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My son is starting law school in Houston in August. We need to find out where folks would recommend living with the least risk of being mugged. Any of you Houston area folks have words of wisdom to offer? Areas to stay away from...prices....areas of relative peaceful living?

Thanks for any suggestions. P.S. I told him I would pay for him to take his CHL class and license fees. He lives in Austin... any recs on CHL classes.

Which school?

Here is a site you can use to view crime statistics for each police beat:
http://www.houstontx.gov/police/cs/beat ... _stats.htm

Here's another one that is not associate with the City of Houston:
http://houstoncrimemaps.com/

It's important to distinguish between types of crime on these maps. The big ones that indicate a dangerous neighborhood are burglary and car theft. Robbery is another one, but robbers are mobile and sometimes go to better neighborhoods for better pickings. Assault includes domestic assaults and fights between acquaintances (gangs, mostly), so that it not as useful a statistic.

- Jim

Stay West of I45 for sure!


Seriously, stay away from Gunspoint (Greenspoint), Shotstown (Sharpstown), and anything immediately on the outside of South Loop 610. Many of the near-town neighborhoods that used to be bad (Montrose, Fifth Ward etc.) are on the way up. Most places on the near-North side are pretty decent. Anywhere you see urban renewal coming through is good to get into. The Spring Branch/ Memorial area (I10 West corridor) is good and not too far out.

Top Gun has a good CHL class and a good range.

HTH

The best place to live in Houston is out of Houston. The Woodlands area is nice as is part of the westside of Houston.

I really appreciate the advice folks. Keep it coming. I lived in Pasadena as a kid 35 years ago. I was told that Pasadena has gone downhill also. He and I are going to go down there next month for a couple days to get the "feel" of the different hoods. I have driven through The Woodlands on several of my trips down to HRP in Baytown. The Woodlands looks like a very nice area...and it looks real high dollar too . I plan to try and help with finances some, but after getting him through four years at UT, I am tapped out. He is going to have to carry the lions share of expenses so price is somewhat of an issue. I may kick in more than I wanted, just so I don't give myself ulcers worrying about him every day.

trdvet wrote:The best place to live in Houston is out of Houston. The Woodlands area is nice as is part of the westside of Houston.

That's fine if you don't mind the drive. I don't think someone going to law school can afford either the gas or the commute that's on the plus side of an hour.

bdickens wrote:

trdvet wrote:The best place to live in Houston is out of Houston. The Woodlands area is nice as is part of the westside of Houston.

That's fine if you don't mind the drive. I don't think someone going to law school can afford either the gas or the commute that's on the plus side of an hour.

Yeah...an hour drive would be a problem for him. Especially at 4 bucks a gallon gas. I believe it is the University of Houston school of law. I need to map quest it before we get out there. I think a 30 minute drive would be about max. He may be thinking 10 minutes...LOL. He said he has some ideas, but the last time he chose an apartment he was car burgled and a student was murdered right next door to his apartment within the first 2 weeks of being there. I moved him to a better part of Austin right after that and swore I was never going to let him choose his own place again...LOL. No matter how old he gets.

UH has several campuses. Your son needs to know which one he will be attending. Probably the current students are the best ones to ask about places to live.

In Houston, one block can make a significant difference in crime rates and general quality of life.

- Jim

No kidding! There are places where across the street are like night and day. Yale street just north of the Loop, for instance. West of Yale, you have Garden Oaks which is a really nice, slightly gentrified area. Much like the Heights but a little newer, larger yards and not so expensive. East of Yale is a wasteland. I mean GETTO! That's spelled G-E-T-T-O because the area is so rough, they stole the "H" from the word "ghetto!"

We sold our house in Crosby in November. I loved it there. (We lived outside of Crosby, about three miles from the county line.)

We never had any trouble; we knew our neighbors. Also, Houston wasn't too far. You can get on Hwy 90, then the beltway & get into town.

We're now in Kingwood/Atascocita. I would rather be in the country, but KW isn't too bad.

PM "El Gato" for the CHL class...But thats just my opinion...

Take a look around Greenway Plaza (Kirby / Richmond). You can find some pretty decent deals on apartments and it's pretty close to most things. About 6 miles southwest of downtown off of 59.

The U/H Law Center is on the main campus a/k/a University Park. Give me a call and I'll be happy to talk.

Chas.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:The U/H Law Center is on the main campus a/k/a University Park. Give me a call and I'll be happy to talk.

Chas.

I may just take you up on this offer. I have about a dozen questions about that area.

Pearland is good on the eastern side. The area around and west of 518 and 288 ain't so good. While the houses are upscale, it has drawn attention from the thugs from Houston. The east Pearland /Friendswood area is nice. He could take telephone road or Mykawa to the UH central campus. He should be armed on the commute however.