Tanglewood

Originally developed in the 1950s, Tanglewood was gifted its name through inspiration found in a storybook. The developer was inspired by a storybook in his daughter’s library, “The Tanglewood Tales” and since then, the name has stuck. In its very early days, the neighborhood struggled in drawing enough buyers until several years of significant flooding occurs in Houston. 1949, 1950, 1955, 1957, 1959 were all years that saw significant flooding (North Texas had extreme flooding in April, May June of 1957) … it was not until after this sequence of events that Houstonians realized that Tanglewood does not flood. After this epiphany, the rest of Tanglewood took off and quickly was fully developed by the early 1960’s. Harris County History of Flooding

Since then, many of the houses have undergone dramatic transformations, renovations, or complete demolition and now a beautiful monster house may sit in its place. (Sorry, but Houston’s MO is demo, demo, demo) There are still some original condition houses to be had but they are few and far between. The lot size in this part of town is generally massive, which makes for the perfect site for rebuilds. I love this neighborhood… the houses are all so different, which makes for an interesting drive through and and interesting real estate market! One of my most favorite things here is Tanglewood Boulevard, which has an oak tree lined pedestrian 1mile walking trail within the esplanade – I’ve probably walked 1,000mi here during the five and half years I lived in the area. There are benches spotted along the trail that are perfect for enjoying the view or stretching.

And you guessed it – I can’t tell you about one of my favorite areas without adding in restaurants! Another of the best things about the area is Adair Kitchen – the food and atmosphere is a local fan favorite. My go-to order for breakfast is the farmers skillet, an espresso, and a ‘Kalelujah’ green juice to go (no ice!) & they are also open for lunch and dinner. Additionally, Tanglewood and Uptown/Galleria is lucky to have five grocery stores all within about 3mi. Randalls, Kroger, HEB, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods are just a few minutes drive from wherever you are in Uptown/Galleria/Tanglewood.

Lastly, but not least: a couple of my favorite Houston boutiques are located here! Swoon, The Monogram Shop, Paris TX, Emerson Sloan.

What to consider when house hunting in Tanglewood:

1. Is this an original house, or new build?
2. Original house: state of piping/plumbing, roof, condition of slab and consequently interior walls and exterior brick?
3. New build: how much are yearly taxes? What is HCAD’s new valuation and how does that affect your cost? Was the build properly permitted? Was the house properly constructed? I walked Tanglewood Blvd almost daily for 5+ years, and saw a lot of new construction going on. I also saw a lot of new construction sit dormant halfway through the build process, new builds going on top of old slabs, and stucco and roofing being redone on brand new houses because of build mistakes.  
4. Is it too close to a busy road on the borders of the neighborhood? San Felipe, Chimney Rock, and Woodway are all busy busy roads. Is the road noise livable for you? How does its positioning affect future resale?