COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHEN THE BULLDOZERS HEAD FOR SHARPSTOWN “. . . The Heights used to be pretty shady too. Times change. Neighborhoods change. Sharpstown’s day in the sun is coming, but it’s still a ways off. It’s not hard to look at the wave of redevelopment that has poured out from the center of Houston and realize Sharpstown is the path of growth. Back in the 80′s West U houses were being bulldozed by the dozen. Soon lots of folks were priced out of West U and the bulldozers turned to Bellaire. Now they are turning south all the way to the South Loop. Meyerland is in play too. Right now the primary western barrier is the edge of the Bellaire HS zoning map. As Meyerland continues to improve though, the childless pioneers who don’t care about school zones will be the first to start the gentrification process in Sharpstown. Eventually . . . critical mass. If the neighborhood associations were smart, they’d start their own tax district and ear mark all the proceeds for demolition of the junkiest properties. Demo some junk. Demo some more junk. Hold the land as it appreciates. Sell it to a developer who has a plan to build that you like (not just the highest bidder). Pour the land sale money into more demolition. Rinse. Repeat.” [Bernard, commenting on Headlines: Selling the Astrodome in Pieces; Felix Mexican Restaurant Sign Mystery]
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Of course Sharpstown’s day is coming. One only needs to analyze real estate and development in the southwest to realize this. Houston will add 500,000 people by 2016, the property in the inner loop will continue to command a premium, and areas just outside will continue to grow. Sharpstown is an ideal candidate with its 10 minute commute to the Galleria, Sugarland, Downtown, and Greenway.
Realtors are pushing Westbury for gentrification, but Sharpstown is superior in almost every way. Westbury highway access is extremely poor, shopping/food is mediocre at best, and the only wealthy area close to it is Meyerland, which is relatively middle class compared to Bellaire. Sharpstown Section 1 is literally half a mile away from million dollar homes in Bellaire Brae Burn Country Club Estates. Bellaire outside of 610 is around 70% built out. The stock of ranches in that area is quickly dwindling because of the invasion of the McMansions. Apartments off of Renwick are being razed to build upscale stucco townhome communities where each house is commanding 300k+.
Most as is houses in Sharpstown Section 1 sell for 100k+, remodeled ones are going for 120-130. McMansions are popping up but are largely personal homes that are not for sale/profit at this point. The tree canopy in the neighborhood is gorgeous and some of the mid century mods are absolutely STUNNING. Sharpstown north of 59 is another story. Homes there tend to be larger and of the Meyerland quality. Prices reflect this but there are some absolute steals in that section.
Oh and did I mention the food? I can get ethiopian, vietnamese, japanese, korean, chinese, central american, south american, mexican, AND overpriced american food all within a 4 mile stretch on Bellaire. Don’t forget the amazing middle eastern cuisine on Hillcroft. Yeah good luck finding that in Westbury, HAH.
No doubt though the surrounding apartments are scuzzy, but the neighborhood itself is quite safe because residents look out for each other. Graffiti does happen, and burglaries occur, but it happens everwhere as well. Crimemaps proves it because the majority of crimes occur outside the residential border.
At this point, Sharpstown needs to do three things:
1)Continue the beautifying efforts (which are awesome btw)
2)Raze derelict apartments
3)Pressure Metro into speeding up construction for the University Line.
Boom, and then come the yuppies.
Sorry, I ain’t buying it. Not with apartment complexes filled with hood rats and other assorted riff raff.
The low rent houses here in Shady Acres south got bulldozed. Our gentrification was alot easier. No apartment complexes to contend with.
It still is…
They’re already doing a lot of the things Bernard is talking about. There’s the Sharpstown TIRZ; and then the Sharpston Special Management District – working in concert to help turn Sharpstown around. All of those beautification projects are the Management District at work. They’re also addressing the monumental task of turning around the apartments. The worst complexes will be demolished and turned to other uses (like drainage); the second-worst gutted or razed and rebuilt back as better apartments; other apartments watched closely for signs of deterioration. It’s a tactic that’s been used with great success next door in Brays Oaks. The Management District also hires Deputies to provide added security for the area – which is a huge deal.
.
These things will take time. You probably won’t see a huge change in a year or two; but in 15 or 20 (maybe 10) – mark my words Sharpstown will be nice again.
ZAW has a good point about bulldozing for drainage. With many of those complexes pretty much on the level close to that or equal of a slum, there property values are plummeting. HCFCD and Harris County could scoop them up at a bargain prices to continue making the dramatic drainage improvements on Brays that have already been started. Art Storey Park #2 anyone?
I don’t think the apartments are the biggest impediment as some think. The Heights and surrounding area are covered with low rent apartments that do carry some shady (not all) characters. Also, with the more wealth that moves into the single family home market, the more demand for security will rise to the point of the district hiring private security to assist HPD’s already heavy presence in the region.
So where you gonna put all those noble, hard working Sanctuary folk who are current Sharpstown residents?
Seems that simply bulldozing the apartments isn’t a realistic solution for the metro area as a whole, because poor people have to live somewhere.
However, the vast majority of poor people aren’t violent criminals and probably want the bad elements of their communities out as much as their middle-class neighbors do. Perhaps the best thing the Sharpstown TIRZ could do is take a zero-tolerance approach to violent crime, rather than kicking the can down 59…
And then there’s Oak Forest….
It doesn’t help that there are massive Latino nightclubs everywhere. There’s a huge billboard for “Tequila Fiesta” or something similar right above the Plaza Americas parking lot. When those leave, we’ll get some decent businesses to move in.
Kudos to St. Agnes Academy for investing in the old Gillman property. I think this is huge step in the future of Sharpstown! They have purchased the corner lot of Bellaire & Fondren and built a beautiful sports facility there. I have been a Sharpstown resident since I was a child, and live here with my husband and 5 children. Every day I see new families, children here walking outside, playing outside, riding bikes, etc. This is a wonderful place, a secret gem. I like my low property taxes here since I intend to stay for a long time!
I don’t know what this might mean for Sharpstown yet, but in nearby Robindell where I live there are three new construction houses going up and a builder sign on a fourth vacant lot. One up the block from me is a 4500 sf semi-custom home being built by the family that previously lived in the house that was torn down. They made the decision to make probably a $500K investment in Robindell instead of moving to Cinco Ranch which was the other option they considered…..
From Robert:
The tree canopy in the neighborhood is gorgeous and some of the mid century mods are absolutely STUNNING.
_______________________________________
Some of the most stunning in the city but unfortunately, well, they’re in Sharpstown. It does make you wonder about the lack of zoning that produces this curious “mixed-use” subdivision developent. All around the city you have these subdivisions originally built around country clubs. All of which went downhill as a result of the apartment complexes. Sharpstown, Inwood Forest, Lakeside. Others like Fondren SW didn’t have the country clubs. But did have the apartment complexes. And as soon as the occupancy rates dropped, the ones that were built with HUD money suddenly had to offer HUD subsidized housing. And there, as they say, went the neighborhoods. That may be interpreted as racist by some. It really is just plain old reality.
Spoonman,
It is not the property owners or the city’s responsibility to decided what happens to the people living in these complexes. I hope that assuming these people are adults, that when the time comes they could find a new place to live on their own. Two older complexes in the looped I’ve lived in were to be torn down for new development, so I had to move. Luckily when the second one was slated to be torn down I was already in the process of building a house. This happens all the time, why would these complexes in this location be any different.
The thing about living in a rented space is that you have NO control over the property other than what is in your lease agreement (and you can be bought out at the value of the agreement if they tear down before your lease it up).
The attitude about what these people will do is the view that these people are completely incapable of taking care of themselves.
This is life. It changes. The only guaranteed residence is through ownership and/or a grave plot. Of course eminent domain could always remove you from your property…so your grave is your only permanent residence.
Matt Mystery,
When Sharpstown was originally built out with single family, multifamily, and commercial; it was The Woodlands in its day. It won awards for planning. It is was many zoned cities were already planning and constructing (of course it happened in Houston without zoning).
The layout and development of Sharpstown actually followed most standard zoning patterns of it’s day.
There is nothing in this post that could bring this into pro/con zoning argument.
This is an aging modern subdivision from the 50s-60s that will be entering gentrification (which to some extent already has begun on a sizable scale).
Matt,
You can stay where ever you are, we don’t want you or your negative attitude. The residential neighborhood itself is SAFE. Shopping in the area is SAFE. Eating out at restaurants in the area is SAFE. If it wasn’t safe, Sharpstown would be DEAD like the third/fifth ward with virtually no retail to speak of. Alas, that is not the case because Sharpstown’s businesses are booming. They have the big box stores like Best Buy, Sears, and Staples while also having hundred of mom and pop shops.
The area is becoming a Montrose before it lost it’s character and sold it’s soul to the yuppies. Tons of gays and young artists are moving in. Young open minded families are moving in. The trees are growing, the greenery is expanding. McMansions are beginning to pop up. Sure it’s a diamond in the rough, but with some polish, the area will be gorgeous.
I have two friends who’ve lived in Sharpstown for over 30 years. They love it. Although they don’t particularly love what surrounds them. That wasn’t there 30 years ago. Negative? Not at all. It’s the reality.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the impact Katrina refugees had on Sharpstown. Crime rose appreciably following that flood of new citizens into our area. Ask any of the small businesses how much crime rose after that.
Another problem, and one I think should be addressed by real estate agents with their customers, BEFORE THE SALE IS CLOSED, is that this is a nice quiet, mostly crime free area and we want to keep it that way. Many of the newer residents want to live here because of this, but once here, they don’t even try to blend into the established norm. They party into the wee hours of the morning, playing their music so loud you can hear the words inside your house even if it is 5 and 6 houses away and your own TV is on. Or, they think their garage is a den, so they party in there, with the door open and the music or TV blaring until all hours. Too many of them don’t teach their children to play/hang out in their own yards; they allow them access to the yards of their neighbors. And, can I mention how angry they become when a neighbor tries to bring up any of these issues? If you want to be loud, belligerent and disrespecful of your neighbors, please stay where you currently live. If you want to stay with the norm of what attracted you to this area in the first place you will be welcomed with open arms.
In the mid 90’s there was an attempt to set up a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone for both commercial and residential areas of Sharpstown.
Some Sharpstown residents objected to the TIRZ which would not have raised taxes other than property tax on appraised values. As appraisals increased, the increment between taxes paid on date of TIRZ would go to the TIRZ for improvements and not the City.
With the opposition the TIRZ was established only for commercial areas.
If the residential areas of Sharpstown had a TIRZ there would have been funds for residential improvements.
The Management District was later created to help out, but mostly deals with the commercial areas.
The Katrina evacuees are long gone. Most of them live in Fondren SW anyways.
Robert, not sure why you feel that way, but I guarantee you a lot of small business owners in Sharpstown do not agree with you. In fact, just last night one of them brought up how much Sharpstown changed with so many of them living, not only in the apts., but also in rental homes. On just my one block there are 3 Katrina families still living in rental properties. No telling how they pay their rent; not one of them has managed to retain a job for more than a few months at a time. There is a constant flow of traffic in and out of their homes at all hours of the night, so you can only guess what that means. They don’t maintain their yards, allow trash to blow all over the neighborhood and have knock down drag out fights whenever they see fit. They could care less that they are living in an otherwise nice neighborhood.
@ Robert: The Katrina refugees never comprised anything close to a majority of tenants in most of the affected complexes, but the influx has effectively poisoned the well. Many complexes slipped into financial distress and have never fully recovered.
A silver lining of the financial crisis, however, is that some of these properties have found new ownership and fresh capital. The future of Sharpstown is brighter than its recent past. That said…that’s A LOT of apartment units! School quality is very important, and Oak Forest, Westbury, and Spring Branch are all better positioned in that respect than Sharpstown is or likely ever will be.
Oh, please. Blame it all on the Katrina evacuees. Long before Katrina hit New Orleans, the gangs hit Sharpstown. Not just African-American gangs. But Hispanic gangs. And, yes, some Asian gangs. Of course we don’t talk about them. Just the African-American gangs.
Not blaming it ALL on Katrina evacuees, just noting they are part of the problem. And, just so you know, I am African-American. And lets not forget,dare I say it, white gangs are in this area as well as the others you pointed out. Ours was one of the first Black families in this area and I have seen it change with the times, just like the rest of Houston. From my experience, it appeared the vast majority of Katrina evacuees that relocated in this area were uneducated, unmotivated and downright uninterested in even attempting to better themselves. Pretty sad commentary on the part of my people…
Something easy to change that would have a beneficial impact on Sharpstown would be to make the COPS program and HOA dues mandatory as properties change hands. Currently, we are unable to get the required votes from each section to change the dues from voluntary to mandatory. If new owners paid mandatory dues, eventually all homes would be participating, rather than the same old few who have been paying for everyone’s benefit. If that were to happen, the dues could be reduced for everyone.
Sharpstown Girl,
The southeastern region of Louisiana and especially the New Orleans metro thank Houston for absorbing their problem. The New Orleans news now only has a couple of murders a week to talk about versus the usual 10.
@theniche
I’ve lived in Sharpstown my whole life and I’ve yet to see a Katrina evacuee on my street or in my neighborhood. Section 1 is mostly hispanic, white, with some asians and middle eastern people mixed in.
During 2004 when the hurricane happened, I did see a lot of them at the mall.
Also schools are good in Sharpstown contrary to popular belief. Sutton, Pat Neff are both examplary. For middle you have the option to go to Pin Oak over Jane Long if you live in the neighborhood. For high well, Sharpstown High is a good and easy way to get into UT…. that’s what I did. With all the money that you save living here you can put it towards a private education at strake or st. agnes which are both excellent choices.
:)
Some people claim to have gay-dar. Robert is claiming Katrina-dar. Not entirely sure what to make of that…
Robert, interior lots within single-family sections of Sharpstown are mostly fine. The problem is that there’s just so damned much perimeter. The single-family sections look like swiss cheese compared to Westbury, Oak Forest, or Brays Oaks. Just look at the map:
http://www.sharpstownscan.com/PDF/SharpstownMap-Final.pdf
And lets not pretend that schools or crime aren’t problems. Whether you’re right or wrong that they’re tolerable (and we’re just going to have to disagree about that), perception of fault is as good as actual fault, and is the impediment to Sharpstown being the next major spillover zone for urban affluence.
Saving money on one’s house (an asset with deductible mortgage interest) is not worth the straight-up expense of private school or worry concerning personal security. Consumers may or may not ‘get it’ on an individual level, but there is often a logic to their groupthink.
@sharpstown girl –
Call the Sharpstown Constables if your neighbors are too loud. I’ve done this several times – they respond VERY quick. When I rented in the Heights it was HPD, no Constables, and it took forever to get them to come out and visit irresponsible/rude neighbors. Sharpstown is a quiet neighborhood in the single-family areas (I’m in the first subdivision, just East of / underneath 59 on the map). Last time they came out they even let me know they had tow trucks that would potentially come and start removing cars that were parked on grass, illegally parked, too close to the curb, etc. Although I didn’t want them to do this it’s good to know that they are extremely aware of the inconsiderate partiers who are unable to keep their festivities under control. Sharpstown Constables can be reached at 281-463-6666.
Ummm..the home owners in meyerland have the higher tax bills to prove that ” the bulldozers” are in da hood. And one day it will be Sharpstown.Lots of potential in Sharpstown.
The Niche,
Believe me, I’ve been around Katrina evacuees from middle school up until high school. I know what they look like, how they sound like, and what they dress like. There are virtually no african americans in residential sharpstown to begin with. Most of them lived in the Fondren SW with a very small amount living in the apartments in Sharpstown.
Also, please stay in the monotonous, soul less suburbs. I’ll sacrifice my “perceived” safety for a large beautiful home, strong relationships with neighbors, the best food this city has to offer, and low property taxes to boot. It’s funny how I’ve lived here all my life and haven’t been once mugged, my house hasn’t been robbed, and no one’s ever been shot or shot at anywhere near my street. Personal security is a crap shoot living in the inner city anyways. People put Montrose and the Heights on a pedestal for being yuppie haven, but as soon as the lights go off, shit goes down. I would walk around the area at night and have never seen so many shady characters ever in my life. In sharpstown, the neighborhood is quiet, and pretty dead after 9 besides the randoms walking their dog.
The school argument is really tired as well. Like stated earlier, we have two exemplary elementary schools, the option to go to an exemplary middle school, and an easy route to go to UT during high school. I’m currently a junior here with a 3.9 GPA and finishing with a double major in philosophy, spanish. My high school experience was solid and the AP program at Sharpstown prepared me adequately for college. I’m currently studying for the LSAT and hoping to get into a top 14.
The “groupthink” mentality is subject to change. The heights used to be shady, still is in my opinion, but 1400 sf bungalows are going for 300k. Sharpstown’s location is prime. It’s in a better position than many eastern inner loop areas just because of it’s residential nature (as opposed to the industrial east end) and the proximity to major employment centers in westchase, the galleria area, greenway, med center, and sugarland. It’s also close to Downtown as well. You can deny it all you want, but development and all the jobs are headed west.
Robert has a point.
I live in the Cottage Grove area and often frequent Montrose and the Heights. I would never walk those streets at night. Especially Montrose since its the location that HPD releases all the inmates. You can sit in your favorite restaurant or on your favorite bar patio and tell when HPD just released a new batch of inmates on the street. The halfway house on the southwest side of Westheimer and Montrose doesn’t help either. Montrose is easily just as dangerous (if not more) than the Sharpstown area.
Robert,
Try not to take it personally, but do try to understand that Sharpstown suffers from some major comparative disadvantages compared to many large intact neighborhoods that are equally well-located with similar housing stock (Oak Forest, Garden Oaks, Spring Branch, Meyerland, Westbury, Willowbend).
I’m not comparing it to Glenbrook Valley because you’re right that it is rather far afield; but I don’t need to in order to make my point.
I’m also not comparing crime stats to Montrose or the Heights, because that type of housing appeals to a different market segment (and also because the stats are worse, but most peoples’ perception of them is much more forgiving).
And as for schools, don’t kid yourself that Bellaire HS has been a huge factor in the rate at which Bellaire and nearby neighborhoods have been built out. You can make all the excuses you like, but Sharpstown doesn’t have that going for it.
The point is that there’s a vast quantity of decent housing that is at or close to lot value that is at least as well-located as Sharpstown and that isn’t affected by the various real or perceived blights that Sharpstown is.
Maybe in another 15 years, you’ll start to see new construction and in another 30 years, it’ll be close to having been re-built out. But on that time horizon, who really cares to speculate?
#25 Robert:
Not to pick fine points, but Katrina was in 2005.
I would think a young person would be better at remembering things like that.
#32 PYEWACKET2
Your comment is definitely “picking fine points”! The exact year the storm hit is not the point–the rest of his comment is. Even with as much trouble as we had from that particular storm, I am hard pressed to remember which year it hit.
@kjb
Exatly, but I guess that’s the appeal of Montrose. It’s an “eclectic” neighborhood.
@theniche
The only disadvantage of Sharpstown is the apartments, but that didn’t stop Bellaire which is bordered by Gulfton. Sharpstown has an advantage over most. of those neighborhoods solely because of location, also one must not forget the restaurants. As a foodie, this neighborhood is absolute heaven.
And your right, Bellaire will always have an advantage over Sharpstown from an academic standpoint, but education is what you make of it and for the average to above average student, Sharpstown is a WAY better option. Do you know how hard it is to get in the top 8% at Bellaire? You do realize that the valedictorian on average has a 4.9 GPA and the top 8% starts around 4.4. At Sharpstown you can easily get into the top 8 with a 3.7 GPA and gain automatic admission to any university in Texas.
Even then the original argument for gentrification here is the fact that the childless pioneers are the ones starting it. Not the families.
@PYEWACKET2
Yeah your right. I was off by one year, big deal.
Bellaire is bordered by Gulfton on one (1) side but is not greatly influenced by it. They do not share schools, cities, or police, and even the commercial districts in Bellaire are markedly different in character from those immediately outside of Bellaire. Driving through Bellaire along major thoroughfares is aesthetically pleasing. Bellaire also has a lower property tax rate than Houston does. Bellaire is more convenient to employers and to the best stores and restaurants. Sharpstown’s only comparative advantage to Bellaire is affordability–but the same could be said of Pasadena.
You won’t get any argument from me that it’s easy for parents to game the system by enrolling their child in Sharpstown HS, but most parents aren’t willing to inflict that fate upon their beloved children. Otherwise that old Yogi Berra saying would apply, that “nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.” But that’s obviously not the case.
Wrong on so many levels. You clearly haven’t spent time in the area and know nothing of it. A significant portion of Gulfton is zoned to Bellaire High school. Also the Gulfton commercial district right along Bellaire Blvd is a stucco canyon now if you haven’t noticed which is quite reminiscent of it’s wealthier neighbor next door.
And how is Bellaire more convenient than Gulfton/Sharpstown when they are literally next door to each other? I can even argue that Gulfton is more convenient to shopping and employment than the far western borders of Bellaire because it has better highway access.
I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you that Sharpstown High is a good school. All I’m going to say is that you clearly haven’t gone to college, or you probably went to a crappy one. You should have learned by now that education is what you make of it. It’s completely dependent on how you take advantage of each opportunity. I took AP classes with the magnet kids in my graduating class, took it seriously, got ap credit, and went to UT. Most of the top 10% joined me at UT or went to A&M. We are all doing well.
I’m even doing better than many of my suburban peers because I’ve left the bubble a long time ago and experienced inner city life way before them. A lot of the kids from Cinco, the woodlands, clements, and other schools come in to UT with literally no life experience. Sheltered beyond belief their whole lives, they leave the bubble and fuck up big time by getting trashed or high on a regular basis instead of focusing on academics.
I for one owe my whole life perception on Sharpstown High. Though I’ve luckily lived a relatively middle class life, my peers at the school weren’t so lucky. I know what poverty is, how it’s perpetuated, and why it’s bad for our society. I loved my experience there and found it to be very important as to who I am today.
Wow, it’s amazing how racist and classist some people can reveal to be outside of the realm of real world political correctness.
” I ain’t buying it. Not with apartment complexes filled with hood rats and other assorted riff raff.”
“It doesn’t help that there are massive Latino nightclubs everywhere. There’s a huge billboard for “Tequila Fiesta†or something similar right above the Plaza Americas parking lot. When those leave, we’ll get some decent businesses to move in.”
Oh please, Robert, if you can’t tell the difference between Bellaire’s commercial areas and Gulfton’s commercial areas then you’re being dishonest with us. It’s like night and day. The City of Bellaire would freak out and hastily re-zone their downtown district as low-density residential if they saw the Gulfton ambiance creeping into the city limits.
Where convenience is concerned, Sharpstown starts at Hillcroft and Bellaire starts inside the loop. It’s that much closer to everything that matters and has a sense of entry coming off the West Loop that isn’t an affront to the senses.
Bellaire HS draws from parts of Gulfton with a more commercial character and only a few apartment complexes. Where Gulfton transitions to extremely dense apartment housing, that’s where it drops out. Nevertheless, I know from personal and professional experience that even the apartments zoned to Bellaire HS maintain considerably higher occupancy levels and are more stable than the Gulfton apartments because so many low-income parents want to afford their children access to the best education that’s around. …and that’s a good thing. It helps Bellaire that so many parents care about their children. I’ve affirmed this by working with clients that own apartments on both sides of the zoning; I can see the difference. I also dated a girl for a long time whose parents moved into such an apartment to get her out of Westbury and into Bellaire…because she wanted her education to be more challenging.
I’m not sure why you want to get personal, but…you and I are actually not that different. My high school had only a few dozen white students, a couple indians, maybe a half-dozen half-Philipinos, zero blacks, and another eighteen hundred Mexicans. Even though I was able to enter college as a sophomore and apparently with enough foresight to GET A FREAKIN’ QUANTITATIVELY-ORIENTED DEGREE, ROBERT (!), I wouldn’t wish my experience upon anybody. It left me culturally isolated, without a sense of home, and with few strong friendships. Like yourself, I got to witness poverty; I got to witness the effects of drug use and trafficking; I got to witness scandal and corruption; I got to witness all of the dysfunction of a monoculture and to participate in it a fair bit and in unexpected ways that I don’t particularly care to talk about on the internet.
If I had a kid, I’d keep them the hell out of an environment like that. I also wouldn’t take them into a white suburban monoculture. I’d want the best inner-city schools for them, not because they’re easy but because they’re hard. And certainly, even at Bellaire or Lamar HS there are ample opportunities to sample the dark side and witness its failure…ideally without getting caught up in it. And yes, even Sharpstown HS would’ve been better than where I was.
So yeah, I do get where you’re coming from. But I would submit to you that you need to take a step back and re-think the consumer psychology that lead to West U and Bellaire being so completely re-built. You and I are both unusual people. To understand Sharpstown’s problem, you have to look at it objectively so that you can infer a different population’s subjective perceptions and preferences. You have to attempt to see through their eyes, not yours.
#33 sharpstown girl:
The devil is in the details. I would think that if it was as traumatic as you say, the date would have been etched in your memory.
And Robert:
“Your and you’re”. There is a difference.
Between Westbury and Sharpstown, much prefer Westbury.Its immediate neighbor is meyerland. the apartments are concentrated on the southern and western boundries.
@Pyewacket
Give me a break, this is the internet, not some god damn research paper.
@theniche
You should definitely drive down Bellaire to see Gulfton’s commercial district. Lot’s of really nice stucco development, it may not be high end, but it’s very nice for the area. I’m also perfectly happy with my liberal arts degree because it’s undergrad. My professional school degree is where the real money is at.
I completely understand where you’re coming from though. White people don’t like to be around lots of minorities. It’s cool. On the other hand, I loved being around so many blacks and latinos, especially the african americans. I never really had exposure to them before, and when I did it wasn’t to positive, but going to Sharpstown I became so entrenched into southern black culture. It was amazing. No doubt, Bellaire and Lamar are excellent schools, but it’s extremely competitive and like I stated before, for the average to above average student, Sharpstown is a solid choice. Westbury High apparently has a lot of white kids now who are taking advantage of the non competitive environment as well.
Robert: If you only knew what I’ve done with and about Bellaire’s commercial district in the past…professionally for money on the basis of my expertise. Yes, there’s a difference in character between Bellaire commercial and Gulfton commercial; the defining element is not stucco. Oh come on, stucco is everywhere. It means nothing.
As to the competitiveness of the local schools, you are proposing the Yogi Berra joke that, “nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.” Don’t be ridiculous.
I can only guess that you intend to go to law school. Have fun with the student debt, the incredible opportunity cost of your time had you obtained a quantitative undergrad degree and entered the workforce, and your everlasting resentfulness of the profession that you will box yourself into. Then have fun pissing away your youth until you’ve saved enough money to hire someone like myself to propel you into commercial real estate development or another field which you won’t understand and at which you will fail before sulking back to the profession to which you’ve become tethered.
“At Sharpstown you can easily get into the top 8 with a 3.7 GPA and gain automatic admission to any university in Texas.”
Well, not Rice.
But, hey, UTEP!
Considering at Rice you still have to attend some higher level classes at UofH for various majors, I really don’t see the appeal for Rice. Luckily they realized that artificially keep there student population low hurts more than helps them.
Sheesh, Niche, who tinkled in your Post Toasties? I can understand that the lawyers who deal with you might be miserable, but I’ve been a lawyer for a long time, and while I don’t make the megabucks that some do, I’m fortunate enough to enjoy my job.
@spoonman
Hah more like UT Austin and A&M, two very solid schools. Also take into consideration that some kids from lee and Yates high school went onto rice.
@theniche
A lot of the stucco construction in gulfton is pretty high end in design, very reminscent of some of the buildings in the suburbs. However there are buildings with the tacky stuccos that was just simply slabbed on. Im not going to sit here and argue about it because obviously the businesses cater to a different clientele though I have seen a lot of white people in the various taquerias in the area.
And im finding it difficult to understand how your yogi berra quote defeats my logically sound argument on competitiveness of Bellaire. Business and employers dont care about which high school you went to, they care about your work experience and the university you went to. Im currently planning on law school but that’s not to say I might reconsider an MBA program instead. It sounds like someone’s bitter about some one else’s success. I would be too if I spent all my time commenting on this website.
I’m sure that there are exceptions, however the labor market is positively flooded with law school grads and baby lawyers. Of those that I’ve gotten to know, only one is enthusiastic about his new profession…but he entered the labor force only after the Gulf Coast Full Employment Act for Lawyers (aka Deepwater Horizon) took effect and generated seemingly thousands of doc review jobs. That work is fizzling out and I suspect that he’s about to live life a little. But it goes beyond a lack of enthusiasm…a lot of them sincerely hate their profession and only even bothered to complete law school because they were two years into it. They feel like its a scam.
Even the older ones that I know, mostly friends of family with successful and established practices, have advised me against law school. …mostly based on how poorly they can treat their own hires. They wouldn’t do it over again if they had to suffer my generation.