Hockley is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

located in

Harris County, Texas 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, ...

, on

Texas State Highway 6 State Highway 6 (SH 6) runs from the Red River, the Texas–Oklahoma state line, to northwest of Galveston, where it is known as the Old Galveston Highway. In Sugar Land and Missouri City, it is known as Alvin-Sugarland Road and runs per ...

and

U.S. Highway 290 U.S. Route 290 (US 290) is an east–west U.S. Highway located entirely within the state of Texas. Its western terminus is at Interstate 10 southeast of Segovia, and its eastern terminus is at Interstate 610 in northwest Houston. It is the m ...

, about five miles southeast of the city hall of Waller, and northwest of

downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10, Interstate 45, and Interstate 69. The ...

. The community serves as the main hub for railway traffic serving

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, Austin, and many parts of Central Texas. The

Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

(now known as

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

) rail line is one of the community's major employers. The community is surrounded by grain farms and cattle ranches. The ZIP Code for Hockley is 77447

History

George Washington Hockley established Hockley in 1835. In 1906, a

salt dome A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when salt (or other evaporite minerals) intrudes into overlying rocks in a process known as diapirism. Salt domes can have unique surface and subsurface structures, and they can be discovered usin ...

was discovered near Hockley and mined, especially for

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

Economy

In September 2008, Hewlett-Packard acquired of land near Hockley in a proposed industrial park planned by John Beeson of Beeson Properties and Monzer Hourani of Medistar Corp. It paid an undisclosed sum to Beeson and Hourani, the land's previous owners. Hewlett Packard's proposed $250 million facility would be near the intersection of Betka Road and U.S. Highway 290, in close proximity to the Harris County- Waller County line, from HP's main

greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States, encompassing nine counties along the Gulf Co ...

offices, and northwest of the city of Houston.

Infrastructure and government

Hockley is located in Harris County Precinct 3; as of 2008, Steve Radack serves as the head of the precinct.Community Centers : Hockley
" ''Harris County''. Accessed October 14, 2008. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

operates the Hockley Post Office at 17210 Warren Ranch Road.

Parks and recreation

The county operates th
Hockley Community Center
at 28515 Old Washington Road. In 1982, the county bought of land for a maintenance center and a community center. Bob Eckels, then the commissioner of Precinct 3, got a grant from the

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Urb ...

. Hermes Reed Hindman – Architects, Inc. developed the building and AIA Engineers and Contractors, Inc. served as the contractor. Construction ended in 1986. The county operates Hockley Park at 28515 Old Washington Road at the community center site.

Education

Hockley is within the

Waller Independent School District Waller Independent School District is a public school district based in Waller, Texas ( USA). In addition to Waller, the district serves the cities of Prairie View and Pine Island. In addition it serves unincorporated sections of Waller Coun ...

. Schools serving Hockley include: *

Waller High School Waller High School is a public high school in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, north of Waller, and classified as a 6A school by the UIL. It is part of the Waller Independent School District and serves students from Waller, Pine Island, ...

(''Unincorporated Harris County'')
Waller Junior High School
( Waller)
Wayne C. Schultz Junior High
(''Unincorporated Harris County'')

(''Unincorporated Harris County'')

Rosehill Christian School Rosehill Christian School (RCS) is a PreK-12 private Christian school in the Rose Hill area of unincorporated Harris County, Texas, near Tomball, United States. "19830 FM 2920 , Tomball, TX 77377" History The school opened in 1989 as a private ...

now located in the Rose Hill area, was first founded in Hockley in 1989.

Notable residents

Hockley is home to eight-time world-champion calf roper

Fred Whitfield Fred Whitfield may refer to: * Fred Whitfield (baseball) * Fred Whitfield (rodeo) Fred Whitfield (born August 5, 1967) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in tie-down roping. He won eight Professional Rodeo Cowboys A ...

. He is the first African-American to win the world championship and was also named the PRCA All Around Champion in 1999.Biography
" ''Fred Whitfield''. Accessed October 27, 2008. It is also the location of legendary racecar driver

A. J. Foyt Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is an American retired auto racing driver who has raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes United States Automobile Club Champ cars, sprint cars, and midget cars. H ...

's ranch.

References

External links

* {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Texas Unincorporated communities in Harris County, Texas Populated coastal places in Texas Greater Houston