Houston Travel Forum

Hello All,

I want to move to Houston to attend HBU within the next month or two. Can you please recommend a really good area close by where i can rent an apartment. I will most likely be relying on public transportation for a while. Please help. Thank you.

That's actually quite an area in which you could potentially live. I don't know much about apartments since I've been in suburbia for 22 years here. A good apartment locator service should get you settled. Make sure it's a gated apartment comples for security, and is not run-down. There are nice ones on the Metro line on Westheimer and Richmond (some distance from HBU, but closer to the restaurants and night life). Good luck.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

Anytime. Good luck.

HBU is in Sharpstown. There are a few apartment complexes adjacent to the place, but I think that you should look elsewhere for an apartment. It's just not a safe area to walk around alone in and you'll end having to rely on the cars of others and be in an overpriced and run-down apartment.
Where depends on how much you want to spend, what you would like to be close to (as in nightlife, restaurants, supermarket, or just school) and how long you're willing to commute for. You can take a bus to HBU, but it will be really aggravating for you if there's a transfer involved, so take a look at the route maps for METRO's system before you choose an area:
http://www.ridemetro.org/SchedulesMaps/SysMaps.aspx

As for specific areas around there, you'd probably be best off going north, toward Westheimer, reason being that you want to be close to shopping (supermarkets, food, etc.) so that you don't have to take a bus to run simple errands. The Fondren/Westheimer area (due north of HBU) is fairly nice. I used to have a friend living there that liked the area and her apartment complex very much. The only issue is that area has terrible traffic.
You could also live in a nicer neighborhood in the suburbs. Sugar Land seems far, but there are commuter buses that could drop you off relatively close to HBU (Westwood Park and Ride), but you would then have to transfer.
If you want to be in a more urban area with other students and twenty-somethings, then you should move to the Montrose, Midtown or the Museum District, which are west, south and south of Downtown respectively. It's more expensive in that area, but it's easier to get around. I lived in the Montrose and Museum District for years while at UH and very much liked it. If do move to this area, don't rent in a big complex but, instead, from a smaller complex, garage apartment, duplex, etc. Larger complexes in that neighborhood are very overpriced.
Whatever you do here, don't go south from HBU. That's a really terrible area.

I've had mixed experiences with locating services. My first apartment in Houston was through one and I loved it, but it was a little further out than I would have liked. However, my first apartment in Arizona was through a locating service as well. I hated it and was out in six months.

When you find an individual complex that you like, search for them on this site, but take the reviews with a grain of salt, because people are easily upset about rental situations:
http://www.apartmentratings.com

hth

I have nothing to add except that BOC is right on the mark, you do not want to live in Sharpstown, where HBU is located. Please do not disregard that advice.

Thank you.Very informative and helful.