West End (Houston)

Last updated

West End is a neighborhood in Houston, Texas, United States located along the Washington Avenue Corridor.

Contents

West End neighborhood sign Houston West End Sign.jpg
West End neighborhood sign

The West End was traditionally a working-class neighborhood that was established in the early 1920s in Houston Texas. Recent gentrification has increased the population density and the development of numerous townhome communities has grown and businesses that cater to the demographic have increased. For many residents, the area known as the West End was the land north of Memorial Drive, south of I-10, east of Westcott and west of Studemont.

The area had a variety of mainly wood based residential architecture. The West End Park vicinity originally had an array of 1920s shotgun-style bungalows. The driveways there were paved with crushed seashells. The entire West End area had mainly European American working-class people, although the area surrounding West End Park had mainly African Americans and a few Mexican Americans in the late 1970s. By the mid-1980s the crack epidemic ravaged the African American area particularly around Patterson St. and Eli St. The crack houses in the area were well known throughout the city, and rivaled those of the 5th Ward. Latino Americans started moving into the area by the 1980s. Crime and prostitution were rampant especially in and around Washington area bars and liquor stores. By the 1990s, industries in the area were already in decline. A large metal company along with other businesses closed. By the 2000s, redevelopers transformed the area and renamed areas in the West End.

The main street that runs east to west until it breaks off towards and over interstate 10, is Washington Avenue.

The area nearer to the beautiful Memorial Park had larger wood-framed houses with expansive yards until it was gentrified, beginning in the 1990s. The park is a neighborhood fixture, and was at one point an army base named Camp Logan where a mutiny raged at one point.

Buffalo Bayou serves as a natural southern border for the West End. White Oak Bayou also meanders through a portion of it. The Houston Heights is a natural buffer to the north.

The official boundaries of West End are Durham Drive to the west, Washington Avenue to the south, I-10 to the north and Yale St. to the east. [1]

The parts of this area that were the worst affected by neglect, poverty, and the Houston crack epidemic have been completely redeveloped.

West End is also a part of Super Neighborhood 22, an organized collection of neighborhood civic clubs along the Washington Corridor that voices their neighborhoods' interests to various local issues/situations. [2]

Government

West End is in the 18th Texas Congressional District and is a part of the Houston City Council District "C". [3]

Parks and recreation

West End park sign Houston West End Park Sign.jpg
West End park sign

West End Park, established in 1976, is located on the east side of Patterson Street between Koehler and Eli Streets

Education

West End residents are zoned to the following Houston Independent School District (HISD) public schools:

Previously it was zoned to Milam Elementary School. [7] In April 2004 the HISD board voted to close Milam, rezoning its students to Memorial. [8] Milam was later converted into a private preschool. [9]

Related Research Articles

River Oaks, Houston Subdivision in Houston, Texas, USA

River Oaks is a residential community located in the center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans 1,100 acres (450 ha). Established in the 1920s by brothers Will Hogg and Michael Hogg, the community became a well-publicized national model for community planning. Real estate values in the community range from $1 million to over $20 million. River Oaks was also named the most expensive neighborhood in Houston in 2013. The community is home to River Oaks Country Club, which includes a golf course designed by architect Donald Ross and redesigned in 2015 by Tom Fazio.

Midtown, Houston Neighborhood of Houston in Harris County, Texas, USA

Midtown is a central neighborhood of Houston, located west-southwest of Downtown. Separated from Downtown by an elevated section of Interstate 45, Midtown is characterized by a continuation of Downtown's square grid street plan, anchored by Main Street and the METRORail Red Line. Midtown is bordered by Neartown (Montrose) to the west, the Museum District to the south, and Interstate 69 to the east. Midtown's 325 blocks cover 1.24 square miles (3.2 km2) and contained an estimated population of nearly 8,600 in 2015.

Heights High School Public school (u.s.) school

Heights High School, formerly John H. Reagan High School, is a senior high school located in the Houston Heights in Houston, Texas. It serves students in grades nine through twelve and is a part of the Houston Independent School District.

Meyerland, Houston Community in Houston, Texas

Meyerland is a community in southwest Houston, Texas, outside of the 610 Loop and inside Beltway 8. The neighborhood is named after the Meyer family, who bought and owned 6,000 acres (24 km²) of land in southwest Houston.

Houston Heights Neighborhood of Houston in Harris, Texas, United States

Houston Heights is a community in northwest-central Houston, Texas, United States. "The Heights" is often referred to colloquially to describe a larger collection of neighborhoods next to and including the actual Houston Heights. However, Houston Heights has its own history, distinct from Norhill and Woodland Heights.

Rice Military, Houston

Rice Military is a neighborhood in Houston, Texas, United States. The Beer Can House is located in Rice Military.

University Oaks, Houston

University Oaks is a subdivision in southeast Houston with approximately 240 homes located adjacent to the University of Houston. It is bounded by Wheeler Avenue to the north, South MacGregor Way to the south, Calhoun Road to the east, and Cullen Boulevard to the west.

Madison High School (Houston) Public school in Houston, Texas, United States

James Madison High School is a public high school located in the Hiram Clarke area of Houston, Texas, United States. The school, located in the Five Corners District, serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of the Houston Independent School District. The school is named after James Madison, the fourth President of the United States.

Glenbrook Valley, Houston

Glenbrook Valley is a subdivision located in Houston, Texas, United States.

Timbergrove Manor, Houston

Timbergrove Manor is a neighborhood in northwest Houston, Texas. It consists of two sections with two different homeowners associations: Timbergrove Manor Civic Club (TMCC) and Timbergrove Manor Neighborhood Association (TMNA).

Crestwood/Glen Cove is a community in Houston, Texas. It consists of the Crestwood and Glen Cove subdivisions. The Crestwood/Glen Cove Civic Club serves the Crestwood/Glen Cove community.

Magnolia Grove is a small neighborhood located along Buffalo Bayou between downtown Houston and Memorial Park in Houston, Texas. The neighborhood is bounded by Memorial Drive, Shepherd Drive, Washington Avenue, and Waugh Drive.

Idylwood, Houston

Idylwood is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of the I-610 loop in Houston, Texas. Idylwood, as of 2021, is the most expensive neighborhood in the East End. As of that year its houses were priced between $295,000 and $679,900. It currently has approximately 340 homes. Bill England, a redeveloper in the East End area, stated in 2004 that Idylwood appealed to buyers who are priced out of houses located in the cities of Bellaire and West University Place.

Riverside Terrace is a neighborhood in Houston, Texas, United States. It is along Texas State Highway 288 and north of the Texas Medical Center and located near Texas Southern University and University of Houston. There about 20 sections of Riverside Terrace that span across North and South MacGregor. The community, formerly an affluent Jewish neighborhood, became an affluent community for African Americans in the 1950s and '60s. It is still predominantly African American neighborhood with different income levels. It has been undergoing a gradual change in demographics and aesthetics due to gentrification efforts since the early 2000s.

Cottage Grove is a community in Houston, Texas.

Lazybrook/Timbergrove, Houston

Lazybrook and Timbergrove Manor are two adjoining, deed-restricted neighborhoods located approximately 7 miles northwest of Downtown Houston, Texas. Located inside the 610 Loop and just west of the Houston Heights, Lazybrook and Timbergrove Manor are situated along the wooded banks of White Oak Bayou in the near northwest quadrant of the city.

Wharton Dual Language Academy School in Houston, Texas, United States

William H. Wharton K-8 Dual Language Academy, formerly William Wharton Elementary School, is a public school in the Neartown area of Houston, Texas and part of the Houston Independent School District. Also known as the Wharton Dual Language Academy, the school serves gifted and talented students in the Language Magnet program from Pre-K through 8th grade.

Clayton Homes (Houston) Public housing development located in Houston, Texas, United States

Susan V. Clayton Homes is a public housing unit in the Second Ward area of the East End district of Houston. Operated by the Houston Housing Authority (HHA), formerly the Housing Authority of the City of Houston (HACH), it is along Runnels Street, along the Buffalo Bayou and east of Downtown Houston. It is adjacent to railroad tracks and warehouses. It has 296 units.

References

  1. "West End Civic Club"
  2. "Houston Super Neighborhood 22"
  3. "City of Houston Council All Districts Map." City of Houston. January, 2016. Retrieved on March 16, 2018.
  4. "Memorial Elementary School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District .
  5. "Hogg Middle School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District .
  6. "Reagan High School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District .
  7. "Milam EL Boundary Map." Houston Independent School District. March 28, 2002. Retrieved on October 21, 2012.
  8. Spencer, Jason. "HISD adopts plan for promotions, shuts 4 schools." Houston Chronicle . Friday April 9, 2004. Retrieved on October 21, 2012.
  9. Foster, Robin. "School closing draws protest in Cottage Grove." Houston Chronicle . Tuesday May 3, 2011. Retrieved on October 21, 2012.

See also

Coordinates: 29°46′23″N95°24′14″W / 29.773°N 95.404°W / 29.773; -95.404