Nobody moves to Houston expecting to give up their car. But for a growing number of renters, especially those who work downtown or in the Texas Medical Center, the city’s light rail makes a one-car household, or a car you barely use on weekdays, realistic. The trick is choosing the right neighborhood.
Short answer: Five neighborhoods in this directory are served by METRORail: Downtown (all three lines), Midtown, Montrose / Museum District and Texas Medical Center / Braeswood on the Red Line, and EaDo / East End on the Green and Purple lines. Together they account for 71 of the 176 buildings listed here. The other seven neighborhoods depend on buses and cars.
The three lines in brief
- Red Line. The workhorse. It runs north-south along Main Street and Fannin, connecting Downtown, Midtown, the Museum District, Hermann Park, the Medical Center and NRG Park. If you work at a hospital in the Medical Center, this is the line that matters.
- Green Line. Runs east from Downtown through EaDo and the East End along Harrisburg.
- Purple Line. Runs southeast from Downtown through EaDo toward Texas Southern University and the University of Houston.
Rail neighborhoods in this directory
| Neighborhood | Lines | Buildings listed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown | Red, Green, Purple | 15 | Downtown office workers; the most rail options in the city |
| Midtown | Red | 12 | A short ride to both Downtown and the Medical Center |
| Montrose / Museum District | Red (Museum District stations) | 15 | Hermann Park and the museums; rail is closest on the Museum District side |
| Texas Medical Center / Braeswood | Red | 15 | Hospital and research staff, students |
| EaDo / East End | Green, Purple | 14 | Downtown access, near the Dynamo and Dash stadium |
What the train is good for, and what it is not
METRORail is excellent for a fixed commute along its corridors and for game days, museum trips and nights out between Midtown and Downtown. It is not a network that reaches the Galleria, the Energy Corridor or most grocery stores outside the core. Most car-light Houston renters combine the train with walking, METRO buses, rideshare and an occasional rental car.
Two practical notes. First, check walking distance from the building’s door to the nearest platform, not just the neighborhood; in Montrose especially, some buildings are a long walk from the Red Line. Second, if you are going car-free, ask the building whether parking is bundled into the rent or charged separately. In many Downtown and Midtown towers, giving up a parking space saves real money every month.
Start your search
Open any of the neighborhood pages above to see every building with its year built and floor count, then map each one against the nearest station before you schedule a tour.