The Woodlands, Texas

The Woodlands Township
—  Special-Purpose District  —
Coordinates: 30°10′39″N 95°30′14″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Montgomery (CDP) Harris & Montgomery (Development)
Established	1974
Government
• Board of Directors	Bruce Tough Lloyd Matthews Claude Hunter Ed Robb Nelda Blair Tom Campbell Peggy Hausman
• President	Don Norrell
Area
• Total	23.9 sq mi (61.8 km2)
• Land	23.4 sq mi (60.6 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1.2 km2)
Elevation	160 ft (50 m)
Population (2008)
• Total	93,847
• Density	3,926.65/sq mi (1,518.6/km2)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	281 713 832 936
FIPS code	48-72656
GNIS feature ID	1867568
Website	thewoodlandstownship.gov/

Town Center

P.F. Chang's China Bistro outside The Woodlands Mall

House in The Woodlands

Golf course

The Woodlands is a master-planned community and a Census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population of the CDP was 55,649 at the 2000 census—a 90 percent increase over its 1990 population. According to the 2010 census, The Woodlands' population rose by 68.6% to 93,847 in 2010. Much of The Woodlands is located in the city of Houston's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), but small portions of the development extend into the ETJ of Shenandoah and Conroe.Agreements with these cities will allow future incorporation of The Woodlands as an independent city as early as 2014(see below).

The Woodlands is located 32 miles (51 km) north of Houston along Interstate 45. Though it began as a suburban development and a bedroom community, it also has attracted corporations to the area. As a result, the area features several corporate campuses, most notably Chevron Phillips, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Baker Hughes, CB&I, US Oncology, Hewitt Associates, Maersk Line, and Safmarine. The development won a Special Award for Excellence in 1994 from the Urban Land Institute.

History

The Woodlands was dedicated by George P. Mitchell in 1974, managed by The Woodlands Corporation as an extension of Mitchell Energy & Development.^{[citation needed]} Mitchell, an oil businessperson, planned to establish a conference center, hotels, office parks, retail malls, schools, large distribution centers, and golf courses. The house offerings would range from affordable to expensive and large. Bill Schadewald of the Houston Business Journal said that Mitchell wanted the development to "entice city slickers looking for far-flung suburban quality of life." Schadewald said that local sources stated that the New Town program, a federally funded program, had a "low survival rate" and questioned whether The Woodlands would succeed.

The Woodlands Corporation was acquired on July 31, 1997 by a joint partnership between Morgan Stanley and Crescent Real Estate Equities. In December 2003, the Rouse Company acquired Crescent's interest in The Woodlands, Rouse was itself sold to General Growth Properties Inc. on November 12, 2004. In 2011 The Woodlands was sold to the Howard Hughes Develeopment Corporation.

The tract of land where The Woodlands is situated was previously occupied by the Grogan-Cochran Lumber Mill and are the namesakes for the Grogan's Mill and Cochran's Crossing neighborhoods, called "villages". The original planning of The Woodlands utilized many of the planning concepts and design consultants employed in other well regarded new communities of that era such as Columbia, Maryland, Irvine Ranch, California and Reston, Virginia. The original development plan included environmental design principles espoused by Ian McHarg, a distinguished landscape architect, teacher and author of the seminal work "Design With Nature."

The Woodlands continues to grow residentially and commercially as many companies are moving to The Woodlands. In addition to Chevron Phillips, Huntsman, Anadarko, Hewitt Associates, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Mærsk Sealand, Chicago Bridge & Iron, and Woodforest National Bank have set up operations in the development. The Woodlands Town Center area includes shopping and eating facilities, plus a waterway resembling the San Antonio River Walk ,yet unique in its design and Riverboats that are enclosed for added comfort.

On September 13, 2008, The Woodlands sustained extensive damage because of Hurricane Ike. Sustained winds of 85 mph (137 km/h) brought down thousands of trees, powerlines, and billboards in the area and severely damaged the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Ike was the first hurricane to directly affect the area since Hurricane Alicia in 1983.

In 2011 Schadewald said "Now: Obviously, The Woodlands had quite a future. Somewhere between First Colony and The Woodlands, I realized why visionary real estate developers strike it rich more often than skeptical real estate reporters."

Incorporation

Mitchell's original plan envisioned for The Woodlands to be annexed by the city of Houston. In the middle part of the 2000s decade, some Woodlands residents feared annexation by the city of Houston, as had happened to the Kingwood development almost a decade before. To counteract any possible move by the city, a movement began to create an independent city government.^{[citation needed]} However, the formation of an independent government by The Woodlands would require authorization by the State of Texas and the City of Houston, as Houston held extraterritorial jurisdiction over the area.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007, two state legislators representing Woodlands voters, Sen. Tommy Williams and Rep. Robert Eissler, created and passed two bills in the 2007 Legislature - House Bill 4109 and Senate Bill 1012. HB 4109 called for a vote to allow expansion of an existing improvement district (now The Woodlands Township) and to allow The Woodlands to collect sales tax, while SB 1012 allowed for the creation of regional agreements between governments. The passage of these bills allowed an opportunity for The Woodlands to incorporate itself.

To make the City of Houston agree to release the Woodlands from its ETJ, the city and the development entered into a regional agreement by which The Woodlands put 16 million dollars into a fund the city of Houston can use for general improvements. In return, Houston will release the development from its ETJ allowing The Woodlands to incorporate through an election in 2014 and create a city government.

In addition, The Woodlands entered into a similar regional agreement with Conroe to avoid annexation of a municipal utility district inside The Woodlands. The Woodlands put $320,000 into a fund to serve mutual interests. In return, Conroe ended annexation proceedings and will release the district to The Woodlands in 2014.

Geography

Map of the Woodlands CDP

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 23.9 square miles (62 km²), of which, 23.4 square miles (61 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (2.09%) is water.

The development is situated in a heavily forested area and much of the community has retained trees for shade and decoration. The terrain is of small rolling hills.^{[citation needed]}

Climate

The Woodlands is considered to have a humid subtropical climate.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1980	8,443		—
1990	29,205		245.9%
2000	55,649		90.5%
2010	93,847		68.6%
source:

As of the census of 2000, there were 55,649 people, 19,881 households, and 15,546 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,328.4 people per square mile (900.5/km²).There were 21,014 housing units at an average density of 897.7 per square mile (346.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.36% White, 1.75% Black, 0.29% Native American, 2.80% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28% of the population.

There were 19,881 households out of which 47.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.2% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $85,253, and the median income for a family was $98,675. Males have a median income of $78,642 versus $38,505 for females. The Per capita income for the CDP was $37,724. About 3.0% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the CDP had risen to $94,626, and the median income for a family had risen to $113,243.

Economy

By 2000 a significant amount of corporate office space was under construction in The Woodlands. Of the 4,800,000 square feet (450,000 m²) of office space under construction in Greater Houston, over one third of it was in The Woodlands.

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation has its headquarters in The Woodlands. On February 11, 1999 Anadarko announced that it would purchase a 7.5-acre (30,000 m²) tract in The Woodlands from The Woodlands Land Company. There Anadarko planned to 800,000-square-foot (74,000 m²), 32 story headquarters building. Anadarko planned to open the headquarters in mid-2002. As of 2000 the Anadarko building was the largest office project in The Woodlands.

Chicago Bridge & Iron's worldwide administrative office is in The Woodlands.

In 2000 work began on a 100,000 square feet (9,300 m²) building for Maersk Sealand in The Woodlands.

In 2011 ExxonMobil announced plans to construct a new complex on a 385 acre plot of land near the intersection of the Hardy Toll Road and Interstate 45. About 8,000 employees of the company in the Houston area will relocate to the campus starting in 2014, with full occupancy done by 2015.

Other companies based in The Woodlands include Woodforest National Bank, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, US Oncology, Tetra Technologies and Kroger Texas.

As of the same year, many wealthy Mexican nationals who settled in the Woodlands due to rising crime in Mexico had established businesses in The Woodlands.

Government and infrastructure

Bridge in The Woodlands

United States Postal Services post office include The Woodlands Post Office at 9450 Pinecroft Drive and the Panther Creek Post Office at 10800 Gosling Road.

The central law enforcement agency in the Woodlands is the Montgomery County sheriff’s Office. They patrol all roads and highways within the CDP and have a barracks located within the area.

Culture and entertainment

The Woodlands offers many entertainment venues including two movie theaters, over 150 restaurants, a publicly accessible waterway, and dancing waterfalls with music. Also featured is the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, summer home of the Houston Symphony and catering to many large acts (rock bands to classical). The Woodlands Waterway will eventually be more than 1/2 mile long, reaching from The Woodlands Mall around to Lake Woodlands and featuring wide, lighted sidewalks along both sides and Waterway Taxis. Additional attractions include Market Street, an old style "Main Street" pedestrian shopping district, home to a movie theater and a variety of shops and restaurants. The Woodlands Mall borders the waterway and is adjacent to Market Street, thus forming a large pedestrian friendly shopping district. In addition, each of the "villages" in The Woodlands has its own shopping center with a core grocery store and various shops, banks, gas, restaurants, etc.

Education

The Woodlands College Park High School

Most students in the Montgomery County-portion of The Woodlands attend schools in the Conroe Independent School District. Children residing in the May Valley neighborhood in Sterling Ridge Village attend schools in the Magnolia Independent School District. Children from the Creekside Park Village in Harris County attend the Tomball Independent School District. Montgomery County Memorial Library System operates two libraries in The Woodlands, the South Branch and the George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library. Most schools in The Woodlands have the honored rank of an exemplary school, the highest possible school ranking in Texas. Texas students are administered the TAKS test, a review of general knowledge, which can determine students promotion to the next grade level.

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

The Woodlands High School (TWHS) serves the western portion of The Woodlands in Montgomery County. Refer to the Conroe School District for specific feeders. TWHS was ranked 295 on Newsweek's 2011 list of America's Best High Schools.

The Woodlands College Park High School, which opened in 2005, is a second high school serving the eastern portion of The Woodlands in Montgomery County. Refer to the Conroe School District for specific feeders. Magnolia High School serves pupils residing in the neighborhood of May Valley, and Tomball High School serves pupils residing inside the Harris County portion of the township.

Junior high schools

• Montgomery County: Knox Junior High School, McCullough Junior High School, Bear Branch Junior High School
• Harris County: Tomball Junior High School

Colleges and universities

Lone Star College (originally the North Harris Montgomery Community College District) serves the community. The territory in Conroe ISD joined the community college district in 1991, and the territory in Tomball ISD had joined the district in 1982. The headquarters of the Lone Star College System are located in The Woodlands and in unincorporated Montgomery County, Texas. The district moved to its current location on March 17, 2003.

Neighborhoods

Organized into "villages" which are further subdivided into "neighborhoods."

• Village of Alden Bridge: Northwest corner of development. Bordered by FM 2978 on the West and FM 1488 and the Jones State Forest on the North (opened 1993).
• Village of Cochran's Crossing: location of The Woodlands High School. Named for the Grogan-Cochran Lumber Mill (opened 1983).
• Village of College Park: location of Lone Star College. This village includes the area around State Highway 242 and the Harper's Landing neighborhood east of I-45 (opened 1995).
• Village of Creekside Park: The last new village development to be undertaken by The Woodlands Development Company. A portion lies inside Harris County. Creekside Park is planned to have 5,516 single-family production homes, 541 age 55 and over homes, 738 multi-family residences, and 298 Custom Homes and Estate Homes in the gated community of Carlton Woods Creekside (opened 2007).
• Village of Grogan's Mill: The Woodlands' first neighborhood. Located near the Town Center. Named for the former Grogan-Cochran Lumber Mill (opened 1974).
• Village of Indian Springs: The smallest of the villages, it lies on the northern border of Spring Creek. Named for the Bidais Indian artifacts found during development (opened 1984).
• Village of Panther Creek: The Woodlands' second neighborhood. Borders the west shore of Lake Woodlands (opened 1976).
• Village of Sterling Ridge: location of The Woodlands High School Ninth Grade Campus. Includes the gated community of Carlton Woods, which initially existed as a village in its own right^{[citation needed]} (opened 2000).
• Town Center: a primarily commercial development. Location of Market Street, The Waterway District, The Woodlands Mall and The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, along with hotels and a convention center (formerly known as "Metro Center").
• Grogans Point - An estate section within the Village of Grogans Mill. Features larger lots (approx 3/4 acre)

People

Famous residents of The Woodlands past and present include:

• Danny Amendola, NFL player, St. Louis Rams
• Lance Blanks, professional basketball player
• Michael Glyn Brown - Former hand surgeon (East Wedgwood Glen)
• Win Butler frontman for the Grammy Award winning Canadian indie rock group Arcade Fire^{[citation needed]}
• Hayes Carll, Critically acclaimed Country musician.
• Chamillionare American rapper, singer, CEO, and philanthropist
• Jim Deshaies, Former MLB pitcher; announcer for the Houston Astros.
• Doug Drabek, Major league baseball player
• Kyle Drabek, Major league baseball player, Toronto Blue Jays, son of Doug Drabek
• Jack Ingram Country Musician
• Gerald Irons NFL Player; Played for the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders
• Larry Izzo NFL Free Agent
• David Macias, MLB Minor League baseball player.
• Nick Mitchell Former professional wrestler. Owner of the fashion boutique called "Officially Jaded" in Market Street.
• Teagan Presley Pornstar
• Jameson Taillon, Drafted 2nd overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2010 MLB Draft.
• Roy C. Strickland Businessman and politician
• Peter Stroud, Hanks Banks founder
• Laura Wilkinson, First Olympic gold medal for a female American platform diver since 1964, Sydney 2000.
• Torrie Wilson Retired American professional wrestler, fitness competitor and model. Owner of the fashion boutique called "Officially Jaded" in Market Street.

External links

• U.S. Census Bureau map of The Woodlands
• The Woodlands Township, Local Government.
• The Woodlands Residents Site, Local Residents Site.