Setting
Kingwood is a master-planned community in northeast Houston, about thirty miles northeast of Downtown Houston in the piney woods of southeastern Texas. Most of the community is in Harris County, with a small portion in Montgomery County, and it lies on the east fork of the San Jacinto River.
The community is known as the “Livable Forest. Its wooded setting includes nature preserves, parks, and trails, along with residential areas organized into neighborhoods called villages.
Origins and Growth
A portion of the land later developed as Kingwood was once owned by the Foster Lumber Company, with the Foster family holding land in the area since around 1892. In 1967, the land was sold to a joint venture between King Ranch and Friendswood Development Company, an Exxon subsidiary.
Kingwood was founded in 1970, and its first village opened in 1971. The name came from the partnership between King Ranch and Friendswood. Early plans called for greenbelts, shopping centers, schools, churches, recreational facilities, riding and hiking trails, and a boat ramp with access to Lake Houston.
Villages and Residential Character
Kingwood is divided into many villages. Most villages have a neighborhood pool and playground for residents, an elementary school, and village-specific services. Trailwood is the oldest village, with its first homes completed in 1971.
Although Kingwood is almost built out, new homes were still being built in Royal Shores and Woodridge Forest. Nearby developments associated with the Kingwood area include places such as Forest Cove, Kings Lake Estates, Oakhurst at Kingwood, King’s Mill, and King’s Manor.
Annexation and Later Events
The City of Houston annexed Kingwood at the end of 1996, adding about 15,000 acres to the city limits. Residents opposed the annexation, offered payment to avoid it, and filed a federal lawsuit. Kingwood residents later lobbied the Texas Legislature, which passed annexation law changes in 1999 that applied to future annexations.
In 2017, Kingwood experienced evacuations and severe flooding from the after-effects of Hurricane Harvey. The flooding was worsened by the San Jacinto River Authority’s decision to open floodgates.
Parks, Trails, and Recreation
Kingwood has more than 500 acres of nature preserves and parks and more than 75 miles of hike and bicycle trails. The greenbelt trails are maintained by trail associations in the villages, except in Trailwood Village, and each village association maintains a park and swimming pool for residents.
The area includes Kingwood Park, East End Park, Creekwood Nature Area, Deer Ridge Park, River Grove, a public dog park, and the City of Houston’s Dylan Duncan Memorial Park. Kingwood is also home to Kingwood Country Club, whose golf courses and clubhouses were used in the filming of the movie “Tin Cup.”
What it is like
Kingwood is in far northeast Houston, straddling US 59 north of the San Jacinto River, bounded by Lake Houston to the east and south, the Harris County boundary to the north, and Sorters Road to the west. Originally part of King Ranch, it became an immense master-planned community in the 1970s and was annexed by Houston in 1996. Known as “The Livable Forest,” it is mostly residential and has about 100 miles of greenbelts connecting shopping districts, schools, and parks.
Sources: Kingwood, Houston (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA); houstontx.gov