The Woodlands Community

The Woodlands is located on 27,000 acres of forestland, 27 miles north of Houston, Texas. The planned community, developed by The Woodlands Operating Company, L.P., opened in October 1974, and has grown steadily to become one of the region's most desired places to live and work. The projected population of 120,000 will enjoy a framework combining residency, industry, churches, schools, public facilities, shopping, recreation and the forest in a convenient and aesthetically-pleasing community whole.

History:  Originally established in 1838 when cotton and sugar where the main crops. With the coming of the rail road the town thrived with timber & sugar mills. The area was originally inhabited by the Orcoquiza Indians, who were first visited by Spaniards in 1746. In the 1820s some of Stephen F. Austin's colonists settled nearby. In 1836 the General Council of the Provisional Government included the area in the municipality of Harrisburg. William Pierpont established a trading post on nearby Spring Creek in 1838, and by 1840 Spring had a population of 153. In the mid-1840s German immigrants, most notably Carl Wunsche, settled in the area and began farming the land. Immigrants from Louisiana and the postbellum South later moved into the farming community. Sugar cane and cotton were the main cash crops, but vegetables were also raised. The town had a sugar mill for syrup making and two cotton gins. After the Houston and Great Northern Railroad built through Spring in 1871, the town grew considerably. A post office was established in 1873. By 1884 Spring had two steam saw and grist mills, two cotton gins, three churches, several schools, and a population of 150. In 1901-03 the International-Great Northern Railroad connected Spring with Fort Worth. A roundhouse was built, and Spring became a major switchyard with fourteen trackyards and 200 rail workers. A sawmill was built near the tracks, and lumbering became an important business for a time. By 1910 the population had risen to 1,200. In 1912 the Spring State Bank was established. It was robbed several times in the 1930s; erroneous rumors have attributed one robbery to Bonnie and Clyde. In 1935 the bank consolidated with the Tomball Bank. One of the noted businesses in Spring about this time was the A. F. Russell Day Lily Farm, which had an international mail-order clientele. In 1923 the roundhouse was moved to Houston, and Spring began to decline. By 1931 its population had fallen to 300. In 1947, however, a population of 700 was reported, and by 1984 the figure had risen to 15,000, the number that was still reported in 1989. From 1969 to 1992, when it was moved to Akron, Ohio, the Goodyear airship America was based near Spring. The airship is one of three designed and built by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio. During its travels the blimp's night signs provide public relation messages, and its TV camera films many sporting and public events. In the 1970s Houston suburbs expanded northwestward; an increasing number of subdivisions and residential areas grew up around Spring. Some of the old houses in Spring were restored and opened as shops. In 1980 the Old Town Spring Association was formed and the down town area was restored and over 80 gift shops were opened forming a unique shopping area.

In 1980 the Old Town Spring Association was formed to promote this unique shopping village. By 1989 Old Town Spring had become a tourist attraction with over 80 unique speciality shops. The Spring post office services about 80,000 people, but its area includes more than Spring. Similarly, the Spring Independent School District includes much more than the town of Spring. The estimated population of the school district is 75,000. In 1990 Spring had a population of 33,111.

Houston, Texas

Facts:  The population of Houston is approximately 1,953,631 (2000).
The approximate number of families is 696,807 (1998).
The amount of land area in Houston is 1398.285 sq. kilometers.
The amount of land area in Houston is 581.4 sq. miles.
The amount of surface water is 56.774 sq kilometers.
The distance from Houston to Washington DC is 1265 miles. The distance to the Texas state capital is 149 miles. (as the crow flies)
Houston is positioned 29.76 degrees north of the equator and 95.38 degrees west of the prime meridian.
Houston elevation is 0-90 feet above sea level.
Houston per capita income is $19,235 (1998).
Houston median income is $36,094 (1998)

Humble, Texas

Facts:  The population of Humble is approximately 12,060 (1990).
The approximate number of families is 5,260 (1990).
The amount of land area in Humble is 25.549 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0.034 sq kilometers.
The distance from Humble to Washington DC is 1251 miles. The distance to the Texas state capital is 153 miles. (as the crow flies)
Humble is positioned 29.99 degrees north of the equator and 95.26 degrees west of the prime meridian.

In 1892 the town had one physician and a population of 500. From 1906 to 1908 Isaac H. Kempner of Galveston and William T. Eldridge of Eagle Lake acquired the Ellis and Cunningham plantations and the Cunningham Sugar Company, modernized the facilities, and made the community a company town for the Imperial Sugar Company, the Sugarland Industries, and Sugar Land Railroad (Missouri Pacific). By 1914 the population had dropped to 200, but the number of businesses had increased to include a paper manufacturer and a bank. In 1919 the interests were managed by Sugarland Industries, which operated the farm and ranch and mercantile interests. In 1913 the sugar company built 8½ miles of levee, along with 20 miles of drainage ditches, to keep the Brazos River from flooding Sugar Land. Between 1917 and 1928 dredging of the many shallow pools, lakes, creeks, and Oyster Creek reclaimed acreage to provide necessary drainage and more farmland. The last sugarcane crop in Fort Bend County was harvested in 1928. Plant disease and the high federal protective tax on cane sugar ended local cane farming, and thereafter raw sugar was imported for the refinery. In 1925 the population was listed at 1,000; four years later that figure had expanded to 2,500.

With the Great Depression the town lost residents, and in 1936 population was registered at 1,500, where it remained through the 1940s. In 1946 the Kempner family became sole owners of the town. By 1956 some 2,285 people called Sugar Land home.

The town was incorporated in 1959, a year after Imperial Sugar and Sugarland Properties, Incorporated, also owned by the Kempner family, began selling the businesses, homes, and land for development. T. E. Harmon was the first mayor. By 1964 the population had increased to 3,100. In 1970 the town listed 3,499 citizens and twenty-eight businesses. In 1980 it had 4,173 residents and ninety-five businesses. Spurred by development from nearby Houston, the population had climbed in 1988 to 14,898, and businesses numbered 423. In 1989 the population was 19,874. In 1990 it was 24,529. 

Tomball, Texas

Facts:  The population of Tomball is approximately 6370.
The approximate number of families is 2727.
The amount of land area in Tomball is 25.638 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0.013 sq kilometers.
The distance from Tomball to Washington DC is 1243 miles. The distance to the Texas state capital is 128 miles (as the crow flies).
Tomball is positioned 30.09 degrees north of the equator and 95.61 degrees west of the prime meridian.

Currently Speaking:  The Mission of the City of Tomball is to promote a healthy and safe environment of increasingly higher quality of life for all citizens, with sensitivity to the financial burden it may impose.  Rich with history and bright with future, Tomball Texas is a community of traditional family values, advancing technology, and geographic significance.  As the Mayor of Tomball wrote in his "Message From the Mayor," ...  The important things we are looking for when selecting a place to live and raise our family are found in the City of Tomball. This is a Christian community with numerous churches that will welcome you. A place where the “old values” that have made this country prosper with greatness are continued. This is a city where you feel safe, whether it is going shopping or out for an evening stroll. 

    As we get older and our families grow, we often have a need for medical services and Tomball has some of the very best hospitals, clinics, cancer centers and rehabilitation facilities available. No other small city can even come close to offering the quality of medical services that Tomball offers. 

    Another area of concern is education. Tomball offers a selection of superior public, parochial and private institutions. You have a choice from nursery, day care, pre-kindergarten and all the way through college in our city. One of the things that set our community apart from others is having a college. We are extremely proud of what Tomball College, a member of the North Harris Montgomery Community College System, brings to our area. Students can begin taking college courses in conjunction with their high school requirements and earn college credits before graduating from high school. Then they can continue to take college courses while living at home (which saves Mom and Dad a great deal of money) prior to transferring to another university. 

    These services, along with two of the highest rated Police and Fire Departments in the nation, contribute to its appeal. We, the people, are what make Tomball GREAT. It is a wonderful hometown, a town that we are proud to label "A Hometown with a Heart."