North Shore - Houston, TX

Developers originally designed North Shore as a residential neighborhood for Ship Channel and other industrial workers. Subdivisions of ranch-style residences, such as Woodforest, started to pop up more and more in the 1960s and 1970s. Even with the increase in development, much green space remains, including the spacious Herman Brown Park, Texaco Country Club, and the shores of Greens Bayou. Travel just 15 minutes to Downtown Houston and visit the Museum District. This popular destination contains the Museum of Fine Arts, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Children's Museum of Houston, and the Houston Zoo.

Barbecue joints, steak houses, Tex-Mex, and seafood dominate the restaurant scene, which centers around the Interstate 10 freeway. Major regional chains, such as Pappasito's Cantina and Saltgrass Steak House, claim a space in North Shore, but if you venture away from the freeway, you can find a number of smaller joints to satisfy your appetite. A local favorite, the Jacinto City Cafe, specializes in burgers good enough to guarantee a wait on Saturdays if you don't get there early enough. If you get there too early for a burger, don't worry; you can choose from Jacinto City Cafe's country-style breakfast menu. Quite a few North Shore eateries proudly make their own ingredients. Hobo's Sandwich Shop uses only fresh bread on its sandwiches, and Nopalitos Dona Maria makes tortillas that are loved by locals.

This neighborhood, like many Houston neighborhoods, is car-dependent with limited sidewalks and bike lanes. Drivers enjoy easy highway access, and public parking abounds. Houston Metro bus routes service the area, as do Uber and taxi companies if you prefer mass transit.

Herman Brown Park provides a nature lover's paradise within the Houston metropolitan area. Sitting on an impressive 750 acres, the park includes a substantial wilderness habitat as well as tennis courts, playgrounds, and hike and bike paths. This makes a great place for exercising. Hunting Bayou runs through the park, flowing through an expansive forest of oaks, cypress, riparian undergrowth, trumpet vines, and beautyberry bushes. Bird watchers want to check out this stopover on the migration corridor for neo-tropical birds. North Shore also features one of the city's best dog parks. The Maxey Park Bark and Run Park encompasses 13 acres of wooded parkland, drinking fountains and showers, as well as benches for its human visitors. It is one of the largest dog parks in the city.

North Shore residents enjoy a lower cost of living than the city of Houston standard. The average apartment in North Shore rents for about $947. Gas prices cost roughly 10 percent less than the national average, and a one-way fare on the bus into town only costs $1.25.

North Shore's major shopping area sits along Interstate 10, with more shopping available on Maxey Road and south of the freeway on Market Street. North Shore offers a variety of national chain stores like Home Depot, Burlington Coat Factory, and Sam's Club. For a specialty store with old-school country charm, check out Market Street Feed. You're sure to find something worth picking up, whether you're in the market for arts-and-crafts supplies, baby chickens, or hardware. Satisfy your sweet tooth at Refresqueria Maye's. This tiny, lime-green snow-cone shop sits tucked in among the warehouses, gas stations, and strip malls of Mercury Drive. This spot serves traditional American and Mexican snacks of all sorts. The mango entero con chile runs only $2. Kroger's grocery store serves the area, as does the smaller but still well-stocked Sellers Brothers Food Market. You also find tons of corner stores scattered throughout North Shore. Residents often travel to the Last Organic Outpost-Emile Community Farm for fresh, locally-grown produce.