Spring Branch is a district in west-northwest Harris County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, roughly bordered by Tanner Road and Hempstead Road to the north,

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 west, Interstate 10 to the south, and the 610 Loop to the east; it is almost entirely 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 ...

. () Established by 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 ...

, the Spring Branch Management District exercises jurisdiction over the area. Several minor bayous run through the community, including Brickhouse Gully, Spring Branch (the neighborhood namesake), and Briar Branch, which drain into Buffalo Bayou in central Houston. Spring Lake is a large pond near the center of the neighborhood. Spring Branch includes significant immigrant

Korean American Korean Americans are Americans of Korean ancestry (mostly from South Korea). In 2015, the Korean-American community constituted about 0.56% of the United States population, or about 1.82 million people, and was the fifth-largest Asian American ...

and

Hispanic American Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify as ...

communities,Lomax, John Nova.
The Seoul of Houston: The Weather Was Not the Strong Point on Long Point
" ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

''. January 30, 2008. and was established in the 1800s as a rural German American community. As of 2020 Spring Branch East/West population has grown by 7,298 residents and over 400 new construction homes built.

History

Spring Branch began as a religious

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer m ...

settlement; many of the farmers owned dairies. Karl Kolbe, who arrived in Texas from Germany in 1830, was Spring Branch's earliest settler. The Germans opened sawmills to cut area timber. In 1848, St. Peter's United (Lutheran) Church opened on a site donated from the Bauer family; the lumber used in the construction originated from one of the local sawmills. The Spring Branch School Society, sponsored by the church in 1856, eventually became the

Spring Branch Independent School District Spring Branch Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Hedwig Village, Texas, United States in Greater Houston. The district serves portions of western Houston,Morales, Katherine.Residents working to retain superintendent ...

Yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

outbreaks in 1859 and 1867 killed many residents. The early settlers all had roads named after their families – Gessner, Conrad Sauer, Witte, Wirt, Blalock, Campbell, Hillendahl, Bauer, Fries, and Neuens. After

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 opposing ...

James E. Lyon served as a developer in Spring Branch. The eastern part of Spring Branch was annexed by the City of Houston in the 1940s while the western part was annexed in the 1950s. In the mid-1950s, efforts to create a Spring Branch municipality failed. Following this, the Memorial villages, a group of six independent municipalities, formed. Houston annexed the rest of the Spring Branch area. In the mid-to-late 20th century, Spring Branch had a rural suburban character with dirt roads and horses in the area. Spring Branch Elementary School, one of several area elementary schools, was an all-White elementary school.Garza, Cynthia Leonor.
Views are as diverse as city / Day-to-day life shapes residents' stances on illegal immigration
" ''

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 ...

''. April 16, 2006. B1 MetFront. Apartment complexes opened in the Spring Branch area around the 1970s.Cobb, Kim.
Drugs, neglect transform 'single scene' to slums
" ''

''. July 17, 1988. Section 3, Page 1. In 1982, the City of Houston Housing Authority proposed a $3.8 million

U.S. dollar The United States dollar ( symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the officia ...

public housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

unit at Emnora Lane. The city encountered strong opposition from civic clubs, city council members, and state representatives, so the city housing officials canceled the project. The sign used by the city to indicate the proposed site repeatedly received spray paint graffiti stating "no

nigger In the English language, the word ''nigger'' is an ethnic slur used against black people, especially African Americans. Starting in the late 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been progressively replaced by the euphemism , notably in cases ...

s." By the 1980s, Houston's economy had collapsed and occupancy rates declined. Many apartment complexes faced foreclosure, bankruptcy, and changes in ownership. Bill Zermeno, a city electrical inspector, said in a 1988 ''

'' article that many of the apartments with some of the strongest violations against maintenance-related city laws were in Spring Branch. Kim Cobb, the author of the 1988 ''Houston Chronicle'' article, said that many of the poorly maintained complexes were located next to well-maintained single family subdivisions. From the 1980 U.S. Census to the 1990 Census, many Hispanics settled in parts of Spring Branch; in pockets of Spring Branch almost all of the immigration was from

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

n countries. The Hispanic population increased by an amount between 1,000 and 3,500 per square mile. In 1997 S.D. Kim, the Houston bureau chief of ''

The Korea Times ''The Korea Times'' is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the '' Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language daily; both are owned by Dongwha Enterprise, a wood-based manufacture ...

'', said that Koreatown, the Korean community in Spring Branch, grew because of inexpensive housing and the zoning to the

. In 1998 and again in 2001, a proposal to place

Korean language Korean ( South Korean: , ''hangugeo''; North Korean: , ''chosŏnmal'') is the native language for about 80 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea (geographic ...

street signs in Koreatown lead to political controversy; the reaction against the proposal lead to the withdrawal of the proposal. By 2006, Spring Branch Elementary School was mostly Hispanic, reflecting demographic changes in the Spring Branch area. By 2007 several older houses were torn down and replaced with newer houses; new homeowners came to Spring Branch to buy larger lots, to buy in an area cheaper than neighborhoods bordering

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 ...

. New residents came due to the proximity to Downtown, Uptown, and the

Energy Corridor The Energy Corridor is a business district in Houston, Texas, located on the west side of the metropolitan area between Beltway 8 and the Grand Parkway. The district straddles a stretch of Interstate 10 (the Katy Freeway) from Kirkwood Road west ...

. In May 2011 the Spring Branch Central Super Neighborhood campaigned against having federal funds used to improve older apartment complexes in the area. In 2013 '' Houstonia'' magazine stated that Spring Branch, including the adjacent cities of Hillshire Village and Spring Valley Village, was one of the "25 Hottest Neighborhoods" of Houston.Holley, Peter, John Lomax, and Todd Spoth.
25 Hottest Neighborhoods

Archive
. '' Houstonia''. June 1, 2013. Retrieved on November 2, 2015. On May 5, 2016, a four alarm fire occurred on May 5, 2016, in Spring Branch,

On November 24, 2022, a gunman opened fire and shot four people, two fatally during Thanksgiving in the Spring Branch neighborhood.

Cityscape

Spring Branch is generally bounded by

on the western end, the

610 Loop Interstate 610 (I-610) is a freeway that forms a loop around the inner city sector of the city of Houston, Texas. I-610, colloquially known as The Loop, Loop 610, The Inner Loop, or just 610, traditionally marks the border between the ...

on the eastern end, Interstate 10 on the southern end, 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 ...

and Clay Road to the north. The district has access to Interstate 10, the

, and the

Hempstead Highway Hempstead may refer to: Places England * Hempstead, Essex * Hempstead, Kent *Hempstead, near Holt, Norfolk * Hempstead, near Stalham, Norfolk *Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire United States * Hempstead, New York (disambiguation), multiple places i ...

. The district is in proximity to

, the

Memorial City District Memorial City is a commercial district in the Memorial area of Houston, Texas, United States. Located along Interstate 10 (Katy Freeway) between Beltway 8 and Bunker Hill Road, the district is anchored by Memorial City Mall, the nation's 38th-larg ...

(including Memorial City Mall and the Memorial Hermann Hospital Memorial City), the

Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a medical district and neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States, immediately south of the Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 60 medical institutions, largely concentrat ...

Uptown Houston Uptown (more commonly called The Galleria Area) is a business district in Houston, located west of Downtown and is centered along Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road ( Farm to Market Road 1093). The Uptown District is roughly bounded by ...

(including

The Galleria The Galleria, stylized theGalleria and also known as the Houston Galleria, is an upscale mixed-use urban development and shopping mall located in the Uptown District of Houston, Texas, United States.Westchase. Terrence McCoy of the ''

'' said in 2012 that in Spring Branch " enues lined with orderly yards and American flags buttress shopping centers where Spanish dominates."McCoy, Terrence. "Who's Behind Helena Brown?" ''

''. July 4, 2012
2
Retrieved on July 25, 2012. As of 2012 there are different varieties of housing in Spring Branch. Spring Branch West includes many 1960s

ranch-style houses Ranch (also known as American ranch, California ranch, rambler, or rancher) is a domestic architectural style that originated in the United States. The ranch-style house is noted for its long, close-to-the-ground profile, and wide open layout. ...

. The central portion of Spring Branch has houses which are worth about $500,000 as of 2012. The eastern portion of Spring Branch, which is

blue collar A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and power ...

, has many bungalow houses with wood siding. '' Houstonia'' wrote that "Up until he 2000sor so, much of Spring Branch had a rural feel. It wasn’t uncommon to see pastures full of horses, relics of its past life as farmland tilled by generations of German immigrants". In 1983 there were a travel agent, an optical shop, multiple restaurants, a newsstand, a bookstore, a pharmacy, and a furniture store in Spring Branch catering to Koreans.Cook, Allison. "The Grand Tour." ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. ''Texas Monthly'' was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy and has been published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. since 1998 and is ...

''.

Emmis Communications Emmis Communications is an American media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Emmis, based on the Hebrew word for Truth (Emet) was founded by Jeff Smulyan in 1980. Emmis has owned many radio stations, including KPWR and WQHT, which h ...

, January 1983. Vol. 11, No. 1. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p
98
CITED: p
144

Economy

John Nova Lomax of the ''

'' said that Spring Branch has many "old-school ethnic eateries" and described Long Point Road, Spring Branch's main road, as " thrift store nirvana". The journalist added that Long Point has few chain businesses and stores. The Koreatown portion has various Korean restaurants. La Michoacana Meat Market has its headquarters in Spring Branch and in Houston.

BJ Services Company BJ Energy Solutions was founded in 1872 as the Byron Jackson Company in Woodland, California by inventor Byron Jackson and at its peak operated in more than 50 countries worldwide. The link below from fundinguniverse.com tells how BJ was acquire ...

has its headquarters in the Spring Branch district and in

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. Tesco Corporation has its headquarters in the Spring Branch district and in Houston.

Cameron International Corporation Cameron International Corporation (formerly Cooper Cameron Corporation (CCC) and Cooper Oil Tool, Cameron Iron Works) though now operating under Schlumberger, is a global provider of pressure control, production, processing, and flow control s ...

's Drilling and Production Systems center is in the Westway Business Park in Spring Branch and in an unincorporated area. Previously, Igloo Corporation had a manufacturing facility in Spring Branch.Igloo consolidating operations in Katy facility
" ''

Houston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor New ...

''. October 18, 2004. Retrieved on March 2, 2011. "1001 W. Sam Houston Parkway North" for the old Houston facility The Spring Branch location also housed the company headquarters. In 2004, Igloo announced that it was consolidating to a location in

Waller County, Texas Waller County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 56,794. Its county seat is Hempstead. The county was named for Edwin Waller, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and first mayor of A ...

, near Katy. Before its dissolution, Weiner's had its headquarters in Spring Branch and in Houston. At one time, AppleTree Markets had its headquarters in Spring Branch and in Houston. By 2008 a

Super H Mart H Mart ( ko, H 마트 or ) is an American supermarket chain of Asian supermarkets operated by the Hanahreum Group, headquartered in Lyndhurst, Bergen County (버건군), New Jersey. The chain has 84 stores throughout the United States, operat ...

supermarket, a part of a Korean American chain, opened. Purva Patel of the ''

'' wrote that this supermarket attracted development to the area.

Diplomatic missions

The Consulate-General of El Salvador in Houston resides at 1720 Hillendahl Boulevard in Spring Branch.

Government and infrastructure

Local government

The Spring Branch District within Houston is served by the

Houston Police Department The Houston Police Department (HPD) is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. With approximately 5,300 officers and 1,200 civilian support personnel it is the fifth-largest ...

Northwest Patrol Division, headquartered at 6000 Teague Road.VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES PROGRAM - Citizens Offering Police Support
" ''City of Houston''. The Spring Branch Storefront Station is located at Suite A at 8400 Long Point Road. The Houston Fire Department serves areas within Houston and operates Fire Station #5 Old Spring Branch at 2020 Hollister Road, Fire Station #38 West Side at 1120 Silber Road, Fire Station #49 at 1212 Gessner Drive, and Fire Station #77 Spring Shadows at 10155 Kempwood Drive; the stations are in Fire District 5. Some

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 ...

s in Spring Branch are served by the Houston Fire Department, while others are served by the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department. Station 38 was built in 1955.Fire Station 38
." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 8, 2010. Station 49 opened in a former Spring Branch Volunteer Fire Department facility at Campbell at Long Point in 1956. Station 49 moved to Gessner at Westview in 1961.
." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 8, 2010. Station 5 moved from what is now

to Spring Branch in 1977.Fire Station 5
." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 8, 2010. Station 77 opened in 1990. Station 38 was last renovated during the financial year of 1995. Station 49 closed in April 2008 before undergoing a $753,821.40 renovation. The station reopened on February 9, 2009, and the re-opening ceremony occurred on March 16, 2009. A renovation of Station 5 is scheduled for 2011. Fire Station 5 Houston

Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. Currently, there are sixteen members, 11 elected from council districts and five at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, w ...

District A covers areas of Spring Branch in Houston. As of 2014 Brenda Stardig represents the district. In the 1990s a small portion of Spring Branch was in City Council District G.map3.gif
" City of Houston. February 11, 1997. Retrieved on November 7, 2011. The city of Houston organized the areas in Spring Branch within Houston into the #8 Westbranch,
." ''City of Houston''. Retrieved on April 4, 2009. #10 Spring Branch West,
." ''City of Houston''. Retrieved on December 10, 2008. #84 Spring Shadows,
." ''City of Houston''. Retrieved on December 10, 2008. #85 Spring Branch Central,
." ''City of Houston''. Retrieved on December 10, 2008. and #86 Spring Branch East super neighborhoods.
." ''City of Houston''. Retrieved on December 10, 2008. The council for #10 Super Neighborhood opened on May 11, 2000. The council for the #85 Super Neighborhood, which includes the Binglewood, Binglewood 5, Campbell Woods, Hollister Place, Holley Terrace, Kempwood North, Langwood II, Outpost Estates, Spring Branch Estates II, Spring Branch Oaks, Springwood/Timbercreek, and Western Oaks subdivisions, many of which still have deed restrictions, opened on August 24, 2000. The council for the #84 Super Neighborhood, which mostly consists of deed-restricted, single family subdivisions such as Spring Shadows and also includes nine apartment complexes and one mobile home area, opened on March 14, 2005. Subdivisions within Super Neighborhood #86 include Afton Village, Brykerwoods, Monarch Oaks, Ridgecrest, Hillendahl Acres, Long Point Oaks, Pine Terrace, and Westview Terrace. In 2011 the City of Houston opened a permanent electronics recycling center in Spring Branch. The Spring Branch Management District is headquartered at 9610 Long Point Drive. The Spring Branch Management District's mission is to positively impact public safety, business development, environmental and urban design, and mobility and transportation to help create an environment attractive to business, to facilitate profitability, and to promote the redevelopment and growth of the area.
." ''Spring Branch Management District''. Retrieved on February 18, 2010. Ongoing programs spearheaded by the Spring Branch Management District include working with the Houston Police Department to promote its Blue Star Program to bring apartment complexes and multifamily residential units into compliance with current city codes, providing constable patrols to enhance security, removing graffiti on public and private property, maintaining various landscapes throughout the district, removing bandit signs, enforcing news rack ordinance, and pursuing health code violations.Spring Branch Management District - Current Programs
." ''Spring Branch Management District''. Retrieved on February 18, 2010. The management district's boundaries are almost entirely within the City of Houston; a portion in the north is in an

in Harris County.

Local politics

As of 2012, according to Bob Stein, a

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...

political scientist, voters in

District A tend to be older people, conservative, and

White American White Americans are Americans who identify as and are perceived to be white people. This group constitutes the majority of the people in the United States. As of the 2020 Census, 61.6%, or 204,277,273 people, were white alone. This represented ...

, and many follow the

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. Members of the movement called for lower taxes and for a reduction of the national debt and federal budget defi ...

. The voting base is such despite the presence of large Hispanic neighborhoods within District A. In the 2011 election voters in Spring Branch, for City Council District A, favored

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...

candidate Helena Brown over the incumbent, Brenda Stardig, because Stardig supported a "rain tax," passed in 2010, that lead to taxation of churches. However, Stardig later voted to exempt church- and non-profit-property-owners from the "rain tax". The taxation of churches had a negative reception with political conservatives in Spring Branch. In the 1990s a small portion of Spring Branch was in City Council District G. In 1989, during a city council race, many in Spring Branch voted for Jim Westmoreland for an at-large position. Westmoreland drew controversy after reports of a joke that was characterized as "racist" spread. Beverley Clark, the opponent and a Black teacher, defeated Westmoreland in that race.

County representation

Harris County Precinct Three, headed by Steve Radack as of 2008, serves portions of Spring Branch. Harris County Precinct Four, headed by Jerry Eversole as of 2008, serves other portions of Spring Branch. Harris County Constable Precinct 5 patrols much of Spring Branch. The unincorporated area within the Spring Branch Management District is assigned to the Harris County Sheriff's Office District IV Patrol, headquartered at the Clay Road Substation at 16715 Clay Road. The Harris County Department of Education maintains an office in the North Post Oak Building in Spring Branch. The

Harris County Toll Road Authority The Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA, pronounced "HECK-trah") maintains and operates a toll road system in the Greater Houston area. Its headquarters are located in Houston's Fairbanks/Northwest Crossing neighborhood. History HCTRA came ...

operates its West Area EZ Tag Store in Spring Branch. Harris County Precinct 3 operates the Spring Branch Community Center and Courthouse Annex and a tax office at 1721 Pech Road in Spring Branch. Alma Corporation built the building now housing the Spring Branch Community Center in the late 1960s. In 1971 Alma sold the building to Sam Houston Memorial Hospital; in 1976 the hospital sold the building to Houghton and Neville West. Harris County bought the building in 1986, causing it to become a courthouse. Bob Eckels, then the Precinct 3 commissioner, established a community center in the ground floor's north half. Steve Radack became the commissioner of Precinct 3 and began renovating the building. After the census of 1990 the county rezoned the community center and the surrounding neighborhood into Precinct 4. During the 1990s changes to the center occurred. The county moved the center back into Precinct 3 after the 2000 Census. In 2011 the Trini Mendenhall Sosa Community opened, taking in the previous community center.

State and federal representation

Parts of Spring Branch located in District 136 of 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 abo ...

which has been represented by Republican Tony Dale since 2012. Parts of Spring Branch located in District 138 of the

, which has been represented by Republican

Dwayne Bohac Dwayne Alan Bohac (born September 4, 1966) is an American businessman and politician who was a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from 2003 to 2021. He represented District 138, which encompasses west and northwest Houston. ...

since 2002. A portion of Spring Branch is within

District 7 District 7 could refer to: * District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam * District 7 (Zürich), Switzerland *District 7, Düsseldorf, Germany *VII District, Turku, Finland *District 7 School (Groton, Massachusetts), United States *District 7 School (Han ...

of the

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 co ...

; as of 2008 Dan Patrick represents the district. Parts of Spring Branch are within

District 15 District 15 or 15th district can refer to: U.S. political districts Federal level * Illinois's 15th congressional district * Michigan's 15th congressional district * Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district * Ohio's 15th congressional district S ...

of the

; as of 2008

John Whitmire John Harris Whitmire (born August 13, 1949) is an American attorney and politician who is the longest-serving current member of the Texas State Senate. Since 1983, he has represented District 15, which includes much of northern Houston, Texas ...

represents the district. Spring Branch is primarily in

Texas's 2nd congressional district Texas's 2nd congressional district of the United States House of Representatives is in the southeastern portion of the state of Texas. It encompasses parts of northern and western Harris County and southern Montgomery County, Texas. From 2002 ...

, which has been represented by Republican

Dan Crenshaw Daniel Reed Crenshaw (born March 14, 1984) is an American politician and former United States Navy SEAL officer serving as the United States representative for Texas's 2nd congressional district since 2019. The district includes parts of northe ...

since 2019. Spring Branch is partially in

Texas's 18th congressional district Texas's 18th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes much of inner city Houston and the surrounding area. It has been the Downtown Houston district since 1972. The current Representative from the 18th dis ...

, which has been represented by Democrat

Sheila Jackson Lee Sheila Jackson Lee (born January 12, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who is the U.S. representative for , having served since 1995. The district includes most of central Houston. She is a member of the Democratic Party, and serve ...

since 1995. A portion of Spring Branch is also in Texas's 7th congressional district, which has been represented by Democrat

Lizzie Fletcher Elizabeth Ann Fletcher (née Pannill; born February 13, 1975) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Texas. A Democrat, she represents in the United States House of Representatives. The district includes much of western Houston ...

since 2019. 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 post offices in Spring Branch. The James Griffith Station and the Long Point Station are in the community.

Demographics

Between the 1990 U.S. Census and the 2000 U.S. Census, as Spring Branch gained many Hispanic and Korean residents, many white residents left. Nestor Rodriguez, an immigration expert from the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

, said that the white population of Spring Branch implied that many were leaving not because of racial differences but because the new residents were not

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Com ...

. Rodriguez said, "They don't say they're not middle-class, but they say, well, look at them, they're out on the street corners looking for work; we're not used to that. But those are characteristics of working-class or lower working-class people."Rodriguez, Lori.
THE CENSUS / Census study: White flight soars / UH analysis spots segregation trend
." ''

''. April 15, 2001. A1. Retrieved on December 30, 2011. In 2000, the City of Houston's Super Neighborhoods located all or in part within Spring Branch reported the following population statistics:

Health care

The Spring Branch Medical Center, located in Spring Branch, was the first hospital outside of the

to perform

open heart surgery Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to c ...

.Wollam, Allison.
Spring Branch med center lays off 720
" ''

''. March 22, 2010. Retrieved on March 25, 2010. As the owners of the Spring Branch Medical Center attempted to sell the facility to the Harris County Hospital District (now

Harris Health System 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 ...

), the owners announced that the hospital would close by May 1, 2010. Because the hospital was ending inpatient services, it announced that it was laying off 720 employees. As of March 2010 it employed 509 full-time employees and 211 part-time employees. The hospital plans to continue offering outpatient programs such as emergency care services, imaging services, and radiation oncology. Houston-based McVey & Co. Investments LLC purchased Spring Branch Medical Center, at 8850 Long Point Road, early 2011. Marty McVey, chairman of the hospital, attempted to reopen the historic community hospital. However, the hospital fell into foreclosure in 2013 and was demolished in early 2015 to make way for a new residential/retail project. Texas Children's Pediatric Associates Spring Branch, a child health care center affiliated with

Texas Children's Hospital Texas Children's Hospital is a nationally ranked, freestanding 973-bed, acute care women's and children's hospital located in Houston, Texas. It is the primary pediatric teaching hospital affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and is located wit ...

, is located in Spring Branch. Harris Health System designated Northwest Health Center for ZIP codes 77055 and 77080. The nearest public hospital is

Ben Taub General Hospital Ben Taub Hospital is a public hospital located in Houston, Texas within the Texas Medical Center. Having opened in May 1963, the hospital is owned and operated by the Harris Health System and is staffed by the faculty, residents, and students f ...

in the

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

serves most of the areas within the Spring Branch Management District, all of the Memorial area in Houston, and several small cities.Spring Branch Schools

Archive
. Spring Branch Management District. Retrieved on May 18, 2014. Middle schools in Spring Branch ISD serving the Spring Branch area include Landrum Middle School, Northbrook Middle School, Spring Oaks Middle School, and Spring Woods Middle School. In addition Spring Forest Middle School in the Memorial community of Houston and Spring Branch Middle School in the City of Hedwig Village serve sections of Spring Branch. SpringWoodsHighSchoolHouston

Most SBISD areas in the Spring Branch District are within the separate attendance boundaries of

Spring Woods High School Spring Woods High School is a secondary school in Spring Branch, Houston, Texas, United States. The school, serving grades 9 through 12, is operated by Spring Branch Independent School District. Spring Woods serves several neighborhoods, inclu ...

and

Northbrook High School Northbrook High School (NHS) is a high School in Spring Branch, Houston, Texas. Northbrook is located inside Beltway 8 and outside the 610 Loop in western Houston. The school is one of four zoned high schools that are part of the Spring Branch I ...

in Spring Branch. The southern portions of west Spring Branch have students zoned to Stratford High School in the Memorial area of Houston. Some areas of Spring Branch along Westview and Interstate 10 have students zoned to Memorial High School in the City of Hedwig Village. Some areas within the district are within the

Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District The Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD, often referred to as Cy-Fair) is an independent school district with its headquarters in northwest unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States. Cy-Fair ISD is the largest Recog ...

. The area is divided between the attendance zones of Bane Elementary School in Houston, Kirk Elementary School in

Harris County, and Lee Elementary School in unincorporated Harris County. The area is divided between the attendance zones of Dean Middle School in Houston and Truitt Middle School in unincorporated Harris County. All residents of that area are zoned to

Cypress Ridge High School Cypress Ridge High School is a public secondary school located in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, near Houston. It was established in 2002 as Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District High School #7. Cypress Ridge provides the deaf educ ...

in unincorporated Harris County. There is a small segment of land in the Spring Branch district that is within the

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and ...

. The land in this segment is used for industrial, commercial, and transportation/utility reasons.

Private schools

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 ...

operates

The Regis School of the Sacred Heart ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

, a K-8 school for boys, and St. Jerome School, a coeducational K-8 school, in Spring Branch. For the high school levels, Saint John XXIII High School (formerly Pope John XXIII High School) in western Harris County, within

Greater Katy Greater Katy Area is the term often used to refer to a suburban region on the west side of the Greater Houston metropolitan area roughly corresponding to the boundaries of the Katy Independent School District. Many people and businesses in this ar ...

, is in proximity to Spring Branch. Other private schools located in Spring Branch include The Awty International School, Houston Christian High School, Fair Haven Day Methodist School, Houston Sudbury School, ILM Academy (

Islamic Education Institute of Texas The Islamic Education Institute of Texas (IEIT), also known as Darul Arqam Islamic School District (DAISD) and Darul Arqam Schools is a network of Islamic schools in Greater Houston, Texas, United States. The organization is a subsidiary of the I ...

a.k.a. Darul Arqam) at Spring Branch Islamic Center,
ILM Academy website
- Addresses included in the link: if a school and a mosque share an address, they are co-located. - if a school and a mosque share an address, they are co-located. St. Mark Lutheran School, and

The Monarch School The Monarch School is a combined primary and secondary school headquartered in Spring Branch, Houston, Texas. Monarch serves children with neurological disorders and learning disabilities, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, d ...

. Originally the Monarch School had a campus in Spring Branch and a campus in Hilshire Village.Introduction
."

. Retrieved on December 10, 2008. In Spring 2009 all programs of The Monarch School moved to a new campus on Kempwood Drive in Spring Branch. The Parish School is located in a plot of land bordering the Spring Branch District. The Parish School moved from its former campus, now the site of The Rainard School, to the new campus in 2005.Rainard has moved to its new campus
." '' The Rainard School''. Retrieved on December 10, 2008. Western Academy, a 3-8 boys private school, is in Spring Branch. School of the Woods is a college prep Montessori School for early childhood through grade 12 in nearby Hilshire Village; some of the school property is in Houston.

Community colleges

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 ...

(HCC) serves Spring Branch ISD.

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 ...

serves Cy-Fair ISD. HCC operates the Spring Branch Center, a part of the Northwest College, in Memorial City. The facility was known as the Town and Country Campus until 2009. The college is inside the former Town and Country Mall. In 1999 a former

AMC Theatres AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC and known in some countries as AMC Cinemas or AMC Multi-Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain fou ...

and

KMart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inc ...

building in Town and Country was re-tenanted to HCC. HCC signed its lease to occupy portions of the Town & Country Square Shopping Center in 1999. During that year the owners of the Town & Country Square Shopping Center filed a lawsuit against HCC for trying to stop a Barnes & Noble from opening in the shopping center premises.

Public libraries

The

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 Arnold L. Hillendahl Neighborhood Library at 2436 Gessner Road and the Elizabeth L. Ring Neighborhood Library at 8835 Long Point Road. The Harris County Public Library (HCPL) system operates the Spring Branch Memorial Branch at 930 Corbindale Road in the City of Hedwig Village. The branch opened in 1975.

Parks and recreation

The district includes parks operated by the city government and the county government. The Houston Parks and Recreation Department operates municipal parks within the Spring Branch Management District. Agnes Moffit Park, located at 10645 Hammerly Boulevard, has a swimming pool and a golf course. The R.L. and Cora Johnson Park is located at 9791 Tanner Road.Our Parks A-F
." ''City of Houston''. Retrieved on December 10, 2008. The adjacent R. L. and Cora Johnson Community Center, located at 9801 Tanner Road, has a 0.25 mile hike and bicycle trail, a playground, an outdoor basketball pavilion, and lighted tennis courts. The park was originally known as the Carverdale Park; it was renamed in January 2009 after some civic leaders. Freed Park and Community Center is located at 7020 Shadyvilla Lane. The park has an indoor gymnasium, a .35 mile hike and bicycle trail, a playground, a lighted sports field. Schwartz Park is located at 8203 Vogue. Harris County Precinct 3 operates the county parks. The Nob Hill Park, located at 10300 Timber Oak Drive, has a walking trail, a picnic, a playground, a gazebo, and a softball field. The Spring Branch Pocket Park, located at 1700 Campbell Road at Spring Branch Drive, has a trail, a playground, and a gazebo. The Housman Pocket Park, located at 6705 Housman Street, has a trail, a playground, and a gazebo. The Moritz Pech Family Park, located at 1493½ Moritz Drive, has two playgrounds and a granite jogging trail. The Creek Pocket Park, located at 1701 Creek Drive, has a trail. The Bracher Pocket Park, located at 1507½ Bracher Street, has a gravel trail, a playground, and a gazebo. The Bauer Pocket Park, located at 2201 Bauer Road, has a trail. The Gessner Pocket Park, located at 1610½ Gessner Drive, has a trail and a playground.

Culture

Th
Spring Branch Family Development Center
a 501(c)(3) organization, opened in 2001 to provide educational, recreational, health and social services to residents of Spring Branch. The

operates area Catholic churches. St. Andrew Kim Catholic Church ( ko, 휴스턴한인천주교회), named after

Andrew Kim Taegon Andrew Kim Taegon (21 August 1821 – 16 September 1846), also referred to as Andrew Kim in English, was the first Korean-born Catholic priest and is the patron saint of Korean clergy. Life In the late 18th century, Catholicism began to ta ...

, is in Spring Branch. It serves ethnic Koreans and Korean speakers in the archdiocese.Vara, Richard. "Area Asian Catholics to come together in celebration." ''

''. August 21, 1999. Religion p. 1.

NewsBank NewsBank is a news database resource that provides archives of media publications as reference materials to libraries. History John Naisbitt, the author of the book ''Megatrends'', founded NewsBank.Andrews 1998, p. 17. The company was launched ...

Record: 3159522. Available from the ''

'
website's newspaper databases
accessible with a library card and PIN. The area has a

Polish American Polish Americans ( pl, Polonia amerykańska) are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 9.15 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.83 ...

house of worship, Our Lady of Czestochowa Roman Catholic Parish, established in the 1980s. At the time Polish immigrants who resisted Communist rule in that country arrived in Houston. Other Spring Branch Catholic churches include Our Lady of Walsingham Church, St. Catherine of Siena Church, and St. Jerome Church. The

Islamic Society of Greater Houston The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) is a system of mosques in Greater Houston. It is headquartered at the Eastside Main Center in Upper Kirby in Houston. There are women from south Asian backgrounds who do not believe in wearing the ...

(ISGH) operates an area house of worship for Muslims, the Spring Branch Islamic Center. It houses the Islamic primary school

ILM Academy The Islamic Education Institute of Texas (IEIT), also known as Darul Arqam Islamic School District (DAISD) and Darul Arqam Schools is a network of Islamic schools in Greater Houston, Texas, United States. The organization is a subsidiary of the I ...

Notable residents

* Helena Brown (former member of the

in District A)

References

External links

Spring Branch Management District
*
Spring Branch Independent School District

- ''

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