Living in River Oaks, Houston

River Oaks Boulevard's century-old esplanade runs down the center of the neighborhood's grandest street, lined with live oaks and some of Houston's most established homes. River Oaks District's cluster of boutiques and restaurants sits just beyond the neighborhood's southwestern corner, while River Oaks Shopping Center on West Gray covers a more everyday mix of stores a short drive away. Winding, tree-shaded streets replace the strict grid found in most of the inner loop, a layout that dates to the neighborhood's original 1920s design, with deed-recorded setbacks that keep homes set well back from the curb.

What the neighborhood gains in that hush, it gives up in convenience: a carton of milk or a forgotten ingredient usually means a short drive rather than a walk, since daily errands aren't built into these residential blocks the way boutique shopping is.

Well-kept lawns and mature landscaping give the residential blocks a settled character that's held steady for generations, and River Oaks Boulevard's esplanade offers a place for an evening walk beneath the oak canopy — one of the few stretches in the inner loop where the street itself, rather than a park or a restaurant strip, is the destination.