Houston Apartment Suggestions
Hi Monkeys, I'm an incoming analyst at a bank in Houston. I'll be starting this summer and am looking for advice on where the best places are to live. From reading past threads, it seems like Midtown and The Heights are both good spots. However, more recent posts have mentioned that Midtown is getting sketchy, and people are starting to prefer The Heights. Are these opinions in line with what you have seen? Any advice would be great with regard to neighborhoods and specific buildings. I'll add that I enjoy great food and going out for drinks when possible.
River Oaks>>>Midtown & The Heights, but in general I recommend River Oaks, Rice Military, Uptown.
Thanks for the feedback. What is the restaurant/bar scene like in River Oaks?
Restaurant scene is really really good, but your also positioned in the center of other good areas which make the food scene very accessible, however would say a lot of the best restaurants are in River Oaks/Uptown. Bar scenes pretty good as well, with several spots that are always busy. I would also say its very close to midtown which makes it a cheap uber if you go out there, however don't have to deal with the negatives of midtown.
Sorry bro, if you’re coming to Houston, you won’t be hitting the bars
Montrose area is great. Easy access to Midtown, Heights, and the office (assuming you’re downtown).
I agree, I think Montrose is one of the best parts of Houston especially as someone who is young, plus good proximity from the office and other parts of town as well.
Agreed on Montrose. I'm not from Houston but have spent time there through work (in RE).
OP - check out Hanover Montrose. Really amazing amenity package (sweet media room that you can rent out, wine cellar with private storage, workshop, rooftop pool, etc), and good location. Plus when I toured on a work trip, the pool was popping with talent on a weekday.
Rice Military, Heights, River Oaks
Are young people really living in River Oaks now?
Don’t do river oaks unless you are a homebody. Or do the area next to the park
I suggest following:
- Montrose
- Midtown (bit of homelessness but popping area for under 25)
- downtown - not most popular option but if in IB can be good for the first year since you would be able to walk to office. Some very nice high rises have come up in last five years so top notch buikding. Everything closes after 7ish tho and def homelessness is issue.
- Memorial - got a little bit of everything
- Heights - I am not a huge fan but there must be something there with so many people living over there
Assuming you're in the downtown office, many Jr bankers decide to Iive downtown for the convinience. Walkable to work, and possible connection to underground tunnels. Montrose is a great place for both convinience and enjoyment. Many restaurants etc near by, relatively younger age community, and not too expensive. If you're married or planning on having kids, West u, river oaks, Memorial, and Tanglewood are the go to places. Heights, rice military and that area north of downtown are great as well, and generally populated by people not from Houston. Layout is a bit too industrial for my taste.
The Heights and Montrose are your go-to. 5 years ago, Midtown was the spot for fresh college grads, but it's deteriorated and a lot of the bars/restaurants that made it fun have shut down/relocated. Rice Military is cool as is West University. Museum District (which is kind of just an extension further south of Montrose) is also not a bad idea.
Do not live in River Oaks as a fresh college grad. This is likely where your MD lives, but there is no where to grab a quick bite and you won't run into anyone under the age of 35 on the off chance you have a free evening. Plus the infrastructure to get from River Oaks to downtown where you're likely working is a nightmare.
Personally live downtown, so can shed some light there. Some recent high-rises have popped up and are pretty nice if that’s your thing. Depending on what your base is and whether you want to live alone or with roommates you can get a pretty high quality place.
I live alone in one of the high rises around market square downtown, and like it well enough. I have a bit less than 1000 sqft, large closets with lots of storage, a kitchen with relatively new appliances and a large bathroom with double vanity. Net effective I pay about $2200-2600 to give you a reference point. One downside is the area can get super loud and the walls/windows aren’t exactly great. If you’re working a lot of hours and just want to get some sleep it can be a bit of a problem—though I find if you’re tired enough it won’t really matter. Restaurants are close in a few varieties, but nicer stuff is in the river oaks / Montrose areas in my experience. Grocery shopping is a problem, though that said you won’t be doing much of that since mostly lunch at work and dinner ordered in at work. Truth be told since you’re in the land of sweatshops you might not have much time for grocery shopping regardless.
Nice to walk to work sometimes, and have a really short car commute if not, so that’s a pretty big plus. That said, Midtown and Montrose aren’t much more of a drive (maybe plus 5/10 minute) and might have a better atmosphere / things to do. Can probably also be a lot cheaper if you’re willing to venture out, also.
Good to know. I'll definitely consider all options, but I am now leaning towards living in Montrose given what others have said above. Out of curiosity, are you ever able to finish up your work at home, or do you stay on the desk until everything is finished? Thanks.
Yeah, thought it's 50/50. For me always based on the associates I'm working with. Some kind of expect you to be there in person to talk through materials / changes or any issues, and others are fine doing it via zoom. Some nights I leave at 6/7 and pick up until I'm done, whereas others I'm in the office until 4:00. All depends.
Aris Market Square? The garden bar is loud as fuck and really pisses me off.
Yeah, they bring DJs most nights and it's awful. Brava is massively overpriced, but sometimes wish I picked that instead.
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Don't listen to these guys talking about living in river oaks that makes no sense for someone in their early 20s to live there. Amli 2121 is a good place for young people, located near downtown (lived there for a year). The heights is probably the most popular area for people your age - great bar scene, close to Washington (also good bar scene) and 15 min from downtown. The heights also has one of the best food scenes in the city.
Avoid Montrose if you don’t want to live in the midst of a 24/7 pride parade. But if that’s your thing—you’ll love it there.
Avoid Midtown if you don’t want to live in the midst of homeless camping on the streets asking you for money 24/7.
Heights has gentrified over the years and now hosts a lot of young families and young professionals. Good bar district on W. 20th to take note of (probably the best scene for 20-somethings in Houston). But you have to be careful as some neighborhoods remain a mixed bag.
Rice Military is probably your best balanced living situation. Close to everything with young people around you and access to the best park in Houston—Memorial Park (golf, tennis, running/biking trails). Washington bar district is close but it’s rougher scene these days.
If you're working downtown:
Heights -- good option but probably not the ideal spot for the early/mid 20s crowd; it's a great spot for the late 20s / early 30s crowd
Midtown -- best option for the "I'm fresh out of college and making money and like to party" crowd. Homelessness, whatever, it's not across the entire area, get a nice place on the better half and you're set
Montrose -- fine, not my thing, don't know much
Downtown -- fine, not my thing, better options elsewhere
If you're working galleria:
Heights -- same thoughts
Downtown -- no
Midtown -- probably not, bit of an annoying drive, but can work
General River Oaks/Upper Kirby area -- a very good option
I like Upper Kirby area
Generally agree with most of the sentiments above. Regarding midtown - you definitely do NOT want to end up on the wrong side of it. I'd say the area closer to Montrose / around the string of bars (Little Woodrows, 77 degrees, unicorn disco, etc) is the better part. Do not end up on the other side of Main St nor more south (like near Mid Main and 3800 Main is a no).
If you do work downtown and intend to drive to work, then one perk of living downtown is not having to pay for parking (most companies don't cover parking and it's like 200/mo or something like that). But that doesn't affect you if you plan to uber everyday!
River oaks is probly the worst place to live in your 20s
I would not live downtown. While it seems appealing to walk back to your apartment and only a 5-10 minute walk, it is really not safe after dark. Some intern does it and gets robbed every year. I've been harassed just waiting outside those buildings for an Uber. The tunnels close at night and even at 9am in the summer the walk is miserable. You'll need a car in Houston, just live a 10 min drive away.
Midtown is really loud so if you go that direction, make sure you're not on the first floor or near the bars
Montrose, upper Kirby, Museum area are nice. Galleria is great in theory but that "short" drive will be miserable in AM rush hour.
Live somewhere close to or directly off of Memorial drive between downtown and memorial park. Your commute will be super easy and you'll be close to everything. Short uber to heights, montrose, galleria area, etc. Plenty of stuff in walking distance. There are some nice newer apartments directly adjacent to memorial park. Would make it easy for you to squeeze in a short AM run before heading into office. Memorial park is really nice now and would serve as a welcome respite from being in the office so much.
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