Kingwood, Houston

The Foster Lumber Company originally owned a portion of the tract of land that was later developed into the community of Kingwood. The Foster Family had owned the land since around 1892. On December 28, 1967, the land was sold to the joint venture between King Ranch and the Friendswood Development Company, an Exxon subsidiary. Exxon's Friendswood Development Company hired John Bruton Jr. to serve as the Operations Manager in which he was responsible for the planning, development, engineering, and construction of Kingwood Plans for the community included greenbelts, shopping centers, schools, churches, recreational facilities, riding and hiking trails, and a boat ramp with access to Lake Houston. Kingwood was founded in 1970, and the first village opened in 1971. Since the opening, the community had the slogan "The Livable Forest." In 1976 Kingwood had a few thousand residents. Between 1980 and 1990 the community's population increased between 40 percent and 70 percent. In 1990 the community had 19,443 residents and 204 businesses. The population increased to 37,397 in 1992. The annexation meant that areas de-annexed by the city in the 1970s were being re-annexed. Imad F. Abdullah, the President of Landmark Architects Inc., criticized the residents who fought annexation in his 1996 editorial in the Houston Business Journal, arguing that a "not in my backyard" mentality in particular communities overall negatively affects the entire metropolitan area. Houston annexed Kingwood at 11:59 PM on December 31, 1996, adding about to the city limits. In 2006, Kingwood had over 65,000 residents. During that year, ten years after the annexation, Lee said that "[a]nger and resentment that colored the early days of annexation" never dissipated and that most Kingwood residents "have settled in as Houstonians, but who still opposed annexation." Lee said that while residents sometimes complain about high rates for sewer and water services and obvious inadequacies in the fire and EMS services, those residents believe that Kingwood "has greatly suffered from being a part of the city." Lee says that most residents "will never come to terms with Houston's hostile takeover." The flooding was aggravated by the San Jacinto River Authority's decision to open floodgates. ==Demographics==

Kingwood first appeared as a census designated place in the 1980 United States census. It was annexed to the city of Houston prior to the 2000 U.S. census. In 2015 the City of Houston-defined Kingwood Super Neighborhood had 62,067 residents. 79% were non-Hispanic white, 12% were Hispanic, 4% each were non-Hispanic blacks and Asians, and 2% were non-Hispanic others. In 2000 the super neighborhood had 52,899 residents. 88% were non-Hispanic white, 7% were Hispanic, 3% were non-Hispanic Asians, 2% were non-Hispanic blacks, and 1% was non-Hispanic others. Kingwood includes the zip codes 77325, 77339, 77345, and (in part) 77346. Approximately 81,692 people live within these zip codes. The population density is 2,006 people per square mile. The median age is 37.2 compared to the US median is 37.6. 68.27% of people in Kingwood (zip 77345), TX, are married, 8.42% are divorced. The average household size is 2.71 people. 32.49% of people are married, with children. 6.28% have children, but are single. Race in Kingwood (zip 77339), TX: White population: 75% Black population: 5.55% American Indian population: 0.8% Asian population: 6.8% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population: 1.8% Some other race population: 0.9% Two or more races population: 2.8% Hispanic or Latino population: 19.2% http://www.city-data.com/zips/77339.html Race in Kingwood (zip 77345), TX 80.74% of people are white (non-Hispanic), 3.45% are black, 3.45% are Asian, 0.34% are native American, and .53% claim 'Other'. 9.56% of the people (zip 77345), claim Hispanic ethnicity (meaning 90.44% are non-Hispanic). The Census Median Household Income for this geographic area is $77,527. The Median Family Income is $84,387, and the Average Non-family Income is $51,735. The Per Capita Income revealed in the Census for this area was $32,491. ==Cityscape==

Kingwood has over of space. The community, newly suburban and heavily forested, includes over in nature preserves and parks. Renée C. Lee of the Houston Chronicle compared the presence of forests, parks, and trails in Kingwood to the presence of those features in The Woodlands. ==Media==

The citywide newspaper is the Houston Chronicle. Kingwood has two community newspapers, The Tribune Newspaper and The Kingwood Observer. ==Crime rate==

In January through August 2003, the crime rate in Kingwood was 1,793 per 100,000 residents. Less than 10% of crimes were violent. During January through August 2006, the crime rate was 1,364 per 100,000 residents. In this case, less than 10% of the crimes were violent. ==Economy==

The human resources company Insperity (formerly Administaff) has its headquarters in Kingwood. ==Education==

As of 1999, about 90% of children raised in Kingwood attended colleges and universities. Primary and secondary schools Public schools Kingwood pupils residing in Harris County attend the Humble Independent School District. Kingwood High School (6A) and Kingwood Park High School (5A) serve the area. All students enrolled in Humble Independent School District also have the option to attend Quest High School, a magnet high school in Atascocita. The 1996 annexation of Kingwood did not change school district boundaries nor did it change any attendance zones of individual public schools. Students residing in Montgomery County attend the New Caney Independent School District. Residents of that portion attend Porter High School (5A). Before the opening of Porter High School in 2010, students attended New Caney High School. A small portion of North Woodland Hills, as well as the Kings Manor, Kings Mill, Woodridge Forest, and Oakhurst at Kingwood developments, are located in Montgomery County. Kingwood is served by three Humble ISD middle schools: Kingwood Middle School, Creekwood Middle School and Riverwood Middle School. Kingwood Middle School students are zoned to Kingwood Park High School, while students attending Creekwood and Riverwood are zoned to Kingwood High School. Middle school students in areas of Kingwood in New Caney ISD attend Woodridge Middle School. Sixth graders in New Caney ISD previously attended the New Caney 6th Grade Campus. In addition to the high schools and middle schools, Kingwood is served by nine Humble ISD elementary schools: Foster Elementary, Woodland Hills Elementary, Deerwood Elementary, Willow Creek Elementary, Bear Branch Elementary, Greentree Elementary, Shadow Forest Elementary, Elm Grove Elementary, and Hidden Hollow Elementary. Kings Manor Elementary School serves Kingwood New Caney ISD students. Private schools Private schools in Kingwood include The Covenant Preparatory School (formerly Northeast Christian Academy) (PreK-12th), St. Martha Catholic School (PreK-8), Kingwood Montessori School (PreK-6th), Pines Montessori School (Toddlers - Middle School), and Christian Life Center Academy (PreK-12th). Holy Trinity Episcopal School, a Christian PK-5 school, is in Harris County, in proximity to Kingwood. The closest Catholic high school is Frassati Catholic High School in north Harris County; the planners of the school considered Kingwood to be in the area it serves. In addition St. Thomas High School, an all boys' high school in central Houston, has a bus service from and to St. Martha Catholic School. Colleges and universities Lone Star College-Kingwood is a two-year community college that serves the area and it is part of the Lone Star College System. Lone Star, under Texas law, serves several districts, including Humble ISD and New Caney ISD. Public libraries Dedicated on August 12, 1983, the original Kingwood Branch of the Harris County Public Library, had over 112,000 books. In partnership with the Houston Public Library, plans were made to replace the original branch with a new a "City-County" branch in exchange for 4.2 million dollars to fund the building of a new facility. The original Kingwood Library location closed on March 13, 2010, and the new location opened on April 19, 2010. The demolished building was replaced by a new community center. In addition to the Kingwood Library, and within Kingwood, there is also the Kingwood Community College library, which permits access for "currently enrolled students, high school students and adults living within the district, patrons of Montgomery County Memorial Library System, and college employees." ==Government and infrastructure==

Local government The City of Houston provides police, fire and ambulance services. The Houston Public Works Department is responsible for the maintenance and construction of roads in Kingwood. The City of Houston maintains water services. Before the annexation, 13 municipal utility districts (MUD) provided those services. After annexation, water and sewer bills increased; most residents had their water bills be double and triple the billed amounts prior to annexation. In 2006 Mayor of Houston Bill White said that the city had to cover the debts of the MUDs, so it increased the water and sewer rates. Dave Martin currently represents the district. District E contains Kingwood and the Houston portion of Clear Lake City. The City of Houston has a liaison who works with the District E representative and the residents of Kingwood. In 2006 some Kingwood residents told the Houston Chronicle that the District E representative has too little influence in city council, which had 15 seats during that year, and that the district is, in the words of Renée C. Lee of the Houston Chronicle, territorially "spread too thin." Around the time of annexation, much of the controversy regarding the annexation centered on the fire and police services. Residents believed that they received a higher quality of police and fire services than the City of Houston offered. Ordinarily the city government would, post-annexation, allow volunteer fire departments to continue operating under a contract. Due to an inability reach an agreement with the Kingwood Volunteer Fire Department, the city as of 1996 planned to immediately establish fire services after annexation. headquartered at 3915 Rustic Woods Drive, provides law enforcement services to Kingwood. As of 2006 the police station has a captain and 74 patrol and supervisor police officers. Bill White, Mayor of Houston in 2006, said that Kingwood had fair police services. Of the communities of Houston, Kingwood has the lowest number of police officers in relation to the overall number of crimes committed in the city. White also said that he received requests to remove police officers from Kingwood and place them in areas of Houston with higher crime rates. White said that he refused the requests since the removal would impact response times in Kingwood, the worst in the city. This curfew extends to fill the time between 9AM until 2:30PM on days when school is in session. Prior to annexation, the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable provided law enforcement services. Fire Kingwood's fire stations are within Houston Fire District 102, operated by the Houston Fire Department. There are four stations located within Kingwood: Station 101, Station 102, Station 103 and Station 104. A fifth station, Station 105, is outside of Kingwood and in the same fire district. As of 2006, the Kingwood fire stations include one district chief, 30 firefighters, three medic units, and nine pieces of equipment. Before the annexation, the department had up to 80 paid and volunteer firefighters and twelve pieces of equipment. After annexation the city added one more fire station. and the constable is Mark Herman. The Harris County section of Kingwood is located in District 127 of the Texas House of Representatives. As of 2021, Dan Huberty represents the district. The Montgomery County section of Kingwood is located in District 16 of the Texas House of Representatives. As of 2021, Will Metcalf represents the district. The United States Postal Service Kingwood Post Office is located at 4025 Feather Lakes Way. After the 1996 annexation of Kingwood, residents retained "Kingwood, Texas" mailing addresses, and some places in the Houston city limits before the annexation had Kingwood mailing addresses. Montgomery County Hospital District (MCHD) is the hospital district for people in Montgomery County. ==Parks and recreation==

Kingwood has over of nature preserves and parks, and it has over of hike and bicycle trails. The parks and trails are owned by the Kingwood community. In addition, each village association maintains a park and swimming pool for the benefit of its residents. The area is also home to Kingwood Park, operated by the City of Houston, and East End Park, owned and operated by the Kingwood Service Association. Creekwood Nature Area is a 50-acre nature site with hiking trails owned and operated by the Kingwood Service Association, it's entrance located at the end of Maple Park Drive in Bear Branch Village. Northpark Recreation area, a 19-acre park located on Woodland Hills Drive, north of Kingwood Park High School, including 5 soccer fields, 1 adult-sized softball field, and 4 child-sized softball fields, is used solely for leasing to organized sports groups. Land is leased to the Kingwood Alliance Soccer Club, Kingwood Adult Softball Association, and the Kingwood Girls Softball Association. Located on Hundred Oak Circle, there is a 63-acre park and recreation center named Deer Ridge, owned and operated by the Kingwood Service Association, which includes two tennis courts, a basketball court, a sand volleyball court, restrooms, shaded picnic area, duck pond, gazebo, and a playground area. There is also sports fields leased to the Texas Heatwave Soccer Club and Kingwood/Forest Cove Baseball, being leased a soccer field and 6 baseball fields, respectively. Park land and horse stables are leased to the Kingwood Horsemen's Association. At the south end of Woodland Hills Drive, there is River Grove, a 74-acre park with activities including 18-hole disc golf course, boat ramp with access to Lake Houston, fishing, picnic areas (including 4 covered picnic shelters with grills), playground area, pavilion facility, and restrooms. The 15 lacrosse and soccer fields are leased to the Kingwood Alliance Soccer Club Kingwood Skate Park opened on May 21, 2004, a City of Houston facility that has skate benches, a kinked round grind rail, skate benches, skate tables, a kicker ramp, a bank to stair with a rail, shade structures that include benches, a drinking fountain, a mini half pipe with a ninety degree hip, and a skateboarder-shaped bike rack. It was the first municipal skate park built by the city. A public dog park opened in 2007. The City of Houston operates the Dylan Duncan Memorial Park. It includes a picnic pavilion and a skate facility. Events Kingwood residents enjoy a number of community events throughout the year, including: • Mardi Gras, held in February in the Town Center Park. It has a parade and vendor fair with open-air concert. • Picnic on the Park, held the day before Easter in the Town Center Park, has an Easter Egg hunt open to children of all ages. The event also offers game booths, a vendor fair, and performances by local area groups. • Auto Shows, held in spring and fall, often April and October, at Town Center Park. Typically draws up to 200 vehicles in a wide variety of categories. • Fourth of July, has a parade between Creekwood Middle School and Kingwood High School; festivities in Town Center Park, and fireworks display with an open-air concert and vendor fair. • Christmas in the Park, held in Town Center Park, is a vendor fair that features live performances from local groups. The day ends with a tree lighting ceremony in the park. • Holocaust March of Remembrance, held each year to educate area residents about the Holocaust. The first March of Remembrance in the Houston area was held in Kingwood in 2012. ==Notable people==

• Allie DeBerry, actress and model, appeared in the Disney Channel sitcom A.N.T. Farm. • George Foreman, boxer, lived in Kingwood for many years and still owns a house in the Foster's Mill neighborhood. • Phil Garner, former player and later manager of the Houston Astros. • Renee Olstead, singer, actress, and therapist • Josh Pastner, head men's basketball coach, UNLV • Charlie Sifford, golfer, first African American to play on the PGA Tour. • Masyn Winn, MLB player for the St. Louis Cardinals. • Unspeakable, Minecraft YouTuber ==See also==