KatieDidIt

Bach, so true. If you like neighbor avoidance, you don't move to the Woodlands, you remain in Pure's old-capitalism areas. You may wave at your neighbors there, have few friends on the street, but you can basically live in anonimity if you wish.

I've never lived in a true suburb before, and it still amazes me that party invitations arrive on my door from people who live blocks over, that we've never met before. And if you have a party, you can't invite just friends because someone on the street that you know only casually, might get their feelings hurt. If you go on vacation, blocks know it and where you went, and are staying. If you have a cold and open the door for a package, you get a call asking if you need chicken soup. (Actually happened)

I was actually told one day that I must really not want to talk to anyone because when I pulled into my garage, I always closed the garage door behind me... I've lived in big cities my whole life, its kindof a security habit. And I'll admit, some days I do it on purpose when I see someone in the street I don't have the energy or time to talk to right that second. Maybe its just our area, but to a family that is used to moderate privacy, its a little bizarre.

I've learned to live with it, am not longer shocked by it. Yet I still find it weird to have neighbors, whom aren't close friends, so interested in us.

So yeah, I would never say that a move to the Woodlands was in pursuit of space from your neighbors.

Wilchester is booming like crazy now, like it did in the early 80's. It sure would be nice to see Westchester High School open again and give that area more choices. Friend's parents that still live there say not only have house prices doubled in the past three years, but our generation in buying them up like crazy and gutting. True Memorial has gotten way too expensive for most of the 30-40 year old set, so they are having to move back into West Memorial to get into Spring Branch Schools. I don't know if Stratford can handle to population load of this "rebirth."

I'll check this out tomorrow...I guess I'm in the wrong thread...I'm not specifically looking for mexican or latino neighborhoods any more...I just want to see some pedestrian friendly neighborhoods...or some cool places to people watch....Is there anything like Melrose here?

I'll try that later on this week...thanks

Uptown Park is not a neighborhood per say, but it has great resturants and the people watching factors.

Other than that...have you been downtown?

Otilia's on Long Point. 7700 block, west of Wirt has incredible Mexican Food....not Tex Mex. The Rita's are out of this world and you must try the Cream of Pablano soup!

Atom made the morning show "unlistenable" with kids in the car. He won't be missed.

I thought 2978 was the definite western boundary separating the Woodlands from Magnolia. Even if they extend the Parkway, you'd still technically be in Magnolia by the time you get to 249.

I agree with you that the balance of classes is too socialist to work in 2006, but come on, you musn't embrace unrestrained capitalism without discipline. Then you'd end up with the intersection of Kuykendahl and 2920. If the Woodlands looked anything like that, I guarantee you you'd be complaining. I dare you to drive through that intersection and not instantly form a negative impression of it or have the desire to close your eyes. What made countries like France and old towns in America great was that everyone worked hard to build them, but they were concerned with the overall look of the community in addition to the money that could be made. The Woodlands, unlike Spring, still has an eye for planning, and even though Mitchell's vision is no longer applicable, the Woodlands still looks a heck of a lot better than most parts of Houston, even if it's all about the money now.

Well, once you hit Creekside, you are in Tomball. The WDC already has purchased land on the other side of 2978. ANd yes, if they see a buck, they will buy up more. Mitchell's vision was that it ended at 2978..this new company is completely different.

The Governance is rather a joke. Invite residents to participate, gather opinions.....then the WDC will do what it wants anyway. That's why its not going over so well.. and in the end Houston will take the Woodlands if it wants too.

The Mitchell idea for the Woodlands is over. Its now on the fringe of Houston and becoming part of Houston. Its 2006, not 1976. The balance of economic classes within the area will not be respected, I always found that very socialist anyway. The builders build to make money..so they build for those that have money.

As the the Woodlands being finite, did you know that the Woodlands Parkway will extend to 249 in the coming years? My guess is the WDC will snap up all the properties that will border that section. So, Ithink in the future, the Woodlands will be getting larger.

The Niche is dead on with this statement :

Besides, Generation X is otherwise known by demographers as the "Baby Bust" for a reason...there aren't all that many of them relative to the rest of the population. By the time they'd have a chance to reject Carlton Woods, Boomers will by dying off just as Gen Y (which is an echo of the Silent Generation, a.k.a. the "old school") will be just about ready to start moving in. Even if there was a demand gap in the interim, you can be assured that those homes will have fulfilled the purpose that Boomers purchased them for...to grow old and die in.

Spring, a lot of the very wealth families (even the ones behind THE WALL) have children that attend the CISD schools. So, your kids may end up playing with them. Its ok, they don't bite.

They have all basically similar feels, except Atlanta has a lot of rolling hills, 4 seasons and it cools down at night in the summer.

When I went to College in Dallas, I termed it the concrete jungle, and my school was in University Park! Its more of a singles town.

Houston has a more family feel to it, I like it better than Dallas. Before all the Loop construction, I felt it was greener too. Out of the three cities, it has the best Downtown.

I love Atlanta and the fact you can get to the mountains in 2 hours, but you couldn't pay me to go Downtown. Buckhead is awesome though!

"Do you think this generation likes country clubs and gated communities"

uhhhh, I would be in the Gen-X age range, as most of my friends are. Granted its on the high side of the spectrum. We all belong to clubs, some are behind walls. Maybe its the anarchist Gen-Xer you are referring too? Our generation will be one of the wealthiest due to the massive inheritance that will occur from the boomers, so I wouldn't jump to the conclusion on how we will live 20 years from now.

As to big oil money drying up...have you not been observing oil prices? This is the biggest boom for oil money in 20 years. The stock market and all its futures speculation is driving the industry at full steam. Many of our Gen-Xers friends are inthe industry as well as those furtures speculators, and they are making a killing...

Walled communities probably are the way of the future for certain populations. The Woodlands seems sleepy now, but things can change quickly and most likely will over the next ten years. And I think the average income level of the typical resident will certainly be higher in the years to come. Just look at who the custom builder and commercial development is trying to attract.

As to the uber large house....I still say live and let live. How people spend their money really doesn't effect anyone on any level, except for creating some jobs. I can't imagine being offended by someone' else's good fortune. It really is a symbol of how the American Dream and American Freedom works. Granted, I'm glad there aren't hundreds of them around, but a few Hotelhomes won't hurt anyone. If the Woodlands ok'ed the plans, then who is to tell the owner where he can or cannot build.

This is a country built on capitalism, not communism...thank god.

I find this post very interesting on many levels.

The Woodlands is changing, Eastshore is evidence. The economic classes really aren't being mixed there as they have in all the other villages in the Woodlands. This means the home values in the area will go up and it will become the "desired," or in the Woodlands sense "envied," place to be. But true cities have areas like this, and hopefully there will be some sort of city government established soon to provide better services for all. I think other areas near courses and areas of higher priced homes will go up, and have about 20% in the past year, because they will become in demand, its the natural course of things. The mega million dollar home won't do well for a while, because for 2 million you can buy a great home in Houston..so you'd really have to want to be here to pay that.

The Woodlands is now building to attract Houstonians that are moving for schooling, to use the profit from their 1960's ranch houses, and to avoid the growing crime since Katrina. Our builder told me the other day he is building more traditional, inside the loop designs because that's what he being asked to build. And if those people want to move some place they think is safer and has better schooling because they can afford it, let them. If they want to be behind a gate because they are used to gates, let them. Most people try to live in as nice a place as they can and can afford, just because they can afford more doesn't mean they are egomaniacle heathens. Personally, I miss the gate across my driveway. It was a nice of a way of saying, I'm home now but too busy to be attacked by neighbors the minute I open my car door.

Carlton Woods. While I think having a huge walled space is a little silly up here, at this point-maybe not in 10 years, I think they have established something that The Woodlands has not, better service for those who pay more association fees. The club is walled off from the public and has all the club ammentities in one central location. This is the characteristic of the traditional country club. The Woodlands Club has no large central family gathering place- they use the associations tennis courts,the WAC's kids programs, the resort's pool and the Palmer wading pool area is so small you can't have huge club gathering. But its fine as a golf club, but there is no family "club" feel to it.

Now the giganormous house is funny, money doesn't equal taste. But you know what, maybe that guy worked his butt off his whole life and that was his dream, so good for him. Bill Gates did it, so why not him/her?

Richy, snobby, nosey, housewife- LOL. The really rich ones aren't nosey. They won't even pay attention to you unless you are in their group, and they are too busy "playing" to care about your business. What people do or don't do with there income isn't anyone's business but their own.

The fact that anyone owns a home in The Woodlands or elsewhere, whether its 80k or 2 million, and can pay the taxes and fees to live in it, puts them ahead of the majority of America. So some spend a little more, big whoop.

There is something screwy in the attitude towards the wealthier residents up here. Without the Top 1 percent, their companies/corporations, inventions and consumption habits, most of America wouldn't have a job. In my son's school, in The Woodlands, having wealthy parents is a bad thing and you should be embarassed.......therefore working hard, being lucky or successful in this world should be frowned upon. Frankly, that's messed up.

Let my bashing begin..........

I try to avoid self-imposed hardships.

And this commute is one.

Hey, I've suggested moving back but he likes his home up here and many of his clients live in the Woodlands/Spring area. Another bonus for him is that he can take unlimited guests golfing during the month up here for business, while our club in town limits that. But he said yesterday that he is also considering moving everything back to downtown again, which makes it an easy commute via car or the Express. And we do plan to return to central Houston in about 8 years. The original move from Downtown to Kirkwood was due to the fact most of the employees lived out in Katy or up 290, so he does take into consideration his employees needs over his own often.

Besides, when we used to live right off Woodway, his commute was getting up to 35 minutes with construction. He claims he'd rather be moving during that time than parked on I-10. Its his choice to make the drive and if he's had enough before the kids are done with school, we'll move back.

Thanks for the information!

My husband would leave at 6 AM so I think the commute in would probably be manageable. The commute home would probably be worse though, assuming he leaves in the 5:30 - 6:00 PM range. Would you say the commute home is almost always at least 1 1/2 hours or is it sometimes in the 1 - 1 1/2 range?

We would probably not make a final decision to move for a few more years (I like to plan ahead!) so I'm hoping the Beltway 8/I-10 situation would be resolved by then.

I am torn because we are happy with our community and immediate area, however, once you get outside of a roughly 4 square mile area, the area gets decidedly shabbier. Not bad or unsafe, but not as consistently "nice" as my (limited) impression of The Woodlands. Our area also lacks retail and restaurants, although there is a town centre project underway that will help with this a little. Still, I doubt the area will ever seem as well laid-out as The Woodlands and I can have a tendency to be overly particular .

My husband leaves work around 4:15pm, as most of the market is closed by then. It takes him about 50-60 minutes. On the few days he leaves later he says are nightmares after 5pm and his commute extends to well over an hour. In fact, on most of those days he just stays in town and has dinner with friends and family until after 7. He's seen the commute get longer and slower in the past year.

Does anyone know what sort of commute time one would expect from The Woodlands to I-10 & Eldridge? We currently live in Seven Meadows (master planned community in Cinco Ranch area), but as nice as it is I am still very interested in The Woodlands. I am concerned about my husband's commute however. Any thoughts would be welcome!

Thank you!

We currently live in Sterling Ridge (Back/Western Part of the Woodlands) and my husband works at I-10 and Kirkwood. He takes the 249 to Beltway route and on average it takes 50-60 minutes, leaving at 6:30am at the latest. HOWEVER, there have been occasions where its taken 1 1/2- 2 hours to get home. Trains have made him turn around and just work from home some days. Wrecks and trains are problems. It will only get worse as this area becomes more populated. The completion of 249 all the way north (whenever that will be) will stop the train problem, but more subdivisions will just back up that new road also. He claims not to mind at this point, but has said if he gets any worse he will move his offices up here despite the fact this will not make any of the employees very happy.

I feel the schools are some of the best in the state, not to mention the sports. However, as adults its very far from Houston, the core of the energy business, and the real world.

PS, research the taxes, services and associations fees, and what you get or don't get for those fees, before you leap.

"Also remember, they're doing to Demolish the I-10/BW8 onramps in the next year."

Ricco, is this true? I think I see the the new footings for the new ramps already for that intersection. If what you say is true, then where will be the Beltway access from I-10, because that is a major commuting intersection?

It's the perfect place to retire! Hello, golf?

Parrot, how many seniors think: "Oh, its time to retire, let's move to not only Houston but North Houston... way out in the burbs. The summers are so refreshing and everything in The Woodlands is so conviently close!"

I LOVE Houston, but you have to admit, its dog hot at least 7 months of the year and the skeeters get so thick they could caddy your golf bag for you. Golfing weather is much better in NC and Florida. Here its too hot in the summer, and most years its too rainy in the winter.

I maintain, the Woodlands is more of a middle aged family place.......I just don't see the appeal of retirement here, unless you have grandkids in the area and you'd rather be near them than a milder climate and a place more cultural.

SUNRISE SENIOR LIVING PURCHASES SITE IN TOWN CENTER...

Sunrise Senior Living, an international operator of senior living communities, has purchased a 2.53-acre site in The Woodlands Town Center for construction of a 253,000-square-foot senior living condominium building, according to Dan Leverett, vice president, commercial for The Woodlands Development Company.

more information

Hey Bach, I thought you couldn't build higher than the tree line in The Woodlands (with the exception of Anadarko). That sucker looks at least 10 stories. Is the Town Center area under a different code?

PS, your link led me to a senior living they are building in Alden Bridge. They sure are plugging this retirement home issue. I guess some come here to be near their kids? Seems a strange place to retire.

they seem to like ziegler cooper and gensler. i do not dislike the buildings going up on the waterway. i enjoy the subtle lines of the marriott hotel's exterior quite a bit. depending on where you are viewing the hotel, it's unusual vertical lines are constantly changing your perception of the structure. hopefully, in the future and perhaps with this boutique hotel, we will get a piece of architecture that garner's some attention.

Went to Churassco's, inside the loop, on Thursday night and it was really neat to see that the old manager from La Tour D"Argent is the manager there now. Great meal, but I have to say I miss the old menu.

i don't think town center would be a great place for any sort of aerial tram.

Agreed Bach. Town Center/Market Street is only a few city blocks. If you can't walk that, then you are just lazy.

Miami has the Monorail, and it took 15 years for anyone to ride it. Its more of a 100 million dollar novelty.

Love the grid system. We used to live in a grid now we live on a cul-de-sac that the "lookielous" loop at 45 mph and drive on. I used to be able to walk the grid and if I got tired sooner, take the straight line back.

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

You know, I think one of those little shuttle buses running to market street and stopping at major intersections just might work. There are some many damn stop lights ( or about to be) now down the parkway, everyone is within a 1/2 mile walk of one.

Current light setup it takes 20 minutes from the back of The Woodlands to Market Street. With 4 more lights going up, the time will probably push to 22-25 minutes.

I think the kids would use it in droves. Sorry Market Street, but you're the one that put in the theater, Jamba Juice, Johnny Rockets, Ice Cream shop etc.

i passed the new walmart on my way to magnolia on thursday. my little sis had her second bambino. the parking lot was packed. i was lmao when i thought about all the negativity about this location. it was PACKED i tell you. i knew those folks at walmart had researched the demographics out there. totally packed!

hey Bach, but its a ghost town from 10pm-9am. I think they need to rethink the 24 hour concept in that location. Drive by again this week, its calmed down a lot since opening day.

My husband passed by on his way home from work on the 17th, when it opened, and said every space was taken and the traffic was a nightmare. By Friday he informed me that the lot was 1/6 full at the same time.

I had to use the Walmart today to get a lemon for a science experiment my son forgot to tell me about, and for those of us at the end of the Parkway it is much closer. I've only been in a few Walmarts, but there is nothing different about this one except its new and clean.The outside is different and they did plant hundreds of 6 inch pines though....

Well, I am joyous about getting Italian back here, even if I don't think D'Amicos is that great. Bach, I'm wondering if his Northern Italian will truley be "upscale," because you would be stretching to call D'Amicos upscale.

welcome to the forum tom, and thanks for the link.

katiedidit, there is, or was, a sign facing kuykendahl, to the south of the HEB center advertising for a 10 acre tract for sale or development.

Oh, ok. I knew there was land there but I didn't think it was that big.

This is great. I hope they start soon.

Indian Springs Office/Restaurant Complex

Here is a link for this project.

WOW. Wish we had bought in that area. However, I know there will be an uproar over this considering how upset they got over the HEB. But I would love to live closer to such things, being an urbanite.

They must have bought some of the land over by the 24 fitness, because I don't know where else there is 10 free acres