive to The Woodlands to take part as we have been to the Pavilion for many wonderful concerts as well as to the Houston downtown theatre district. Houston and its surrounding areas have so much to offer to a wide variety of interests.

We enjoy living outside of Houston and feel (as you do) that our area is family-oriented and friendly! Again, apologies if you feel that I was negative or sarcastic. It makes wish that sarcasm has its own font, because I don't feel I am in anyway either. Just stating my and Woodlands residents/workers observations...

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Just wanted to say that you guys are making Texas sound really appealing. We had the opportunity to move to Dallas/Fort Worth. But morning sickness and the stockyards did not go well together on a househunting trip. Hubbies job counter-offered and so we declined to move.

 

[J and R's mom]

Continental has several locations in Houston (or used to anyway). Do you know where he might be located?

I recommend Northwest, West or Southwest of Houston. East and southeast Houston are more industrial (due to the ports and refineries).

As far as teaching goes, you should have no problem getting a job as a teacher around here (I teach as well). Here is a link to how to apply for certification in Texas (in case you haven't already looked into it). http://www.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECOnline/certinfo/becometeacher.asp?width=1024&height=768

You'll be AMAZED at how much house you can get for the money! There are SO MANY planned communities (especially in the areas I mentioned above) that have community pools, tennis courts, workout facilities and "lakes" in them that you probably shouldn't buy anywhere that doesn't come with these amenities.

The weather here is VERY similar to the weather in Florida. It's hot and humid in the summer, not much of a spring or fall, and mostly mild winters (especially compared to NJ). Just be ready for energy bills over $200 in the summers.

Send me a PM if you have any questions you think you'd like me to answer.

Good luck with the decision.

 

[JennaTX]

Welcome to Houston!!! You will love it here, you money will go further, everyone is really nice, yes it is hot and humid in the summer but that is why so many homes have pools!! I agree with some of the other posts, you will probably get more bang for you buck and great school districts in the west or northwest side of town (and it sounds like it will be closer to work). You can look at har.com for houses in Houston, you can search by price, subdivision, school district, etc. Like others have suggested you might want to rent a home/apartment before buying a house so that you can really research the area that you want to live in.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Nothing to add, except that I am VERY JEALOUS!!! My Dh goes to Houston alot on business and I've traveled with him many times there. I would move there in a heartbeat. You will love it. So much to do, and more restaurants in one place than I'd ever seen anywhere. People are very friendly. Unfortunately, DH's job is here.

 

[IwannaseeMickey]

Just wanted to add that this whole thread has made me homesick! I moved from Austin to SC 2 years ago...been a TX girl my whole life!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Did just want to say kiss good bagels and pizza good bye unless someone can tell you a good place. We never found something like nj or ny and if you are a "night owl" you will be surprised how early things close up, and no diners either like in ny or nj, also you have to get used to living in the "bible belt", sundays is usual church day, activities etc. Our friends, who arent religious at all, couldnt understand why they took their kids to the park on sun. morning and practically no one was there. We told them everyone was most likely at a church.

 

[rt2dz]

Did just want to say kiss good bagels and pizza good bye unless someone can tell you a good place. We never found something like nj or ny and if you are a "night owl" you will be surprised how early things close up, and no diners either like in ny or nj, also you have to get used to living in the "bible belt", sundays is usual church day, activities etc. Our friends, who arent religious at all, couldnt understand why they took their kids to the park on sun. morning and practically no one was there. We told them everyone was most likely at a church.

I just have to laugh. It must be a neighborhood/area thing. I've never considered Houston a "bible belt" or shutting down early. We do go to church regularly, but we go to the Saturday night (6pm) service and find that on Sunday mornings parks, restruants, EVERYTHING is still packed. I know more people who don't go to church anywhere than do. We also have a lot around were I live that is open 24 hours, and most of what isn't is open until 2 am and re-opens around 5 am. And, being a Chicago girl, I never did like NY pizza, so I must disagree with you on the pizza thing. Of course, there are UNOS in Houston... But, yeah, it's definetly a different world down here.