Sorry for the off topic but I need info from folks in this forum;

My wife has accepted a job in Houston and it looks like I will be moving back state side after almost 15 years in the UK.

Any recommendations on where to live, etc., greatly appreciated! Herself should be there in about 45 days but I wont be done here until November. In fact, I am going to Namibia in August and will need to send trophies back to somebody in Houston instead of here so I guess I need a recommendation for that as well!

Cheers/much obliged/chin chin!/thanks kindly, etc. ;-)

There are a number of guys in the Houston area on the forum. Good luck with the move

I'm not from Houston, thank God, but much will depend on where her job is located. She will not want to fight Houston traffic more than is absolutely necessary everyday to get to work.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
I'm not from Houston, thank God, but much will depend on where her job is located. She will not want to fight Houston traffic more than is absolutely necessary everyday to get to work.

Trust me, Houston has nothing on her current commute. It takes her two hours door to door from home to office and office to home! And worse, she has been doing that the whole time we have been here. I'm sure her new office in going to be right downtown (major international conglomerate) so I am betting she will have some traffic wherever we end up.

Thanks for the heads up!

This is a great place for obtaining moving, relocation or general info on Houston or anywhere. Just post your question - http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/

Cole,

As someone said, there are lots of Houstonians that post on this forum. Once you get settled in we will need to get a group together to go shooting.

On where to live, that is sort of like a blondes versus brunettes question. I live in Kingwood. A planned community north of town near the airport. A similar community north of town is the Woodlands. Houston has no zoning so the benefit of planned communities is that they accomplish with deed restrictions what could have been done with zoning regulations. Others that post here live inside the Loop, Sugarland, Friendswood, Clear Lake, lots of choices. I think the decision is dictated in large part by (i) where will your wife be working, and (ii) how much of a premium do you place on proximity. The closer you get to downtown the more you are going to pay, as a general rule, per square foot.

On who to use for trophy shipments, that is easy. Contact Lynette Lilley or Cindi Rulon with WELL Worldwide Energy Logistics (281-606-2400 or llilley@well-usa.com). Do a search on the forum and you will find many positive comments on WELL. They are located near the airport.

Other questions, PM or email me (mjines@live.com).

I'm glad to know about WELL myself. But if you want to pay about as much to clear your trophies as you do for your house, I can enthusiastically recommend ABX in Houston.

My daughter lives in Houston and recently bought a house there, so I have some knowledge of it. In addition to location in reasonable proximity to work, you would need to specify the kind of housing you're interested in (condo, single-family, urban, suburban, rental, owner-occupied, etc.), as well as your size requirement and about what you are willing to spend. Houston offers a wide variety of housing choices, and Houston housing is, on average, less expensive than most large urban locations in the U.S.

Fantastic Mike, thanks! And I will take you up on the shooting offer!

As Herself will be arriving first without any possessions other than her wardrobe, she will need to rent a furnished flat (oh dear god, I am going to have to work on the whole English/'Merican language translation. Been here waaaay too long and gone native!) aka., furnished apartment, until I show up. The international relocation package comes with my job. Then we can look for a home together. I am inclined to buy a few acres and build our own but she may want to live closer to work.

I can agree whole heartedly with everything Mike wrote.

I do the North Eastside simply because I am not a neighborhood type person and can live in the "Country" whils still only a 40 minute commute into town for work. You ( IMHO ) get more for your money on the East side ( East of Highway 59 ).

It is all in what you are looking for. The Houston Area has just about all you can want.

quote:

I'm not from Houston, thank God

Houstonians are thankfull also It's much easier to be a large fish when you swim in a small bowl

I enjoyed living in Cinco Ranch in West Houston, close to a great gun club, planned community, lots of golf.

Close to her job, if possible. Lots of neighborhood/residential tucked away. Avoid lower lying areas -- rain is a trial here! The Bayou City layout means never go anywhere in Houston without a map!!! (Been here thirty years and I still get turned around.)

I prefer the North side of town myself, the Woodlands, Kingswood for master planned communities or areas close by if you don't like the master planned concept. Avoid places where the houses have burglar bars on the windows. Also, if you have dogs, make enquiries about the presence of alligators in the local water bodies. Have a look at the hurricane evac map http://www.hcoem.org/HCMap.aspx?P=Evacuation and be guided appropriately, also make sure you check the flood zones where ever you locate, sometimes they surprise you.

If you are looking for taxidermy I've used B&B Taxidermy and been very happy with the results, they do a lot of African stuff. Having said that, there are a number of good taxidermy companies in the area and everybody has a personal preference.

I will also say that I moved back to the states after 17 years over seas the last 13 of which was in the UK and it was something of a shock, took me a while to make the adjustment.

I live on the west side of town in Cinco Ranch Sub Division and have enjoyed it greatly. It depends totally on where your wife is located at work and what your budget for a home will be. Also I have always used Coppersmith for my trophies and have not had any problems. If you have any futher questions just let me know.
Welcome to the big city.

Welcome to Houston. I just counted and realized I've lived in 16 states and five foreign countries including the UK (London). There's nothing wrong with Houston!

You are getting some excellent advice about some of the housing and location considerations. We lived in Kingwood a number of years and have since moved closer to downtown - less house for a lot more money, but I save a lot of commute time can go home for lunch when desired. Have to warn you, it's a bit of a seller's market lately.

I echo Mike's recommendation about WELL for trophy shipments.

I'll PM you and be glad to call for more detailed discussion.

Regards,
Emory

Bwanacole:

I develop apartments for a living and can help you out. We are just finishing one that is a stone's throw from downtown. Google "Broadstone West Dallas" and you will easily find it. I'm sure your company has some connections with furnishing units as well, but if not I can get our management company to help you out. I suggest you live in a rental apartment a while and then figure out what works best for you.

Lynette Lilly is great for importing trophies.

PM me if u need more info.

quote:

Originally posted by BwanaCole:
Sorry for the off topic but I need info from folks in this forum;

My wife has accepted a job in Houston and it looks like I will be moving back state side after almost 15 years in the UK.

Any recommendations on where to live, etc., greatly appreciated! Herself should be there in about 45 days but I wont be done here until November. In fact, I am going to Namibia in August and will need to send trophies back to somebody in Houston instead of here so I guess I need a recommendation for that as well!

Cheers/much obliged/chin chin!/thanks kindly, etc. ;-)

Check with Rusty who posts here on AR mostly on the double rifle forum. He lives in Missouri City, Texas a suburb of Houston! Katy, TX is another suburb that has some very nice areas as well. Rusty can most likely tell you about anything you want to know about the Houston area, as he is a retired News Director for one of the TV stations in Houston, and knows the area very well. Check his profile and send him a PM He's a good guy and will help you any way can.

quote:

On who to use for trophy shipments, that is easy. Contact Lynette Lilley or Cindi Rulon with WELL Worldwide Energy Logistics (281-606-2400 or llilley@well-usa.com). Do a search on the forum and you will find many positive comments on WELL. They are located near the airport.

Don't know much about Houston, but have used Well Worldwide 3 times & if & when I hunt abroad again they'll be the ones that handle my trophies.
Look in the dictionary under "Texas Hospitality"& I'm sure their pictures will be there.
Best of luck to ya'll.

You guys are the best, thanks!

I have a condo, it's in the rental pool for the time being... its inside loop 610, just south of highway 59, at the end of westpark tollway... just a few minutes south of the galleria area, and 5 miles to downtown...I like the area, its west university/Bellaire... it's coming up for rent again at the end of summer... 1 br/1ba washer/dryer... 920 sq ft. 3rd floor upstairs..., assigned covered parking for 1 vehicle, and bulk lot for other vehicle...it could be furnished in shabby/chic if you wish...

I lived in Houston most of my 66 years. Try to locate close to work. The city, already big, is growing very rapidly, like the rest of the state. Traffic & congestion are problematic.

I've lived and worked in Houston for over 25 years. I've worked both downtown and in the Galleria area and lived everywhere from the Montrose area to the Woodlands, 30 miles north of town. Feel free to send me a PM and I'll be more than happy to give the scoop on Houston neighborhoods/traffic etc. Where you want to live depends a lot on your commuting tolerance, your price range and just your taste.

I used WRZanes in 2006

All the above is good advice.

Maybe she could start out at one of the "extended stay" places until you get here. We stayed in one for a week while some remodeling was being done and I'd think it would be OK for her until you can get here.

If your wife shoots sporting clays, or has a desire to start, there is a ladies league starting soon. My wife shot in it last summer.

PM me for more info.