Houston’s Hottest-of-the-Hot Neighborhoods of 2016

The Menil Collection

IMAGE: MAX BURKHALTER

Montrose

Many refer to Montrose as the heart of Houston, and I strongly agree. It beckons the urban explorer, the artist, the affluent, the deviant, the misfit, the wealthy and the adventurer in an explosion of wondrous chaos.

—Toby Linville, realtor, Bamboo Realty

Population: 24,000
Walk Score: 93/100

What it’s getting right: The eclectic neighborhood offers some of the city’s best cuisine, nightlife and coffee-shop options—all paired with strong walkability. With so much coolness within arm’s reach, Montrosians can leave their cars parked as they enjoy the good things in life.

New in the neighborhood: Cooking Girl, the second solidly spicy Sichuan restaurant to open in the past year (a Montrose outpost of Chinatown favorite Mala Sichuan came first) and another main attraction at the increasingly busy corner of Fairview and Taft, where slick newcomers like Cuchara and Max’s Wine Dive mingle with quirky old-timers like Gratifi and Bar Boheme.

If you only have an hour: Wander the Menil Collection, then relax in its adjoining park and enjoy the people watching.

The East End Street Market

IMAGE: MAX BURKHALTER

East End

Idylwood is the most beautiful neighborhood that nobody knows about—we have a golf course on one side, a nunnery on the other side and it grades down to Brays Bayou. I refer to it as the Houston Hill Country.

—Steve Moore, East End native

Population: 108,000
Walk Score: 65/100

New in the neighborhood: New and improved green spaces abound, most notably the expansion of the Brays Bayou trails and the restoration of Gus Wortham Golf Course starting this fall. And lately, Telephone Road has the free-spirited energy of Lower Westheimer before all the fancy restaurants moved in—check out Wired Up Records and Books, the eastside outpost of hip barbershop Cutthroat, Chocolate Wasted Ice Cream, Blue Line Bike Shop and East End Studio Gallery, all within a couple blocks of neighborhood stalwart Bohemeo’s.

What it’s getting right: As affordable housing gets harder to come by, young professionals are increasingly looking to East End neighborhoods like Eastwood, Idylwood and Magnolia Park, where well-maintained and rehabbed bungalows from the 1930s and ’40s on leafy streets can still be found for under $200,000—if you’re lucky. This is also one of the most pedestrian-friendly parts of town, with a large cyclist community and myriad transportation options via the new METRO Green line.

If you only have an hour: Grab some queso and fajitas at the Original Ninfa’s on Navigation.

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

It’s a community in the 19th-century sense of the word—you know all your neighbors, and they know you. My dog got out recently and ran straight to C&D Hardware, because they give him a treat every time we go there, and they brought him straight back to my house, which they know because I see the guys there biking to work sometimes and wave hello. It’s that kind of place.

—Elizabeth Dennis, resident for 28 years

Heights

Population: 15,000
Walk Score: 67/100

New in the neighborhood: The vintage vibe of 19th Street is getting a jolt of new energy with the renovation of the Heights Theater, which launches this fall. And the number of dining establishments working around the neighborhood’s dry-zone rules continues to grow, with Bernadine’s, Ka Sushi, Southern Goods, Hunky Dory and the forthcoming Il Cane Rosso all making citywide waves.

What it’s getting right: With seven historic districts in the Greater Heights area, there’s not another neighborhood in Houston that values its heritage as much as this one. Despite the ever-pricier homes, the neighborhood still retains an eclectic, artsy sensibility, and its dedicated hike-and-bike lanes and trails make this neighborhood one of the most inviting in the city.

If you only have an hour: Check out The Wilde Collection (it’s the only store on Yale with a hearse parked out front), a curiosity and oddities shop, then mosey over to Heights Vinyl on White Oak to browse its thousands of new and vintage albums.

Hughes Landing

IMAGE: COURTESY OF THE WOODLANDS

The Woodlands

The Woodlands has all of the amenities of a big city without living in one.

—Dean Melton, a realtor and resident of The Woodlands for 36 years

Population: 109,000
Walk Score: 17/100

What it’s getting right: The planned community prioritizes green space, with golf courses, miles of hike and bike trails, community pools, more than 110 parks, and a 200-acre lake available to residents. There are homes at multiple price points here, and many of the subdivisions have their own town centers. 

New in the neighborhood: The 66-acre mixed-use development Hughes Landing, set on Lake Woodlands, is a local favorite, offering seven restaurants with lakeside views, a boardwalk, and a Whole Foods Market plus high-end apartments and office buildings. 

If you only have an hour: Stroll through Town Center, the downtown of The Woodlands, and explore its 1,000 acres of shops and restaurants.

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

Memorial

We like it because it’s close enough in, yet it has a small-town feel—if you go to Los Tios on Friday night you will find half of your neighborhood there. People tend to live here a long time, which is nice, and of course it’s beautiful, with the trees and the winding streets.

—Lisa Long, resident for 20 years

Population: 35,000
Walk Score: 62/100

What it’s getting right: Not quite Inner Loop and not quite suburbia, Memorial offers the best of both worlds, with reasonable commutes, quality schools and tucked-away neighborhoods in which kids can still play in the streets, plus shopping and dining minutes away at CityCentre, Town & Country Village and Memorial City Mall. Residents also have access to the picturesque Terry Hershey Park hike-and-bike trails along Buffalo Bayou.

New in the neighborhood: Bowl & Barrel—the first Houston location of the Dallas hotspot that combines a luxe bowling experience (complete with leather couches) with a European beer hall and modern American tavern—opens soon at CityCentre.

If you only have an hour: Escape the concrete jungle at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary, a restored log cabin homestead and peaceful 17.5-acre wooded preserve along Rummel Creek that’s a habitat for native plants and animals and a haven for birders.

Rico’s serves food all day and night in Bagby Park.

IMAGE: DAN JOYCE

Midtown

It’s creating this density Houston has never had or gotten right, and with the METRORail running from downtown to the Medical Center to Reliant and EaDo, now it connects to the heart of the city.

—Monica Pope, chef at Sparrow and Midtown resident for over 25 years

Population: 6,000
Walk Score: 82/100

What it’s getting right: This always-evolving neighborhood is as diverse as the city itself. Highly walkable and packed with mixed-use developments, the area is known for its vibrant nightlife and explosion of arts venues.

New in the neighborhood: Not only are multiple eco-friendly street-beautification projects underway on Holman, Brazos, Main and Caroline, the area has seen an onslaught of bars and restaurant openings, and Midtown’s new arts-and-culture center, MATCH, opened last fall.

If you only have an hour: Snap a selfie by the giant “midtown” public art piece in Bagby Park, share your life goals on the “Before I Die…” chalkboard, and choose from dozens of dining options in walking distance for a night on the town.

Public trails abut the Southwyck Golf Course in Pearland.

IMAGE: MAX BURKHALTER

Pearland

We can get a lot more for our money in Pearland than we could in Houston, particularly the Heights, where most of our friends live.

—Nishta Mehra, Pearland resident for eight years

Population: 137,000
Walk Score: 21/100

What it’s getting right: By 2025, Pearland is projected to double in population, which makes sense considering its relative proximity to the Med Center and its still-cheaper-than-Inner-Loop housing prices. Offering ample green space, small-town appeal, excellent public schools and plenty of recreational activities, the city to the south is a suburban dream.

New in the neighborhood: The town continues to expand its roster of parks, recreation options and libraries. There’s a new nature trail on Magnolia Road, and this fall, the Tom Reid Library will get a 7,900-square-foot facelift.

If you only have an hour: Fans of famous barbecue joint Killen’s descend here from Houston and beyond. But if you don’t want to wait in the infamous line, head south to Froberg’s for some old-timey strawberry-picking, then pick up some fresh-fried pies at the adjoining general store.

Ranch-style homes abound in Spring Branch.

IMAGE: MAX BURKHALTER

Spring Branch

You’re seeing more and more land being taken up; it’s changing the character of the community. But at the same time, we’re not losing the history of the community.

—David Hawes, executive director, Spring Branch Management District

Population: 6,000
Walk Score: 55/100 

What it’s getting right: Spring Branch has become a destination both for luxury properties and affordable single-family ranchers and townhomes, although prices here continue to rise. Offering easy access to Memorial, Uptown, the Energy Corridor and downtown, the neighborhood is also known for its vibrant international dining scene. Spring Branch ISD’s public schools are among the city’s very best.

New in the neighborhood: Experience weightlessness without all that pesky NASA training at iFly’s indoor skydiving center.

If you only have an hour: Grab a meal of bulgogi in the food court at Super H Mart, then walk it off by browsing the aisles of the East Asian mega-mart, which has all the ingredients to make your own grilled Korean beef at home.

Paul Wallin Field

IMAGE: MAX BURKHALTER

West University

We picked the neighborhood because of the school system…and also because of its central location. We knew it’s a safe area where the property value is never going to drop, so we really saw it as an investment. But even if I could live anywhere and money was no object, I would never leave.

—Amy Johnston, resident for 12 years

Population: 18,000
Walk Score: 65/100

What it’s getting right: There are plenty of perks that come with living in a tiny municipality, such as prompt, responsive service from everyone from trash collectors to police, as well as a full slate of sports leagues, classes and more from the West University library and community center. Despite (or perhaps because of) home prices starting around $1 million, this leafy enclave both looks and feels like a small town.

New in the neighborhood: Check out West U’s first Little Free Library, a tiny replica of West University Elementary School, which opened in October in Colonial Park. Then take the whole family for burgers at Little Matt’s, where an iPad station and arcade games will keep the kids busy while parents sip on free margaritas (limit two).

If you only have an hour: Grab a bleacher at a Little League game at Paul Wallin Field. This town takes its baseball very seriously—Barbara Bush once threw out the first pitch on opening day, and the Senior team won the Little League World Series in 2014.

T.C. Jester Park

IMAGE: KATHARINE SHILCUTT

The GOOF: Garden Oaks/Oak Forest

We have that feeling of community and being in a neighborhood—kids can play in the street and ride their bikes, and everyone is out on the weekends. 

—Deanna Zugheri, realtor with Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan and resident of Garden Oaks for 23 years

Population: 37,000
Walk Score: 47/100

What it’s getting right: Garden Oaks and the adjacent Oak Forest appeal to young families, who take advantage of its top-rated schools, pocket parks, neighborhood clubs, seasonal events and, lately, a slew of interesting new restaurants. Both offer a mix of new construction and older homes: Garden Oaks is loaded with 1930s and ’40s bungalows, while Oak Forest offers ’50s ranch houses aplenty.

New in the neighborhood: Gigundo-gym O Athletik combines an indoor soccer pitch, MMA ring and training equipment, yoga studio, sauna, juice bar and more under one, massive 35,000-square-foot roof.

If you only have an hour: Walk the bayou at T.C. Jester Park, then refuel at Doyle’s, a favorite in the neighborhood for over 60 years for its old-school pizza, pasta and Italian fare.

This article appeared in the April 2016 issue of Houstonia.

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