• What is Houston Like?


• What’s the Weather Like in Houston?


• What Neighborhoods Are Close to Downtown Houston?


• Which Houston Neighborhoods Are Family Friendly?


• What are the schools in Houston? (You could search for apartments around the school)

Apartment for Rent in Houston, Texas!

What is Houston Like?

Welcome to the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest city in the US, Houston!  According to the 2010 census, Houston has a population of 2.1 million people all living together in 656.3 square miles of Houston goodness.  This translates to Houston’s population density being 3,623 people per square mile.  Houston’s Metro, their public transportation system, helps Houstonians get around town via bus and rail.

According to Forbes Magazine, Houston was ranked as #3 in the “Best Places for Business and Careers” in 2006.  Houston is home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Mission Control Center, the Texas Medical Center, and lots of oil companies.  Oil is big in Houston, and the city actually benefits from higher oil prices because of the industry.  Conoco Phillips, Marathon Oil, and Frontier Oil are all located in Houston.  Houston is actually ranks second, behind New York City in Forbes list of Fortune 500 companies’ headquarters.

So what is there to do in Houston?  There are lots of great things to see and do in this city.  Houston has every major professional league sport but the National Hockey League.  If you enjoy the theater, make sure to visit Houston’s Theater District downtown, which has nine performing arts organizations and six performance halls.  Don’t forget to visit Houston’s Museum District, which receives over 7 million visitors per year.  Houston does not forget its western culture, either.  It is home to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the largest livestock show and rodeo in the world.

Houston is also home to great education.  Not only are there many magnet and vanguard schools that specialize in specific disciplines, but there are also many private and public charter schools in the city.  There are also top ranked research universities in Houston, including the University of Houston and Rice University.

What’s the Weather Like in Houston?

The official climate of Houston is humid subtropical, and you can expect the climate to live up to its name here in Houston.  You’re not going to find any Houston snowmen here during the winter.  January is Houston’s coldest month, and the reaches around 43 degrees and 63 degrees for the high on average.  You can find some days where the temperature will be below freezing, and Houston occasionally has ice storms.  If that does happen, the whole city shuts down because there isn’t any equipment to handle ice removal from the roads.  Spring and fall are pleasant, with the temperature ranging from the mid-60s to around 80 degrees.  You are also most likely to experience rainfall during the spring and fall, with June and October being Houston’s rainiest months.  Summer in Houston is hot and humid, and scattered with rain and thunderstorms.  On any given year, Houston experiences about 99 days where the temperature is over 90 degrees.  The humidity doesn’t help with these temperatures either, where the average relative humidity ranges from over 90 percent to 60 percent.  As a result of Houston’s hotness, it has the title of the most air-conditioned city in the nation.

You’re probably also wondering about Houston’s natural disasters, especially hurricanes, as it is so close to the Gulf of Mexico, is relatively flat, and has low-lying areas.  Most of the time flooding is a bigger issue in Houston, rather than tropical storms or hurricanes.  Over the past 100 years, there have been seven major hurricanes to make landfall, and when they do, they cause considerable damage.  Hurricane Ike, a category 2 storm, was the most recent hurricane to affect Houston in September 2008.  Houston also experiences tornadoes, although they are generally weak and infrequent.

What Neighborhoods Are Close to Downtown Houston?

Would you love to be in the heart of Houston and can afford the privilege to do so?  Downtown Houston and surrounding neighborhoods are generally more expensive than what you’d find as you go further away from downtown. Singles, professionals, and anyone else that loves city life will find a great apartment or condo to rent in these neighborhoods.What you’ll find here is that there are lots of great restaurants, nightlife, theaters, art venues, and a general “cool factor” that can’t be beat.

Downtown–Do you want to be right in the action of Houston and can afford $2,000 per month rent?  If you can,then check out downtown Houston’s apartments for rent.  Not only will you be close to some great nightlife, you’ll also have great restaurants at your fingertips.  Discovery Green is also worth noting as this park hosts great events throughout the year.  Speaking of parks, don’t forget about Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.The Bottom Line: great nightlife, expensive, great restaurants, public transportation, difficult to find parking, noisy

Neartown/Montrose – Guess where Neartown/Montrose is? Near Downtown! It is actually southwest of downtown and turns out to be a very trendy and artsy neighborhood.  It is home to the Houston Museum District full of art and art festivals.  A condo for rent here is going to be about $1,700 per month, which is cheaper than downtown, but more expensive than other Houston neighborhoods.  Neartown/Montrose also happens to be one of the top areas for Houston bars and clubs, so your nightlife itch will be scratched here!  The Bottom Line: artsy, expensive, restaurants are plentiful, good shopping options, bad parking

Which Houston Neighborhoods Are Family Friendly?

Is the neighborhood safe? Are there parks and other fun kid-friendly places nearby?Are there good schools nearby, and what are the private school options?  How close is childcare to my house?  If you are moving to Houston and have kids, or you see kids in your future, you will be asking yourself these questions about your potential new neighborhood.  Children have a heavy impact on what neighborhood you choose to rent your apartment or home in.  Lucky for you, Houston has many great family friendly neighborhoods where you’ll enjoy raising your kids.

Clear Lake – Are you an engineer, do you love space and NASA, and have a family? Clear Lake is the Houston neighborhood for you!  Not only is it adjacent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, it is also next to Boeing and Lockeed-Martin, two major aerospace companies.  The University of Houston – Clear Lake campus is also located here, so there will be students around campus.  Clear Lake is also very close to the Galveston Bay area, so there will be lots of fun family trips to the beach.  A two bedroom apartment for rent in Clear Lake will cost you about $725 per month.  The Bottom Line: schools and universities close, clean, great for engineers, not great for nightlife, great for families

Greater Heights – There are great houses to rent in Greater Heights, where rent is around $900 per month.  You will also find a nice mixture of modern and historic homes for rent in the neighborhood.  Since Greater Heights is close to North 610 Loop, you can easily get anywhere you want in Houston.  If you want to stay in the neighborhood, there are many local restaurants, shops, and Washington Ave/Memorial Park to go to. The Bottom Line: clean, modern and historic homes for rent, friendly, close to 610 Loop

What are the schools in Houston?

Click on a school name to search for all apartments within 1.5 miles of the school.

• American College Of Acupuncture And Oriental Med - Houston, TX, 77063
• American Intercontinental University, Houston, TX - Houston, TX, 77042
• Art Institute Of Houston, Houston, TX - Houston, TX, 77056
• Astrodome Career Centers - Houston, TX, 77054
• Aviation Institute Of Maintenance - Houston, TX, 77061
• Baylor College Of Medicine - Houston, TX, 77030
• Behold Beauty Academy - Houston, TX, 77016
• Bradford School Of Business - Houston, TX, 77027
• Center For Advanced Legal Studies - Houston, TX, 77098
• College Of Biblical Studies-Houston - Houston, TX, 77036
• Court Reporting Institute, Houston, TX - Houston, TX,
• Culinary Institute Alain And Marie Lenotre - Houston, TX, 77022
• Everest Institute - Galleria - Houston, TX, 77027
• Everest Institute - Greenspoint - Houston, TX, 77060
• Houston Baptist University - Houston, TX, 77074
• Houston Baptist University, Department Of Art - Houston, TX, 77074
• Houston Community College - Houston, TX, 77002
• Houston Graduate School Of Theology - Houston, TX, 77092
• Illinois Institute Of Technology-Rice, Department Of Art And Art History - Houston, TX, 77005
• Institute Of Ocean Technology - Houston, TX, 77024
• Itt Technical Institute, Houston, TX - Houston, TX, 77090
• Mti College Of Business And Technology - Houston, TX, 77036
• Rice University - Houston, TX, 77005
• Rice University, College Of Management, Mba Program - Houston, TX, 77005
• Saint Catharine College, Houston, TX - Houston, TX, 77002
• South Texas College Of Law - Houston, TX, 77002
• Summerwood Elementary School - Houston, TX, 77044
• Texas School Of Business Inc - Houston, TX, 77073
• Texas Southern University - Houston, TX, 77004
• Texas Southern University, Department Of Fine Arts - Houston, TX, 77004
• The Academy Of Health Care Professions - Houston, TX, 77018
• The University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston - Houston, TX, 77030
• The University Of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center - Houston, TX, 77030
• Universal Technical Institute Of Texas Inc - Houston, TX, 77073
• University Of Houston-Clear Lake - Houston, TX, 77058
• University Of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX - Houston, TX, 77002
• University Of Houston, Houston, TX - Houston, TX, 77004
• University Of Houston-System Administration - Houston, TX, 77004
• University Of Phoenix - Clear Lake Learning Center - Houston Campus - Houston, TX, 77062
• University Of Phoenix - Houston Campus - Houston, TX, 77079
• University Of Phoenix - Houston Northwest Learning Center - Houston Campus - Houston, TX, 77064
• University Of Phoenix - West Loop Learning Center - Houston Campus - Houston, TX, 77027
• University Of Saint Thomas - Houston, TX, 77006
• University Of St Thomas, Houston, TX - Houston, TX, 77006
• Westwood College Of Technology - Houston - Houston, TX, 77074