Just south of Rice University and above the southern half of Loop 610 lies the bustling Texas Medical Center. The area has tons of housing options, easy transportation, schools, medical buildings, and other offices. The Texas Medical Center provides many students and professionals with homes close to work but and the 49 total medical-related institutions in the area.
All about the Med Center. The Texas Medical Center is currently the largest medical center in the world and has been serving patients for 65 years. Its 49 institutions, all of which are not-for-profit, include 13 hospitals, two medical schools, four nursing schools, centers for specialized care, dentistry, pharmacy (including dentist and pharmacy schools), and more. The center employs close to 100,000 workers, including thousands of physicians and nurses. There are multiple shuttles (including the relatively new Metro Light Rail) running through the center, making parking and gas expenses avoidable. The Texas Medical Center’s Official Website has more information about schools, careers, research, medical care, and everything else going on in the area.
Housing in the Texas Medical Center. The majority of Medical Center residents live in apartment homes, townhouses, and condominiums. Monthly rent for an apartment can be found for as low as $700 a month (plus utilities). However, monthly rates vary greatly. Development in the area is heavy as compounds expand and new ones are added. Single family homes start around $190,000 for a newer home of 1,300 square feet in areas such as Naomi Place, or a handyman special built in the 1940’s in Riverside Terrace. The higher priced homes can go up to between $1.5 and $2.5 million in Braeswood subdivision.
Working in the Medical Center. The Medical Center is a quiet neighborhood with a convenient location, so students and professionals often rent or buy there. The Medical Center is bordered by the south part of the 610 loop with easy access from major roads such as Almeda and Kirby. Highway 288 and I-45 are also close by. Other streets such as Holcome (Bellaire) Boulevard, Braeswood (Beechnut) Street, and Fannin Street make commuting in and out of the Medical Center affordable and hassle free. Thousands of the Medical Center’s employees take one of the Metro buses, the Metro LightRail, or a Medical Center shuttle to work. There are three Metro lines in the area.
Schools in the Medical Center. Kids and teens living in the Texas Medical Center are zoned to a few public schools in the HISD system. Most attend Lamar High School, Ryan Middle School, and Roberts Elementary School. Another popular option for high school students is the Michael E. DeBakey High School for the Health Professions, which is highly competitive, stresses mathematics and science, and prepares students to enter medicine-related schools upon graduation. Both of the public high schools offer International Baccalaureate diplomas. Besides education for kids, the Medical Center currently holds fourteen academic and research institutions, such as Rice University, the Houston Community College Health Sciences branch, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Health Sciences Center, multiple nursing, dentist, public health, and pharmacy schools, and more. Apartments and condominiums in the Medical Center provide proximity to all of these schools. For students not looking to train for a medical career, Rice University, the University of Houston, HCC, Texas Southern, South Texas School of Law, and more are also just a few miles and an easy commute away.
Fun and Relaxation in the TMC. There are lots of things to do in a resident’s spare time in the Texas Medical Center. Hermann Park is only a few minutes away from most residencies in the area. The Miller Outdoor Theater, Houston Zoo, Burke Baker Planetarium, and Houston Museum of Natural Science (with an IMAX theater) in and around Hermann Park are affordable places to enjoy time with friends and family. For more theater options, downtown is a few miles away via 610 and I-45 North. There residents can drive about twenty minutes and see the Alley Theater, Houston Symphony, Ballet, Opera, and much more in Downtown and Midtown. The Medical Center is also bordered to the North by the Houston Museum District, which features the Children’s Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and more. The Medical Center also has a nighttime scene. Restaurants such as Trevisio Restaurant and Conference Center, The French Corner Cafe, Wan Fu, Azumi Sushi, and Poblano’s offer close, convenient, awesome food and drinks.
The Texas Medical Center is a convenient, exciting place to live, definitely worth serious consideration for buyers and renters of multiple budgets. Click Here for more pictures of attractions in the Medical Center in Houston, Texas.