Kingwood is a master-planned community located in northeast Houston, Texas, United States. The majority of the community is located in Harris County with a small portion in Montgomery County. Known as the "Livable Forest," it is the largest master-planned community in Harris County and second-largest within the 10-county metropolitan area. It was classified as a "census-designated place" during the 1990 census, when the population recorded was 37,397.Population and housing unit counts - 1990. United States Census Bureau via Google Books. 1993. Retrieved 2013-12-24. It is on the east fork of the San Jacinto River.Kingwood, Texas Summary. Kleiner, Diana J., Texas State Historical Association. Last accessed April 23, 2018.
Kingwood was created in 1971 as a joint venture between the Friendswood Development Company and King Ranch. Its name was derived as part of that partnership.About Kingwood Texas - Community Guide. Last accessed March 13, 2011.
History 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.Kingwood History. Last accessed March 13, 2011. On December 28, 1967, the land was sold to the joint venture between King Ranch and the Friendswood Development Company, an Exxon subsidiary.Kingwood, Texas Summary. Kleiner, Diana J., Texas State Historical Association. Last accessed March 13, 2011. 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 KingwoodJohn D. Bruton Jr. Obituary. Last accessed March 13, 2011. 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.
The City of Houston annexed portions of what would become Kingwood in the 1960s, but it dis-annexed those portions by the late 1970s, making them unincorporated."Annexations in Houston Or How we grew to 667 square miles in 175 years." City of Houston Planning and Development Department. p. 40 and 41 of 62. Retrieved on February 21, 2017.
Kingwood was founded in 1970, and the first village opened in 1971. Since the opening, the community had the slogan "The Livable Forest."Lee, Renée C. "Annexed Kingwood split on effects." (Alt) Houston Chronicle. Sunday October 8, 2006. A21. Retrieved on July 6, 2011. The print version exclusively has timeline of Houston annexations and the infobox on incorporated areas. The main story and "About Kingwood" are in the online edition and in the print edition. The print version is available at the microfilm desk of the Jesse H. Jones Building of the Houston Public Library Central Library. In 1976 Kingwood had a few thousand residents. Between 1980 and 1990 the community's population increased between 40 percent and 70 percent.Rodriguez, Lori. "Census tracks rapid growth of suburbia." Houston Chronicle. Sunday March 10, 1991. Section A, Page 1. In 1990 the community had 19,443 residents and 204 businesses. The population increased to 37,397 in 1992. In 2005 the population was roughly 65,000, and had almost 200,000 people living within a ten-mile (16 km) radius.
In 1994, the City of Houston began the process to annex Kingwood. According to Texas state law at the time, a home-rule city was allowed to annex an unincorporated area, without the consent of the residents, if the area is within the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction. Bob Lanier, then the Mayor of Houston, believed that the annexation of Kingwood would result in a $4 million annual gain for the City of Houston. Lanier argued that the city needed to bring in Kingwood to add more to its tax base. On Wednesday August 21, 1996, the Houston City Council asked the Planning and Development Department to create service plans for Kingwood and Jacintoport, another area being annexed by Houston. The annexation of Kingwood and Jacintoport increased the city's population by about 43,000 people.Mason, Julie. "Kingwood annexation on track." Houston Chronicle. Thursday August 22, 1996. A26. Retrieved on December 9, 2011. The annexation meant that areas de-annexed by the city in the 1970s were being re-annexed.
Renée C. Lee of the Houston Chronicle said that Kingwood residents "fought an uphill battle [against annexation] for two years." Kingwood residents offered to pay $4 million to the city in exchange for not being annexed. The residents also filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Houston, claiming that the city was taxing residents without representation. At the time, many residents believed that the City of Houston would not follow through on the state law requirement asking annexing cities to provide equal services to the annexed areas as they do to their original territory. Some residents did not like the idea of the city annexing their community without the community's consent.
In 1996 Thomas Phillips, a retired longshoreman and Bordersville resident, joined with representatives of Kingwood and sued the City of Houston in federal court arguing that the city could not legally annex areas if it did not provide certain services to some of its existing areas, including Bordersville which never had city water.Sallee, Rad. "Future arrives at Bordersville/31 years after annexation, poor area gets city's attention." Houston Chronicle. Sunday December 29, 1996. A37. 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.Abdullah, Imad F. "Kingwood annexation fight hurts entire Houston area." Houston Business Journal. Friday November 22, 1996. Houston annexed Kingwood at 11:59 PM on December 31, 1996,"Kingwood Annexation Facts." City of Houston. October 31, 1996. Retrieved on April 23, 2018. adding about to the city limits.
Kingwood residents lobbied the Texas Legislature, asking for modifications to the state's annexation laws. In 1999 the legislature successfully passed amendments requiring annexing municipalities to develop plans for services provided to communities being annexed, and municipalities are required to provide a three-year planning period prior to official annexation to allow for public comment. The modified law allows for communities to use arbitration if the annexing cities fail to follow through with their service plans. The amendments do not affect prior annexations, including Kingwood's annexation. Some Kingwood residents expressed satisfaction that other suburban unincorporated areas including The Woodlands would not undergo the annexation that occurred in Kingwood.
A 1999 series of robberies were perpetrated by four teenage girls from Kingwood. The film Sugar & Spice was loosely based on the incidents.Henderson, Gracie. "Parole denied for two of the Kingwood "Queens of Armed Robbery " (Archive). Houston Community Newspapers & Media Group. Thursday July 17, 2003. Retrieved on February 15, 2016.
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." Lee said that "Services have deteriorated, and the community has lost its identity as a suburban haven as most people had feared" and "Many residents believe the community has not maintained its identity as the Livable Forest[.]"
In 2017, Kingwood suffered evacuations and severe flooding from the after-effects of Hurricane Harvey. 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.
Kingwood is thirty miles northeast of Downtown Houston in the piney woods of southeastern Texas. It is divided into neighborhoods called "villages". Most villages have a neighborhood pool and playground providing free access for village residents, an elementary school, and most provide their own set of village-specific services. During the summer, many of the villages organize youth swimming teams affiliated with the Northwest Aquatic League (NWAL).
Trailwood is Kingwood's oldest village, with its first homes being completed in 1971. While Kingwood is almost built out, there are some new homes still being built in Royal Shores and Woodridge Forest.
The villages of Kingwood include Barrington, Bear Branch, Deer Ridge Estates, Elm Grove, Fosters Mill, Greentree, Hunters Ridge, Kings Crossing, Kings Crossing Patio Homes, Kings Crossing XIV, Kings Forest, Kings Forest Estates, Kings Point, Kings River, Kingwood Glen, Kingwood Greens, Kingwood Lakes, Kingwood Place, Mills Branch, North Woodland Hills, Reserve at Kings Point, River Bend, Riverchase, Royal Shores, Sand Creek, Sherwood Trails, South Woodland Hills, Trailwood, Woodridge Forest, Woodspring Forest, and Woodstream. Nearby developments include Forest Cove, Kings Lake Estates, Lakewood Cove, North Kingwood Forest, Oakhurst at Kingwood, King's Mill, and King's Manor. Oakhurst does not pay Kingwood Service Association fees, though it is considered part of Kingwood and is also developed by Friendswood Development.