Howdy Upcoming Aggie Grads! Congrats on your new career in Houston!
Today I’m going to focus on areas of Houston you might want to STEER CLEAR of – no offense to our little SEC brother. haha! I’m writing this from the perspective of the worst areas for meeting other Aggie RECENT Grads. I also primarily have SAFETY in mind with these choices too except one – you will see one exception below!
In general, the INNER LOOP defines the most popular areas of Houston for Aggie Recent Grads – the 610 Loop. Particularly on the WEST SIDE of the Inner loop 610 is where you will find Aggie Grads in large concentrations! Areas that are outside of that west loop side need much more research if you are thinking about living there, because most recent grads don’t live there! The main reason for that is most of the companies that hire new Aggie grads are located in the Inner Loop – in Downtown Houston or are in the Inner Loop or nearby such as Post Oak, Galleria, etc.
Also, some of these areas may have some great neighborhood pockets for families or experienced Aggie professionals. So if the area you are considering is mentioned below, that doesn’t mean it’s a no go. It just simply means it’s not an area that is popular with Aggie grads. That’s it!
Frankly, picking an area in Houston – any part – needs careful research. This is a beautiful city but it has NO ZONING, so buildings of every type can next to each other. For example, a beautiful high rise can be right next to a grungy tat shop! In CSTAT terms, it’s like living next to Northgate…it is worth the risk?? Or it’s like living off of Texas Avenue. It’s so close to the campus, but then there’s a SMOKE/VAPE shop right next to you. You really want to live right by that? The answer is NO! You just got a great job and are starting your career. So it’s time to live in a beautiful, safe and great place with OTHER Recent Aggie Grads! As you do your research, reach out to me. I have a free service that will help you find safe and popular areas of Houston for Aggie Grads. Simply text me here: TEXT ME (Or sign up for my free service here: Free Sign Up )
So here’s a quick list of the Top Houston Areas for Aggies to Put LOW on the priority for your new place!
TOP FIVE AREAS OF HOUSTON TO AVOID for AGGIE GRADS:
Downtown Houston – Many Parts of it!
Yes, I said it! I know downtown Houston is very exciting and has so much to do! Basketball, Baseball, and so many fun events here! And how about those magnificent high rises or an old school loft? Also, since there are so many companies that employ Aggies located here, wouldn’t it just make sense?
But when you consider really your new living space in Houston, there’s just frankly some places that are better VISIT places than living places. In my opinion, Downtown Houston is a VISIT place. There’s pockets of “not safe” around the Downtown area for living purposes. And further, in my ten years of working with Aggies and grads of all types, literally only a handful of recent grads have located here. Crime potential here and other factors make it not worth it. Plus, you tend to always have an additional parking cost for spots at downtown buildings – try $100? Downtown really isn’t cool for Aggies in many cases. AVOID!
EADO
This is a new area that is directly connected to Downtown – EADO stands for East Downtown! It’s becoming hip and trendy for sure. There’s buzzy new places to visit, ethnic shops, restaurants and night spots. And yes LIVE MUSIC. It’s definitely BECOMING a great area and worth a visit!
But for living, Aggies don’t in general choose this area. That’s because it’s not close to the most popular areas that Aggies love (like River Oaks and the Heights!). I do think this is an area you should visit, but I think it’s a few years away from being safer for professionals and popular enough for recent grads. AVOID.
Areas South and East of Downtown
Don’t live east and south of Downtown in general. Nuff said. Aggies and grads in general will choose West of Downtown and sometimes NorthWest. There aren’t many attractions for young professionals overall in these areas. I seriously can’t remember the last time that a recent grad or an Aggie has even requested this area. The only positive about this area is cheaper rent. But once you see the places…it’s just not worth it! AVOID.
Katy TX
WHOA, this sounds wrong! You might say: “Grant, why are you picking on beautiful KATY TX?” I won’t disagree with you! Katy is a beautiful area to live!! And yes, it’s SAFE! But there’s a reason that grads working in downtown on a regular basis should NOT pick Katy. Katy is not a place to consider if you are a new grad and you want to live near and meet other new Aggie grads. If you work in Katy, great! But most grads don’t work in Katy. And for sure most recent grads aren’t living there. It’s more of an area for houses and families.
But even more important, the reason you don’t want to live in Katy is: THE VERY LONG COMMUTE! The commute to Katy in normal traffic is overwhelming on a regular basis…try an hour! Text me, will give you more details.
North and Northwest of Houston
In many cities when you go north, it usually means welcoming, newer suburbs. And better prices on pretty apartments! That’s partially true with Houston. But in these areas north of Houston – meaning directly north of the inner loop 610 and outer loop – there are a lot of areas that Aggie Grads rarely ever choose to locate in. Some of them are sketch as well, while some of them are plain not popular.
Sometimes your work is located here so it might make sense to live here, but if that’s the case, you need even more good advice on where to live! Often when this is the case, Aggie Grads will live in one of the more southern areas where more grads are that are inside the loop (LIKE THE HEIGHTS!). Text me, big time, with questions here!
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Hi this is Grant from Howdy Texas Apartments. I want to help you find that perfect apartment here! If you’d like to ask me more questions, text me anytime. Or start a free search here: https://howdytexasapartments.com