Atascocita, Texas

Atascocita, Texas
—  CDP  —
The "Big A", with Lake Houston in the background
Coordinates: 29°59′36″N 95°10′55″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Harris
Area
• Total	27.6 sq mi (71.5 km2)
• Land	27.6 sq mi (71.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	72 ft (22 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	65,000
• Density	1,296.3/sq mi (500.5/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	77346
Area code(s)	281
FIPS code	48-04462
GNIS feature ID	1877179

Atascocita is a census-designated place (CDP) in Harris County, Texas, United States.

Atascocita is a large, affluent development located north and south of Farm to Market Road 1960 about six miles (10 km) east of Humble and eighteen miles (29 km) northeast of downtown Houston in northeastern Harris County.

Bordered on its eastern shore by the 12,000-acre Lake Houston, the community contains several parks, country clubs, and golf courses, including Atascocita Country Club, Walden on Lake Houston Golf and Country Club and Tour 18, a recreation of some of the United States's most celebrated golf holes.

Atascocita was named one of the "Best Places to Retire" by U.S. News and World Report, citing Lake Houston's boating and fishing opportunities and Atascocita's numerous golf courses.

History

Construction in the area began in the 1970s. In the 1990s Atascocita included fifteen neighborhoods and was considered to be one of the fastest-growing developments in the Greater Houston Area.

In 2009 the Gadberry Group named Atascocita as one of "9 from 2009" most notable high growth areas in the United States. The 2010 census estimates Atascocita's population to be at 62,356.

Atascocita has two community newspapers, The Tribune Newspaper (web site) and The Atascocita Observer.

Geography

Map of the Atascocita CDP

Atascocita is located at 29°59′36″N 95°10′55″W (29.993365, -95.182054).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 27.6 square miles (71 km²), of which, 27.6 square miles (71 km²) of it is land and 0.04% is water.

Demographics and Housing

As of the census of 2000, there were 35,757 people, 11,006 households, and 9,432 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,296.3 people per square mile (500.6/km²). There were 11,342 housing units at an average density of 411.2/sq mi (158.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.96% White, 8.00% African American, 0.32% Native American, 2.44% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.04% from other races, and 2.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.02% of the population.

There were 11,006 households out of which 50.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.8% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.3% were non-families. 11.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 30.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 3.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 111.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.5 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $173,032, and the median income for a family was $176,821. Males had a median income of $151,750 versus $134,036 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $75,962. About 2.2% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Atascocita's median home price is $371,172. There are many subdivisions in Atascocita, ranging from small, intimate neighborhoods to large, master-planned communities like Eagle Springs, Walden on Lake Houston, Lakeshore, Water's Edge, Summerwood, Fall Creek, Pinehurst and Atascocita Shores. New home prices range from under $200,000 to over $20 million.

Government and infrastructure

Local and county government

Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department provides fire protection services. Harris County Sheriff's Office provides police services.

The Atascocita CDP is divided between Harris County Precinct 1 and Harris County Precinct 4. As of 2008 El Franco Lee and Jerry Eversole head the precincts, respectively.

The CDP is served by Harris County Sheriff's Office District II Patrol, headquartered from the Humble Substation at 7900 Will Clayton Parkway in Humble. The Harris County Sheriff's Office Academy is in Atascocita.

The Harris County Fire Marshall's offices are in Atascocita.

State representation

Pam Lychner Unit, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice state jail for men, is located in the Atascocita CDP. The state jail, which has beds for 2,200 residents and a residential probation program with 450 beds, was named after Pam Lychner.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Atascocita High School

Atascocita students attend school in the Humble Independent School District.

Elementary schools include:

• Eagle Springs Elementary School
• Pine Forest Elementary School
• Oaks Elementary School
• Oak Forest Elementary School
• Whispering Pines Elementary School
• Timbers Elementary School
• Maplebrook Elementary School
• Summerwood Elementary School

Atascocita Springs Elementary School opened in 2010 and was built in the Eagle Springs master planned community and will serve Eagle Springs' residents. A 114,000 square foot, 2-story school, Atascocita Springs is the first-ever Humble ISD school to be constructed to the criteria for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. LEED certification is recognition that a construction project was attained utilizing environmentally friendly building practices. Built with a number of sustainable features, Atascocita Springs utilizes solar panels, a cistern to collect rainwater for irrigation purposes, and interactive touch screens that allow students to monitor the school's energy usage. The school is expected to become a prototype for other districts to create sustainable and high-performance buildings.

Middle Schools include:

• Atascocita Middle School
• Timberwood Middle School
• Humble Middle School

High Schools include:

• Atascocita High School
• Kingwood Park High School
• Humble HS
• Summer Creek HS (Opened for the 2009 - 2010)

Atascocita High School serves most of Atascocita. The Summerwood and Fall Creek master planned communities will attend Summer Creek High School. The remainder of the areas considered to be Atascocita will be bussed to Humble High School.

Previously Humble High School served the Atascocita area until rapid growth in the community forced the construction of Atascocita High School in 2006. With an exterior modeled after Thomas Jefferson's iconic Monticello estate, the 435,000-square-foot (40,400 m²), $46.9 million school was built on a 100-acre heavily wooded parcel of land in the center of Atascocita. Since its opening, Atascocita High School has garnered an impressive list of academic accolades including being labeled a "Recognized" campus by the Texas State Board of Education in 2010. All students attending the Humble Independent School District have the option to attend Quest High School, a magnet high school in Atascocita.

Public libraries

Atascocita is served by the Atascocita Branch Library of the Harris County Public Library (HCPL), located inside the CDP. In 1986 the Atascocita Hi Neighbor group began to campaign for a library in Atascocita. The 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m²) branch was built from 1994 to 1996 with the help of Janette Dennis, an Atascocita resident and philanthropist, and opened on May 5, 1996. Janette Dennis helped spearhead "The Friends of the Atascocita Library" (FOAL) donates around $100,000 United States dollars per year to the library.

Parks and recreation

Harris County Precinct 4 operates the 136 acres (55 ha) Lindsay/Lyons Park and Sports Complex. The complex has barbecue grills, one barbecue pavilion, 10 lighted baseball fields, 2 lighted American football fields, picnic tables, 2 playgrounds (one is an all-inclusive playground and toilet facility for children of all physical abilities), 4 lighted softball fields, 18 unlighted soccer (football) fields, and toilet facilities. Additions added later in the park's life include a donor pavers garden, sensory garden for children with impaired sight, three 30-seat picnic pavilions, a paved walking trail around the playground, and additional trees.

External links

• www.Atascocita.com
• www.AtascocitaTexas.com
• Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department
• Atascocita, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
• www.summercreekhighschool.com