Greater Katy Area is the term often used to refer to a suburban region on the west side of the Greater Houston metropolitan area roughly corresponding to the boundaries of the Katy Independent School District. Many people and businesses in this area have a Katy address, but are not part of the city of Katy. This area includes the suburbs that surround the Katy city limits west to Pederson road, roughly east to State Highway 6, north to FM 529, and south to FM 1093/ Westpark Tollway Parkway. While these boundaries are not exact, it gives a rough outline of what most people consider Greater Katy, and what the USPS designates as "Katy, Texas" by assigning that city to addresses within zip codes that fall in this region. Most of Greater Katy is to the east of the city of Katy toward Houston and includes surrounding suburban areas and unincorporated areas that are not in the Houston city limits. The region includes parts of Harris County, Fort Bend County, and Waller County much as the City of Katy does. Greater Katy is one of the fastest-growing portions of the Houston metropolitan area and the state of Texas as a whole.
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The City of Katy was formally incorporated in 1945, [1] but was settled as Cane Island [2] in 1872.
The City of Houston did limited purpose annexation in Greater Katy after the year 2000. [3]
As of 2015 the population of the Katy area is larger than that of the city limits of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [4]
The City of Katy, Texas is a very small area surrounded by the Greater Katy area. The City itself has 14,102 residents as of the 2010 census (16,000 is the 2017 estimate), while the greater Katy area has an estimated 300,000 residents living within the Katy Independent School District boundaries as of 2015. Many people confuse Greater Katy with the City of Katy; however, there is no city representation or services provided to people outside of the actual city limits of Katy. Some of this area is actually within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston. The city of Katy cannot annex this area without express permission from the City of Houston. This has occurred on several occasions in regards to relatively small tracts of land. This came into play with development of the Katy Mills Mall, which sat mostly within the City of Katy but about half was in the Houston ETJ. The developer and city of Katy threatened to build just a parking lot on the Houston area, depriving Houston of any real property tax revenue. For 1 million dollars Katy bought the right to annex the area desired.[ citation needed ]
Several corporations and employers are headquartered in the Greater Katy area.
As of 2014, within the area, the Katy Independent School District (a school district), having about 8,000 employees, is the largest employer. BP America, with about 7,000 employees, is the second largest. [5]
Igloo Products is headquartered west of Katy in unincorporated Waller County. [6] Academy Sports and Outdoors has its corporate offices and product distribution center in unincorporated western Harris County. [7]
In 2008 KBR announced that a new office facility would appear at the intersection of the Grand Parkway and Interstate 10 in unincorporated western Harris County, Texas, between Houston and Katy. [8] The new complex would have been be in close proximity to the Energy Corridor area of Houston. [9] KBR planned to continue to have a corporate presence in Downtown. [10] In December KBR said that it would not continue with the plans due to a weakened economy. [11] In 2015 the former KBR property was sold to a development company, and has now become a Costco.
The Katy Area Economic Development Council serves as the economic development organization for the area. Founded in 2003, the Katy Area Economic Development Council’s (Katy Area EDC) mission is to establish the Katy area as the premier location for families and businesses through planned economic growth and economic development. Since its inception, the Katy Area EDC has grown to over 210 members, has a budget of $900,000 and has assisted in the creation of over 16,200 jobs and more than $2.5 billion in capital investment. Katy Area EDC is a full-service private, non-profit, 501 (c) 6 economic development corporation.
Harris County Sheriff's Office patrols areas of unincorporated areas of Harris County.
Harris County Leadership Academy (formerly Delta Boot Camp [12] ), a juvenile correctional facility of the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, is in Harris County near Katy. [13] It is located on a 14-acre (5.7 ha) plot of land in the northwestern portion of the county, in proximity to the Sharp Road and the Katy-Hockley Road Cutoff intersection. The juvenile boot camp, scheduled to open in November 1999, was originally scheduled to be located in proximity to Barker Cypress Road and south of Interstate 10. It had a price of $2 million, with most of the money coming from federal grants and $500,000 coming from taxpayers. It had survived a lawsuit filed by residents of the area surrounding its current northwest Harris location. [14]
Harris Health System, formerly Harris County Hospital District (the county's hospital district), operates the Danny Jackson Health Center in the Bear Hunter Plaza in Greater Katy. [15] Prior to Jackson's opening, the designated public health center was the Northwest Health Center in Houston. The nearest public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, Houston. [16] Fort Bend County does not have a hospital district. OakBend Medical Center serves as the county's charity hospital which the county contracts with. [17]
By 2004 many Venezuelans fleeing the economic changes by the Hugo Chávez government settled in the Houston area due to the oil industry, and they specifically chose to move to the Katy area due to the Katy Independent School District's reputation and the proximity to their workplaces in west Houston. As a result, the Katy area received the nickname "Katyzuela". [18] By 2016 real estate agents began using the "Katyzuela" moniker. [19] In regards to the nickname, Sebastian Herrera of the Houston Chronicle wrote "no one seems quite sure who to credit." [20] As of 2017 [update] almost 50% of the people of Venezuelan origins in Greater Houston lived in Greater Katy, meaning almost 5,050 people of Venezuelan origins lived in Greater Katy. [21] Katy, Texas has among the largest Venezuelan American populations outside Florida.
In particular, as of 2012 Venezuelans are concentrated in Cinco Ranch. As of 2015 two restaurants, Budare Arepa Express and Delis Café, according to Florian Martin of Houston Public Media, "could be considered the social centers of the Venezuelan community in Katy. " [22] By 2023, multiple Venezuelan restaurants were established in the Katy area. [23] St. Faustina Catholic Church has a Spanish worship service that attracts Venezuelan people. Naida Givvon established a Venezuelan cultural festival in 2011; it is held every year at the Southwest Equestrian Center. [21]
Prior to the growth of the Venezuelan community, circa the 1990s, the main Hispanic and Latino population in Greater Katy was Mexican American. [19]
The Asian American population of Greater Katy was about 40,000 in 2019, and from 2000 to 2010 that population increased 300%. There is a development called Katy Asian Town, which is 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) large. [24] The development is in the Houston limited purpose annexation area. [25]
The Katy Independent School District operates public schools. Schools listed are in Greater Katy only.
Public high schools:
Aristoi Classical Academy (formerly West Houston Charter School), a state charter school, is in Katy.
Prior to the opening of Epiphany of the Lord, the closest area Catholic grade school was John Paul II Catholic School in the Energy Corridor area in Houston. [32]
As of 2019 [update] The Village School in the Energy Corridor area has two bus services to Greater Katy, with one to Cinco Ranch. [34] In addition the Awty International School in Spring Branch, which has the Houston area's French international school, maintains a bus service to Greater Katy. [35]
Katy is served by the Houston Community College System. HCC Northwest College operates the Katy Campus [36]
Harris County Public Library operates the Katy Library in the City of Katy.
Greater Katy is served by the Fort Bend County Libraries Cinco Ranch Branch Library is in Cinco Ranch, south of Katy. [37] The HCPL Maud Smith Marks Branch Library is in unincorporated Harris County, east of Katy. [38]
(listed from west to east)
(listed from north to south)
Greater Katy is, for the most part, subdivisions and master planned communities with retail centers. Some of the neighborhoods and subdivisions that are in Greater Katy:
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In 2013 the Katy Youth Cricket, the first children's cricket club in the Houston area, was established. [39]
By 2019 there was an increase in non-chain restaurants that covered different kinds of cuisines. [24]
Beginning in 2011, the Katy Equestrian Center began having the "Viva Venezuela" festival, with 12,000 to 15,000 people going each year. [19]
As of 2016 [update] there are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu institutions in Greater Katy and nearby; there are Christian churches in the original City of Katy and in unincorporated areas, while religious buildings of other faiths are located in unincorporated areas but not in the original city. [40]
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The original City of Katy became known as the "City of Churches" due to the role of religion in daily life. As of 2016 [update] the city had about 15 churches. The first church established in the city was First Baptist Church, and other churches in the city include St. Bartholomew the Apostle Catholic Church, Katy First United Methodist Church, Alief Baptist Church, and Parkway Fellowship Church. [40]
In addition, several churches have been established in unincorporated areas in nearby Greater Katy. Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church, in unincorporated Harris County, [41] opened in 1981. In 1984 a Molotov cocktail damaged the church building. The church building received several additions. Jack Dinkins was the pastor in 2010. [42] As of 2018 [update] Tom Lam is the pastor of Epiphany of the Lord. [43] St. Edith Stein Catholic Church, in unincorporated Harris County, [44] on 20 acres (8.1 ha) of land adjacent to the Westfield subdivision, opened in September 1999. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston bought the site in March 1999. The church's 100-seat 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) sanctuary and 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) Formation Center were scheduled to be completed in early March 2004 for a total of $5.8 million. Other buildings were to be erected at a later time. [45] Prior to the opening of the permanent facilities, the church was housed in Katy ISD buildings. In 2002 about 600 families were registered at St. Edith Stein. [46] By 2006 the number of families was about 1,400. [47] St. Faustina Catholic Church, in nearby Fulshear in Fort Bend County, [48] is in proximity to Cinco Ranch and is popular with Greater Katy's Venezuelan population. The church has Spanish worship services, [21] and occupies a 1,600-seat building on 24 acres (9.7 ha) of land in Cross Creek Ranch. St. Faustina was established in 2014 to relieve Epiphany of the Lord and St. Bartholomew as suburban growth had increased the number of area residents. Initially, masses were held in Joe Hubenak Elementary School, a Lamar Consolidated Independent School District facility. In 2017 it moved into its current building. [49]
Greater Katy's first Catholic senior high school, Saint John XXIII High School, opened in 2004, and the first Catholic grade school, Epiphany of Our Lord Catholic School, was under development in 2016. [29]
Katy Islamic Center, the largest mosque in Greater Katy, is located in unincorporated Harris County. [50] Operated by the Muslim American Society (MAS), it occupies an 11-acre (4.5 ha) tract with a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) mosque building that is two stories tall. [51] In September 2006 the Katy Islamic Society purchased the tract for $1.1 million ($1662528.89 according to inflation). Around that time some neighbors of the tract reacted negatively. Many cited concerns involving infrastructure such as traffic and drainage. One man threatened to hold pig races, animals which are forbidden as a food in Islam. Another established a website that had a counter of terrorist attacks that occurred since the September 11 attacks. [52] Construction began in 2008 after MAS acquired the tract, and it opened on June 13, 2015. [51]
The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) operates its own Katy-area mosque, Masjid Al-Aqsa (Katy Islamic Center or KIC), in unincorporated Fort Bend County. [53]
Sai Durga Shiva Vishnu Temple is located in unincorporated Fort Bend County. [54] In 2013 Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha of Trinidad and Tobago, Branch 377, an organization of those who have Trinidad and Tobago ancestry, and the Hindu community of the Greater Katy area jointly began development of a new Hindu temple, which will include all Hindu deities rather than focusing on one deity. By November of that year, the 2.4-acre (0.97 ha) temple site already had its temporary buildings. The renovation was scheduled to begin in early 2014 with a goal of opening in May of that year. About 10-15 people are organizing the temple. Amaranth Venkateswarlu, an engineer who is one of the organizers, stated that there are about 500 Indian families who live in Greater Katy and that they went to Hindu temples in Pearland and Sugar Land. [55]
Congregation Or Ami is located in Westchase, [56] in west Houston, in proximity to Greater Katy. As of 2018 [update] the rabbi is Gideon Estes. [57]
While the City of Katy is the only area served by city fire, police, and emergency services, there are other cases where all of Greater Katy is served by one organization. Examples include:
Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas; as of the 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, making it the most populous county in Texas and the third-most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston, the most populous city in Texas and fourth-most populous city in the United States. The county was founded in 1836 and organized in 1837. It is named for John Richardson Harris, who founded the town of Harrisburg on Buffalo Bayou in 1826. According to the July 2023 census estimate, Harris County's population has shifted to 4,835,125 comprising over 16% of Texas's population. Harris County is included in the nine-county Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area, which is the fifth-most populous metropolitan area in the United States.
Fort Bend County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The county was founded in 1837 and organized the next year. It is named for a blockhouse at a bend of the Brazos River. The community developed around the fort in early days. The county seat is Richmond. The largest city located entirely within the county borders is Sugar Land. The largest city by population in the county is Houston; however, most of Houston's population is located in neighboring Harris County.
Pearland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Brazoria County, with portions extending into Fort Bend and Harris counties. The city of Pearland is a principal city within the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area. At the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 125,828, up from a population of 91,252 at the 2010 census. Pearland's population growth rate from 2000 to 2010 was 142 percent, which ranked Pearland as the 15th-fastest-growing city in the U.S. during that time period, compared to other cities with a population of 10,000 or greater in 2000. Pearland is the third-largest city in the Greater Houston area after Houston and Pasadena, Texas.
Cinco Ranch is a census-designated place and master-planned community located in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the city of Houston within Fort Bend and Harris counties in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.8 km2).The population was 16,899 at the 2020 census. It lies approximately 25 miles (40 km) west of the Harris County seat of Houston and 10 miles (16 km) north of the Fort Bend County seat of Richmond. Cinco Ranch is considered to be part of the Greater Katy area and is roughly 10 miles southeast of the city of Katy.
Katy is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in the Greater Katy area, itself forming the western part of the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Homes and businesses may have Katy postal addresses without being in the City of Katy. The city of Katy is approximately centered at the tripoint of Harris, Fort Bend, and Waller counties. Katy had a population of 21,894 at the 2020 U.S. census, up from 14,102 in 2010.
Missouri City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. The city is mostly in Fort Bend County, with a small portion in Harris County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 74,259, an increase over the figure of 67,358 tabulated in 2010.
Spring Branch is a district in west-northwest Harris County, Texas, United States, roughly bordered by Tanner Road and Hempstead Road to the north, Beltway 8 to the west, Interstate 10 to the south, and the 610 Loop to the east; it is almost entirely within the city of Houston. Established by the Texas Legislature, the Spring Branch Management District exercises jurisdiction over the area.
The Memorial area of Houston, Texas is located west of Downtown, northwest of Uptown, and south of Spring Branch. The Memorial Super Neighborhood, as defined by the City of Houston, is bounded by Buffalo Bayou to the south, Barker Reservoir to the west, Westview to the north, and the Memorial Villages, a contiguous group of independent municipalities, to the east.
The Katy Independent School District (KISD) is a public school district based in Katy, Texas, United States with an enrollment of over 85,700 students. In 2022, the district was given a grade of "A" by the Texas Education Agency.
Cypress is an unincorporated community in Harris County, Texas, United States, located completely inside the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston. The Cypress area is located along U.S. Route 290 is twenty-four miles (35 km) northwest of Downtown Houston. The Cypress urban cluster ranks 50th in the top 100 highest-income urban areas in the United States.
State Highway 99, also known as the Grand Parkway, is a beltway in the U.S. state of Texas. Its first section opened on August 31, 1994. When the route is completed, it will be the longest beltway in the U.S., the world's seventh-longest ring road, and the third (outer) loop of the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area, with Interstate 610 being the first (inner) loop and Beltway 8 being the second (middle) loop. The proposed 170-mile (270 km) loop has been divided into 11 separate segments for construction and funding purposes. In May 2019, the Texas Department of Transportation gave the Grand Parkway a secondary designation as the Mayor Bob Lanier Memorial Parkway, honoring Bob Lanier, who served as the mayor of Houston from 1992 to 1998 and who had spearheaded the creation of the Grand Parkway.
East End Houston, managed by the East End District (EED), is a district in eastern Houston, Texas, United States, located between the eastern edge of downtown to the Port of Houston and South to Hobby Airport. The District is home to Houston's early history and industry and is the site of Harrisburg, the seat of government for the Republic of Texas in 1836. East End Houston consists of many different ethnic groups, including Hispanic, Asian, White, and African American. Latinos make up more than half of the 100,512 residents, The area includes two of Houston's oldest Hispanic neighborhoods, Magnolia Park and Second Ward.
Westheimer Road is an arterial east–west road in Houston, Texas, United States. It runs from Bagby Street in Downtown and terminates at the Westpark Tollway on the southern edge of George Bush Park, stretching about 19 miles (31 km) long. The street was named after Michael Louis Westheimer, a German immigrant and flour salesman.
The Energy Corridor is a business district in Houston, Texas, located on the west side of the metropolitan area between Beltway 8 and the Grand Parkway. The district straddles a 7-mile (11 km) stretch of Interstate 10 from Kirkwood Road westward to Barker Cypress Road and extends south along Eldridge Parkway to Briar Forest Drive. Parts of the district overlap with the Memorial area of Houston. The district is located north of Westchase, another major business district of Houston, and east of Greater Katy.
Obra D. Tompkins High School (OTHS) is a high school located in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas in Greater Katy, within Greater Houston. The school is part of the Katy Independent School District.
Canyon Gate at Cinco Ranch or Canyon Gate at Historic Cinco Ranch is a subdivision in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas, near the Cinco Ranch census-designated place. It is located at Farm to Market Road 1093 and Mason Road.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Danny Jackson Health Center 5503 N. Fry Road Katy, TX 77449
{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)Nearly half of the more than 11,000 Venezuelans in Houston live in the 181 square miles that make up Katy.- note that the City of Katy itself is much smaller than that. In context, "Katy" here means "Greater Katy".
Masjid Al-Aqsa (Katy Islamic Center) Address: 2810 Saddlehorn Trail Katy TX, 77494- Dedicated website has the address: "Masjid Al-Aqsa KIC 24730 Saddle Spur Ln. Katy, TX 77494"
[...]Congregation Or Ami located at 3443 Wilcrest Drive.[...]Congregation Or Ami, a synagogue in Katy/West Houston, for eight years.
