Hot Hot 'Hoods

These 2 exclusive Houston neighborhoods rank among America's best for 2018

Memorial home exterior swing real estate Houston best neighborhood

Memorial is among the 20 best neighborhoods in America.

Photo courtesy of HAR

Where are the best places to live in Houston? Real estate review site Niche has revealed the Best Neighborhoods to Live in America, and two popular Houston 'hoods appear in the top 20.

Niche combined user rankings with data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the FBI for the list. In order to rank the top neighborhoods, Niche considered areas located within a city and with a population of at least 1,000. The site then ranked the neighborhoods using 15 different categories, each was weighted and given an individual grade.

Some of the categories included:

Higher education (number of citizens with advanced degrees)
Cost of living
Housing costs
Reputation of nearby public schools
Diversity
Overall composite number (Niche survey responses scored on a 1-5 scale)
Crime and safety
Walkability

The site also examined lifestyle factors such as outdoor activities, nightlife, and average commute times.

Coming in at No. 10 in the U.S. is Houston's beloved Memorial neighborhood. It boasts an A-plus rating in three categories: public schools, great for families, and health and fitness. Memorial scores an A grade for housing, nightlife, and diversity, but receives a C (its lowest) for crime and safety. The median home value, according to Niche, is $505,738.

The other Houston 'hood to make the top 50 is University Place, in the 20th spot. The sought-after neighborhood boasts a much higher median home value — $696,231. In addition to being great for families, Niche says it offers great nightlife options and an easy commute.

In general, Texas fared quite well among the best neighborhoods in the U.S., making up 12 of the top 50. Dallas' Preston Highlands joins Memorial in top 10, coming in at No. 8. Other hot Dallas areas were Moss Farm-Forest Meadow (No. 14); Campbell Green (No. 28); and Lakeview Heights (No. 30).

Austin has the most Texas neighborhoods in the top 50: Rosedale (No. 21); Allandale (No. 23); Old West Austin (No. 32); downtown Austin (No. 39); Windsor Road (No. 40); and Old Enfield (No. 42).

hottest 'hoods in h-town

2 Houston-area ZIP codes top 2024 list of hottest U.S. housing markets

Photo courtesy of Opendoor

This home in Katy's 77493 is on the market for $441,000.

The Houston metro's strong real estate market has shown it can persevere through another year of high mortgage rates, and two local ZIP codes — in Katy and Cypress —are leading the nation as the hottest housing markets of 2024.

A just-released report by Opendoor has revealed Katy's 77493 is the No. 1 hottest U.S. housing market in 2024, with Cypress' 77433 landing at No. 2. The two ZIPs flip-flopped from last year's placements.

The study examined the U.S. ZIP codes where people bought homes the fastest in 2024, using local Multiple Listing Services (MLS) data in markets where Opendoor operates. The ZIP codes were ranked by the total number of homes that went into contract within 90 days of listing.

The affordability of Houston's suburbs remain a big draw attraction for newcomers, as the report says Houston's housing costs are among the lowest nationwide.

"Over the past three years, we’ve seen people choose to move away from city centers in favor of tighter-knit communities, but still live close enough to commute and be close to the action," the report says. "This year’s most popular areas are known for being fast-growing cities with plenty of new development, with healthy job growth in Florida and Texas in particular."

Texas cities dominated the top 10 for a second year in a row, with four additional ZIPs earning spots in the report: 78253 in San Antonio (No. 3); 78130 in New Braunfels (No. 4); 75126 in Forney (No. 6); and 78640 in Kyle (No. 10). McKinney's 75071 ZIP ranked 12th nationally.

Under-the-radar neighborhoods to watch in 2025
Opendoor also revealed its new list of "hidden gem" American neighborhoods where new listings grew from January to November 2024.

ZIP code 77377 in Tomball, a city 35 miles north of downtown Houston, was ranked the No. 4 best hidden gem neighborhood with homes under $300,000.

Plano was the only other Texas city to be included in the report's list of top under-the-radar neighborhoods. The Dallas suburb's 75074 ZIP was ranked the No. 7 best hidden gem for homes between $400,000 and $600,000.

"These [hidden gem] lists offer neighborhoods across different price points with something for everyone," the report says. "Similar to the top 20 list, these are neighborhoods that are fast-developing, with something more turnkey, and in a smaller community."

Opendoor's top 10 hottest ZIP codes of 2024 are:

No. 1 – Katy, Texas (77493)
No. 2 – Cypress, Texas (77433)
No. 3 – San Antonio, Texas (78253)
No. 4 – New Braunfels, Texas (78130)
No. 5 – Summerville, South Carolina (29486)
No. 6 – Forney, Texas (75126)
No. 7 – Yukon, Oklahoma (73099)
No. 8 – Clarksville, Tennessee (37042)
No. 9 – Parrish, Florida (34219)
No. 10 – Kyle, Texas (78640)

housing market opendoor real estate real estate market reports