Guide to Living in Southampton (77005)
You can have it all in Houstons Southampton neighborhood! Southampton Place is centrally located:
- It sits less than a mile and a half from the Texas Medical Center (TMC)
- Less than a mile from Rice University
- Walking distance to Rice Village
- Five minutes from the Museum District and Hermann Park
The neighborhood was established in 1923 as an enclave of around 600 home sites and has been an upscale, outstanding, single-family residential area for 98 years. This is primarily due to the deed restrictions which are still around today.
E.H. Fleming developed Southampton in the 1920s, and Southamptons centennial anniversary is next year (it was developed in 1923). The Southampton Civic Club (SHCC) was established May 24, 1929 to preserve and protect the deed restrictions of the Southampton Place Addition, and to promote the maintenance, beautification and welfare of the neighborhood. In 1998, the Club became a 501(c) 4 nonprofit organization.
Southampton Place is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Houston, and most residents are affluent working professionals. Many residents work in the nearby Medical Center, downtown, or Greenway Plaza since the commute is so easy.
Private security patrols by the BOCA Patrol, composed of off-duty Houston Police offices keep the peace. You can let BOCA know when you are going out of town and they will keep an extra watch on your home or business while youre out of town. Houses are expensive and demand is high due to the neighborhoods central location and low crime rate.
Southampton Area Schools and Parks
Nearby HISD schools include Lamar High School, Lanier Middle School, Poe Elementary in Boulevard Oaks and the private Southampton Montessori.
Greenspace and parks abound; Fleming Park has two full tennis courts, a picnic pavilion and a playground. Friends of the Fleming Park help maintain the park. Another group, Friends of the Esplanade maintain the Sunset Boulevard esplanade. In the fall of 2021, the Southampton Civic Club Board embarked on a project to preserve the concrete pillars that identify the streets in the neighborhood and replace pillars at intersections where they no longer exist. The project includes the revitalization of the 23 pillars that were/are still standing, and adding 27 new pillars on intersections where none existed. This includes Rice Boulevard and Bissonnet where none ever existed. An additional four pillars were installed at the intersections of the boundaries of the neighborhood with Southampton engraved on them. By early Spring 2022, all repairs/revitalization of the existing 23 pillars had been completed. The fundraising goal of 40,000 was met in May 2022, and new pillars began being cast and installed in June 2022. A huge thank you to Southampton residents and friends who donated to the Pillar Preservation Project and helped restore a bit of Houston history.
Homes for sale in Southampton
Large Georgian style homes stand alongside vintage bungalows tucked between sweeping new construction. Much of the neighborhoods charm results from an original system of shared alleys. Rather than a typical suburban landscape riddled with curb cuts and driveways, Southamptons system of alleys permits more expansive front yards, green space for trees, and more on-street parking for guests.
View the newest homes for sale in Southampton
View the most expensive homes for sale in Southampton
It is the ideal setting for a rich, serene home life, within minutes of the Texas Medical Center, Downtown and Houstons Museum District. Interesting bars like Under the Volcano offer live music and exotic drinks and Raven and Picnic on Bissonnet are great. The nearby Rice Village offers Mendocino Farms, Prego, El Meson, Hungrys, Salento Bistrot, Black Walnut Café, Sixty Vines, Coppa Osteria and Shake Shack. The family-owned Secos at 2536 Nottingham has popped up in a house offering some of the regions best Latin cuisine. A Farmers Market takes place each Sunday in the parking lot of Beautique in Rice Village.
With a median sales price of more than 1,000,000, homes here exemplify luxury and accessibility to parks, restaurants and retail. The median sold price per sqft in 2021 was 401.54.
As the neighborhood attracts many young families, the majority of residents are between 25 and 45 years old. Most households make 150,000 or more a year and the local real estate prices reflect that. The majority of residents were born in the United States, and around 50% are native Texans.
Fun Facts about Southampton
For additional info about Southampton, a good resource is Southampton A Mini-History of the First 50 Years written by Marshall Verniaud (1975) and illustrated by architect Bill Merriman. Former residents include Hugh Rice Kelly, Tom Bellows, the late president and third generation CEO of Bellows Construction, the late famed attorney Tom Alexander and W.G. Farrington, who later founded Tanglewood in 1951, which was chosen as one of the five best planned subdivisions in the United States.
The original Southampton documents, established around 1925 set minimum prices for house constructions. On Sunset Boulevard, the minimum prices were from 8,000 (12,612.90 in todays money) to 10,000 (309,032.26 in todays money). For Rice Boulevard, the minimums were 12,000 (185,419.35 in todays money) to 15,000 (231,774.19 in todays money). For other areas, the minimums were 5,000 (77,258.06 in todays money) to 7,000 (108,161.29 in todays money).
Southamptons boundaries are Greenbriar, Ashby, Bissonnet and Rice Blvd. There was a woman on Albans named Mrs. Bryan who made old-fashioned tea sandwiches, a favorite among the Rice Owls Literary Society.
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