S1 has accepted a job in Houston. He will be in training for 6 months and then will be assigned his permanent location. The company suggested he find an apartment inside the 610 ring where others his age group tend to live and to take on a 12 month lease. (if job moves more than a certain # of miles, they will pay for move/lease end penalty)
Online research is leading him to Midtown, Montrose, the Heights and Rice Military. Online data shows some seriously high crime areas near a couple of these neighborhoods.
Son says his price range is $1000 - 1500 month. I am on on the low side and he seems to want it all on day one…grrrrrr.
He currently lives near downtown Naperville, IL and loves the vibe of the area. (walkability, shops, bars and restaurants)
Important to him are: updated apartment with in unit laundry, balcony, parking, access to shopping, restaurants (mix of Chipoltle/Buffalo Wild Wings trendier spots) sports bars and good freeway access. One of his current favorite Sunday walks includes strolling through the high end car dealer lots in Naperville. He loves this stuff! Ice hockey is also important to him, but that may need to be put on hold.
The neighborhoods you mentioned are where a lot of the young professionals live in Houston. I would also add the Greenway Plaza and Upper Kirby areas to his list. He should try to lease a recently built apartment that has good security. We live in the Heights, and it is a nice neighborhood close to trendy shops and restaurants. Traffic in Houston can be terrible so it is important to live within a reasonable commute time to work. No ice hockey in Houston.
I can add a little bit of info, as a frequent visitor to Houston with several friends living there. The Heights is very popular with recent grads / people in their 20s and 30s. Considered the up and coming place to be. Areas of the Heights had some serious flooding last fall, so that’s worth investigating (maybe so for all areas your son is considering). Montrose / the Museum District is near downtown, and has a lot of smaller, older buildings with a bit of character, interesting shops and restaurants, etc. – slightly funky / fun. Very walkabIe. I don’t think either of these areas is particularly high crime. “Inside the ‘Loop’” as they say is not great for freeway access – though on maps freeways look pretty accessible to these areas, Houston traffic is generally a nightmare and public transportation is not great. Your son probably should consider his commute as he narrows down on these areas.
DS lives in the Heights and had no flooding. The Heights is, as its name suggests, higher in ground than most of Houston, so would be safer than most parts of Houston in terms of future floods. (Still - a good idea to be in an above ground apartment if that is an option.). Has he thought about subleasing or sharing an apartment? Rents have gone up in Houston, especially for the trendy areas.
My son lived off Washington Ave and now lives off of Dallas. Those locations your S is looking at all look convenient. There are so many great restaurants and convenient shopping options. Stay within those neighborhoods and traffic commuting to downtown will be minimal.