The International Management District (IMD) or simply the International District (ID) is a management district in Harris County and

Fort Bend County 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. Th ...

, Texas. Most of the district is within the city of

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 ...

, while a portion lies within an

unincorporated area 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 ...

.International District Boundaries
." International District. Retrieved May 2, 2010.

History

Texas State Representative

Hubert Vo Hubert Vo (, born 30 May 1956) is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives for House District 149. He is the first and only Vietnamese American to be elected to the Texas legislature. Personal life Vo was born in South Vietna ...

suggested the creation of a management district.Welcome to the International Management District
" International Management District. Retrieved June 2, 2010. The 80th session of the

Texas Legislature The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ar ...

created the district in 2007.Kumar, Seshadri and Jennifer Friedberg.
Alief set to establish International Management District / Second bill can let AISD board increase length of trustees' terms
" ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

''. Thursday June 7, 2007. ThisWeek 7. Retrieved June 2, 2010. In 2009 the district stated that at least half of its $1 million budget would be used to enhance security.

Cityscape

The district has about of land. It is roughly bounded by

Bellaire Boulevard Bellaire Boulevard (also known as Holcombe, and as 百利大道 ''Bǎilì Dàdào'' in Chinese and ''Đại Lộ Sàigòn'' in Vietnamese) is an arterial road in western Houston, Texas, United States. The street also goes through unincorporated a ...

to the north,

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 ...

to the west, and

Beltway 8 Beltway 8 (BW8), the Sam Houston Parkway, along with the Sam Houston Tollway, is an beltway around the city of Houston, Texas, United States, lying entirely within Harris County. Beltway 8, a state highway maintained by the Texa ...

to the east. The district runs along Bissonnet from Highway 6 to Kirkwood. The district then runs along West Bellfort to U.S. Highway 59. The area occupied by the district is commonly known as

Alief Alief is a working-class suburb in Southwest Harris County, Texas, Harris County, Texas, United States. Most of Alief is within the city limits of Houston, while a portion of the community is in Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated ...

. seven hotels are located in the district.

Government and infrastructure

The International Management District levies taxes on businesses in its boundaries to increase security, to promote international business and trade, and to pay for beautification projects.

County, state, and federal representation

The Harris County Sheriff's Office serves the

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

Harris County side. It operates the Mission Bend Storefront in the International District. The El Franco Lee Health Center in the district, operated by the

Harris County Hospital District The Harris Health System, previously the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD), is a governmental entity with taxing authority that owns and operates three hospitals and numerous clinics throughout Harris County, Texas, United States, includin ...

, opened on May 19, 2009. Prior to the opening, the closest facility was the People's Health Center. The district said in a 2006 ''

'' article that it planned to build a health care facility in Alief. The center has of space. 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 Alief Post Office and the Beechnut Post Office.

Economy

The International Trade Center-Houston was established around the time of the formation of the International District. The offices of

Sentai Filmworks Sentai Filmworks, LLC or just Sentai, is an American entertainment company owned by AMC Networks. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is S ...

are in the International District.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

The Harris County residents are within the

Alief independent school District Alief Independent School District is a school district that is based in southwest Houston, Texas, United States. Alief ISD, which covers of land, covers a small portion of southwest Houston and parts of unincorporated Harris County. In Hous ...

. The Fort Bend County residents are within the Fort Bend independent school District. Christina Autry of the IMD wrote that "The International Management District (IMD) largely overlaps with Alief ISD". Alief ISD schools in the district boundaries include: * High schools: Alief Kerr High School and

Alief Taylor High School Alief Taylor High School is a public high school in the Alief Independent School District. It is located in an unincorporated area in the Alief community of Harris County, near Houston. Opened in 2001, Alief Taylor is the newest high school in ...

* 9th grade centers: Elsik Ninth Grade School and Hastings Ninth Grade School (the main grade 10–12 buildings are outside of the district, but are parts of the same institutions) * Middle schools: Killough, O'Donnell, and Olle * Intermediate schools: Klentzman, Owens, and Youngblood * Elementary schools: Alexander, Boone, Chambers, Cummings, Hearne, Hicks, Horn, Landis, Liestman, Martin, and Smith Each area is assigned to a particular elementary school, with several areas assigned to elementary schools outside of the district. Some schools do not have bilingual programs, so bilingual students for those schools are redirected to other schools. In addition to the intermediate schools above, Alief Intermediate, Budewig, Mata, and Miller serve sections of the district, with bilingual students at Alief Int. being redirected to Owens. In addition to the middle schools above, Alief Middle, Albright, and Holub middle schools serve portions of the district. High school students in Alief ISD are randomly assigned to either Elsik, Hastings, or Taylor, with the same institution for all grade levels, while Kerr and Alief Early College serve as

magnet schools In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

. The Fort Bend County portion is served by Arizona Fleming Elementary School, Hodges Bend Middle School, and

George Bush High School George Bush High School is a public high school located in the Mission Bend census designated place and in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas, serving students in grades 9-12. The school has a "Richmond, Texas" postal address but is not in ...

Community colleges

The

Houston Community College System Houston Community College (HCC), also known as Houston Community College System (HCCS) is a Public college, public community college system that operates community colleges in Houston, Texas, Houston, Missouri City, Texas, Missouri City, Greater ...

has served the Alief area since 1982.HCC provides opportunity and education for the Alief community
" ''

''. Retrieved April 8, 2009. The HCC Alief Campus, a part of the

Southwest College Southwest College is a community college based in Houston, Texas. Part of the Houston Community College System, it serves the Southwest and West portions of the city, as well as the nearby suburbs of Missouri City and Stafford. Southwest Colle ...

, is in the Westchase area of Houston. The HCC Alief Continuing Education Center is located in an

in Harris County adjacent to the International District. In 1982 HCCS expanded classes to

Alief Elsik High School Alief Elsik High School is a high school in the Alief region of Houston, Texas, United States. Elsik is divided into two campuses: the main campus (12601 High Star in Houston, zip code 77072), and the Alief Elsik Ninth Grade Center (located at ...

. In 2001, HCCS opened the Alief Center on Bissonnet. In 2007, the new Alief Campus in Westchase opened. In 2008, the former Alief Center became the Continuing Education Center.

Public libraries

Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in 1 ...

operates the David M. Henington-Alief Regional Library in the district.

Recreation

The Lunar New Year is celebrated in the district.2010 Chinese Lunar New Year Festival
." International District. Retrieved June 3, 2010.

References

External links

International District
{{Houston, Texas Neighborhoods in Houston Geography of Harris County, Texas Geography of Fort Bend County, Texas