One Blooming House

Historic flower house hits the market with a near $900,000 price tag — and plenty of upgrades

Editor's Note: Houston, the surrounding areas and beyond are loaded with must-have houses and properties for sale in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. In this continuing series, CultureMap snoops through some of the best and gives you the lowdown on what's hot on the market.

Nestled on a tree-lined street in the quiet and desirable neighborhood of Southgate, this two-story house boasts an extensive remodel of the original 1937 structure. Located at 2230 Dryden Road, the home just recently came on the market with an asking price of $899,500.

Walk through
The house opens to a large living room with dry bar and is anchored by a fireplace. Grey-finished hardwoods continue into the adjacent formal dining room. The nearby den offers a place for casual entertaining or family time. Windows throughout the home have been improved to double panes to more efficiently bring the outside in.

The manicured gardens here are filled with more than 500 flower bulbs ready to bloom.

The updated gourmet kitchen includes a professional Wolf range, Bosch dishwasher, built-in Sub-Zero refrigerator and breakfast counter for bar stool sitting.

All three bedrooms are located on the second floor. The master suite enjoys tree views and features a luxuriously refurbished master bath with Carrara marble, a double-vessel vanity and a walk-in shower with frameless glass door and bench. The secondary bedroom also has access to a full bath, while the third bedroom is now used as an office.

Step outside
Double French doors in the family room lead to an expansive deck outside and fully fenced open backyard. The manicured gardens here are filled with more than 500 flower bulbs ready to bloom.

The two-car garage is detached and is accessible via an auto driveway gate. LED landscape lighting, lawn irrigation and custom gas lantern fixtures are just a few more of the upgrades to the property.

The house is conveniently located near the Museum District, Hermann Park and the Houston Zoo, Rice University, Rice Village and the Texas Medical Center.

Square footage: 2,238

Asking price:$899,500

Listing agent: Andrew McCain, John Daugherty Realtors

The living room with fireplace and dry bar (located to the left).

On the Market 2230 Dryden Road February 2015

Photo courtesy of © KRamey Photography

The living room with fireplace and dry bar (located to the left).

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Buzzy Suburb

Conroe ranks among most desirable U.S. suburbs to move to in 2025

Photo courtesy of Margaritaville Lake Resort

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A new list on the most desirable suburbs in America puts one buzzy Houston-area city in the top 20: According to a recent growth report by moving services website moveBuddha, Conroe comes in at No. 19 on the list of American suburbs that everyone wants to move to.

The survey ranks the suburbs that are the most in-demand in the most populous U.S. metros for 2025.

It ranks cities by two criteria: recent mover search data from January 2024 to February 2025 which reflectsmoves planned for the current year; and the most recent Zillow Home Value Index data for home averages in each of the 50 biggest metros.

Conroe had a "move in-to-out ratio" of 1.45, meaning there are 145 searches for moves in for every 100 searches for moving out.

This charming city's explosive growth can be attributed to its small-town feel, renter-friendliness, and much more.

The No. 1 suburb on the list was Summerville, South Carolina, 25 miles northeast of Charleston. The three other cities that topped Frisco were Meridian, Idaho just outside Boise; St. Augustine, Florida, 40 miles southeast of Jacksonville; and Vancouver, Washington, 10 miles north of Portland, Oregon.

According to the report's findings, Conroe is also among a select few desirable suburbs that can provide affordable housing without giving up its popularity. The average Conroe home was worth $318,335 in December 2024, which is nearly $39,000 lower than the national average home value.

"These suburbs prove that affordability doesn’t mean compromise, offering newcomers a chance to settle in growing communities without breaking the bank," the report's author wrote.

Conroe's affordability also makes it much more appealing than other Texas suburbs that made it on moveBuddha's list. Homes in the Dallas-area suburb of Frisco – which ranked No. 5 nationally – were worth $671,173 in December. A move to that particular North Texas city won't come cheap.

The report does caution top suburbs like Conroe that offer a "city-like culture" can sometimes inherit problems of those same cities residents are trying to escape from, such as high housing costs and congested traffic.

"Whether they’re following in the footsteps of a booming metropolis or quietly living off the charm of a slower-paced past, these top suburbs were made to fit every taste and budget," the report said.

Other desirable Texas suburbs
Besides Frisco and Conroe, only two other Texas cities ranked among the top 50 most in-demand American suburbs: The North Austin suburb of Georgetown (No. 18) and Canyon Lake (No. 42) outside San Antonio.

The top 10 most desirable suburbs to move to in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Summerville, South Carolina (Charleston)
No. 2 – Meridian, Idaho (Boise)
No. 3 – St. Augustine, Florida (Jacksonville)
No. 4 – Vancouver, Washington (Portland)
No. 5 – Frisco, Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth)
No. 6 – Tempe, Arizona (Phoenix)
No. 7 – Saint Paul, Minnesota (Minneapolis)
No. 8 – Fort Mill, South Carolina (Charlotte, North Carolina)
No. 9 – Clermont, Florida (Orlando)
No. 10 – Cary, North Carolina (Raleigh)

dallas frisco suburbs reports real estate