Kingwood

Kingwood is a 14,000 acre (57 km²) 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. 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. Some residents did not like the idea of the city annexing their community without the community's consent. In 2005 the population was roughly 65,000, and had almost 200,000 people living within a ten-mile (16 km) radius. The annexation of Kingwood and Jacintoport increased the city's population by about 43,000. The city of Houston added about 15,000 acres to the city limits on December 31, 1996, adding about 11:59 ha (6.100 ha) to the Kingwood area. In 1999 the legislature passed amendments requiring annexing municipalities to provide services to communities being annexed, and municipalities are required to provide a three-year planning period for developing plans for the annexed areas. The amendments do not affect prior annexations, including prior plans for service use if the annexing cities fail to follow through with their service plans. The state law allows for communities to use modified arbitration if the annexationing cities do not follow their plans through with prior plans, including a public comment period prior to official annexation. The amendment was passed by the Texas Legislature on December 28, 1999.

History

Kingwood is the primary city name, but also Humble are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Kingwood. 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. In 1994, the city of Houston began the process to annex Kingwood. Some residents did not like the idea of the city annexing their community without the community's consent. Houston annexed Kingwood at 11:59 PM on December 31, 1996, adding about 15,000 acres (6,100 ha) to the city limits. In 2005 the population was roughly 65,000, and had almost 200,000 people living within a ten-mile (16 km) radius. A series of robberies were perpetrated by four teenage girls from Kingwood loosely based on the film Sugar Spice & Spice Spice. The Woodlands would annex in 1999. The annexation that occurred in 1999 would not affect the Kingwood areas that would not undergo the annexation. In 2006, Kingwood had over 65, 000 residents. During that year, ten years after the annexation, most Kingwood residents "have settled in as Houstonians," but some still complain about high sewer and water rates for the annexed areas. The community had the slogan "The Livable Forest" Since the opening, the community has had a few thousand residents. Between 1980 and 1990 the population'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 first village opened in 1971.

Demographics

Kingwood includes the zip codes 77325, 77339, 77345, and (in part) 77346. In 2000 the super neighborhood had 52,899 residents. 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% wereNon-Hispanic others. The average household size is 2.71 people. 32.49% of people are married, with children. 6.28% have children, but are single. The median age is 37.2 compared to the US median of 37.6. 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. 9.56% of the people claim Hispanic ethnicity (meaning 90.44% arenon-Hispanic).  The median age in Kingwood (zip 7 7345), TX, is 37,2. The per Capita income for the area is $32,500. The population density is 2,006 people per square mile. In Kingwood there are 81,692 people live within these zip codes. There are 2,000 homes in the Kingwood super neighborhood, with a median age of 37, 2.2.

Cityscape

Kingwood is thirty miles northeast of Downtown Houston in the piney woods of southeastern Texas. The community, newly suburban and heavily forested, includes over 15,000 acres (6,100 ha) in nature preserves and parks. The villages of Kingwood include Barrington, Bear Branch, Deer Ridge Estates, Elm Grove, Fosters Mill, Greentree, Hunters Ridge, Kings Crossing. The golf courses and clubhouses were used in the filming of the 1996 movie, "Tin Cup" starring Kevin Costner. Kingwood is home to ClubCorp's Kingwood Country Club. It is the largest private club in Houston and one of the biggest in the world, with over 3,300 members. 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 also developed by Friendswood Development. The village of Trailwood is Kingwood's oldest village, with its first homes being completed in 1971. 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) Kingwood Greens, Kingwood Place, Mills Branch, North Woodland Hills, Reserve at Kings Point, River Bend, Riverchase, Royal Shores, Sand Creek, Sherwood Trails, South Woodland Hill, Woodridge Forest, Woodspring Forest, and Woodstream.

Notable residents

George Foreman, boxer, lived in Kingwood for many years and still owns a house in the Foster's Mill neighborhood.Charlie Sifford, golfer, first African American to play on the PGA Tour.Phil Garner, former player and later manager of the Houston Astros. George Foreman lived in the Kingwood area for years, and still lives in the area. He still lives there and still has a house there. He also has a son, who was born in the Houston area, and a daughter, who is also a Houston resident. He has also had a son who is now a Houston Astros player. He had a daughter who was also born in Houston, and now has a daughter of her own, who lives in Houston. He and his wife have two sons, who are also Houston residents, who live in the city. They also have a grandson, who has been born and raised in the City of Brotherly Love, Houston, Texas. He is also the son of former Houston Astros manager, Phil Garner, and has two children of his own, both of whom are Houston natives. He was born and grew up in the town of Kingwood. He currently lives with his wife in Houston's Foster's Mills neighborhood. He lives in a house he bought in the neighborhood in the early 1990s. His son is currently living in Houston and has a wife and two children in the same neighborhood. The couple have two children, who were born in 1991 and 2002.

Crime rate

In 1999 Sergeant G.A. MacAnulty of the Houston Police Department, who worked at the Kingwood substation, stated that almost all of the crime is perpetrated by juveniles. Vandalism had often occurred in the community. An unpublished study commissioned by the Friendswood Development Corporation and the Clergy Association of Kingwood concluded that the root of crime is due to the lack of recreational activities available in Kingwood. According to many youth there was a significant amount of recreational drug consumption in King Wood. In January through August 2003, the crime rate in KingWood was 1,793 per 100,000 residents. Less than 10% of crimes were violent. In this case, less than 10 per cent of the crimes wereviolent. In the same period of time in 2006, Kingwood had a crime rate of 1,364 per 100, 000 residents, with less than 8 per cent being violent. The crime rate for Kingwood in the past year has been between 1,791 and 1,836 per 100.000 residents in the last three years. In that time, the number of violent crimes has fallen from 10 to 7 per cent. The number of non-violent crimes has risen from 6 to 5 per cent in that time period. The total number of crimes committed in the area has been around 1,800 since the early 1990s. The city has a population of 2,000. In 2000, the population was 2,500. In 2001, the city had a population 1,788.

Economy

The human resources company Insperity (formerly Administaff) has its headquarters in Kingwood. The company was founded in the 1970s and is now one of the largest employers in the state. The city is also home to the University of Kingwood, which has a campus in the heart of the city. The town is also the site of the U.S. Air Force Base, which was established in the 1930s and still has a base in the town. The U.N. Embassy in Washington, D.C. is also based in the city, and was founded there in the 1950s. The Kingwood area is home to a number of businesses, including a bank, a hospital, a bank and a bank-life insurance company. It is also a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer months, when the city's population is at its highest. The area is also known for its beautiful scenery and natural scenery, particularly in the Kingwood hills and along the banks of the Red River. It has a reputation for being a good place to live and raise a family, and the town has a long history of being involved in the local community's social and political life. The local economy is also important to the town, with many businesses based there. It was founded by Kingwood residents in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and is still a major employer in the area. It also has a strong presence in the community today, particularly among the business community.

Education

About 90% of children raised in Kingwood attended colleges and universities. Kingwood is served by nine Humble ISD elementary schools. The closest Catholic high school is Frassati Catholic High School in north Harris County. The original Kingwood Library location closed on March 13, 2010, and the new location opened on April 19, 2010. The Kingwood Community College library permits access for "currently enrolled students, high school students, patrons of Montgomery County Memorial Library System, and college employees." Kingwood High School and Kingwood Park High School are both 6A and 5A high schools. 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. A two-year community college that serves the area is called Lone Star College-Kingwood and it is part of the Lone Star college System. The first Kingwood branch of the Harris County Public Library, had over 112,000 books, was dedicated on August 12, 1983. 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 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) facility. The demolished building was replaced by a new community center. In addition to the Kingwood library, and within Kingwood, there is also a Kingwood community college library.

Government and infrastructure

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 Kingwood Chamber of Commerce serves local businesses and the community with regular activities such as Kleenwood. Kingwood has the lowest number of police officers in relation to the overall number of crimes committed in the city. The city government would, post-annexation, allow volunteer fire departments to continue operating under a contract. Residents under the age of 17 are subject to a Houston mandated curfew after 11:00PM Sunday through Thursday, or 12:00AM on Friday and Saturday (baring few minor exceptions.) This curfew extends to fill the time between 9AM until 2:30PM on days when school is in session. The police station has a captain and 74 patrol and supervisor police officers. 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. The fire district is Houston Fire District 102, operated by the Houston Fire Department. Before the annexation, the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable provided law enforcement services. Before annexation, there were up to 80 paid and volunteer firefighters and twelve pieces of Equipment. After annexation the city added one more fire station. The stations acquired were numbered by the city from 101 to 104.