Spring Branch fills the wedge of west Houston between I-10 and US-290, inside Beltway 8 and outside Loop 610. Developed mostly after World War II with ranch-style homes and garden apartments, it has seen many lots rebuilt as townhomes in recent years. It sits next to Memorial City and is a short drive from Uptown, the Heights and the Energy Corridor, which makes it worth a look if you want a central west-side location at a range of price points.
Spring Branch at a glance
Long Point Road and Gessner Road are the main commercial corridors, lined with restaurants, markets and shopping centers. Residential streets fan out behind them, and the Spring Branch Management District oversees improvements along the busiest roads. Memorial City Mall and CityCentre are just south across I-10.
On our site, Spring Branch covers ZIP codes 77055, 77080 and 77043. The Census figures below use ZCTA 77055, from the American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020–2024).
Getting around
Walk Score rates Spring Branch Central 45 out of 100 ("Car-Dependent"), with a Transit Score of 30 and a Bike Score of 50 at the time of writing. Errands along Long Point and Gessner are close together, but most trips still call for a car.
The area is framed by four major roads: I-10 to the south, US-290 to the north, Loop 610 to the east and Beltway 8 to the west. That gives quick freeway access to Uptown, downtown and the Energy Corridor. METRO local buses run along Long Point, Gessner and other main streets. The Spring Branch Trail, built along a CenterPoint utility corridor, gives cyclists and walkers an off-street route through part of the area. The Census puts mean travel time to work at 24.9 minutes for ZCTA 77055.
What's nearby
Food. Long Point Road has a deep restaurant lineup. Feges BBQ and Blind Goat, a modern Vietnamese restaurant, both on Long Point, made the Houston Chronicle's 2025 Top 100. So did Bori, a Korean steakhouse on Witte Road, and Tacos Doña Lena on Hammerly Boulevard.
Parks and trails. Haden Park, a 12-acre park at Long Point and Witte Road, and the Spring Branch Trail are the main green spaces. Terry Hershey Park and Memorial Park are each a short drive away.
Shopping. Memorial City Mall at I-10 and Gessner and CityCentre at I-10 and the Beltway handle most big shopping trips, while Long Point's strip centers cover everyday needs.
The apartment landscape
- Garden-style communities are the most common type, many built in the 1960s through the 1980s along Long Point, Gessner, Hammerly and the I-10 corridor. Expect surface parking and a wide range of renovation levels.
- Newer mid-rise buildings, mostly toward I-10 and Memorial City, with garages, pools and fitness centers.
- Townhomes for lease, many newly built on former ranch-house lots, offered by individual owners.
The Census reports a median gross rent of $1,263 a month for ZCTA 77055 (ACS 2024 5-year), one of the lower medians among the areas we cover, and 54% of its occupied homes were renter-occupied. Gross rent is the Census measure of contract rent plus estimated utilities, and it covers every rented home in the ZIP, from older duplexes to new towers, so treat it as a baseline rather than a quote for any one building. The spread between older and newer buildings is especially wide here, so call us for current pricing.
Tips for renting in Spring Branch
- Ask what has been renovated. In older garden communities, ask which units have updated kitchens, flooring and HVAC, and what the price difference is between classic and renovated units.
- Look at the actual unit. A model can differ from what you will receive. Ask to see the specific unit, or one with the same finish level.
- Get the full monthly cost. Ask for base rent plus utilities billed by the property, trash, pet rent and parking.
- Read the flood disclosure. Texas Property Code §92.0135 requires landlords to tell you in writing whether a unit is in a 100-year floodplain and whether it has flooded in the past five years. Read it before you sign.
- Compare with Memorial City. Buildings a few blocks apart on either side of I-10 can price differently. Ask us to compare both.
- Ask about concessions in writing. If an offer is available, find out how it is applied and which lease terms qualify.
Start your search in Spring Branch
Our neighborhood guide to Spring Branch maps every 4-star-and-above building we work with in the area. When you are ready, tell us your budget, move date and must-haves on Find Your Apartment, or call us at (713) 357-6339. We do in one conversation what takes most renters weeks on their own — and the properties pay us, so it costs you nothing.
Sources
- www.walkscore.com/TX/Houston/Spring_Branch_Central
- sbmd.org/district/projects/
- houstonparksboard.org/spring-branch-trail/
- www.houstonchronicle.com/project/top-100-restaurants-houston/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_City_Mall
- www.citycentrehouston.com/
- censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B25064&geo_ids=86000US77055
- statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PR/htm/PR.92.htm