Lifestyle

Although the bayou city has earned a reputation as a sprawling megalopolis with a patchwork layout often viewed as chaotic rather than quirky, the bad rap unfairly overshadows the city’s strong suits: well-planned, in-town neighborhoods; a downtown historic sector undergoing a transformation; and a No. 1 ranking among U.S. cities in total acres of parkland. “Those who are fortunate enough to live in the center of Houston find that it’s like a small town with big-city amenities,” says architectural historian Stephen Fox. “Things are very close together. You don’t have to get on the freeway, you can walk in parts of the city, and you can use the metro light-rail line as an alternative to a car.” Here’s a roundup of a few notable Houston neighborhoods.

River Oaks

Two miles west of Downtown, River Oaks is Houston’s most desirable neighborhood, “where houses are bought and sold without signs,” says Carol Isaak Barden. It’s home to lawyers, CEOs, athletes, and some of the city’s best parties. “River Oaks was developed between the mid-’20s and late ’40s by a remarkable Houston family,” says Fox. “Will Hogg developed River Oaks in his effort to establish a sort of model of modern community planning, which the rest of Houston could follow.” Though they didn’t.

The ambitious 1,100-acre community designated space for shopping areas, parks, and schools. Restrictive covenants enforced by the property owners association ensure the integrity of the neighborhood. A mélange of styles, from English Tudor to Georgian to Spanish Revival, can be found here on large, treed lots facing gently curving streets that lend a feeling of spaciousness. “Because much of River Oaks was built in the ’20s and ’30s, it contains a wonderful collection of important houses from those decades,” Fox says. “Unfortunately, some of them are being demolished. At the same time, other people are spending extraordinary sums of money on rehabilitating some of the most architecturally notable houses and in some cases building distinguished new houses in the neighborhood.” www.ropo.org.

Downtown

As in many large cities, in-town loft living has become increasingly popular. “The transformation of the historic sector of downtown into a residential neighborhood was a trend that began in the mid-’90s and came to fruition in the early 21st century,” says Fox, adding that the process is ongoing. The makeover began with a few individual investors buying and remodeling a building, and then commercial developers got involved. “That has led to the preservation and rehabilitation of many of the most architecturally significant early 20th-century commercial buildings,” says Fox. Today, former offices such as the Southern Pacific and Commerce buildings now house rental lofts, condominiums, and, in some cases, hotels. The luxe Hotel Icon is in the former Union National Bank building. Young professionals and empty nesters alike are drawn to Downtown’s live/work/play lifestyle. The theater district and Minute Maid Park are nearby, and the light-rail line means an easy commute to the city’s top museums and medical center. www.houstondowntown.com.

Museum District and West University Place

According to Fox, some of the city’s most attractive residential areas are adjacent to the Museum District, one of the most picturesque being Broadacres, which is within walking distance of the Museum of Fine Arts. “It is fairly small, just two parallel streets: North and South boulevards,” he says. “They were planned in the early ’20s by architect William Ward Watkin. He planted those two streets in what was intended as an upper income residential neighborhood, with live oaks six across, four of those rows being in a wide central esplanade.” The small neighborhood (only about 40 acres) remains elite, though the parklike esplanades are enjoyed by everyone.

Nearby neighborhoods, such as West University Place, are also popular because of access to shopping, dining, and Rice University. Young professionals are attracted to West U because it’s an incorporated city in the center of Houston with its own fire and police departments. “It was traditionally a middle to lower-middle income neighborhood,” says Fox. “Very respectable but not at all fashionable.” That’s changing now as real estate prices rise and small bungalows built between 1920 and 1950 are remodeled or torn down, with larger and more expensive homes being built in their place. www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org, www.westu.org.