Top Houston Neighborhoods

Nestled deeply within this well-known business district, the Energy Corridor is surrounded by some of Houston’s most desirable residential communities, providing residents and business people alike convenient access to fine dining, shopping, and exciting entertainment options.

Home to many energy industry-related companies, such as BP America, Conoco Phillips, Exxon Mobile and Shell Oil, Houston’s Energy Corridor stretches from Barker Cypress to Kirkwood Road and extends south along Eldridge Parkway and Enclave Parkway to Briar Forest.

 Residential real estate available within Houston Galleria, including Tanglewood – one of Houston’s most expensive and desirable neighborhoods, featuring beautiful Mediterranean and Contemporary-style homes – is centrally located just outside of the 610 Loop, providing fast and easy access to both shopping and business districts within the Greater Houston area. The Galleria area, also commonly known as Uptown Houston, is home to some of the city’s most luxurious and stylish residential properties. 

 Garden Oaks is a forest-like neighborhood of approximately 1400 homes located north of the 610 North Loop. It is bordered by Ella Blvd. to the west and Yale St. to the east. Garden Oaks features cottages, bungalows, ranch, and traditional-style homes surrounded with large mature Oaks and gorgeous Magnolia Trees. 

 Both Garden Oaks and Oak Forest support diverse updates while maintaining their charm and sense of history. These areas are developing quite rapidly with new construction in order to meet the demand from new Houston homebuyers. Downtown Houston and the Galleria are also only about a 10 minute drive. These tight-knit communities pride themselves on their sizeable lots, all the while being so close to town! 

 Oak Forest is the 3rd largest subdivision in Harris County and located just West of Garden Oaks. It is a unique mixed-use community full of a variety of schools, parks, restaurants, places of worship and grocery stores. Many residents boast of their ability to walk everywhere. 

 Both Garden Oaks and Oak Forest support diverse updates while maintaining their charm and sense of history. These areas are developing quite rapidly with new construction in order to meet the demand from new Houston homebuyers. Downtown Houston and the Galleria are also only about a 10 minute drive. These tight-knit communities pride themselves on their sizeable lots, all the while being so close to town! 

 The Heights neighborhood was one of the first planned communities in Texas, and one of Houston’s most desirable and sought-after neighborhoods until the late 1940s. After World War II, factories and warehouses began to sprout up, transitioning the area to more of an industrial community. During the 1990s, as household incomes began to increase and family sizes decreased, young professionals wanting to be near the downtown began laying roots and revitalizing the historic Heights district.

Today, Heights residents not only enjoy the quaint small-town feel provided by the area’s historic and picturesque architecture, timeless boutiques, and a variety of classic antique shops, local families also enjoy a vibrant and electric community feel with the countless nearby art galleries, restaurant bars and lively music venues.

   Houston’s newest “hot spot” for new construction is called Independence Heights. This area is conveniently located North of the Houston Heights, just outside the 610 Loop. The Super Neighborhood, created by the City of Houston, drew its borders as Tidwell to the North, Shepherd Drive to the West, 610 to the South and 45 to the East. 

Similar to the Heights, this area is rich with history. The area started to develop in 1908 by Wright Land Company. But a little-known fact is that in 1915, Independence Heights was incorporated and became the first African American municipality in Texas. Then in 1929, the community was annexed by the City. Ever since the area suffered heavy damage by Hurricane Ike in 2008, it has been on the brink of revitalization, ironically with the help of federal funding that has been used to redevelop this historic community and its schools over the last decade. 

What used to be rich farmland, adopting its name from the Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad, known as “the Katy” by railroad officials, Katy provided economic stability and easy access to get farm products to and from market. In the late 1930’s and early 1940’s, the Katy gas field and the Humble plant (Exxon) were established in 1943, making Katy one of the most important oil towns in the nation.

Today, Katy is home to BP America’s Westlake campus, the largest area employer with more than 5,500 employees, and nearly 7,000 small businesses, according to Nerd Wallet’s 2015 list of top ten cities for small businesses. The city also made the top ten list of cities with the lowest unemployment rate at 3.7 percent.

Memorial Houston is nestled deeply between the Galleria and Houston’s Energy Corridor, two of the Bayou City’s most popular business districts, and is minutes from upscale shopping and first-class dining.

Home to two of Houston’s 20 most expensive neighborhoods, as well as Spring Branch ISD, one of the city’s best and most prestigious school districts, area neighborhoods are perfect for elite professionals and modern families. In addition, being only minutes from Terry Hershey Park and Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, a 17.5 acre forest preserve open to the public, this desirable area is also perfect for young active families.

If you’re in the market for a beautiful home in a prestigious neighborhood where family life, vibrant community, and energetic business life meet, Houston’s Memorial area is the place for you.

Montrose is an assorted community located in Houston’s inner loop, west of Downtown Houston, it is a mix of old stately homes, brick bungalows, town homes, high-rises, lofts and apartment complexes.

The area is thick with diverse culture with all the eclectic types of entertainment in the form of bistros, cafes, diners, outdoor patios, coffeehouses, brew pubs, art galleries, antique shops, clothing boutiques and bookstores.

Home to 19 museums within three square miles, the Museum District is one of Houston’s most discerning, low-key, and quiet areas to live and play. Even though its one of the city’s smaller neighborhoods, the tree-lined streets and keep-to-themselves neighbors give off a feeling of peace and tranquility, all while providing a central location in the fourth largest city in America.

Located just south of Montrose and north of the Texas Medical Center, the Museum District’s affluent and well-traveled vibe makes it a dream neighborhood for those who are looking to be close to it all, while being relatively off the radar. 

River Oaks is Houston’s most expensive neighborhood. Scattered with mansions and large estates, it is located in the geographic center of Houston, giving residents easy access to Downtown, Galleria Area and Memorial Park. Some of the well known streets running through include Westheimer Road, Kirby Drive, and San Felipe Street. The area exudes an old-world charm which compliments the lavish lifestyles of its residents. River Oaks homes have a wide variety of architecture, ranging from oversized traditional American homes with massive lawns, grand Victorian mansions, French Castles, mid-Century Modern homes to ultra-modern contemporary houses.

Upper Kirby is an eclectic Houston neighborhood that is west of Shepherd, east of the Greenway Plaza / Buffalo Speedway, southwest of Montrose, north of the city of West University Place, and south of River Oaks. This bohemian area consist of cottages, townhouses, duplexes, apartments, and small businesses illustrating Houston’s “no zoning” environment. Many of the city’s historic mansions are found here in Avondale and Courtland Place. Restaurants, bars, coffee houses, galleries, antique stores and unique retail shops are found throughout this area.

Spring Branch is a northwest Houston neighborhood. This up and coming area sits right outside the 610 Loop West, north of I10 and just inside the Beltway 8 West. This location provides very easy access to Downtown, Memorial and the Galleria Area. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Houston, founded in 1830, so it possesses a rich history and experienced somewhat of a recent revival starting around 2010. This is one of the few areas of town where property values have doubled since that revival thanks to many investors who rehabbed the older 1950’s homes and big-time developers like Metro National and Memorial Hermann, who have continually built up the surrounding commercial area.

In 2014, a lot more builders started to tear down and build, as well, which seems to be a continuing trend. Being just minutes from the fabulous City Center, Town & Country Village and Memorial City Mall, it’s becoming a very popular area for young professionals working in the Energy Corridor or young families looking for more yard space and a lower price per square foot than what you find inside the loop.