Setting
Clear Lake City is in southeast Harris County, within the Bay Area of Greater Houston. Most of the community is inside the Houston city limits, while a small eastern portion is within Taylor Lake Village. It is the second-largest master-planned community in Houston, after Kingwood.
Aerospace and Industry
The community sits next to NASA’s Johnson Space Center and near major aerospace companies, including Boeing and Lockheed-Martin. Clear Lake City and nearby areas have a high concentration of engineers, connected to NASA as well as local petrochemical and biomedical industries.
Origins and Development
The land that became Clear Lake City was first substantially developed by James Marion West, whose ranch property and home were around Clear Lake and Clear Creek. Humble Oil, now ExxonMobil, bought the property in 1938 after oil was discovered.
The Clear Lake City Community Association was established in 1963. The community was named for Clear Lake, which lies south of the Johnson Space Center and, with Clear Creek, separates Harris County from Galveston County. Clear Lake is effectively the mouth of Clear Creek as it empties into Galveston Bay.
Annexation and Local Services
Houston annexed the portion of Clear Lake City that had been in its extraterritorial jurisdiction in 1977, despite a resident campaign opposing the move.
Neighborhoods and Landmarks
Clear Lake City includes neighborhoods such as Bay Forest, Bay Glen, Bay Oaks, Brook Forest, Camino South, Meadowgreen, Middlebrook, Northfork, Oakbrook, Pipers Meadow, and Pinebrook. In Timber Cove, the local pool was designed in the shape of the Mercury capsule and was completed in 1963.
Parks, Library, and Culture
Houston operates Sylvan Rodriguez Park on Clear Lake City Boulevard. The Clear Lake City Community Association operates the Kermet H. Applewhite Sports and Recreation Center, which includes pools, a fitness room, a gymnasium, and tennis courts. The Clear Lake City–County Freeman Branch is administered by Harris County Public Library and funded in part by the Houston Public Library.
What it is like
Governor John Connally formally opened it on September 15, 1963, after Friendswood Development Company planned a residential development to support the new space industry; it was annexed to Houston in 1977.
Homes and housing
Clear Lake City is a master-planned community, with a master-planned residential development begun in 1963 by Friendswood Development Company to support the new space industry; Governor John Connally formally opened it on September 15, 1963. CLCCA covers over 6,000 properties, including residences, commercial/industrial businesses, churches and schools, and four subdivisions: Camino South, Oakbrook, Meadowgreen and Oakbrook West.
History and landmarks
Clear Lake City is a master-planned community in southeastern Harris County within Greater Houston’s Bay Area. Notable nearby landmarks and institutions include Johnson Space Center, Space Center Houston, Ellington Field, Baybrook Mall, University of Houston-Clear Lake, and Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital.
Parks, dining and things to do
Clear Lake City Community Association parks are open to the public from 7 am to 10 pm all year; listed parks include Rocket Park, Royal Park - Oakbrook, Rutledge Park - Camino South, Krueger Park - Meadowgreen Park, Oakbrook West Park and Drill Site Park. The Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce directory includes Restaurants & Bars, Grocery Stores, Bakeries, Shopping Centers, Boutiques, Gifts & Specialty Items, and other retail categories.
Sources: Clear Lake City (Greater Houston) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA); houstontx.gov; houstontx.gov; members.clearlakearea.com