Houston | Imamother

amother

Goldenrod

Sun, Jan 24 2016, 5:04 pm

amother wrote:

Dear OP: I don't mean to hijack your discussion so let me know if you want me to create a new thread. But I have questions about relocating to Houston and thought I'd keep it all here for anyone else looking for info...

I am also "RWMO" and looking for a similar & less expensive community to relocate to... Can anyone tell me the range of housing prices in the area of Young Israel and the schools? We could spend up to $1million on a house - what could we get for that? What are taxes like? What is the neighborhood/environment like? Is the community growing? How many kosher markets? I just started researching so please share any and all info! Thank you so much!!

For 1 million, you can probably get a castle and an estate. I heard that Housten is quite cheap and you can get a huge house with a pool for half a million. We're also looking into relocating there. Does anyone know anything about the new development they're building off west bellford (sp?) and who to contact about those?

amother

Azure

Sun, Jan 24 2016, 6:20 pm

Quote:

What is an approximate price for a nice 4 bedroom 4 bathroom house close to the Young Israel? Is it a nice area? How far is it from downtown (where I may work)?

A house that size would probably be in the $250,000 range. The immediate neighborhood itself is pretty nice. The surrounding area is pretty low-class. But on a day-to-day basis it doesn't bother most people. My kids walk to and from school themselves. You can drive 15 minutes in any direction and be near nice upscale shopping.

Being that the Young Israel neighborhood is towards the outskirts of the city, the commute to downtown can be pretty rough during rush hour. Depending on traffic it could be a 20 minute - 1 hour drive. If you're willing to rough it, or if you can work your hours to avoid rush hour times, it's not a bad commute.

Here is the website for the new development. The homes are being built right by the Young Israel. I hear that about $500,000 will get you a 4+ bedroom home with a pool.

http://www.dh-northfield.com/

amother

Azure

Sun, Jan 24 2016, 6:32 pm

Just to clear up a few things...

Quote:

But what I saw on the website made it seem like under 55 are not welcome.

Yes, the Braesridge Apartments (not just on Braesridge, but the actual name of the complex) do cater more towards the older crowd. They do not allow anyone with children and it is very hard to get into if you are under 55. They will not tolerate any noise and because of these tight restrictions there is just not a chevra there.

Quote:

I am also "RWMO" and looking for a similar & less expensive community to relocate to... Can anyone tell me the range of housing prices in the area of Young Israel and the schools? We could spend up to $1million on a house - what could we get for that? What are taxes like? What is the neighborhood/environment like? Is the community growing? How many kosher markets? I just started researching so please share any and all info! Thank you so much!!

Property taxes are a little on the higher end, but no state income tax.
Health insurance rates are some of the highest in the country because of all the illegal immigrants.
A couple of restaurants, about 3 groceries where you can get kosher food. There is not much that you can't get here, it's just not in the abundance that you can get in bigger communities.

The Young Israel community is growing rapidly. About 10-15 families are moving in a year. Mostly young couples in their 20s, early 30s.

Maybe you can explain a little more what you mean by RWMO. I would describe the Young Israel community more as the OP did - as modern yesheivish. Most of the husbands and wives (not all, but most) went to Yeshivos/Bais Yaakovs growing up and are just a little out of the box. Almost everyone wears a sheitel, I don't think anyone wears pants, almost all families send their kids to Yeshiva Torat Emet which is starting to split boys and girls at first grade.

amother

Lavender

Sun, Jan 24 2016, 6:58 pm

Is there a boys high school in Houston? I read on an old thread that boys from Houston go to Dallas for high school and stay in dorm. I have a two year old son so this is obviously long-term thinking.

How is the Dallas community different/similar?

By "right wing modern orthodox" I mean modern orthodox but on the conservative side - during the week I cover my hair with a baseball type hat or Tichel, and sheitel on shabbos on a simcha. I don't take on chumras or wear stockings and want a balanced secular/Jewish education for my son. I support the state of Israel - I'm a "religious Zionist type" . Oh, my husband is more yeshivish / black hat type but would is ok with a more modern shul/community. I like a mix of accepting people.

amother

Peach

Fri, Jan 29 2016, 10:44 am

the biggest catch as to why it is so cheap in the area of Houston where frum life is, is because it is (like many frum places) not a safe part of town. There are car break-ins regularly, all the houses have gates and bars or if they don't, they wish they did (similar to Brooklyn), and the area surrounding the neighborhood with the Jews is all low-income/poor black, and hispanic illegal immigrants. thats the catch. other then that, if you can take the heat you will be fine. Re: food, there are options, but if you're like me and enjoy delicious sushi and prepared foods and bakery, don't consider Houston. The restaurants are few,and they know it ( meaning they know hey are the only game in town and don't have to be good bc they know we will keep going bc wee haven't other option). I miss Fresh bagels so much!
also, in terms of activities and fun things for frum families and families in general, there isn't nearly as much to do as largeer more established communities. It's not a culturally interesting city- not a destination if that makes any sense. Austin is 2.5/3 hours away however and is very interesting! hope this helps.

greenfire

Fri, Jan 29 2016, 11:01 am

amother wrote:

Just to clear up a few things...

Quote:

But what I saw on the website made it seem like under 55 are not welcome.

I am stating that as a matter of fact there are several couples - some with children - they limit the amount to a small percentage to keep down the noise

amother

Azure

Fri, Jan 29 2016, 11:48 am

Quote:

Wow! I saw you post this same commentary on another post but didn't reply, but now I feel a need to answer.
I am so sorry that something must have happened to you while living in Houston that gave you such bad feelings about living here. I hope you find a place that you are happier.

As I stated before, yes it is not the safest part of town. But, on a day-to-day basis it does not affect anyone. There are occasionally strings of car break-ins, it usually goes in spurts. For some reason people think it's a smart idea to leave their wallets, ipads, computers...in their cars in plain sight, often with the doors unlocked. The neighborhood has produced a name for itself and these "thieves" know they can come in and very easily steal things and make a quick few bucks.
As far as the gates and bars - you obviously are not familiar with the history of the city. The neighborhood was originally built more than 40 years ago and it was one of the most affluent neighborhoods in town. There were even a few NBA and NFL stars that built their custom homes here. The gates were a Mexican influenced architectural feature that was very popular at the time. That's it. No security reason involved.
Food options are limited - but mostly because people here are just not into these things. Restaurants have opened and closed because people don't find eating out an important thing to spend their money on. I don't know of anyone that would say it's because the food doesn't taste good. Um, and fresh bagels? I don't know where you live but NY bagels are some of the best bagels I (and most other people) have ever tasted in their lives.
On to activities...I have no problem entertaining my family every single Sunday, vacations and summers with plenty of activities - almost all of them free, and I don't have to fight with millions of other people over parking and a place to stand! There are hundreds of beautiful parks, many museums that offer free days and lots of other things to do.

Again, I'm not sure what happened that makes you feel such a need to spread rumors but... Sorry for the megillah, I just felt a need to defend a city that has a very soft spot in my heart.

amother

Gold

Sun, Jan 31 2016, 2:58 pm

This person as a bone to pick with Houston, for some reason she searched for an inactive thread to post this on....

amother wrote:

There is a reason that the Jewish Community in the Northfield subdivisions is one of the fastest growing communities, the 77071 zip code had the one of the lowest crime rates in the city last year.

I would suggest checking out this facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Houst.....unity that has lots of info on the community.