Meyerland (Houston)
Meyerland is a 6,000-acre (9 sq mi) community in southwest Houston, Texas, outside of the 610 Loop and inside Beltway 8.
A notable feature of Meyerland is Meyerland Plaza, a large outdoor shopping center. Meyerland also is the center of Houston's Jewish community. Meyerland is the home of Houston's Jewish Community Center, Congregation Beth Israel, Congregation Beth Yeshurun, and several smaller synagogues.
Another notable feature of Meyerland is that it is almost entirely located within the 100 year Floodplain, and houses are prone to flooding during heavy rain events.
The neighborhood is named after the Meyer family, who bought and owned 6,000 acres (24 km²) of land in southwest Houston.
The subdivision was formerly rice fields. Joseph F. Meyer Sr. originally acquired the land in sections beginning around 1885.
The land was unused for many years, although part of it was leased to farmers and cattlemen. Joseph Meyer was confident that one day his holdings would be within the Houston city limits.
After Joseph’s death in 1933, the land was divided among his three sons, George, Frank and Joseph Jr. It was not until 20 years after the father’s death that George Meyer decided to develop his share of the land.
George Meyer developed 1,200 acres (5 km2) of the fields into the Meyerland subdivision in 1955. Vice President Richard Nixon was at the subdivision's ribbon-cutting ceremony. Meyerland was one of the first deed-restricted communities in the City of Houston.
On Memorial Day, May 30, 1961, the "Hero Tree" was dedicated as a living memorial to Capt. Gary L. Herod for his heroism. The tree and a stone marker are located near Meyerland Plaza shopping center on Beechnut Street.
On February 16, 1967, the Meyerland State Bank (now a BBVA Compass) was robbed. The bank initially believed it lost $62,211, which would have made it the most severe bank robbery in Houston at the time. The bank staff later realized that $13,000 of that was in the wrong location and was not in fact stolen, which meant it was Houston's second-most severe bank robbery.
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