Living in Westchase, Houston

Arthur Storey Park spreads across a hundred and seventy-five acres of lakes, walking trails, and picnic space, its paved loop path circling a stormwater basin that doubles as a birdwatching spot for residents of the surrounding Westchase District. The district's connected trail system adds free exercise stations along the Library Loop Trail near the Robinson-Westchase Library, and Westheimer's frontage roads carry several gyms, from national chains to smaller studios, within a short drive of most apartment complexes. Office towers and mid-rise apartment complexes cluster along the area's wide arterial roads, built up over the decades as Westchase grew into one of Houston's larger business districts outside downtown. Restaurants representing a wide range of cuisines fill strip centers throughout the district, reflecting a resident base as varied as almost anywhere in the city. Rents here run more affordable than the Galleria area, drawing workers who want a short commute without the cost of neighborhoods closer to the loop.

Wide, high-speed arterials separate much of the office core from the surrounding apartment complexes, making a walk between the two feel considerably longer on foot than it looks on a map.

Arthur Storey Park's trails and the exercise stations along the Library Loop give Westchase residents a place to run or walk a dog that has nothing to do with a commute, a green stretch tucked between the arterials and office parks that define the rest of the district.