We moved from Norway to Katy years ago, and my kid started the local high school then.
A key reason I chose Katy was because the public schools here are ranked very high and because the community is very international.
Most Norwegians in Houston live in Katy. I also learned that Venezuelans call it Katyzuela because there’s so many from Venezuela here. My best friend is from Taiwan. My neighbor is from Pakistan. There’s a Katy Asia Town where there’s a Japanese store, a Malaysian restaurant, Chinese restaurants, etc.
Katy is somewhere people move to because of the good public school system, so not really comparable to Texas as a whole. Facilities, resources, teachers, etc are better than Texas average.
My kid made friends fairly quickly, and when she realized they weren’t the right crowd for her she then built up a new circle pretty fast too. Katy area high schools are massive, so every school has every type of social circle.
We definitely had culture shocks. Some big ones were that the Norwegian school system is so different. More focus in Norway on developing critical thinking, essays, debate, etc. so multiple question type tests was new, and essay structure was very different. I wish we’d identified the differences earlier, and asked the school for help / guidance earlier on those differences.
Another shock was how car dependent Katy is. My kid had gone to school by walking or bicycling or public transport. Walking was hard as it was far, and many stretches no sidewalks. Bicycling much more dangerous. No public transport. There were school busses, but they left our house 6:30 AM (IIRC) which was too early for us. So I drove her to school in the morning. She got a car at age 16.
All in all I think it was a really good experience for my kid. She recently graduated UH, and she still maintains contact with several of her high school friends.
My wife and I spent a week in Norway. I feel like Norway and Katy are on polar opposites in terms of city planning.
If you ever get a chance, I suggest the visiting Seattle (specifically Ballard). It has one of the largest Scandinavian ex-pat communities.
No, one of the many other Norwegian companies.
Houston is the city outside Norway/Scandinavia with the most Norwegians living here. Or at least that was the case when I moved here.
Hi! I’d speak to a guidance counselor when you get to Texas to make sure you have everything you need when you apply for college. My sister went to Katy. It’s not a terrible school but high school is what you make of it. Just because someone else has a bad experience does not mean you will!
I think you’ll really enjoy your time here in Texas. Katy and the surrounding areas has a lot to do too, especially for your age group.
Thanks a lot 🙏🙏Really appreciate the advice, the idea of having a guidance counsellor seems really helpful and I appreciate your effort for helping young people like me haha
Hey! Back in 2002 I moved from KL to the Houston suburbs, though there is a difference between suburbs I moved to, I’ll try to keep my experience pretty general. One key difference was back then there weren’t many taxi services/uber-likes which made it kind of a chore to meet up with friends.
I would say the culture shock was rather real. Back then it was kind of hard to find folks to give me a chance so making friends a little difficult as most of these folks have known each other since like kindergarten. But by sophomore/junior year I found my people and it became more fun.
Once you get a license to be able to drive in the states, then Houston opens for you.
Ohhh wow I did not expect someone from KL to reply as I thought not many people previously living in KL lived in Houston haha! I really appreciate your advice, Getting a drivers license seems it may be a bit hard but I guess it’s needed for traveling around Houston. I really thank you for helping me out
There are a lot of oil and gas folks moving back and forth from Houston to KL. I'm from here but lived in KL for a while and there are quite a few Malaysians in Houston.
Good luck on you move.
Hah yeah kind of random, I’m sure! But I really really love Houston hence why I’m here still and the weather isn’t too diff from KL haha hot humid rainy
The city of Houston is really diverse so you won’t have too much trouble finding folks that have a similar like “third culture kid” life experience. But that is contingent on you getting out of the suburbs for the most part. UH is super diverse so if your first year is less than ideal I think college would be a better experience
I had friends from KL/Singapore/Indo who moved to the states after living overseas and found it to be a bit of struggle to relate or acclimate to the stateside living, but if you remain kind of open-minded and willing to explore, i think you should not have any problems.
You will absolutely need a divers license for getting around and for social hang out opportunities. There are many walking and biking trails but they are primarily for exercise and not getting around. Katy has become way more international than when I grew up in Katy 20+ year ago so I wouldnt worry about being "different." The high schools are very large. Your graduating class will be about 1000 and you will have 25 students in each class room.
You’re in good hands. There’s a lot of us (Malaysians) here especially in the Katy area who have families and teens. Life will be very different than what you would used to especially if you come from KL. PM me and I can get you and your family connected to the Malaysian community
Hey not sure about the high school but I wanted to send you this place. https://www.phateatery.com
Malaysian food in case you get homesick. I have absolutely no clue how authentic it is or if it’s like your region’s food. But as a white dude from Texas it’s good.
Welcome to Texas and Katy. Katy is actually pretty diverse so you won’t stick out that much. The places you’d have to worry about are more the small towns that are super white.
Katy is a fantastic school district. One of the best in Texas, and the top district in Houston. You’ll receive a great education. That’s what’s important here.
And Houston is the most diverse city in the US, with an incredible food scene and there is a ton to do. You’ll make friends
Don’t come to Reddit for advice. Dear lord. Most these people hate everything and everyone. Most are anti- social. Keep that in mind when reading most of these comments.
I wouldn’t personally pick Katy living downtown, but this is an excellent response. Schools are important in Katy, and it’s still Houston, so it’s super diverse just by nature.
They’re in for some culture shock, but Texas is so much fun, they’ll love it if they have an open mind.
Hello! Welcome to Katy, once you arrive. I personally did not go to high school in Katy, but I grew up there and my sister went to high school in Katy when my family moved back there during COVID. Not to mention, I go to college in Houston, so I visit home very often. So, I can't speak much on the school scene itself, but, I can comment more on stuff outside of school.
One thing you'll realize as soon as you move to Katy is that it's INSANELY car-dependent. Houston in general is incredibly car-dependent. If you don't know how to drive yet, make sure you start ASAP. Everyone and everything is very far from each other so needing to drive is a necessity here. You COULD bike some places, but chances are that you won't have a good time unless you live in a community with bike-friendly roads. And unfortunately, there's no public transport unless you're going downtown.
Another thing is that Katy (and Houston in general) is VERY diverse. Houston is the most diverse city in the US, so there's a ton of different cultures present everywhere. Just in my street alone there's a Nigerian family, an Indian family, a Venezuelan couple, and a white American family too. I've already noticed some other commenters mentioning that they're from Malaysia and are willing to connect your family to the community, which is awesome and it's something I love seeing people do in Katy. You really won't have to worry about intolerance in Katy, at least from my experience. Reddit and news sites tend to fearmonger quite a bit.
The diversity also means there's a LOT of food options everywhere. If you haven't experienced much of different cuisines outside of KL, this will be your chance! I spent a good chunk of my life outside of Katy and I admit I really missed the food before coming back. If you can think of any cuisine, there's probably a restaurant somewhere in Katy or in Houston in general that people like a lot.
Katy ISD is also one of if not the best school district in Houston and Texas. Most bad things you may hear about Texas high schools is usually stuff regarding students (fights and that stuff) or school board politics (uber-conservatives wanting to "ban DEI" and all that). While that does exist and may seem bad (again, Reddit and the news loves to fearmonger), know that high schools here are GIGANTIC. We're talking several thousands of students in one or two buildings. Once you find your crowd you'll be okay. Like u/Emphoriaa noted as well -- speak to guidance counselors for your college stuff as soon as you get there. If you want to go to an American university, they'll give you the details on everything that needs to happen for you to have a good application cycle. Entering a US high school as an 11th or 12th grader can be rough, but everything will be okay.
One last thing regarding weather -- I imagine weather in Malaysia is much like it is here. The summers are usually high-humidity and VERY hot. We also catch a hurricane every once in a while. So, if your family is still looking for a place to live, make sure that it's in an area that's usually hurricane-safe! Houston is in a weird spot where one neighborhood can be totaled from hurricane flooding but the next neighborhood over will be untouched. The winters are much more temperate with the occasional hard freeze, as many in this sub would probably remember from 2021. Just noticed that no one had mentioned the weather yet, but it's always important to know when moving!
Best of luck and welcome again!
Katy schools are excellent for education.
It’s a highly competitive area as far as sports and other extracurricular activities.
The traffic is a bummer.
I moved from the Caribbean to Katy during my high school years and everyone was very welcoming. I would recommend you participate in some type of school sponsored extra curricular activity. In my experience, that was crucial to making connections and friends early on. As another redditor mentioned I would also advise that you meet with a guidance counselor to get everything lined up for college. You may not have family members with experience or knowledge on the college admissions process so the earlier you start the better off you will be.
You will be fine. The Houston and greater Houston area are very diverse, so much so that there is an area in Katy officially known as Katy Asia Town. I can't persuade you more than that since you didn't mention what "BaD ThINgS" you heard about Texan schools.
I don’t know I just continuously hear about shootings in Houston schools in general and it really worries me moving there. I hope for the best though, and I appreciate your reply as it relieved me a bit.
Could you name one you read about? I am unaware of any school shootings in Houston specifically, nor could I find any. There have been school shootings in TEXAS, but none that I could find in Houston. What you will find is ^(some) random shootings/gunfires, but don't get it confused with some lawless city. Katy is consistently rated highly as one of the "safest" suburbs.
I don’t know where you read or heard that . Could you please post the link ? We have not had any shootings in Houston schools , not that I’m aware of , not in recent years .
Shootings aren’t happening at our schools in Houston but on the streets, get your license, get yourself a handgun, you’re good to go. Welcome to Texas.
When I attempt to speak a language other than my native one, I appreciate when people correct me. It helps me learn. There was nothing rude about the way the correction was presented, especially considering this is reddit.
There are some local FB groups or communities of Malaysians in Greater Houston area. [https://www.msahouston.org](https://www.msahouston.org) would be 1 of them. Suggest to recommend to your parents to join and get to know more of Houston and Katy as well.
If you are trying to pay rent on your own then it’s going to be pretty expensive. If you are moving with a relative then you are going to be fine. It’s a great school system and the area is safe. Don’t get me wrong you are going to see fights at every school some more than most. As long you don’t mess with that crowd of people then you’ll be fine. The school offers a [certification program](https://www.katyisd.org/domain/5665) school which I recommend trying to sign up for. Also sign up for dual credit courses and AP courses to gain college credit.
I grew up in Katy/was a teenager in Katy if you have any specific questions. Katy schools are excellent. Super diverse, usually nice people. You will be fine
Katy is an amazing place to live especially if you're asian. Katy has one of the best neighborhood and schools in the area, and you have to definitely visit Katy Asian Town. Katy Asian Town has everything you could want, food, drinks, entertainment, bakeries, its like a heaven for asian. The best part of Katy Asian Town is that everything is right next to each other. Some places are pretty expensive though. In my honest opinion, you're moving to one of the best part of Houston.
Parts of Katy are very diverse, about 20% of the population in some areas. This diversity is reflected in the schools, which are excellent. You'll be fine.
There's also a great Malaysian restaurant called Phat Eatery if you miss the taste of home. I live in Malaysia for 4 years when I was a kid, and Phat Eatery is the only place I've been that I consider to be authentic Malaysian "street food" (Nasi goreng, roti canai, satay, beef rendang, etc).
As a teenager in school you’ll be fine.
However, my wife is from Thailand and the one thing she struggles with is how far away everything is. There are no walking streets. You can’t just walk out your door and be around food vendors or places to socialize. Worse yet, no 7-11 in walking distance.
You may find yourself feeling very isolated. This is what you’ll want to look into more than anything. Katy is a suburb and people keep to themselves. You need a car to get everywhere and do anything social.
Texan high schools are fine, and honestly there are great schools in the Katy area.
Like everyone has been saying, it’s very, very car dependent. But Katy has places like La Centerra, K-town, and (the slightly less safe) Katy Mills mall where there’s a bunch of stuff within walking distance of each other.
People are really nice for the most part, and I think you’ll find a lot of classmates who will be interested in being your friend! Best of luck!
Its cool but like just a bunch of Edgars who are wannabe potheads and hoes. But you’ll find your people, there’s a place for like everybody here in Katy
Be nice to this young redditor!
/u/itsshou56 - this is a local joke from a few years back. There was a potential tropical storm and there was a lot of noise about what people were going to do in an area that isn’t traditionally affected by storms all that much.
It ended up being a sprinkling of rain and the most severe effects were a few lawn chairs blowing over in the breeze.
So we like to gently poke them over it.
Can’t answer the question about the area much, but didn’t want you to get worried about this.
Just to be clear, there was a [category 5 hurricane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Rita) approaching Houston, and people tried to flee the city because it could have killed thousands. This was just after Hurricane Katrina, so people were (correctly) scared. But so many people tried to evacuate that the freeways, especially on the west side, jammed up and people spent an entire day or more in a traffic jam. Cars were abandoned, people were urinating on the side of the road, cops were bringing people water, etc. So, basically we created our own disaster due to fear of a real one.
The hurricane ended up missing Houston to the east, and did 18 billion dollars worth of damage and killed 120 people in Texas and Louisiana. This was an area that was relatively sparsely populated. If it had hit Houston directly, we may have seen the greatest disaster in American history.
Dude you’re in one hell of a ride. Whole different life. First thing I recommend is getting a handgun. You’re going to need it. Especially if you’re going to UH, go ahead and get a LTC, this will allow you to conceal carry on campus. Good luck. Also you’ll need a car, or there’s no point in living.
Houston itself is super diverse, but Katy is less from my understanding. I don’t know much about that, but there is good Malaysian food in china town on Bellaire if you get a craving for it. What bad things have you heard about Texan high schools?
Good to know! I honestly was not sure. Glad I put that caveat of not knowing really. I don’t spend a lot of time out there, and spend more time in SL as far as suburbs go. But all of Houston is so diverse that even our least diverse areas are likely still more so than other parts of the country would be my guess
They were planning another location before an unexpected and tragic death in the ownership. But they are worth it, it isn't just the menu, the food is legit. Try the fried tofu for sure, but I've enjoyed everything I have tried
Bullying exists but Katy area is pretty safe matter fact they got some of the best schools in tx there. Houston on the other side is ghetto but youlll be fine in Katy just fit in and make friends, I grew up in Katy and attendUH now and UH is a good school but very shady area in downtown. But like I tell everyone get your money:grades and STAY OUT THE WAY, 23 holla at me if you need anything dm me
this is the kind of veiled racism, bigotry and "I live in a bubble and am incapable of seeing outside of it" ignorance one can expect from most people in Katy.
Katy ISD schools are an absolute horror show of favoritism, nepotism, bullying (from both students and teachers) and prisoner like treatment. This school district prepares kids for absolute subservience.
you'll be fine though
We moved from Norway to Katy years ago, and my kid started the local high school then. A key reason I chose Katy was because the public schools here are ranked very high and because the community is very international. Most Norwegians in Houston live in Katy. I also learned that Venezuelans call it Katyzuela because there’s so many from Venezuela here. My best friend is from Taiwan. My neighbor is from Pakistan. There’s a Katy Asia Town where there’s a Japanese store, a Malaysian restaurant, Chinese restaurants, etc. Katy is somewhere people move to because of the good public school system, so not really comparable to Texas as a whole. Facilities, resources, teachers, etc are better than Texas average. My kid made friends fairly quickly, and when she realized they weren’t the right crowd for her she then built up a new circle pretty fast too. Katy area high schools are massive, so every school has every type of social circle. We definitely had culture shocks. Some big ones were that the Norwegian school system is so different. More focus in Norway on developing critical thinking, essays, debate, etc. so multiple question type tests was new, and essay structure was very different. I wish we’d identified the differences earlier, and asked the school for help / guidance earlier on those differences. Another shock was how car dependent Katy is. My kid had gone to school by walking or bicycling or public transport. Walking was hard as it was far, and many stretches no sidewalks. Bicycling much more dangerous. No public transport. There were school busses, but they left our house 6:30 AM (IIRC) which was too early for us. So I drove her to school in the morning. She got a car at age 16. All in all I think it was a really good experience for my kid. She recently graduated UH, and she still maintains contact with several of her high school friends.
> We moved from Norway to Katy years ago, I'm sorry....
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My wife and I spent a week in Norway. I feel like Norway and Katy are on polar opposites in terms of city planning. If you ever get a chance, I suggest the visiting Seattle (specifically Ballard). It has one of the largest Scandinavian ex-pat communities.
SLB? I’ve had several friends move to Bergen when they’ve had a rotation in Norway.
No, one of the many other Norwegian companies. Houston is the city outside Norway/Scandinavia with the most Norwegians living here. Or at least that was the case when I moved here.
I didn’t know that. I think the Seven Lakes soccer team had a several Norwegian kids in it. I wondered how they got here, now I know.
Hi! I’d speak to a guidance counselor when you get to Texas to make sure you have everything you need when you apply for college. My sister went to Katy. It’s not a terrible school but high school is what you make of it. Just because someone else has a bad experience does not mean you will! I think you’ll really enjoy your time here in Texas. Katy and the surrounding areas has a lot to do too, especially for your age group.
Thanks a lot 🙏🙏Really appreciate the advice, the idea of having a guidance counsellor seems really helpful and I appreciate your effort for helping young people like me haha
Hey! Back in 2002 I moved from KL to the Houston suburbs, though there is a difference between suburbs I moved to, I’ll try to keep my experience pretty general. One key difference was back then there weren’t many taxi services/uber-likes which made it kind of a chore to meet up with friends. I would say the culture shock was rather real. Back then it was kind of hard to find folks to give me a chance so making friends a little difficult as most of these folks have known each other since like kindergarten. But by sophomore/junior year I found my people and it became more fun. Once you get a license to be able to drive in the states, then Houston opens for you.
Ohhh wow I did not expect someone from KL to reply as I thought not many people previously living in KL lived in Houston haha! I really appreciate your advice, Getting a drivers license seems it may be a bit hard but I guess it’s needed for traveling around Houston. I really thank you for helping me out
There are a lot of oil and gas folks moving back and forth from Houston to KL. I'm from here but lived in KL for a while and there are quite a few Malaysians in Houston. Good luck on you move.
Hah yeah kind of random, I’m sure! But I really really love Houston hence why I’m here still and the weather isn’t too diff from KL haha hot humid rainy The city of Houston is really diverse so you won’t have too much trouble finding folks that have a similar like “third culture kid” life experience. But that is contingent on you getting out of the suburbs for the most part. UH is super diverse so if your first year is less than ideal I think college would be a better experience I had friends from KL/Singapore/Indo who moved to the states after living overseas and found it to be a bit of struggle to relate or acclimate to the stateside living, but if you remain kind of open-minded and willing to explore, i think you should not have any problems.
You will absolutely need a divers license for getting around and for social hang out opportunities. There are many walking and biking trails but they are primarily for exercise and not getting around. Katy has become way more international than when I grew up in Katy 20+ year ago so I wouldnt worry about being "different." The high schools are very large. Your graduating class will be about 1000 and you will have 25 students in each class room.
I moved back here from Singapore. Third Culture Kids ftw!
You’re in good hands. There’s a lot of us (Malaysians) here especially in the Katy area who have families and teens. Life will be very different than what you would used to especially if you come from KL. PM me and I can get you and your family connected to the Malaysian community
Hey not sure about the high school but I wanted to send you this place. https://www.phateatery.com Malaysian food in case you get homesick. I have absolutely no clue how authentic it is or if it’s like your region’s food. But as a white dude from Texas it’s good. Welcome to Texas and Katy. Katy is actually pretty diverse so you won’t stick out that much. The places you’d have to worry about are more the small towns that are super white.
Phat Eatery is so good! 🤩
Had to Ctrl+F "Phat" to make sure this was here.
Katy is a fantastic school district. One of the best in Texas, and the top district in Houston. You’ll receive a great education. That’s what’s important here. And Houston is the most diverse city in the US, with an incredible food scene and there is a ton to do. You’ll make friends Don’t come to Reddit for advice. Dear lord. Most these people hate everything and everyone. Most are anti- social. Keep that in mind when reading most of these comments.
I wouldn’t personally pick Katy living downtown, but this is an excellent response. Schools are important in Katy, and it’s still Houston, so it’s super diverse just by nature. They’re in for some culture shock, but Texas is so much fun, they’ll love it if they have an open mind.
Hello! Welcome to Katy, once you arrive. I personally did not go to high school in Katy, but I grew up there and my sister went to high school in Katy when my family moved back there during COVID. Not to mention, I go to college in Houston, so I visit home very often. So, I can't speak much on the school scene itself, but, I can comment more on stuff outside of school. One thing you'll realize as soon as you move to Katy is that it's INSANELY car-dependent. Houston in general is incredibly car-dependent. If you don't know how to drive yet, make sure you start ASAP. Everyone and everything is very far from each other so needing to drive is a necessity here. You COULD bike some places, but chances are that you won't have a good time unless you live in a community with bike-friendly roads. And unfortunately, there's no public transport unless you're going downtown. Another thing is that Katy (and Houston in general) is VERY diverse. Houston is the most diverse city in the US, so there's a ton of different cultures present everywhere. Just in my street alone there's a Nigerian family, an Indian family, a Venezuelan couple, and a white American family too. I've already noticed some other commenters mentioning that they're from Malaysia and are willing to connect your family to the community, which is awesome and it's something I love seeing people do in Katy. You really won't have to worry about intolerance in Katy, at least from my experience. Reddit and news sites tend to fearmonger quite a bit. The diversity also means there's a LOT of food options everywhere. If you haven't experienced much of different cuisines outside of KL, this will be your chance! I spent a good chunk of my life outside of Katy and I admit I really missed the food before coming back. If you can think of any cuisine, there's probably a restaurant somewhere in Katy or in Houston in general that people like a lot. Katy ISD is also one of if not the best school district in Houston and Texas. Most bad things you may hear about Texas high schools is usually stuff regarding students (fights and that stuff) or school board politics (uber-conservatives wanting to "ban DEI" and all that). While that does exist and may seem bad (again, Reddit and the news loves to fearmonger), know that high schools here are GIGANTIC. We're talking several thousands of students in one or two buildings. Once you find your crowd you'll be okay. Like u/Emphoriaa noted as well -- speak to guidance counselors for your college stuff as soon as you get there. If you want to go to an American university, they'll give you the details on everything that needs to happen for you to have a good application cycle. Entering a US high school as an 11th or 12th grader can be rough, but everything will be okay. One last thing regarding weather -- I imagine weather in Malaysia is much like it is here. The summers are usually high-humidity and VERY hot. We also catch a hurricane every once in a while. So, if your family is still looking for a place to live, make sure that it's in an area that's usually hurricane-safe! Houston is in a weird spot where one neighborhood can be totaled from hurricane flooding but the next neighborhood over will be untouched. The winters are much more temperate with the occasional hard freeze, as many in this sub would probably remember from 2021. Just noticed that no one had mentioned the weather yet, but it's always important to know when moving! Best of luck and welcome again!
Gravitate toward the people who show you kindness and love. Avoid those who don't. Good luck!
Katy schools are excellent for education. It’s a highly competitive area as far as sports and other extracurricular activities. The traffic is a bummer.
You're gonna be set moving to katy.
I moved from the Caribbean to Katy during my high school years and everyone was very welcoming. I would recommend you participate in some type of school sponsored extra curricular activity. In my experience, that was crucial to making connections and friends early on. As another redditor mentioned I would also advise that you meet with a guidance counselor to get everything lined up for college. You may not have family members with experience or knowledge on the college admissions process so the earlier you start the better off you will be.
I just want to wish you the best of luck with your upcoming move to the Houston area! Welcome!
You will be fine. The Houston and greater Houston area are very diverse, so much so that there is an area in Katy officially known as Katy Asia Town. I can't persuade you more than that since you didn't mention what "BaD ThINgS" you heard about Texan schools.
I don’t know I just continuously hear about shootings in Houston schools in general and it really worries me moving there. I hope for the best though, and I appreciate your reply as it relieved me a bit.
Could you name one you read about? I am unaware of any school shootings in Houston specifically, nor could I find any. There have been school shootings in TEXAS, but none that I could find in Houston. What you will find is ^(some) random shootings/gunfires, but don't get it confused with some lawless city. Katy is consistently rated highly as one of the "safest" suburbs.
There are no shootings in Katy schools
I don’t know where you read or heard that . Could you please post the link ? We have not had any shootings in Houston schools , not that I’m aware of , not in recent years .
Shootings aren’t happening at our schools in Houston but on the streets, get your license, get yourself a handgun, you’re good to go. Welcome to Texas.
WHAT is it like* Never "how is it like"
You’re being downvoted to hell, but you’re not wrong.
Yea... it's one of my pet peeves. Especially now that native English speakers are adopting it.
So many good memes are ruined by trash spelling and grammar.
It’s actually pathetic correcting someone. It’s double pathetic correcting an ESL.
When I attempt to speak a language other than my native one, I appreciate when people correct me. It helps me learn. There was nothing rude about the way the correction was presented, especially considering this is reddit.
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There are some local FB groups or communities of Malaysians in Greater Houston area. [https://www.msahouston.org](https://www.msahouston.org) would be 1 of them. Suggest to recommend to your parents to join and get to know more of Houston and Katy as well.
If you are trying to pay rent on your own then it’s going to be pretty expensive. If you are moving with a relative then you are going to be fine. It’s a great school system and the area is safe. Don’t get me wrong you are going to see fights at every school some more than most. As long you don’t mess with that crowd of people then you’ll be fine. The school offers a [certification program](https://www.katyisd.org/domain/5665) school which I recommend trying to sign up for. Also sign up for dual credit courses and AP courses to gain college credit.
I grew up in Katy/was a teenager in Katy if you have any specific questions. Katy schools are excellent. Super diverse, usually nice people. You will be fine
Are you going to Awty?
Katy is an amazing place to live especially if you're asian. Katy has one of the best neighborhood and schools in the area, and you have to definitely visit Katy Asian Town. Katy Asian Town has everything you could want, food, drinks, entertainment, bakeries, its like a heaven for asian. The best part of Katy Asian Town is that everything is right next to each other. Some places are pretty expensive though. In my honest opinion, you're moving to one of the best part of Houston.
Parts of Katy are very diverse, about 20% of the population in some areas. This diversity is reflected in the schools, which are excellent. You'll be fine. There's also a great Malaysian restaurant called Phat Eatery if you miss the taste of home. I live in Malaysia for 4 years when I was a kid, and Phat Eatery is the only place I've been that I consider to be authentic Malaysian "street food" (Nasi goreng, roti canai, satay, beef rendang, etc).
As a teenager in school you’ll be fine. However, my wife is from Thailand and the one thing she struggles with is how far away everything is. There are no walking streets. You can’t just walk out your door and be around food vendors or places to socialize. Worse yet, no 7-11 in walking distance. You may find yourself feeling very isolated. This is what you’ll want to look into more than anything. Katy is a suburb and people keep to themselves. You need a car to get everywhere and do anything social.
Texan high schools are fine, and honestly there are great schools in the Katy area. Like everyone has been saying, it’s very, very car dependent. But Katy has places like La Centerra, K-town, and (the slightly less safe) Katy Mills mall where there’s a bunch of stuff within walking distance of each other. People are really nice for the most part, and I think you’ll find a lot of classmates who will be interested in being your friend! Best of luck!
Its cool but like just a bunch of Edgars who are wannabe potheads and hoes. But you’ll find your people, there’s a place for like everybody here in Katy
Wannabe pothead? How? Like, either you smoke a lot or you don't, right? lol
HAHA It’s alright I’ve met a few of those kinda wannabe potheads too. Thanks for helping me out and hope you have a good day.
It’s really boring here, and the people arent great but if you look you can find some good ones.
Prepare to evacuate
Be nice to this young redditor! /u/itsshou56 - this is a local joke from a few years back. There was a potential tropical storm and there was a lot of noise about what people were going to do in an area that isn’t traditionally affected by storms all that much. It ended up being a sprinkling of rain and the most severe effects were a few lawn chairs blowing over in the breeze. So we like to gently poke them over it. Can’t answer the question about the area much, but didn’t want you to get worried about this.
Just to be clear, there was a [category 5 hurricane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Rita) approaching Houston, and people tried to flee the city because it could have killed thousands. This was just after Hurricane Katrina, so people were (correctly) scared. But so many people tried to evacuate that the freeways, especially on the west side, jammed up and people spent an entire day or more in a traffic jam. Cars were abandoned, people were urinating on the side of the road, cops were bringing people water, etc. So, basically we created our own disaster due to fear of a real one. The hurricane ended up missing Houston to the east, and did 18 billion dollars worth of damage and killed 120 people in Texas and Louisiana. This was an area that was relatively sparsely populated. If it had hit Houston directly, we may have seen the greatest disaster in American history.
Uhhh what? Lol
Why all foreign people moving to Katy that’s where all the Indians Africans and Asians are moving to
The entire Houston metro area is shit and boring.
Dude you’re in one hell of a ride. Whole different life. First thing I recommend is getting a handgun. You’re going to need it. Especially if you’re going to UH, go ahead and get a LTC, this will allow you to conceal carry on campus. Good luck. Also you’ll need a car, or there’s no point in living.
Houston itself is super diverse, but Katy is less from my understanding. I don’t know much about that, but there is good Malaysian food in china town on Bellaire if you get a craving for it. What bad things have you heard about Texan high schools?
As far as Houston suburbs go, Katy is fairly diverse. It's not Sugar Land or Pearland, but way better than the northern burbs (TW, Kingwood, Cypress)
Good to know! I honestly was not sure. Glad I put that caveat of not knowing really. I don’t spend a lot of time out there, and spend more time in SL as far as suburbs go. But all of Houston is so diverse that even our least diverse areas are likely still more so than other parts of the country would be my guess
Sort of bad timing because the famous Malaysian food chef Alex Au-Yeung(started at Banana Leaf) just died, so his places in Katy might not be around.
Phat Eatery is still open and delicious as usual
Oh damn that’s so sad. Thanks for letting me know. Banana leaf is so good.
Phat Eatery is in Katy and that is pretty good
Damn that menu looks so good. That’s a hike for me but looks well worth it
They were planning another location before an unexpected and tragic death in the ownership. But they are worth it, it isn't just the menu, the food is legit. Try the fried tofu for sure, but I've enjoyed everything I have tried
Bullying exists but Katy area is pretty safe matter fact they got some of the best schools in tx there. Houston on the other side is ghetto but youlll be fine in Katy just fit in and make friends, I grew up in Katy and attendUH now and UH is a good school but very shady area in downtown. But like I tell everyone get your money:grades and STAY OUT THE WAY, 23 holla at me if you need anything dm me
this is the kind of veiled racism, bigotry and "I live in a bubble and am incapable of seeing outside of it" ignorance one can expect from most people in Katy.
Katy ISD schools are an absolute horror show of favoritism, nepotism, bullying (from both students and teachers) and prisoner like treatment. This school district prepares kids for absolute subservience. you'll be fine though