Bayou Oaks
Memories of the past in an elegant community of today
By Timothy Sojka, Realtor ® 713-822-2152
As a child many of us have warm memories of neighbors standing out in the front yard chatting. We reminisce about the man down the street who would show up exactly when you need him to help move the sofa (with the hide a bed no less). Many former inner city dwellers remember block parties and the feeling of safety and security the neighbors represented even if your borough was not considered one of the safest.
With all the modern conveniences of today one can find it easy to lose the close connections to our neighbors. We pull directly into our garage using our garage door openers and walk directly into our air conditioned home and sit down for dinner. Many people go months or years without even knowing the first name of the person who waves hello next door.
The fact that a sense of community can still exist is a wonderful piece of news. The fact that these things can be found within a neighborhood featuring custom homes is even more surprising.
Bayou Oaks, a small pocket of the Cinco Forest Section of Cinco Ranch features high end and custom homes. Homes range from the mid $300,000 to over $600,000. Many of the homes feature high end media rooms, epicurean kitchens and a few even feature pool houses and guest quarters. The custom look of the homes and the gated section of the community attracted Jennifer Forrest to the neighborhood. She marveled at the green space and the nearby nature reserve.
The small nature reserve features dozens of species of birds, wild life and a lagoon with turtles and even a few small alligators. Families can be seen enjoying the nature preserve and pocket parks almost every evening.
Each neighbor interviewed also praised the schools. They neighborhood even banded together to host a fundraiser for Williams Elementary featuring a fashion show by J. Barton and food from area restaurants like P.F. Chang's, Sushi Hana and El Jarrito.
Tracy Schlessman like, Jennifer Forrest before her, was also drawn to the beauty of the neighborhood. However, the sense of community has been the most important factor in her decision to stay in the neighborhood. As the V.P. of Sales for a major company Tracy has had little time in the past to mingle with neighbors. However, when she moved to Bayou Oaks she was made to feel welcome immediately. The women on the street hosted a lunch on her behalf, invited her to events and made to feel like an important part of the neighborhood.
Both women spoke of how the neighbors on their street look out for each other. There is little worry if you are running a few minutes late to meet the bus; someone will be there to make sure your children are watched over safely. They two also shared stories of late night visits to neighbor's homes to watch out for each other in times of crisis. Jennifer shared that the kid's on the street often stop by to check with her husband, local Orthodontist Kim Forrest if they have a wiggly tooth or if they get hit in the mouth during play.
Their street has also rallied to have a block party at Halloween where the adults and children dressed up and shared candy and pizza.
Neighbor Becky Cleason pointed out that many neighborhoods in Katy see a heavy influx of out of state buyers. Out of state buyers come to Bayou Oaks as well but a high number of buyers are from nearby neighborhoods that move to Bayou Oaks because of the great things they have heard about the small but well respected community.
The neighborhood also has a prime location, just south of Wertheimer Parkway and just west of Peek Road. Nearby shopping is incredible with an influx of high end shops. New upscale restaurants are now just a few moments away. The location of this neighborhood lends itself to an easy commute via the Westpark Tollway, 99 or I-10.
Many people shop for a home, however more and more home shoppers search for a great neighborhood then try to find the home that best fits their needs within that neighborhood. This shift in how people look for homes can only benefit the fortunate few who share Bayou Oaks as home. If a home shopper chooses correctly, the sweet thoughts of block parties and the wonderful relationships with the next door neighbor may not be memories of the distant past, but just a recollection from the previous day.
Stats
Williams Elementary
Beck Middle School
Cinco Ranch High School
Price per square foot range the $90's to over $140 per square foot depending on lot and amenities.
For more information about west Houston, the beautiful city of Katy Texas and the waterfront homes (our specialty), estate homes, leisure ranches, golf course homes and master planned communities and neighborhoods within contact realtor Tim Sojka at 713-822-2152. To shop for a home online go to www.Search-Katy-Homes.com .
All information posted is the intellectual property of Timothy Sojka and cannot be republished or used without his written consent.
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