| Real Estate Houston apartment rental housing | | | | gains as relocations from Katrina began |
| guide 494,853 apt rentals, with 13,864 new | | | | setting down roots. |
| units added in 2007. | | | | |
| | | | While some of these new apartment residents |
| Houstons area apartments in 160 cities/towns, | | | | could return home in the next year, analysts |
| 240 different zip codes, 53 public school | | | | believe many will remain in their new homes. |
| districts (1,127 individual schools), 39 | | | | Probably somewhere around half of the people |
| Universities & Colleges and 41 major | | | | who spread out to new locations will end up |
| areas. | | | | staying in those locations. |
| | | | |
| Real Estate apartments in Houston are | | | | A recent survey by the National Multi-Housing |
| classified as either being inside or outside | | | | Council of large apartment owners showed that |
| Interstate 610, known as the 610 Loop which | | | | 42% had seen "modest" improvement in leasing |
| include the Central business district and | | | | as these new residents moved from hotels to |
| cities of West University (West U.), | | | | apartments.Houston has four major bayous |
| Southside Place, and a portion of Bellaire. | | | | passing through the city. The Buffalo Bayou, |
| The outlying areas of Houston, as well as the | | | | which runs into downtown, the Brays Bayou, |
| rest of Bellaire, the airports and the | | | | which runs along the Texas Medical Center, |
| suburbs and enclaves are outside the loop. | | | | White Oak Bayou runs through the Heights and |
| | | | near northwest area and the Sims Bayou in the |
| Another ring road, Beltway 8 (also known | | | | south of Houston merge in downtown Houston |
| simply as the Beltway), encircles the city | | | | into the Houston Ship Channel. The Ship |
| another 5 miles further out. Yet a third - | | | | Channel goes past Galveston, Texas into the |
| the Grand Parkway, has begun construction | | | | Gulf of Mexico. |
| roughly 10 miles beyond that around the outer | | | | |
| suburbs and currently extends from Katy to | | | | Houston has four major bayous passing through |
| Sugar Land. | | | | the city. The Buffalo Bayou, which runs into |
| | | | downtown, the Brays Bayou, which runs along |
| We chronicle all sizes and price ranges, the | | | | the Texas Medical Center, White Oak Bayou |
| average monthly Houston rent is $605 making | | | | runs through the Heights and near northwest |
| Houston Texas one of the lowest of the major | | | | area and the Sims Bayou in the south of |
| cites in the country, by comparison rent in | | | | Houston merge in downtown Houston into the |
| Chicago Illinois $965, Denver Colorado $795, | | | | Houston Ship Channel. The Ship Channel goes |
| Dallas Texas $695, Ft. Lauderdale $844, | | | | past Galveston, Texas into the Gulf of |
| Boston Massachusetts $1425, Los Angles | | | | Mexico. |
| California $890, San Diego California $1,009, | | | | |
| San Francisco California $2,030. Renters in | | | | Most of Houston is very flat and is about |
| Houston can thank Hurricane Katrina for | | | | fifty feet above sea level in elevation; the |
| boosting rent. Due in part to the influx of | | | | Houston Heights area has the highest |
| evacuees last fall, Houston's apartment | | | | elevation in the city. The city once relied |
| occupancy rate jumped almost 5% to 94%, and | | | | on groundwater for its water needs. Land |
| rents climbed 3%. | | | | subsidence forced the city to turn to |
| | | | ground-level water sources such as Lake |
| The Katrina effect | | | | Houston. |
| | | | |
| Renters in Houston can thank Hurricane | | | | Houston's climate is often compared to that |
| Katrina for boosting their rents. Due in part | | | | of Dallas, Texas. Dallas has a hot and dry |
| to the influx of evacuees last fall, | | | | climate while Houston has a hot and humid |
| Houston's apartment occupancy rate jumped | | | | climate. While Dallas gets hotter |
| almost 5% to 94%, and rents climbed 3% to an | | | | temperatures, Houston's heat index is often |
| average of $692. Atlanta, Dallas, Birmingham | | | | higher. |
| Ala., and Nashville, Tenn. also reported | | | | |