Thank you for reading my blog covering the Houston single-family new home construction market. Whether you are a realtor, work for a production builder, a contractor, or just someone interested in the new home construction market in Houston, I welcome you!!!
Today, I am going to attempt to define the geographic boundaries for each of the 10 "Areas" as loosely defined by MetroStudy for the Houston MSA. Mind you, this is just geographic boundaries. I plan to devote many future blog posts to the communities (both large and small, past and present), builders, employment centers, and demographics in each Area. So, without further ado, let's define some geographic boundaries:
- Far North - This area is basically everything due north of The Woodlands, including the Conroe area. As you might expect, it is dominated by The Woodlands, the largest active Master Planned Community (MPC) in the country. It also includes what many hope to be the community that will carry the torch once The Woodlands completes its record breaking run of excellence: Woodforest.
- Northeast - This area is fairly straightforward. Its western boundary is I-45. Its southern boundary is just inside the Beltway (to include Fall Creek). Its bounded on the east by 90 & The Beltway. Looking at the face of a clock as your compass, it encompasses everything from 12 o'clock to about 2 o'clock. In years past, this submarket was dominated by Kingwood "The Livable Forest." As it winds down, there are several much smaller communities that are vying for the lion's share of residential housing.
- East - The east submarket is one of the few that has not been dominated by the typical Houston master planned community. It picks up on the southern boundary of the Northeast Area (90 & the Beltway), and goes south down the Beltway to include the ship channel, La Porte, ending about Red Bluff Road. Included in this submarket are Pasadena, Channelview, Baytown, Deer Park, and La Porte.
- Southeast - This is basically everything up and down the Gulf Freeway (I-45) south of The Beltway. It includes Friendswood, Webster, League City, Clear Lake, Dickinson, Texas City, La Marque, Santa Fe, and even Galveston. The 900 pound gorilla in this Area for years was South Shore Harbor, and before that Friendswood itself (which was the birthplace of yet another MPC in Houston). As with all of the Areas, there is a stark dichotomy in the housing stock. This will be a fun one to explore!
- South - The South submarket includes Pearland, and everything down the 288 corridor. Its western boundary is basically FM 521. The eastern boundary is 35. The submarket includes Alvin, Arcola, Manvel, Fresno, and Iowa Colony. This Area had been largely overlooked up until the past decade. However, the promise of a shorter commute into the Medical Center via 288 (among other factors) helped fuel an explosion of growth along the western border of Pearland along 288.
- Southwest - This Area includes everything west of (and including) Missouri City, extending all the way to 1093 in northern Fort Bend County. For years, this Area was dominated by Sugar Land and the surrounding communities. However, as as First Colony and the like are built out, there have been new players to step up such as Telfair and Sienna Plantation. It is a large geographic Area that contains many popular Houston area suburbs. Known for its excellent schools and well-to-do reputation, this Area has continued to perform well during the most recent economic downturn.
- West Southwest - This Area is basically everything in between I-10 and 1093. It has been dominated the last several years by the country's second largest master planned community, Cinco Ranch. Known for its excellent schools, and proximity to the famed "Energy Corrdior," this Area (along with the Southwest) is among the best housing markets in the entire country.
- West Northwest - This Area is bound to the south by I-10 and extends northward to FM 529. As much as the previous two are known for their excellent public schools and housing stock, this Area is known for its high density single-family housing and cultural diversity. It has been hit particularly hard during the recent economic downturn, but is still rife with competition in the homebuilding community. One theory that I will want to explore is the recent revelation that I heard stating it was more affordable to purchase resale in this Area than new homes. If this is true, then it will go a long way to explaining the current circumstances there. I can't wait to get into this one!
- Northwest - Everything north of 529 extending all the way to I-45 (at least those parts of I-45 south of The Woodlands, and north of the Beltway). This Area includes the well-known Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, as well as Tomball. Like all of the Areas, the Northwest has quite a diversity of neighborhoods. Like the Far North and Northeast, there is a preponderance of heavily treed communities, which belies the myth of the typical Houston landscape.
- Central - For ease of definition, this Area includes everything inside the 610 Loop and most everything inside the Beltway. The main exception to this rule being Fall Creek in the Northeast Area. Hey, there's just not a lot of single-family residential construction going on in this Area. Other than the once surprisingly strong townhome market that popped up in the late (and I mean late) 1990's, this isn't an Area of town that is looked at by my industry. Like my production home-building brethren, I plan to spend very little time here.
Next time, I will attempt to categorize the four different types of neighborhoods that are predominant in the Houston market. Mind you, these are my definitions, so they are definitely subject to debate!
With the conclusion of this penultimate step, we are one step from beginning our discussion of the different submarkets, communities and builders that are predominant in Houston. This is where it will be interesting. I implore you for your feedback. While very well versed in Houston single family residential construction, I do not pretend for a minute to know it all. I invite your feedback, and look forward to dishing on the best (and worst) of Houston homebuilding!!!
Until Next Time,
Houston Homeboy
11/22/2011
PS I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving. Here's hoping that your Thursday includes a nap-inducing overload of tryptophan and lots of football!!!
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