Houston, Neighborhods, and Nearby Towns 
There are currently 25 blog entries related to this category.
Montrose - One Funky Neighborhood in Houston Texas
Sunday, August 7th, 2011 at 1:42pm. 6812 Views, 0 Comments.
Look at an early picture of Montrose Blvd., circa 1911, and you'll see a grand avenue complete with wide, treed esplanade and sidewalks, freshly carved out of Houston dairy farmland. You'll also see echoes, however faint, of the Montrose we know and (mostly) love today.
When the area we now call Montrose was still being grazed by cows, in the late 19th century, suburbs were starting to come into favor in other cities around the country. New York City, in fact, had had commuters traveling to and from Brooklyn by ferry since the 1850s. But for a young, inland city like Houston - bayous and ship channels notwithstanding - it would take an entirely different mode of transportation to make the suburbs take off. And that happened in 1891, when the electric…
The Montrose Area Whole Foods in Houston Texas - Built to Suit
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 at 11:06pm. 6757 Views, 0 Comments.
Judging by all the press the new Whole Foods at 701 Waugh has received, you’d think that the natural and organic foods store has revolutionized grocery shopping. The store not only offers its standard wholesome selections of foods, but its building design and functionality sets it apart from all of its utilitarian carbon-copy counterparts.
Whole Foods broke ground April 2010. After three years of various construction and placement changes, the Austin-based company celebrated with the grand opening of its sixth Houston location on June 22, 2011.
Stone Soup 6 Architecture, which has partnered with Whole Foods on many projects, was the architect. Cleveland Construction, headquartered in Ohio, was the general contractor for the project.
Many green features have…
Quick! Hurry Fast to the Bat Cave Before the Neighbor Talks to Me
Saturday, April 9th, 2011 at 12:04am. 5574 Views, 0 Comments.
We work longer hours just to make ends meet.
We build taller fences to feel safer in our own yards.
We know the make and model of our neighbor's car, but nothing about the person who drives it.
We crave our cave, and ignore our community.
We're supposed to be neighbors, but more often we're strangers. What happened?
Even the Welcome Wagon doesn't go door to door anymore.
Thomas Briggs of Tennessee founded the organization in 1928, hiring women to personally deliver baskets of gifts from local businesses to new homeowners.
It was a win-win-win situation. Newcomers learned about the community, local business got a boost, and people met their neighbors.
But home visits stopped in 1998, when an increase in two-income families meant nobody was there to answer the…
The Changing Face of Riverside Terrace: The Other River Oaks of Houston
Thursday, February 24th, 2011 at 12:40pm. 3928 Views, 0 Comments.
Tobias and Simon Sakowitz were something akin to local celebrities around Houston. Their store, Sakowitz, was a local institution - known for its high-end wares and genteel service. They gave frequently to local charities and regularly made news with their lavish store openings. But, when they wanted to move into tony River Oaks, the neighborhood where the wealthiest and most successful Houstonians lived, they were denied. They were Jewish.
Such was life in the 1930’s: the so-called “five o’clock curtain” was in force to keep Jews and Gentiles separate after business hours. The Houston and River Oaks Country Clubs didn’t allow Jews as members, and the various club rooms in which business deals were made over cigars and brandy were closed to them as…
Del Webb's Sweetgrass Grand Opening Showcases the Sweet Life
Sunday, February 20th, 2011 at 3:57pm. 2562 Views, 0 Comments.
People came from all points around Houston to Richmond, Texas, Saturday, February 12, for the grand opening of Sweetgrass, Del Webb’s newest active adult development in Texas. No less than 1500 visitors streamed into the subdivision, with cars parked all the way to the front entrance. Guests were treated to live entertainment, light bites and libations as they learned about the Del Webb concept of active adult living. Prospective buyers were given a brochure along with an activity card that guided guests to various stations where a Del Webb representative explained a different aspect of the community. Station 2 provided guests information about the extensive list of onsite offerings, while Station 3 gave information about numerous floor plans. Visitors…
The Woodlands Build-out and New Springwoods Village Development
Monday, January 31st, 2011 at 12:14pm. 4514 Views, 0 Comments.
People are wondering ...wassup in the woods?
The Woodlands, a master-planned community in south Montgomery County, has several developments and upgrades underway, including the widening of Kuykendahl from FM 2920 north to Woodlands Parkway.
Creekside Park, the newest village in The Woodlands, is still building out, and Tomball ISD is building a second elementary school, slated to open August 2012.
Furthermore, a parcel of land recently cleared at the northeast corner of Augusta Pines and Kuykendahl has led to speculation of further homebuilding.
But that's not the case everywhere. Susan Vreeland-Wendt, director of marketing for TWDC, said "the Woodlands Development Company is doing pre-development work on a 5.5-acre commercial/church site. But, there are no…
Ways to Combat Crime in Your Neighborhood
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011 at 5:29pm. 4278 Views, 2 Comments.
When real estate agents help homebuyers find a perfect home, the homebuyer provides a list of what they want. One thing an agent is not going to hear is “I’m looking for a two bedroom, two story home in the most crime ridden neighborhood you can find, please.”
Most likely, safety is going to be one of their top priorities, even for those looking to buy in a “transitional” neighborhood. No matter what area, in a large city like Houston, crime is unavoidable. Even the best neighborhoods on the outskirts of town will fall prey to a burglar from time to time.
Burglary ranks as the second most common crime reported in Houston, just underneath theft incidents, according to the Houston Police Department. Each month there are over 2000 burglaries reported within…
Pros and Cons of Zoning in Houston Texas
Monday, January 10th, 2011 at 1:51pm. 18097 Views, 0 Comments.
Many Houstonians take for granted the patchwork of properties that intermingle within the city. Retail spaces coexist next to residences, heavy industry next to hotels and even franchises by farms. This is because Houston does not have a zoning ordinance. In fact, it is the only major city in the United States without one.
Zoning is how land is controlled. For example, an area can be zoned only for residences, only for commercial properties or for a mixture of land uses. Zoning can also limit the population of areas or the same kind of businesses within an area.
Houston does not have these kinds of usage restrictions. For the most part, land is a builder’s blank canvas, ready to be used as the owner chooses.
“Houstonians have a ‘don’t tell me what to do…
Have You Seen Katy Texas Lately?
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010 at 11:23am. 2331 Views, 0 Comments.
Katy, Texas has always had an unassuming existence, shadowed by some of Houston’s flashier suburbs. For much of Katy’s past, its commercial and residential areas felt more like a small town outside of Houston rather than an outlying suburb. Sure, Katy Mills mall caused a bit of a stir a little over a decade ago, but after all the excitement, Houston’s attention moved elsewhere ending the community’s 15 minutes of fame. However, the Katy Mills megamall was just the beginning of what has become a massive groundswell of growth. The area has been expanding like wildfire underneath everyone’s noses. If you haven’t been to Katy in a while, you’d hardly recognize it today!
Ten years ago when you drove down I-10, there wasn’t much retail space between Hwy 6 and Fry…
Houston has Gone Hog Wild
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010 at 1:24am. 2094 Views, 1 Comments.
Life in Texas can bring many unexpected surprises. The land is large and for the most part, still uninhabited. Texans are often privy to erratic weather; pests in their homes, even the occasional stampede of wild horses is not unheard of. However, throughout Texas and Houston in particular, residents are now witness to a new epidemic, and its costing taxpayers a pretty penny, the influx of feral hogs.
Wild pigs are nothing new, and the state agriculture department estimates that the damage caused by these animals costs residents nearly half a billion dollars a year in damages.
Residents of the Riverstone subdivision in Sugar Land have experienced the wrath of such a nuisance. The wild pigs cause damage to yards, dug up flowerbeds and sod, dented fences,…
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