This week, we are focusing on the best way to get local information. It wasn’t so long ago that the only tools we had to be “in the know” were newspapers and television/radio news. However, with the information age upon us, there are lots of great media outlets out there. In fact, these days we are saturated with information!

We have compiled a list of great informational sites that can help inform you in a variety of ways.  Need to know the weather on the go?  What about traffic updates or crime alerts?  Are you interested in what the city has to offer?  These are just some of our local favorites we have found helpful, and perhaps this will inspire you to find more of your own.

You will find their web sites, Facebook sites, and Twitter feeds below.  Also, be sure to look for blogs out there.  If you aren’t a social media buff, blogs are a great way to read articles pertinent to your interests or specific information you’re looking for without having some sort of account or membership.

Woodlands Relo Group
www.woodlandsrelogroup.com
https://www.facebook.com/woodlandsrelo
https://twitter.com/WoodlandsRelo

ABC News Houston
http://abc13.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KTRKHouston
https://twitter.com/abc13houston

Fox 26 Houston
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fox26houston
https://twitter.com/MyFoxHouston

Montgomery County Police Reporter
http://montgomerycountypolicereporter.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Montgomery-County-Police-Reporter/233489574447?fref=nf
https://twitter.com/scottjengle

Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/
https://www.facebook.com/chroncom?fref=nf
https://twitter.com/search?q=houston%20chronicle&src=tyah

KHOU Houston
http://www.khou.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KHOU11?fref=nf
https://twitter.com/KHOU

The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center
http://www.woodlandsresort.com/
https://www.facebook.com/woodlandsresort
https://twitter.com/woodlandresort

Market Street
http://www.marketstreet-thewoodlands.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MarketStreetTheWoodlands?fref=nf
https://twitter.com/MarketStreetTX

NBC News Houston
http://www.click2houston.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KPRC2?fref=nf
https://twitter.com/KPRCLocal2
www.weather.com

Texas Storm Chasers
http://texasstormchasers.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TxStormChasers?fref=nf
https://twitter.com/TxStormChasers

The Woodlands Mall
http://www.thewoodlandsmall.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thewoodlandsmall?fref=nf
https://twitter.com/WoodlandsMall

 The Woodlands Township
http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/
https://www.facebook.com/thewoodlandstown?fref=nf

The Villager Newspaper
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/woodlands/sports/
https://www.facebook.com/thewoodlandsVillager
https://twitter.com/WoodlandsSports

Houston Zoo
http://www.houstonzoo.org/
https://www.facebook.com/houstonzoo
https://twitter.com/houstonzoo

Nordstrom: The Woodlands
http://shop.nordstrom.com/st/nordstrom-the-woodlands
https://www.facebook.com/NordWoodlands?fref=nf

Community Impact: The Woodlands
http://impactnews.com/houston-metro/the-woodlands
https://www.facebook.com/CommunityImpactTheWoodlands
https://twitter.com/Impactnews_wdl

Community Impact: Tomball/Magnolia
http://impactnews.com/houston-metro/tomball-magnolia
https://www.facebook.com/CommunityImpactTOM
https://twitter.com/impactnews_tom

The Woodlands Development Company
http://www.thewoodlands.net/ (Residents site)
http://www.thewoodlands.com/ (Visitors site)
https://www.facebook.com/TheWoodlandsTexas
https://twitter.com/TheWoodlandsNet

Woodlands Online
http://www.woodlandsonline.com/
https://www.facebook.com/WoodlandsOnline
https://twitter.com/WoodlandsOnline/following

The Woodlands, Texas
This is an auto-generated Facebook page that uses search algorithms to pull together what people are interested in that live in The Woodlands.
https://www.facebook.com/TheWoodlandsTX

 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
http://www.woodlandscenter.org/
https://www.facebook.com/WoodlandsPavilion
https://twitter.com/ThePavilion_TX

The Woodlands Texas Breaking News
http://thewoodlandsbreakingnews.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheWoodlandsTXBreakingNews
http://thewoodlandsbreakingnews.com/

The Woodlands Convention and Visitors Bureau
https://www.facebook.com/VisitTheWoodlands
https://twitter.com/TheWoodlandsCVB

The Woodlands Neighborhood Watch
These are neighborhood crime watch pages that are sponsored by The Woodlands Township.
https://www.facebook.com/TheWoodlandsCrimeWatch
https://twitter.com/watch_woodlands

The Woodlands Children’s Museum
http://www.woodlandschildrensmuseum.org/
https://www.facebook.com/TheWoodlandsChildrensMuseum
https://twitter.com/thewoodlandscm

Houston Area: What to do with Young Kids
https://www.facebook.com/BigKidSmallCity

Don’t forget!  You can always call on us if you have needs and/or questions.  Our priority is to help you get acclimated to the area and make The Woodlands feel like home. 281-363-5879

Is it just me, or are the names of Houston’s roads confusing?  I realize the highways have numbers, but for the most part the numbers are not used. It seems most of the highways have nicknames. When I first moved here, I was dumbfounded listening to the morning or evening traffic reports because I did not recognize a single street name.  This week I will do my best to give you the lowdown in my unofficial guide to Houston highway nicknames.

I will start with Interstate 45. North of the city, it is called the North Freeway. Makes sense as it is north. To the south it is called the Gulf freeway. Yup, you guessed it, it leads to the Gulf of Mexico towards Galveston. Then there is the elevated section of I-45 that goes through downtown. This is called the Pierce Elevated because, wait for it, it is elevated and it is next to Pierce Street.

Cutting east/west through Houston is I-10. The part to the west of downtown links to Katy, so it is called the Katy Freeway. To the east its called (you are probably catching on by now) the East Freeway. It links downtown to Baytown, so it is also called the Baytown East Freeway or “The Beast” for short.

Not to be outdone is Highway 59. It is becoming Interstate 69, but it still has its own nicknames. To the north of the city it’s the Eastex Freeway because it goes to East Texas. It runs between downtown and Humble (PLEASE do not pronounce the H), Kingwood and other points to the northeast of the city.

To the southwest of downtown, 59 is called the Southwest Freeway. Some call it the “South-Worst” freeway because of the traffic gridlock between the Galleria area and downtown during rush hour.

Highway 290 is called the Northwest Freeway. Take a wild guess as to why. Side note – a brand new ramp onto 290 from I10 opens soon. This is huge for people who commute that way! Highway 288 is the South Freeway.  And yes, I’m sure you guessed correctly as to why.

Now I will try to explain the loop systems. The closest loop to downtown is Loop 610. That is known as The Loop and you will discover that the traffic on the North Loop and South Loop runs east and west. On the East and West Loop, the traffic runs north and south. This loop is free.

The next circle moving away from downtown is the Sam Houston Tollway. It is also known as The Belt or Beltway 8.

The outermost loop system is still under construction, although west of The Woodlands is complete. This is Highway 99, also known as The Grand Parkway. This road is a toll road.

Whew! Good luck on navigating those Houston highways!  Now that you know the nicknames, you fit in with the cool kids:)

Sincerely,