The Heights sits a few miles northwest of downtown Houston, on land that Oscar Martin Carter's Omaha and South Texas Land Company began developing in 1891. It was a separate city until its voters chose to join Houston in 1918, and much of that original street grid, lined with Victorian houses and Craftsman bungalows, is still standing. For renters, that history shapes where the apartment buildings are and what kind of buildings they are.
The Heights at a glance
Heights Boulevard runs north to south through the middle of the neighborhood, with a wide landscaped esplanade and a walking path down its center. West 19th Street is the historic shopping strip, a few walkable blocks of boutiques, vintage stores, cafés and restaurants. The City of Houston protects large parts of the original neighborhood through the Houston Heights East, West and South historic districts, which is a big reason so much of the older housing has survived.
On our site, The Heights covers ZIP codes 77008, 77007 and 77009. The Census figures in this guide use ZCTA 77008, the core of the neighborhood, from the American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020–2024).
Getting around
Walk Score rates Greater Heights 73 out of 100 for walking, which it labels "Very Walkable," with a Transit Score of 45 and a Bike Score of 63 at the time of writing. In practice, the blocks around 19th Street, Yale Street and West 11th Street work well on foot, while a big grocery run from the edges of the neighborhood is usually easier by car or bike.
The Heights Hike and Bike Trail, also called the MKT Trail, is the neighborhood's off-street spine. TrailLink lists it at about 4.6 miles along a former Missouri-Kansas-Texas rail line between T.C. Jester Boulevard and Hogan Street, and it connects to the White Oak Bayou Greenway, which continues toward downtown. It is a practical bike route to Washington Avenue and the bayou parks.
By car, I-10 runs along the south side, Loop 610 crosses the north end and I-45 sits to the east, so downtown, Uptown and the Energy Corridor are all reachable by freeway. The Census puts mean travel time to work at 26.1 minutes for ZCTA 77008. There is no METRORail line in The Heights; METRO local buses run on several main streets, so check the METRO trip planner for the stop closest to any building you are considering.
What's nearby
Food. The Heights has several of the highest-ranked restaurants on recent Houston lists. Squable, at 632 W. 19th Street, was No. 2 on the Houston Chronicle's 2025 Top 100. Across the street, Baso serves Basque-inspired, live-fire cooking and is recommended by the Michelin Guide. Camaraderie on West 11th Street (No. 13) and Jun on East 20th Street (No. 18) also made the Chronicle's 2025 list.
Things to do. The Heights Theater, a restored 1929 theater on 19th Street, hosts concerts and events. Heights Mercantile, at Yale and 7th streets, groups shops, restaurants and fitness studios right on the trail. MKT Heights, a cluster of repurposed warehouses with shops and restaurants, sits near North Shepherd Drive at the neighborhood's southwest edge.
Parks. Besides the trail and esplanade, the White Oak Bayou Greenway runs along the neighborhood's south and west sides, and Memorial Park, roughly 1,500 acres of trails, a golf course and the Houston Arboretum, is a short drive southwest.
The apartment landscape
Because the historic core is mostly houses, larger apartment communities tend to sit along the busier corridors and edges rather than inside the oldest blocks. You will see three main types:
- Mid-rise buildings, usually four to six stories wrapped around a parking garage, with a pool courtyard, fitness center and controlled-access entry. Most of the newer construction falls in this group.
- Garden-style communities from earlier decades, two or three stories with surface parking. Floor plans are often larger for the money, with fewer amenities.
- Small-scale rentals: garage apartments, duplexes, fourplexes and townhomes owned by individual landlords. These lease on their own schedules.
High-rises are rare here; if a tower with skyline views is on your list, you will likely be comparing The Heights against Montrose, Downtown or Uptown.
On price, the Census reports a median gross rent of $1,686 a month for ZCTA 77008 (ACS 2024 5-year), and about 41% 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. For current pricing on a specific building, call us.
Tips for renting in The Heights
- Price your exact move date. Many larger communities reprice units daily based on move-in date and lease length. A 13- or 15-month lease can price differently from a 12-month one, so ask for both.
- Read concessions as effective rent. When a building advertises weeks free, ask whether it comes off the first month, is spread across the lease, or applies only to certain units and terms. Concessions show up most often in buildings that are still leasing up, but they change quickly and are never guaranteed.
- Ask for the full monthly cost. Parking (especially a reserved or garage spot), pet rent, trash and amenity fees, and utilities billed back by the property can add a meaningful amount. Get it in writing before you apply.
- Read the flood disclosure. Since 2022, Texas Property Code §92.0135 has required 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. White Oak Bayou borders the neighborhood, so read it closely and ask how the garage and ground-floor units have fared.
- Start 30 to 60 days out. That is when most communities can quote and hold a specific unit. For a garage apartment or duplex, the timeline is often shorter and the application process is up to the individual owner.
- Walk the route you will use. If the trail or 19th Street is part of the appeal, walk there from the building during your tour.
Start your search in The Heights
Our neighborhood guide to The Heights 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.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/houston-heights-tx
- www.houstontx.gov/planning/HistoricPres/Design_Guide_Heights_District/
- www.houstontx.gov/planning/HistoricPres/Design_Guide_Heights_District/
- www.walkscore.com/TX/Houston/Greater_Heights
- www.traillink.com/trail/mkt-trailheights-hike-and-bike-trail/
- houstonparksboard.org/white-oak/
- www.houstonchronicle.com/project/top-100-restaurants-houston/
- guide.michelin.com/us/en/texas/houston_2986624/restaurant/baso
- www.theheightstheater.com/
- www.heightsmercantile.com/
- www.mktheights.com/
- www.memorialparkconservancy.org/
- censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B25064&geo_ids=86000US77008
- statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PR/htm/PR.92.htm