Porter Texas is just 30 miles outside of downtown Houston but in the past few years it has really become part of the city. Porter has always offered quick access to Houston thanks to US highway 59 which runs directly through the city but recent expansion efforts have made it even easier to get to downtown Houston from Porter. That alone makes Porter a popular choice for many people simply because there is an almost infinite supply of retail and shopping locations as well as entertainment and restaurants. Unfortunately the close proximity to Houston is also a drawback according to many people.
Obviously the biggest complaint about living so close to downtown Houston is the constant traffic. Thousands of people commute through Porter each and every day on their way to work and it is often very busy thanks to all of this traffic. Fortunately the highway is being improved to reduce the stress that traffic puts on the city but obviously it will likely still be a problem. Fortunately most people are able to overlook this drawback because the city is still growing fairly quickly. Currently about 8,000 people live in Porter and that number is getting larger each and every year.
Along with highway development projects the city of Porter is also seeing plenty of homes and apartment complexes being developed in various places. There are plenty of places to move into in Porter which makes it easy for basically anyone to get into the area regardless of price or size. The public school system in Porter is also very close by thanks to the recent addition of new schools in the area; public schools located directly in Porter include elementary, middle, and even high school so students never have to travel far to get to class each day. Overall Porter is a decent place to live as long as you are ok with the hustle and bustle of living very close to downtown Houston. Between Porter and Houston is essentially all city so many people consider Porter to truly be part of Houston itself; this could be seen as either a benefit or a problem depending on what exactly you are looking for in a home. Either way you should visit the area to see if it matches your needs as it might be exactly what you are looking for in a semi-suburban home that offers plenty of nearby city access.