Houston’s Spring Branch; A Difficult SubdivisionTo Describe

First, check my Interactice Map of Neighborhoods to see where Spring Branch is located.

Typical Spring Branch 1950's Ranch Style Home

Spring Branch is a complex area to describe. Even the location is tough to define.  It is bounded roughly by I-10 to the south; BW8 on the west; 290 on the east; Clay Rd on the north. The east end (near Hiway 290) is really Langwood, Binglewood. The western end is Spring Shadows. The vast majority of homes are 1950’s ranch style homes. Some updated, mostly not. Big, new homes are popping up everywhere. This is once again a hot area.
I can’t write a simple description of Spring Branch. Too many disparate areas, disparate populations. I’ll just list some thoughts/features in random order.

• Longpoint Rd; the main east-west street. Strictly business: Taquerias and Asian Bistros, heavy Hispanic and Korean populations. Not exactly high-end shops
• Westview Drive, just south of Longpoint, but a different world. Big, new expensive homes on big lots. This street touches or goes through Spring Valley, Hillshire Village.
• Gessner is on the west side. Because of the nearby Energy Corridor, Gessner/I-10 (Memorial City Mall, Memorial Hospital Center) is now the population center of Houston. It is not the outskirts of town anymore. The Med Center is booming. Spring Branch is an ideal place for all these employees to live.
• Clay Rd is roughly the northern boundary. You still see horse stalls hidden in odd locations. I love that these rustic old places still hang on.
• Several minor bayous run through the community, including Brickhouse Gully, Spring Branch (the neighborhood namesake), and Briar Branch, which drain into Buffalo Bayou in central Houston. This makes showing houses difficult for a realtor. Many streets are chopped up into odd pieces.
• The soil is horrible (actually true for most of Houston). Clay soils swell and contract depending on rain. Moving slab foundations are never good. Repaired foundations are the norm I always point out the holes drilled around foundations (typically seen at front porch and in the garage) where piers have been placed.
• Fault Lines! OH NO! I grew up in California, so I know fault lines. These don’t cause earthquakes, but I’ve seen a lot of homes where there’s a foot or two difference in elevation on either side of the fault. A lot of roads make a sudden drop for no apparent reason. A few driveways have major bumps.
• Demographics? A mix…A Walmart with signs in Spanish; Korean street signs; hidden, gated communities. Whatever you want.
• Apartments; these run the gamut from high-end to slightly scary.
• House styles: predominantly ranch style 1950’s. Some lovingly restored; others rented out, waiting for better owners. Lots of brick homes on big lots; lots of not so well cared for wood frame homes on the fringes.

So, not a good description, but that’s the best I can do in a few sentences.  Just drive around, you’ll find pockets you love; pockets too commercialized; pockets with too many rentals or apartments; pockets too expensive; too exclusive. Form your own opinion. I like the area and recommend it to buyers.
Part of liking Spring Branch is nostalgic. The first place I lived in Houston was here. My wife and I lived in an apartment off Long Point. A year later, expecting our first child we bought a house nearby on Tilson Lane; the quintessential Spring Branch ranch home. In keeping with neighborhood standards we converted the garage to a den and left the car out in the drive.
This house was next one of many drainage ditches, Brickhouse Gully.  It served two purposes: a place for my lovable, but simple-minded golden retriever to play. He could jump in, but couldn’t get back out. I spent a lot of time in that ditch dragging out a heavy, wet dog. The second purpose was to allow someone to walk off with my motorcycle along the ditch. The bike of course was out in the drive, because I no longer had a garage. We learn, we learn.
A future post will describe subdivisions and various homes for sale in Spring Branch.

Using my MLS Search Tool to look for Spring Branch homes is a little cumbersome

since it is not a specific subdivision. Enter MLS Search Area 24, then try looking in the Market Area of Spring Branch. Could also do a map search if you know the part you like. No, no, no…just call me…I’ll help

Incoming search terms:

• houston fault line map
• We grew up in Spring Branch
• long point fault map
• ranch homes
• 1950s ranch house
• spring branch fault line
• long point fault line
• long point fault
• 1950 ranch style homes
• long point fault line map

Related posts:

1. Spring Branch Home Prices
2. Large Spring Branch House for Lease: 3/1.5/2 $1150/Month

Tagged as: 1950's Homes, Spring Branch