The Woodlands, Texas



The Woodlands is a master planned community and census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Texas in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. It is primarily located in Montgomery County, with portions extending into Harris County. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 93,847, up from 55,649 at the 2000 census. In 2018, the Howard Hughes Corporation estimated the population to be 116,278.

The Woodlands is 28 mi north of Houston along Interstate 45. Though it began as an exurban development and a bedroom community, it has also attracted corporations and has several corporate campuses, most notably Chevron Phillips Chemical, Anadarko Petroleum, Huntsman Corporation, Woodforest National Bank, Baker Hughes, Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, McKesson Corporation, Aon plc, Maersk Line, Safmarine, and Halliburton. It won a Special Award for Excellence in 1994 from the Urban Land Institute.

History
The Woodlands was conceived after the oil industry investor George P. Mitchell attended a symposium by the Rouse Company subsidiary American City Corporation and developer of Columbia, Maryland. on how to develop new towns using the HUD Title VII program. It was dedicated by George P. Mitchell in 1974 and managed by The Woodlands Corporation as an extension of Mitchell Energy & Development. Mitchell, an oil businessman, planned to establish a conference center, hotels, office parks, retail malls, schools, large distribution centers, and golf courses. Houses 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 HUD 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 partnership between Morgan Stanley and Crescent Real Estate Equities. In December 2003, The Rouse Company acquired Crescent's interest, and Rouse was bought by General Growth Properties on November 12, 2004. In 2011 The Woodlands was sold to the Howard Hughes Development Corporation.

The land was previously occupied by the Grogan-Cochran Lumber Mill, hence Grogan's Mill and Cochran's Crossing neighborhoods, called "villages". The original planning 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.

It continues to grow residentially and commercially as many companies are moving there. In addition to Chevron Phillips, Huntsman, Anadarko, Hewitt Associates, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Mærsk Sealand, M&S Engineering and Woodforest National Bank have set up operations. The Town Center includes shopping and eating facilities as well as a waterway resembling the San Antonio River Walk.

On September 13, 2008, it sustained extensive damage from Hurricane Ike. Sustained winds of 85 mi/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.

The summer of 2011 brought an unprecedented drought throughout Texas, which caused thousands of trees to die and requiring they be taken down, a process that continued into 2012.

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."

In 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau designated the area around The Woodlands and Conroe as a "large urbanized transit area", defined as having over 200,000 residents, making it eligible to receive federal transportation funds.

From 2004-2018, water taxis known as "Waterway Cruisers" traveled along The Woodlands Waterway. On November 13, 2018, after suffering damage from Hurricane Harvey the year before, the six Waterway Cruisers were removed from the waterway.

Incorporation
Mitchell's original plan was for The Woodlands to be annexed by the city of Houston. In the middle part of the 2000s (decade), some residents feared such an annexation, 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. However, the formation of an independent government would require authorization by the State of Texas and the City of Houston, as Houston held extraterritorial jurisdiction over the area.

In 2007, two state legislators representing Woodlands, Sen. Tommy Williams and Rep. Robert Eissler, introduced two bills that were enacted 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.

Geography
The Woodlands is primarily in Montgomery County, Texas, with a small portion of the CDP in Harris County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has an area of 113.6 km2, of which 112.1 km2 are land and 1.5 km2, or 1.32%, are water.

It is in a heavily forested area, and much of the community has retained trees for shade and decoration. The terrain is essentially flat, with the exception of topographic variations ranging from 125 to 175 feet between Spring Creek and Flintridge Drive.

Climate
The Woodlands has a humid subtropical climate. Temperature ranges are within the top decile for census-designated places in the United States. Winter daily highs average approximately 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15C), daily lows 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4C); summer daily highs average 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34C), daily lows 72 (22C) degrees Fahrenheit. Wind Zone 2 per FEMA maping chart.

Demographics
As of the 2010 census, there were 93,847 people living in the CDP. The racial makeup was 88.4% White, 2.4% Black, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 2.1% Two or More Races, 12.3% Hispanic or Latino, and 78.5% White alone, not Hispanic or Latino. As of the census of 2000, there were 55,649 people, 19,881 households, and 15,546 families. 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 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.

31.8% were 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% 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 was $85,253, for a family $98,675. Males have a median income of $78,642 versus $38,505 for females. The Per capita income 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 had risen to $94,626, for a family to $113,243.

Hispanics and Latinos
about 10% of the residents of The Woodlands were of Mexican origins; they numbered at over 10,000. In 2000 wealthy Mexicans began buying houses in The Woodlands for vacation purposes. Large numbers settled in The Woodlands from 2006 to 2014 as the Mexican Drug War occurred. By 2006 the numbers of middle and upper class Hispanics, including Mexican nationals, increased. Some of the residents were assigned to Houston by their companies. Some of them moved to The Woodlands to escape increased crime and political tensions from the Mexican presidential election and find better schools for their children.

As of the 2013-2014 school year 22% of the students at Conroe Independent School District elementary and junior high schools in The Woodlands were Hispanic. This was an increase from 10.5% in the 2005-2006 school year, and the percentages grew particularly in Glen Loch, Lamar, and Tough elementary schools. The 2013-2014 percentage in Conroe ISD schools in The Woodlands is below the overall Conroe ISD Hispanic average of 34.2%.

In 2017 many wealthy Mexicans in Texas were moving back to Mexico and fewer were moving to The Woodlands. The Rice University Baker Institute director, Tony Payán, stated the Trump Administration's unfavorable and hostile attitudes towards Mexican immigration and the decline in value of the Mexican peso were factors. 74% of Montgomery County residents voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The severity of the reverse migration to Mexico will be determined once the 2020 census is released.

The community has ''Viva! The Woodlands Magazine'', a Spanish language magazine that covers The Woodlands, as well as the Montgomery County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Many churches in The Woodlands area have some services in Spanish.

Economy
By 2000 a significant amount of corporate office space was under construction. Of the 4800000 sqft of office space under construction in Greater Houston, over one third 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 tract from The Woodlands Land Company, to build a 800000 sqft, 32-story headquarters building, to open in mid-2002. As of 2000 the Anadarko building was the largest office project in The Woodlands. In January 2012, Anadarko announced the imminent construction of a sister tower on site, 31 stories high, of which ten will be for parking. According to a press release from the company, site work had already begun and construction of the tower would be complete by 2014. The building is at the corner of Woodloch Forest Dr and Lake Robbins Dr. With its completed sister tower, it is the tallest building in Montgomery County and between Houston and Dallas.

Chicago Bridge & Iron's (CB&I) worldwide administrative office was in The Woodlands. In 2018 McDermott International, which acquired CB&I, announced that it would sell the headquarters facility in The Woodlands to Howard Hughes Corporation.

In 2000, work began on a 100000 sqft building for Maersk Sealand.

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, which is in the Houston ETJ and might be annexed by Houston. About 10,000 employees in the Houston area will relocate to the campus starting in 2014, with full occupancy by 2015.

Other companies based in The Woodlands include Woodforest National Bank, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, McKesson Corporation, Tetra Technologies, Rigaku, and Kroger Texas.

Many wealthy Mexicans who settled in The Woodlands due to rising crime in Mexico had also established businesses in The Woodlands.

Government and infrastructure
United States Postal Service post offices include The Woodlands Post Office at 9450 Pinecroft Drive and the Panther Creek Post Office at 10800 Gosling Road.

Law enforcement in Montgomery County is provided by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Highway Patrol. The Harris County portion is covered by Harris County Constable Precinct #4.

The Woodlands Township is a Special-purpose district created by the 73rd Texas Legislature in 1993, and is run by a seven-member board of directors who are elected directly by the residents of the township in an at large election, for two year staggered terms. Even though The Woodlands is not a city nor a traditional township government, it still provides limited municipal government services such as trash pickup, parks and recreation, covenant enforcement, fire and rescue services, streetscaping, economic development, and enhanced law enforcement and security patrols. The township's offices are located at 2801 Technology Forest Boulevard, The Woodlands, TX 77381.

The Brazos Transit District runs two transit services in The Woodlands: The Woodlands Express, which provides commuter service to Houston from park and ride lots in The Woodlands, and the free daily Waterway Trolley.

Culture and entertainment
The Woodlands offers many entertainment venues including two movie theaters, over 150 restaurants, a publicly accessible waterway, dancing waterfalls with music, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, summer home of the Houston Symphony and catering for 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 with wide, lighted sidewalks along both sides. Sixteen Art Benches line The Woodlands Waterway and are popular places to rest on a stroll down The Waterway. Other 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, forming a large pedestrian-friendly shopping district. Each of the "villages" in The Woodlands has its own shopping center with a core grocery store and shops, banks, gas, restaurants, etc. Every April, The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival draws 220 juried artists from around the world to the Woodlands Waterway for a fine arts festival. The Woodlands Arts Council uses proceeds from the festival to provide year round arts enrichment programs and events.



Music
The city is also home to a renowned community concert band officially known as "The Woodlands Concert Band". The band was established in 2001 and is currently the host of the Bayou City Community Band Festival. They perform annually at the Independence Day celebration at Market Street. Current membership of the band range from 75 to 85, made up of both amateur and professional musicians. Repertoire for the ensemble includes Classical, Patriotic, and Contemporary. On July 25, 2015, the Band gained acclaim by performing under the direction of world-renowned composer Frank Ticheli, at the 2015 Texas Band Masters Association Convention in San Antonio at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The group is currently under the direction of Paul Worosello, as of 2009.

Religion
there were almost 50 centers of worship in The Woodlands, occupying a total of 330 acre of land. As of 2011, the community is majority Christian.

The Woodlands United Methodist Church had about 13,000 members in its congregation and was led by pastor Ed Robb. It was established in 1978. Pastor Kerry Shook established Fellowship of The Woodlands Church, now known as Woodlands Church, in 1993. Its permanent church building opened on August 19, 2001. Church Project, which holds services in a former Kroger, had an average weekly attendance of 1500 in 2014. Christ Church United Methodist has about 3,000 members. Circa 2012 Covenant United Methodist Church began its worship services at Timber Creek Elementary School, and by 2016 bought 5 acre of land near the entrance of Village of Creekside Park for a permanent 700-seat facility. Other Protestant or Non-denominational Christian churches in The Woodlands include Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, and Unity of The Woodlands.

Saints Simon and Jude Catholic Parish, the first Catholic church in The Woodlands, was established circa 1980, with its 400 parishioners initially meeting at Knox Junior High School before moving into its permanent building in 1981. it had 3,800 families in its congregation. St. Anthony of Padua, another Catholic church, had 5,700 families in its congregation in 2013. It operates St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School.

There is one Jewish place of worship, Congregation Beth Shalom, established circa 1984. it had about 130 families, and it belongs to Reform Judaism. Its affiliated organizations are the Association of Reformed Congregations and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.

In 2011, there were 350 Hindu families in The Woodlands. In a 15 year period ending in 2011, the Hindu population in the Woodlands increased by 300%, and Kate Shellnut of the Houston Chronicle stated that according to "Hindu leaders" every year the Hindu population in The Woodlands grows by 20 to 25 families. The Hindu Temple of The Woodlands, a Hindu temple serving the northern part of Greater Houston, was scheduled to open in 2010. Another Hindu temple, Char Dham Hindu Temple, was founded by Surya Sahoo.

Amateur radio
The Woodlands has an amateur radio club and repeater. There are 199 licensed amateur radio operators in the town.

Film
Over the course of 2007, producer Frank Eakin wrote and produced a film entitled The Bracelet of Bordeaux, which became the first film to be shot completely in The Woodlands. The cast and crew were largely composed of local residents, and the film itself was part of a larger effort on Eakin's part to generate interest in using The Woodlands and Houston as shooting locations for major motion pictures. Following its completion, the film was heavily promoted in the local press and at area businesses, leading to its world premier at The Woodlands High School. The film was generally not well received, and no further attempts have been made to bring the film industry to The Woodlands.

Education
Most students in the Montgomery County portion 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 have the honored rank of an exemplary school, the highest school ranking in Texas. Texas students are administered the STAAR test, a review of general knowledge, which can determine students' promotion to the next grade level.

Public schools
The Woodlands High School (TWHS) serves the western portion of The Woodlands in Montgomery County. TWHS was ranked 626 on Newsweek's 2012 list of America's Best High Schools.

The Woodlands College Park High School, which opened in 2005, serves the eastern portion of The Woodlands in Montgomery County. TWCP was ranked 382 on Newsweek's 2012 list of America's Best High Schools. Refer to the Conroe School District for specific feeders. Magnolia High School serves pupils residing in May Valley, and Tomball High School serves pupils residing inside the Harris County portion.


 * Junior high schools
 * Montgomery County: Knox Junior High School, McCullough Junior High School, Bear Branch Junior High School
 * Harris County: Tomball Junior High School

Private schools
By 2015 many private preparatory schools began campus expansions as The Woodlands had an increase in population and corporate office relocations.
 * John Cooper School
 * The Woodlands Preparatory School
 * The Woodlands Christian Academy
 * St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School (K-8)

The closest Catholic high school is Frassati Catholic High School in north Harris County; the planners of the school intended for it to serve The Woodlands.

the British International School of Houston in Greater Katy has a school bus service to The Woodlands.

Colleges and universities
Lone Star College (originally the North Harris Montgomery Community College District) and Sam Houston State University-The Woodlands Center serve 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. Our Lady of the Lake University, a private non-profit university based in San Antonio, moved its Houston Campus to The Woodlands in 2011.

Villages
The Woodlands is organized into "villages", subdivided into "neighborhoods".


 * Village of Grogan's Mill: the first village in The Woodlands, located near the Town Center. Named for the former Grogan-Cochran Lumber Mill (opened 1974).
 * Grogans Point – An estate section within Grogans Mill. Features larger lots (approx 3/4 acre)
 * Town Center: a primarily commercial development also within Grogans Mill. Location of Market Street, The Waterway District, The Woodlands Mall and The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, and hotels and a convention center (formerly "Metro Center").
 * Village of Panther Creek: the second neighborhood. Borders the west shore of Lake Woodlands (opened 1976).
 * Village of Cochran's Crossing: location of The Woodlands High School. Named for the Grogan-Cochran Lumber Mill (opened 1983).
 * Village of Indian Springs: The smallest of the villages, on the northern border of Spring Creek. Location of The John Cooper School. Only village without a public school. Named for the Bidais Indian artifacts found during development (opened 1984).
 * Village of Alden Bridge: In the northwest corner. Bordered by FM 2978 on the west and FM 1488 and the Jones State Forest on the north (opened 1993).
 * Village of College Park: location of Lone Star College and Sam Houston State University-The Woodlands Center. Includes the area around State Highway 242 and the Harper's Landing neighborhood east of I-45 (opened 1995).
 * Village of Sterling Ridge: location of The Woodlands High School Ninth Grade Campus. Includes the gated community of Carlton Woods, which was initially a village in its own right (opened 2000).
 * Village of Creekside Park: The new village development to be undertaken by The Woodlands Development Company, in Harris County. 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).

Arts, media, and entertainment

 * Kevin Abstract — rapper, singer-songwriter, director and founder of boy band Brockhampton
 * Kirby Bliss Blanton — actress, known for role in 2012 film Project X
 * Will Butler — brother of Win Butler and core member of Arcade Fire
 * Win Butler — brother of Will Butler and frontman for the Grammy Award-winning Canadian indie rock group Arcade Fire
 * Hayes Carll — country musician
 * Chamillionaire — rapper
 * Jack Ingram — country musician

Athletics

 * Danny Amendola — NFL player, Detroit Lions, 2-time Super Bowl champion
 * Lance Blanks — professional basketball player
 * Matt Bullard — former professional basketball player
 * KJ Choi — PGA Tour Golfer
 * Kassidy Cook — diver
 * Jim Deshaies — former Major League Baseball pitcher; announcer for the Chicago Cubs
 * Doug Drabek — MLB player, winner of National League's 1990 Cy Young Award
 * Kyle Drabek — MLB player, Arizona Diamondbacks, son of Doug Drabek
 * Brett Eibner — MLB player
 * Arian Foster — retired NFL player, 4-time Pro Bowl, 1-time All-Pro
 * Justin Gilbert — NFL player, Cleveland Browns
 * Paul Goldschmidt — MLB player, Arizona Diamondbacks, high school teammate of Kyle Drabek
 * Quentin Grimes — an American college basketball player for the Kansas Jayhawks
 * Chad Hedrick — retired Winter Olympian, 5-time medalist long track speed skating, most decorated inline world champion
 * Gerald Irons — NFL player for Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders
 * Larry Izzo — retired NFL linebacker; assistant coach for New York Giants
 * Daniel Lasco — NFL player for New Orleans Saints
 * Stacy Lewis — LPGA golfer, 2011 Kraft Nabisco champion; 2012 LPGA Player of the Year
 * Jeff Maggert — PGA Senior Tour golfer, top-5 finishes in Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship
 * Nick Mitchell — former professional wrestler
 * Brad North — MLS player
 * Chris Paul — NBA player, Houston Rockets, 9-time All-Star, 2006 Rookie of the Year, 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist
 * Adrian Peterson — NFL player, Washington Redskins, 2007 Offensive Rookie of the Year, 2012 MVP, 4-time All-Pro, 7-time Pro Bowl
 * Rusty Pierce — MLS player
 * Brennan Poole — race car driver
 * Austin Pruitt — MLB pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays
 * Jameson Taillon — baseball player, drafted 2nd overall by Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010 MLB Draft
 * Laura Wilkinson — 2000 Olympic champion, first gold medal for female American platform diver since 1964
 * Torrie Wilson — retired professional wrestler, fitness competitor and model; co-owner of the fashion boutique "Officially Jaded" in Market Street
 * Ellis Wyms — retired NFL player

Business and industry

 * George Bishop — founder and CEO, GeoSouthern Energy
 * Greg Brenneman — Chairman, President and CEO of the private equity firm CCMP, former CEO of Burger King
 * Roy C. Strickland — businessman and politician

Government and the law

 * Kevin Brady — Republican U.S. Representative for Texas's 8th congressional district
 * Gerald J. Gallinghouse — U.S. Attorney for United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (1970-1978); spent later years in The Woodlands
 * Mark Keough — Republican State Representative for District 15 of the Texas House of Representatives, businessman, Christian pastor, radio host, and educator
 * Steve Toth — former Republican State Representative for District 15 of the Texas House of Representatives (2013-2015), businessman