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Kingwood, Texas

Kingwood
community of Houston and Master planned area
Kingwood
"KINGWOOD" sign on Kingwood Drive entering Kingwood [now torn down].
"KINGWOOD" sign on Kingwood Drive entering Kingwood [now torn down].
Nickname(s): The Livable Forest
Kingwood is located in Texas
Kingwood
Kingwood
Location within the state of Texas
Coordinates: 30°02′01″N 95°15′40″W / 30.03361°N 95.26111°W / 30.03361; -95.26111Coordinates: 30°02′01″N 95°15′40″W / 30.03361°N 95.26111°W / 30.03361; -95.26111
Country United States
State Texas
County Harris and Montgomery
Elevation 49 ft (15 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 81,692
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes 77325, 77339, 77345, 77346
Area code(s) 281, 713, 832
FIPS code 48-39376
GNIS feature ID 1385469

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. Known as the "Livable Forest," it is the largest master-planned community in Harris County and second-largest within the 10-county Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area. It was classified as a "census-designated place" during the 1990 census, when the population recorded was 37,397.

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.

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. On December 28, 1967, the land was sold to the joint venture between King Ranch and the Friendswood Development Company, an Exxon subsidiary. 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 Kingwood 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.

Kingwood was founded in 1970, and the first village opened in 1971. Since the opening, the community had the slogan "The Livable Forest." In 1976 Kingwood had a few thousand residents. Between 1980 and 1990 the community'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. In 2005 the population was roughly 65,000, and had almost 200,000 people living within a ten-mile (16 km) radius.


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