Houston Neighborhoods – Downtown

Downtown is this blanket term that anyone from the suburbs uses to describe any part of Houston inside the 610 loop. For us that realize driving from 610 to Downtown proper is easily 30 minutes, this misnomer can be infuriating. Downtown is a very small area stretching only a mile from North to South, and is bounded by I-45 to the North & West, 59 to the South and I-10 to the East. While Downtown itself is very small, nearby neighborhoods Midtown, Montrose, & Memorial Heights allow more people to still live nearby and easily commute to work. Downtown, being the founding point of Houston, at one time was the place to be. At the turn of the 21st century, if you didn’t live and work in Downtown, you weren’t in Houston. Montrose and the Heights were suburbs! However, over time, as the population of Houston grew and people naturally moved out, Downtown became more of a business district that bustled during the day and simply shut down at night. Only in the past few years has the desire to live and play in Downtown really revitalized the area. Historic buildings and loft apartments are being updated to feature luxury finishes, new high rise and midrise apartment communities have opened for business with more under construction, and craft bars and restaurants have joined the Theatre District and music venues to make Downtown the desirable neighborhood it is today. In addition to all the eating, drinking and arts you can enjoy, Downtown is also home to professional sports teams, the Houston Astros, the Houston Rockets, and the Dynamo.

Walkability ★★★★★

A large part of the appeal to living in Downtown is the ability to walk to work and with the area being under a mile in length, it’s not surprising that people think they can. Let’s be honest, though, it’s Houston and its hot! You probably won’t walk to work nearly as much as you think you will, unless you utilized the tunnels. The Downtown tunnels stretch under the main business district and offer escape from the terrible heat above. There are shops for your mid-day errands, restaurants to grab a quick lunch, but most of all, a convenient way to get from A to B and avoid the elements above. The tunnels do close in the evening; so, at night time, you’re going to have to come back up. In the evenings, you can head north to Market Square for “blanket bingo”, movies in the park or a quick dinner from a food truck, or head south over to Discovery Green for free yoga, kayaking, or a concert. Don’t forget that you can also just walk up and down Main, Fannin or San Jacinto streets and have no trouble finding something to do.

Transportation ★★★★★

Not everyone will be lucky enough to get from home to work using the tunnels, and frankly, a lot of people may break a sweat walking a mile in the Texas heat; so, for you, there is the METROrail. The red line runs North and South, and the purple line is soon to be heading East and West. The METROrail will take you as far as NRG Stadium to catch NFL team, the Houston Texans with stops in Midtown and the Museum District in between. There’s also GreenlLink, a free shuttle that picks up and drops off at all the major buildings in Downtown – this is great for anyone living over on the SW side at City View Lofts. Don’t forget that Houston’s bicycle share, B-Cycle is available too!

Dining ★★★★☆

The options are endless from Birraporetti’s over in the Theatre District to Vic & Anthony’s near the George R Brown Convention Center. You can grab tapas at Batanga, dinner and live music at Sambuca or a steak at III Forks in Green Street. Downtown has its very own James Beard Award Nominee, Justin Yu. His restaurant, Oxheart offers 3 tasting menus nightly and only has 31 seats; book fast and well in advance. If you’re in the mood for a burger, Hubcap Grill serves them up plain and simple, the meat is hand-formed, the buns and fries are homemade and heads up, they only accept cash. There are plenty of Italian choices, but my favorite is Mia Bella. With two locations in Downtown (one off Main and another in Green Street) you’re sure to pop into one without too long of a wait. The prices are reasonable, the portions are just right and you can watch the chefs prepare it from the kitchen window. You can also have brunch there for under $20 per person if you do it right.

Nightlife ★★★★☆

I saved one of Downtown’s best restaurants for the nightlife section because I find myself here more for the drinks than the food. Hearsay Gastro Lounge is located in Downtown’s 2^nd oldest building which survived a fire a two, and with the love for progress Houston has, it can be difficult to find a historic building. The food ranges from shareable plates to expensive entrees and the cocktails are all a bit crafty and a bit on the more expensive end, but this would be the kind of place to pop into after an evening at the theatre. If you mosey on back over to Main St., there is everything from craft cocktail lounges to night clubs to affordable hipster spots serving up PBR. My favorite spot to grab a fancy craft cocktails is Captain Foxheart’s Bad News Bar. They have pricey mint juleps and old fashioned, cheap local craft beer and everything in between. Usually, it isn’t terribly packed and the view from the balcony overlooking Main St. is pretty nice. It has a speakeasy-ish vibe in that there is no sign and it’s above a law office. Keep an eye out for the balcony with people and be careful not to miss it as there are a lot of doors marked “Law Office” in the area.  If the arts are more your style, you’re in luck!The Wortham Theater Center, home to the Houston Grand Opera and the Houston Ballet, TUTS and the Hobby Center are all acclaimed. While an electrical fire just last year really did a number on this one, the Alley Theatre is in the midst of renovations. The Tony-award winning theatre has moved shows for the 2014-2015 season to the University of Houston. If you love music, the really big artists (think Beyonce) can be found at Toyota center, while others are often at Bayou Music Center and House of Blues. For you sports lovers out there, don’t forget that you can easily walk to 3 different sporting venues and hop on the rail for the other! Downtown is your entertainment destination.

Pet Friendly ★★☆☆☆

I am not going to pretend like Downtown is full of lush green space. We’ve all seen the movie “Boyhood” by now, and surely you noticed all the concrete during the car ride to Minute Maid Park for an Astros game. However, all of the communities are pet friendly and usually accept larger breeds. AND, Market Square and Discovery Green are no more than half a mile from where you may live and are filled with grass for your furbaby. Discovery Green even has a dog run and frequently hosts water events for dogs. If you’re really up for it, load them up in the car and drive them to the Johnny Steele Dog Park along Buffalo Bayou. It’s less than 2 miles away and they’ll love you for it!

Average Home Purchase Price: $346,695*

Average One Bedroom Rental Rate – Privately Owned: $1850**

Average One Bedroom Rental Rate – Class A Apartment: $1443***

*data calculated on January 4, 2015 from HAR.com using condominiums sold in the “Downtown” market area in the previous 90 days with at least 1 bedroom and an average square footage of 1491 square feet. This average rate does not take into account studio or efficiency condominiums.

** data calculated on January 4, 2015 from HAR.com using one bedroom condominiums and apartments leased in the “downtown” market area in the previous 90 days ranging in size, quality and condition. This average rate does not take into account studio or efficiency lease options.

*** data calculated on January 4, 2015 using the most recent “best rate available within 60 days” published on UrbanLeasing.com for traditional one bedroom one bathroom apartments at Class A apartment communities in the Downtown area and map location indicated North of 59. A “Class A” apartment is new or recently updated, well maintained and offers luxury finishes, gated access, on-site parking, washer and dryer, and amenities include at minimum a pool, fitness center and cyber café. This average rate does not take into consideration studio or efficiency apartment homes. The team at UrbanLeasing.com updates rates on a daily basis as market data becomes available.

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