This part of Houston, southwest of downtown, is defined by three neighbors: the Texas Medical Center, Rice University with the Rice Village shopping district beside it, and Upper Kirby, a dense strip of restaurants, shops and apartments along Kirby Drive. Hermann Park ties them together. If you work in the Medical Center or want a walkable, central address with rail access, this is a good place to start your search.
The area at a glance
The Texas Medical Center is one of the largest medical complexes in the world; the TMC says it employs more than 120,000 people and records about 10 million patient encounters a year. Rice University, which opened in 1912, sits across Main Street from Hermann Park. Rice Village, on the campus's west side, is a walkable shopping district that dates to the 1930s. Upper Kirby, north of US-59, mixes office buildings, restaurants and apartment towers around Levy Park.
On our site, the area covers ZIP codes 77030, 77005, 77098 and 77054. The Census figures below use ZCTA 77030, the Medical Center area, from the American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020–2024).
Getting around
Walk Score rates the Texas Medical Center area 59 out of 100 ("Somewhat Walkable"), with a Transit Score of 64 ("Good Transit") and a Bike Score of 81 ("Very Bikeable") at the time of writing. The flat terrain, Hermann Park's paths and the Rice campus make cycling practical for many short trips.
The METRORail Red Line runs along Main and Fannin through the area, with stations including Hermann Park/Rice University, Memorial Hermann Hospital/Houston Zoo, Dryden/TMC, TMC Transit Center, Smith Lands, Stadium Park/Astrodome and Fannin South. Trains continue north through the Museum District and Midtown to downtown. METRO also runs Park & Ride commuter routes that go directly to the Medical Center.
By car, US-59/I-69 crosses the north end, SH 288 runs along the east side and Loop 610 is the south boundary near NRG Park. The Census puts mean travel time to work at 20.6 minutes for ZCTA 77030, among the shortest averages in our coverage area.
What's nearby
Parks. Hermann Park covers 445 acres with McGovern Lake, the Houston Zoo, McGovern Centennial Gardens and Miller Outdoor Theatre, which hosts performances in season. Levy Park in Upper Kirby has a lawn, dog park, playground and a regular event calendar.
Shopping. Rice Village packs boutiques, national retailers, restaurants and bars into a compact grid of blocks.
Events. NRG Park, home to NRG Stadium and the Astrodome, sits at the south end of the Red Line.
Food. Navy Blue, a seafood restaurant on Times Boulevard in Rice Village, was No. 20 on the Houston Chronicle's 2025 Top 100. Maximo on Edloe Street (modern Mexican) earned a 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmand and was No. 14 on the Chronicle list. Hamsa (Israeli) on Morningside and Pondicheri (modern Indian) on Kirby also made the 2025 Top 100.
The apartment landscape
- High-rise towers, concentrated in Upper Kirby, around Hermann Park and near the Medical Center, with structured parking, staffed lobbies and views of the Medical Center or downtown skylines.
- Mid-rise buildings along the Main, Fannin, Holcombe and Kirby corridors, typically wrapped around a garage.
- Garden-style communities, many south of the Medical Center toward Loop 610 and around the 77054 ZIP code, with surface parking and larger floor plans for the money.
- Duplexes and garage apartments on the residential streets around Rice Village, leased by individual owners.
The Census reports a median gross rent of $1,714 a month for ZCTA 77030 (ACS 2024 5-year), and about 66% 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. Call us for current pricing on specific buildings.
Tips for renting near the Medical Center
- Plan around your shift. If you work early or overnight hours, test the walk, bike ride or train trip at those times, and ask how building access and garage gates work late at night.
- Ask about lease terms. Some communities offer shorter or flexible lease lengths at different prices. If your rotation, residency or contract has a fixed end date, ask what lengths are available.
- Price parking separately. Towers often charge per garage space. Ask for the full monthly cost, including parking, trash, pet and amenity fees.
- Compare effective rent. Ask how any concession is applied and which units and lease terms qualify. Offers change often.
- 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. Brays Bayou runs through the area, so read it closely and ask about the garage.
- Start early around summer. Many academic and medical programs start in the summer, so plan your search 30 to 60 days ahead if you are moving then.
Start your search in the Medical Center, Rice Village and Upper Kirby
Our neighborhood guide to the Medical Center, Rice Village and Upper Kirby 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.tmc.edu/about-tmc/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_Village
- www.walkscore.com/TX/Houston/Texas_Medical_Center
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/METRORail_Red_Line
- www.ridemetro.org/riding-metro/houston-attractions/texas-medical-cente
- www.ridemetro.org/riding-metro/transit-services/park-and-ride-bus
- www.hermannpark.org/
- www.houstonzoo.org/
- www.levyparkhouston.org/
- guide.michelin.com/us/en/texas/houston_2986624/restaurant/maximo-12180
- www.houstonchronicle.com/project/top-100-restaurants-houston/
- censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B25064&geo_ids=86000US77030
- statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PR/htm/PR.92.htm