Willis is a city in Montgomery County,

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 ...

, United States, located eight miles north of Conroe in north central Montgomery County. The city began to develop in 1870 after what is now the

Union Pacific Railroad 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 Paci ...

built track through the area. As a part of the

Piney Woods The Piney Woods is a temperate coniferous forest terrestrial ecoregion in the Southern United States covering of East Texas, southern Arkansas, western Louisiana, and southeastern Oklahoma. These coniferous forests are dominated by several spec ...

, the Willis economy has historically been driven by lumber, agriculture, and the manufacture of lumber and agriculture equipment. From the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, it produced tobacco as a commodity crop. Competition from Cuba reduced its contribution to the economy. As of 2020, the population of Willis was estimated to be 6,431. In 2008, after Willis's population passed 5,000, the city established a

home rule Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...

city charter.

Geography

Willis is located at (30.422640, –95.478829). According to the

United States 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 city has a total area of , all of it land.

History

Before the founding of Willis, most residents in the area lived in a settlement known as Danville, formed in the 1830s four miles west of present-day New Waverly.Danville
Heritage Museum of Montgomery County. Accessed on July 5, 2017. A few Danville residents in the 1850s settled to the south, founding the new community of what is now Willis.Foerster, Larry L
Historical Timeline of Willis, Texas.
Montgomery County Historical Commission: June 2013. Accessed on July 5, 2017. Several of these early Danville residents were large planters, who held numerous enslaved African Americans to work the labor-intensive tobacco crops on their plantations. In the 1850s, enslaved African Americans outnumbered whites in Danville: there were 600 slaves and 400 whites. After the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, many

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), abolitionism, emancipation (gra ...

and their families moved away from the plantations to the Willis area. There in 1867 they established Thomas Chapel United Methodist Church, which is the oldest church in Willis. In 1870, the Houston and Great Northern Railroad (now the

) decided to build a railroad through Montgomery County. After residents of Danville refused to allow the railway through their town, Peter J. and Richard S. Willis donated a parcel of their landholdings in Montgomery County so the railroad and station stop could be built there. They founded the town of Willis in the process.Jackson, Charles Christopher
Willis, Texas.
''Handbook of Texas Online'': June 15, 2010. Accessed on July 5, 2017. Upon the railroad's completion in 1872, many residents of Danville, Old Waverly, and Montgomery moved to the new town of Willis. In 1874, a county election was held to determine whether the county seat of Montgomery County should be transferred from the town of Montgomery to Willis. Although Willis received more votes (788 to 646), it did not gain the requisite two-thirds majority, so the county seat remained officially in Montgomery. A protracted legal battle ended in 1878 when the Supreme Court of Texas ruled in favor of Montgomery. With several county officials and Willis residents refusing to accept the results, another county seat election was held in 1880. That year Montgomery won the vote over Willis, 1308 to 1243. The dispute between the two towns finally ended in 1889, when Conroe was selected as the county seat. In the 1870s, the main occupations were farming, shipping, and the manufacture of lumber and agricultural products. In 1891, local Willis residents started growing Cuban tobacco, and Willis developed as a center for the production of cigars and other tobacco products. During the early years of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Willis suffered from falling demand in lumber products and a sharp decline in the demand for tobacco products. A man named Tom Payne was lynched in Willis in 1927. The economy began to recover in 1931 during the

Texas oil boom The Texas oil boom, sometimes called the gusher age, was a period of dramatic change and economic growth in the U.S. state of Texas during the early 20th century that began with the discovery of a large oil reserve, petroleum reserve near Beaum ...

, when oil was discovered in the area. In the 1930s and 40s, the development of

U.S. Route 75 U.S. Route 75 is a major north–south United States Numbered Highways, U.S. Highway that extends in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is in Noyes, Minnesota, at the Canada–United States border, Canadian border, wh ...

, along with the recovery of the lumber industry during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, fully revitalized the local economy. In the mid to late 20th century through the present, agriculture and lumber remain vital components of the Willis economy, in addition to the retail, service, and manufacturing industries.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 6,431 people, 2,183 households, and 1,688 families residing in the city. As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there were 5,662 people, 1,782 households, and 1,340 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 56.7%

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 ...

, 18.2%

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 ...

, 0.9% Native American, 0.4%

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 ...

, 20.1% 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 3.6% from two or more races.

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 were 38.0% of the population. There were 1,782 households, out of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% 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, 25.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 3.55. In the city, the population was spread out, with 33.3% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. According to the 2015

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

, The median income for a household in the city was $36,640, and the median income for a family was $38,244. Males had a median income of $26,320 versus $18,036 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 city was $13,122. About 15.6% of families and 14.4% 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 16.1% of those under age 18 and 42.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The city was incorporated in 1937. When Willis was incorporated, it was governed by general law, as defined by the

Constitution of Texas The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document that establishes the structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of Texas, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of Texas. The current document was adopted on Feb ...

. In 2008, when population estimates placed noted total residents exceeded 5000 persons, Willis adopted a

Home rule Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...

city charter. Home Rule in Texas enables cities to establish their own laws as long as those laws are consistent with the Texas Constitution. It also grants greater freedom for cities to levy taxes and pay off debts. On May 10, 2008, the residents of Willis voted to adopt the City of Willis Home Rule Charter.Home Rule Charter.
City of Willis: Adopted May 10, 2008. Last Amended: May 10, 2014. Accessed on July 5, 2017. The city has a council-manager government. The six-member city council consists of a mayor elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

and five city council member elected from

single-member district A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes called single-winner vo ...

s. As of June 2022, the mayor is Leonard Reed. Council members are Ashley Nixon, Barney Stone, Tamara Young-Hector, Thomas Luster, and William Brown. The council appoints a professional city manager to deal with day to day operations and assert substantial administrative powers. As of June 2022, the city manager is Sheyi Ipaye.

State government

Willis is part of District 3,

Texas Senate The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per cons ...

, and represented by Republican Robert Nichols. In the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

, Willis is part of District 16, represented by Republican Will Metcalf.Who Represents Me: Willis.
Texas Legislative Council. Accessed on July 5, 2017.

Federal government

In the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, Republicans

John Cornyn John Cornyn III ( ; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the Senate majority whip for ...

and

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...

represent the entire state of Texas. In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, Willis is part of

Texas's 8th congressional district Texas's 8th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes parts of Montgomery County, Walker County, Harris County, Polk County, and all of San Jacinto County. It includes much of the northern outlying areas ...

,represented by Republican Kevin Brady. 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 ...

Willis Post Office is located at 609 North Campbell Street.

Infrastructure

Transportation

In the 1960s,

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 ...

was built through the western portion of Willis, connecting Willis with

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 ...

to the south and

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 ...

to the north. The previous Houston-Dallas route through Willis,

U.S. route 75 U.S. Route 75 is a major north–south United States Numbered Highways, U.S. Highway that extends in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is in Noyes, Minnesota, at the Canada–United States border, Canadian border, wh ...

, is now

Texas State Highway 75 State Highway 75 (SH 75) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas. It follows the former routing of U.S. Route 75 (US 75), which was supplanted by Interstate 45 south of Dallas, except in Dallas, where the former ...

, running parallel to Interstate 45 through downtown Willis. Farm to Market Road 1097 connects Willis to

Lake Conroe Lake Conroe is a lake in Montgomery County, Texas, United States. Even though it is named Lake Conroe, only a small portion of the lake is in Conroe, Texas. Most of the lake is in unincorporated Montgomery County. The lake lies on the West For ...

and Montgomery to the west. Its eastern terminus is Texas State Highway 150 to the east of New Waverly.

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 Paci ...

operates a railroad that travels north-south through Willis.

Parks and Recreation

The central portion of

is located a few miles west of Willis.

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 ...

is located several miles west, north, and east of Willis.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Willis' public schools are operated by the

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

and Responsive Education Solutions. Five elementary schools, all of which are in Willis, serve portions of Willis: * Edward B. Cannan Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–5th) * C. C. Hardy Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–5th) * Mel Parmley Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–5th) *A.R. Turner Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–5th) * William Lloyd Meador Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–5th) * Lagway Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5th) * Vista Academy of Willis (Grades K–8) Two middle schools serve portions of Willis: * Robert P. Brabham Middle School (Grades 6–8) (Unincorporated Montgomery County) * Lynn Lucas Middle School (Grades 6–8) (Willis) * Vista Academy of Willis (Grades K–8) All of the city is zoned to

Willis High School Willis High School is a public senior high school in Conroe, Texas, with a Willis postal address. It is a part of the Willis Independent School District. History In 2004 the school had about 1,440 students. Ben Cooper was the principal until 2 ...

in Unincorporated Montgomery County. Portions of the city used to be zoned to Turner Elementary School until the attendance zoned changed for the 2006–2007 school year, rezoning the portion to Hardy Elementary School.

Area private schools

* Covenant Christian School

Colleges and universities

Lone Star College 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 ...

(originally the North Harris Montgomery Community College District) serves the community. The territory in Willis ISD joined the community college district in 1996. The nearest campus is Lone Star College-Montgomery, which operates the Conroe Center in northern Conroe.

Public libraries

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 ...

operates the R. F. Meador Branch at 709 West Montgomery Street.

Notable people

* Michael Bishop, former professional football player * Tina Chandler, IFBB professional bodybuilder * Jessie Hollins (1970–2009), professional baseball player *

Marcus Luttrell Marcus Luttrell (born November 7, 1975) is a retired United States Navy SEAL who received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in June 2005 against Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wings in which he was the lone survivor. Luttrell ...

, Navy SEAL * D.D. Terry, professional football player * Cliff Young (1964–1993), professional baseball playerCliff Young.
Baseball Reference. Accessed on July 5, 2017.

References

External links

City of Willis, Texas.

Willis Independent School District.
{{authority control Cities in Montgomery County, Texas Cities in Texas Greater Houston