Montgomery County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 620,443. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Conroe. The county was created by an act of the Congress of the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...

on December 14, 1837, and is named for the town of Montgomery.Searle, Kameron K
The Early History of Montgomery, Texas.
City of Montgomery, Texas: July 7, 2012. Accessed on June 5, 2021. Between 2000 and 2010, its population grew by 55%, the 24th-fastest rate of growth of any county in the United States. Between 2010 and 2020, its population grew by 36%. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the July 1, 2021, estimated population is 648,886. Montgomery County is part of the

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 in ...

- The Woodlands-

Sugar Land Sugar Land is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a populous suburban municipality centered around ...

, TX

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (3.3%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties

* Walker County (north) * San Jacinto County (northeast) * Liberty County (east) * Harris County (south) * Waller County (west) * Grimes County (northwest)

National protected area

Sam Houston National Forest The Sam Houston National Forest, one of four National Forests in Texas, is located 50 miles north of Houston. The forest is administered together with the other three United States National Forests and two National Grasslands located entirely in ...

(partial)

Communities

Cities

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

(most of the city is in Liberty County) * Conroe (county seat) * Cut and Shoot *

(most of the city is in Harris County) *

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

* Montgomery * Oak Ridge North * Panorama Village * Patton Village * Shenandoah *

Splendora Splendora was an American all-female alternative rock band from New York City. Formed in 1993 by Janet Wygal (lead vocals, guitar), Tricia Wygal (lead vocals, bass), Delissa Santos (drums), Cindy Brolsma (cello), and Jennifer Richardson (violin ...

* Willis * Woodbranch

Towns

* Roman Forest *

Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

* Woodloch

Census-designated places

* Pinehurst * Porter Heights * The Woodlands (small part of the CDP in Harris County)

Unincorporated communities

* Chateau Woods (former city) * Decker Prairie * Dobbin *

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

* Grangerland * Imperial Oaks * New Caney *

Porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., ...

* River Plantation *

Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

(larger part in Harris County, which includes the CDP part) * Tamina

Demographics

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.'' As of the 2010 census, there were 455,746 people, 162,530 households, and 121,472 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 423 people per square mile (163/km²). There were 177,647 housing units at an average density of 165 per square mile (64/km²). > In 2010, the racial makeup of the county was 83.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 4.3%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.7% Native American, 2.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 7.0% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.3% from two or more races. 20.8% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. At the 2020 census, the racial and ethnic makeup was 59.86% non-Hispanic white, 5.51% African American or Black, 0.30% Native American, 3.45% Asian alone, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.41% some other race, 3.92% multiracial, and 26.45% Hispanic or Latino American of any race. At the 2010 census there were 162,530 households, out of which 36.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.70% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.30% were non-families. 20.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.22. In the county, 27.60% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 26.60% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.29 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.94 males. At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $50,864, and the median income for a family was $58,983. Males had a median income of $42,400 versus $28,270 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $24,544. About 7.10% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 10.90% of those under age 18 and 10.10% of those age 65 or over. From 2010 to 2016, 54% of all vehicle-related fatalities in the county were related to the use of controlled substances, including alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine and synthetic drugs. According to Tyler Dunman, former Montgomery County assistant district attorney, approximately 60-70% of all crime in the county is connected to substance abuse.

Politics

Since the late 20th century, when many white conservative voters shifted from the Democratic to the Republican party, Montgomery County has become one of the most strongly Republican counties in Texas. In 1948, “States’ Rights” candidate Strom Thurmond, previously a Democrat, won more than 29 percent of the vote; Montgomery gave him his fourth-strongest showing in Texas. The county has not been won by a Democratic presidential candidate since

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, when native Texan and favorite son

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

won 60.9% of the county's vote. In and after the late 1960s, many southern white Democrats became disaffected with the national party by social and cultural changes, and shifted to the Republican Party. In 1968 Alabama governor

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...

, a longtime Democrat, ran as a third-party candidate and won Montgomery County. He had announced supporting segregation in 1963, as the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum. As a measure of how Republican the county has become, it rejected Southerner

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

in 1976 even as Carter carried Texas. To date, Carter is the last Democrat to win even 40 percent of the county's vote. In 1992,

Ross Perot Henry Ross Perot (; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American business magnate, billionaire, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an inde ...

, another third-party candidate, received more votes here than did Democratic candidate

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

, a Southerner and native of Arkansas. In 2004, county voters gave 78.1 percent of their vote to Republican candidate

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

; whites comprised a large majority of voters at the time. In

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, 75.8% of the voters supported the Republican ticket of

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

and

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

. In

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, this was the only county in the United States where Republican nominee

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

won against Democratic nominee

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

by a margin of greater than 100,000 votes. Since the late 20th century, Texas's suburbs, especially those of Houston,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

and

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, have supported Democratic candidates in greater proportion. However, Montgomery County has largely bucked this trend; it has given GOP candidates 70 percent or more of the vote since 2000.

United States Congress

Texas Legislature

Texas Senate

Texas House of Representatives

Education

Public schools

Several school districts operate public schools in the county: *

Conroe ISD Conroe Independent School District (CISD) is a school district in Montgomery County, Texas. The district's headquarters are located in the Deane L. Sadler Administration/Technology Center in Conroe. The CISD area, which covers , is part of the ...

* Magnolia ISD * Montgomery ISD * New Caney ISD * Richards ISD (partial) * Splendora ISD *

Tomball ISD Tomball Independent School District is a K-12 education school district serving Tomball, Texas, United States as well as the surrounding area. Tomball ISD encompasses 83 square miles in northwest Harris County and southwest Montgomery County, an ...

(partial) *

Willis ISD The Willis Independent School District is a public school district based in Willis, Texas, Willis, Texas, United States. Located in Montgomery County, Texas, Montgomery County, the district extends into a portion of San Jacinto County, Texas, S ...

(partial)

Private schools

;Pre-K to 12 * Covenant Christian School * Christ Community School * Esprit International School * The Woodlands Christian Academy *

The John Cooper School The John Cooper School is an independent, college-preparatory, nonsectarian, co-educational day school located in The Woodlands, an unincorporated planned community in Montgomery County, Texas, United States. Overview The John Cooper School is ...

* The Woodlands Preparatory School * Porter Christian Academy * Cunae International School * Legacy Preparatory Christian Academy * Willis Classical Academy ;Pre-K to 8 * St. Anthony Of Padua Catholic School of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

The closest Catholic high school is Frassati Catholic High School in north Harris County; the planners of the school intended for it to serve The Woodlands.

Colleges and universities

The county is also home to two campuses of the

Lone Star College System Lone Star College (LSC) is a public community college system serving the northern portions of the Greater Houston, Texas, area. In 2017 it enrolled about 95,000 students. The headquarters of the Lone Star College System are located in The Wood ...

(formerly North Harris-Montgomery Community College District): Montgomery and The University Center. Lone Star College's service area under Texas law includes, in Montgomery County: Conroe, Magnolia, Montgomery, New Caney, Splendora, Tomball, and Willis ISDs. The portion in Richards ISD is zoned to Blinn Junior College District.

Libraries

The county operates the

Montgomery County Memorial Library System Montgomery County Memorial Library System is a public library system in Montgomery County, Texas, United States. The system operates libraries in several Montgomery County cities and areas. History The library started with 1,200 items inside th ...

Healthcare

In 1938, the Montgomery County Hospital, a public institution, opened, the first public hospital in the county. It had 25 beds. The Montgomery County Hospital District opened in the 1970s, and the purpose of the district was making a new hospital, which opened in 1982 and replaced the former hospital.
See at
''

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 it ...

''
see at
Press Reader.

Transportation

Airports

Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport, a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

, is located in Conroe. The

Houston Airport System Houston Airport System (HAS) is a department of the City of Houston, Texas, United States that manages city airports. Its administrative offices are on the property of George Bush Intercontinental Airport.George Bush Intercontinental Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport is an international airport in Houston, Texas, United States, serving the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Located about north of Downtown Houston between Interstate 45 and Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 ...

, an international airport in Houston in Harris County.

Major highways

Interstate 45 Interstate 45 (I-45) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Texas. While most Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, with the ...

Interstate 69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of 10 unconnected segments with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, at ...

U.S. Highway 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA superhighway, NAFTA ...

* State Highway 75 * State Highway 99 - Grand Parkway Toll Road * State Highway 105 * State Highway 242 * State Highway 249 - a.k.a. MCTRA 249 Tollway (from Spring Creek to Pinehurst) and the Aggie Expressway (Pinehurst up to Todd Mission)

Toll roads

Montgomery County has several toll roads within its borders, most of which are operated as "pass-through toll roads" or shadow toll roads. There are two "true" toll roads within Montgomery County. One toll road consists of a section of mainlanes of State Highway 249 between the Harris County line at

Spring Creek A spring creek is a type of free flowing river whose name derives from its origin: an underground spring or set of springs which produces sufficient water to consistently feed a unique river. The water flowing in a spring creek may additionally be ...

to FM 1774 in Pinehurst and is signed as MCTRA 249 Tollway (maintained by the Montgomery County Toll Road Authority). North of Pinehurst, the toll road continues as the

TxDOT The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a government agency in the United States, American state of Texas. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with the construction and maintenance of the state's immense state ...

maintained Aggie Expressway (SH 249 Toll) up north to FM 1774 near

Todd Mission Todd Mission is a city in Grimes County, Texas, United States. It lies on Farm to Market Road 1774, northwest of Houston. The population was 107 as of the 2010 census, down from 146 at the 2000 census. The city is home to the Texas Renaissance Fe ...

then as a two-lane freeway up to State Highway 105 near

Navasota Navasota is a city in Grimes County, Texas, Grimes County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,643 at the 2020 census. In 2005, the Texas Legislature designated Navasota as the "Blues Capital of Texas" in honor of the late Mance Lipscomb, ...

.First stretch of ‘Aggie Expressway’ toll road opens Saturday
Houston Chronicle. 8 August 2020 (same-day retrieval) The other toll road within Montgomery County (also maintained by TxDOT) is Grand Parkway (State Highway 99) between the Harris County line at Spring Creek, with a interchange at I-69/US 59 near New Caney, and reentering Harris County before continuing into

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

and

Chambers Chambers may refer to: Places Canada: *Chambers Township, Ontario United States: *Chambers County, Alabama * Chambers, Arizona, an unincorporated community in Apache County * Chambers, Nebraska * Chambers, West Virginia * Chambers Township, Hol ...

Counties.

References

External links

Montgomery County government's website

Montgomery County in the ''Handbook of Texas Online''
from

The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

History of the Lake Creek Settlement and the Founding of the Town of Montgomery, Texas

Lonestar College
– The Lone Star College System, formerly known as the North Harris Montgomery Community College District, is accredited through the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
Montgomery County Community Website
{{Coord, 30.30, -95.50, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1837 establishments in the Republic of Texas Populated places established in 1837 Hurricane Ike Greater Houston