What can you tell me about Spring, Texas?

[ChrisnSteph]

Have a good friend moving there, and she's trying to convince me of how wonderful it is and I should move there too. I guess housing is really inexpensive. So how is it really?

 

[Planogirl]

Spring is a nice little town just to the north of Houston and very close to The Woodlands which is VERY nice. Spring is an old town and has several blocks of old houses and buildings which have been turned into Old Town Spring which is a popular place for shopping now. The shops carry unusual items, collectibles and antiques mostly and decorate in themes around holidays.

Let's see what else... Springs also has new areas and subdivisions. There's a Splashtown waterpark in Spring. The area is heavily wooded. I've always liked people that come from Spring. There are lakes and national forests and the like nearby.

Why not visit your friend and check it out?

 

[debabe723]

My sister has lived there for about 7 years or so and loves it. I find it too humid for me (even in winter) but I like dry heat. She left Chino Hills to move there and bought much more house for way less money (less than $200K for almost 4000 sq ft but that was a few years ago). She has tried to talk me into moving there too but just the cheaper housing prices isn't enough for me to go. It's very flat, has thunderstorms and tornados (plus part of a hurricane last summer), traffic as bad as L.A. and big mosquitos! JMO. I do like the Woodlands area, though, which is just north of Spring. Go for a visit and see if you like it. She's very happy there and you might be too.

 

[debabe723]

Spring is an old town and has several blocks of old houses and buildings which have been turned into Old Town Spring which is a popular place for shopping now. The shops carry unusual items, collectibles and antiques mostly and decorate in themes around holidays.

I forgot about Old Town Spring. I'd visited 4 times before my sister took me over there. I loved the shops and bought some cute things.

 

[JennaTX]

Well I just moved to Spring from Houston less than a month ago. I am on the border of the Spring/Houston line. Like a lot of large cities, there are many smaller "towns" outside of the city. For me all of the small towns like Spring, The Woodlands, Katy, etc. are just really the greater Houston area.

We just bought a house in a great neighborhood, Champions Forest, that is around 3500 sq ft for around 200,000. There are great schools here also, if that is a consideration. Also there is great shopping right next to us, less than 15 minutes from a mall (which in some parts of Houston, it could be 30 minutes or more), lots of other shopping and restaurants.

Since I just moved over here, I may be prejudiced. But I have lived in Houston for 20 years, so I know almost all parts.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Thanks for all the replies! She is there now and keeps telling me how much better it is than California. How are jobs?

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We didn't live in Spring, but lived in west Houston. So I can give you an idea about the general area.

I didn't want to move there when we moved (from Virginia), but ended up loving it. The heat and humidity was the biggest negative, but the cost of living was wonderful. We lived in the Houston area for 5 years and I cried when we moved.

Where you are, though, you are used to HEAT. Yeah, sure, a dry heat, but it's so hot in the desert. Your evenings cool down a little, which doesn't happen as much in TX. Afternoon thundershowers are common in the Houston area, kind of like in Orlando, if you've been there during the summer months.

Does your DH have a job that he'd be able to transfer easily? Do you have family in CA?

 

[amyup]

My good friend moved to Spring recently, about 2 years ago, she is just now beginning to think its an ok place but can't wait to move back to California. I went and visited this January and I'm still in love with California. Spring is FLAT not a hill in sight. The Woodlands is very nice. Good housing prices alone would not entice me to move there (trust me, my friend and I went to sooo many beautiful model homes when I was there ). But that is just my opinion......I would also not enjoy the Summers there, very humid.

Amy

 

[ChrisnSteph]

We didn't live in Spring, but lived in west Houston. So I can give you an idea about the general area.

I didn't want to move there when we moved (from Virginia), but ended up loving it. The heat and humidity was the biggest negative, but the cost of living was wonderful. We lived in the Houston area for 5 years and I cried when we moved.

Where you are, though, you are used to HEAT. Yeah, sure, a dry heat, but it's so hot in the desert. Your evenings cool down a little, which doesn't happen as much in TX. Afternoon thundershowers are common in the Houston area, kind of like in Orlando, if you've been there during the summer months.

Does your DH have a job that he'd be able to transfer easily? Do you have family in CA?

He's a firefighter/paramedic, so finding another job wouldn't be as easy. We could sell our house here in California and practically pay half on a house in the Spring area, and I do think the homes there are beautiful, I just don't know. The biggest issue with moving is that my dh is vested in a great retirement program here (Cal-Pers). And while California definitely has it's problems, I'm close to literally everything - beach, sand dunes, ski resorts, Disneyland - I'd have a hard time moving away from the coast. But part of me wants to get the hell out of this state so bad! How are the taxes in Texas? I've heard that they're pretty high. We pay 1.8% per year (based on the assessed value of our home when we bought it). Thanks for all the info!

 

[Planogirl]

Taxes may be a bit higher when it comes to property taxes but there is NO state income tax which is nice.

Frankly, if the coast is important to you stay put! I don't mind the Texas coast because I grew up around it but it's nothing compared to the California coast. California is lovely and while Texas has some nice areas, it can't come anywhere close to matching California.

The people in both states are nice IMO so that's not a factor at least.

 

[lil mermaid]

We live in the Woodlands. We moved here about a year ago from the SF Bay area.

Housing here is very inexpensive compared to most other parts of the country. It is a bit more expensive in The Woodlands than in other places in the Houston area. That is mainly due to the cost of land in The Woodlands. I really like it here a lot. It is a WONDERFUL place to raise kids. It really is all about the kids and family here in Houston. There are tons of parks and it seems there is always something going on (festivals, etc.) We have tons of kids in our neighborhood, and we had hardly any in our neighborhood in CA!

Property taxes are very high here. Not going to kid you about that. I mean - REALLY high, but as others have stated there are no state income taxes.

The weather in the summer is brutal, but for much of the year it is really lovely.

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.

 

[Jpgirl]

I live in North Houston and love it here in Texas. We moved here 4 years ago from Ohio and got used to the weather very quickly. I love the weather. The housing is much less expensive-we went from a 2800 sq. foot house to a 2900sq foot house WITH a pool for 10K less than in Ohio so just imagine what kind of house (maybe with acreage in Spring you can get). You're dh shouldn't have a problem getting a job as a fire fighter. The job market is pretty good. Property taxes are high but no income tax. The people are super friendly and nice. Down sides would be the weather if you don't like heat and the occasssional hurricane. We experienced our first one last year. We're far enough inland not to worry too much but we still lost electric for a day and had a fence blown down. I would've hated to see what would happen if had blown in the way they predicted!! Good luck.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

You would need a good reason to move and after you listed everything, I just don't see a benefit for you to move.
#1 being your dh's job retirement, that comes first.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

You would need a good reason to move and after you listed everything, I just don't see a benefit for you to move.
#1 being your dh's job retirement, that comes first.

You're probably right. I tried to convince him to move to San Antonio a couple years ago (we both love it there) and I almost had him convinced. I had a house picked out and everything! But he vetoed at the last minute. It's just so expensive to live in California. Gas, housing, everything. And it's so fast paced. I live in a nice area, but it's your typical suburban neighborhood. I'd love a change!

Thanks for all your responses!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Sounds like maybe you have that moving itch. I used to get that every once in a while. Haven't had it in a LONG time.

As much as I liked living in TX, I would also not move anywhere, unless I didn't have a choice, until my kids are grown. But it's a tough choice because we could make SO much $ on our house if we moved. But it's not worth it to my right now and I like it too much where we're at.

Of course the housing costs have gone through the roof where you live. My in-laws moved to Sun City from Anaheim several years ago and their little house has really appreciated. You do have a lot to enjoy not far from where you live. The beach, DL, the mountains. Hard to give that up. But of course you would be a shorter airplane ride to WDW...