Houston’s prettiest homes are in its oldest neighborhoods.
Old neighborhoods don’t have to be ugly.
Think of the prettiest old homes you’ve ever seen. The kinds of neighborhoods just north of any American downtown that have existed for as long as the city they call home. When it comes to neighborhoods, old doesn’t necessarily mean ugly. Although Houston isn’t as old as some of the cities on the east coast, you’ll still find a number of neighborhoods that are as beautiful as they are old.
These are great neighborhoods to retire quietly or to become a part of a thriving community.
Downtown
People who want to live in the middle of it all are attracted to the city. Crime rates are down all across the country, and people are moving closer and closer to where they work. That often means they’re moving to the downtown neighborhoods of their chosen cities. Houston isn’t any different. People are attracted to the wide variety of services and employment options available downtown. Plenty of people are getting rid of their cars to live closer to everything, making downtown a doubly popular place to move. And you can’t beat the architecture, either.
Houston Heights
What was a failing neighborhood in the early 80s is now a fully gentrified hotspot catering to young professionals who work in downtown Houston. At one point, the population density of Houston Heights was declining by as much as 1000 per square mile a year. Since the early 80s the neighborhood has grown like gangbusters, and you can find everything from upscale apartment housing to old Victorians and new-builds that look like updated, modernized versions of older Victorian homes. No matter where you live in Houston Heights, you’re a stone’s throw away from everything downtown has to offer.
River Oaks
Feeling like old money? Want to live in Houston’s most exclusive neighborhood? We don’t have to use the “g” word to describe River Oaks because it’s always been nice. It’s more of a neighborhood to “move up to” when you start a family or to retire to after you’ve made it into the country club set. River Oaks hosts Houston’s oldest country club, which shares its name with the city. You’ll find mansions with marble columns out front and absolutely no low-income housing in River Oaks, making it a neighborhood that caters to those with discerning tastes and big bankrolls.
Picking the right neighborhood
Deciding where to live is one of the most important decisions you can make. Where you live matters when it comes to how you’re going to spend your time. Do you want to live in the middle of it all? Can you put up with sharing a wall or a floor with your neighbors? Do you have the necessary scratch to live exactly where you want to live? Do you want your kids to go to the best schools? All of these are important questions, and you will want to have answers for them before you decide on a neighborhood.
