The Energy Corridor is a business district in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, located on the west side of the metropolitan area between

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, Texas, Harris County. Beltway 8, a state highway mai ...

and the Grand Parkway. The district straddles a stretch of Interstate 10 (the Katy Freeway) from Kirkwood Road westward to Barker Cypress Road and extends south along Eldridge Parkway to Briar Forest Drive. Parts of the district overlap with the

Memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

area of

. The district is located north of Westchase, another major business district of Houston, and east of

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 ...

. Many energy sector companies have major operations in the Energy Corridor, including

BP America BP p.l.c. (formerly The British Petroleum Company p.l.c. and BP Amoco p.l.c.; stylised in all lowercase) is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. It is one of the oil and gas " supermajors" and one of ...

Citgo Citgo Petroleum Corporation, or Citgo (stylized as CITGO), is a United States–based refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. Headquartered in the Energy Corridor area ...

ConocoPhillips ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational corporation engaged in hydrocarbon exploration and production. It is based in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas. The company has operations in 15 countries and has production in t ...

, Nouryon and

Shell Oil Company Shell USA, Inc. (formerly Shell Oil Company, Inc.) is the United States–based wholly owned subsidiary of Shell plc, a UK-based transnational corporation " oil major" which is among the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 18,000 ...

. Non-energy firms also have a presence;

Sysco Sysco is an American multinational corporation that sells, markets, and distributes food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, sports stadiums, and other venues that serve food. It also sells foodservice supplies and ...

and Gulf States Toyota Distributors are both headquartered in the district. The Energy Corridor contains over of office space, with an employment capacity of over 105,000. Over of

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

area borders the Energy Corridor, including

George Bush Park George Bush Park is a county park in Houston, Texas, United States, located on the far west side of the city. Situated entirely within Barker Reservoir, a large flood control structure, the park covers , most of which is undeveloped forest used f ...

and Bear Creek Pioneers Park. These parks are located within

Barker Reservoir Barker Reservoir is a flood control structure in Houston, Houston, Texas which prevents downstream flooding of Buffalo Bayou, the city's principal river. The reservoir operates in conjunction with Addicks Reservoir to the northeast, which impou ...

and Addicks Reservoir, respectively, which comprise a major

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

system for

Buffalo Bayou Buffalo Bayou is a slow-moving river which flows through Houston in Harris County, Texas. Formed 18,000 years ago, it has its source in the prairie surrounding Katy, Texas, Katy, Fort Bend County, Texas, Fort Bend County, and flows approximately ...

History

Energy industry The energy industry refers to all of the industries involved in the production and sale of energy, including fuel extraction, manufacturing, oil refinery, refining and distribution. Modern society consumes large amounts of fuel, and the energy in ...

corporations began moving to west Houston in the 1970s, seeking land for suburban office campuses and proximity to new housing developments. Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI) had its headquarters in the district until its acquisition by Allied Waste in 2000. In 2001, the

Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. 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 p ...

created the Energy Corridor Management District. In Texas, management districts are special government entities empowered to levy commercial taxes within their boundaries to support investments in infrastructure,

urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

, district branding and advertising, and public safety. Since then, the district has been actively involved in the creation of new infrastructure in the area, including road widening and the addition of bicycle lanes and sidewalks, and operates an extensive tree-planting and beautification program. Between 2001 and 2013, the district more than tripled its total property value, from $600 million to over $2 billion. The amount of new office space added to the Energy Corridor between 2005 and 2015 is equivalent to the amount added during the preceding three decades. However, the

2010s oil glut The 2010s oil glut was a significant surplus of Petroleum, crude oil that started in 2014–2015 and accelerated in 2016, with multiple causes. They include general oversupply as Unconventional (oil & gas) reservoir, unconventional US and Canadi ...

put a damper on this growth, causing office and apartment vacancy rates in the area to rise significantly. Despite this slowdown, the district saw a significant increase in hospital construction during the mid-2010s, including new facilities for Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

ExxonMobil Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational List of oil exploration and production companies, oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the Successors of Standard Oil, largest direct s ...

operated a large chemical facility in the district until 2013, when it consolidated operations in its new corporate campus in Spring. The Energy Corridor experienced extensive inland flooding from

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cy ...

in August and September 2017 after historic rainfall exceeded the retention capacity of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs. The

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

was forced to maximize discharge out of the reservoirs into

to protect the structural integrity of the dams, causing extensive downstream flooding of residential and commercial areas throughout the district, particularly along the Eldridge Parkway corridor.

Economy

Historically, the Energy Corridor has been one of Houston's strongest office markets.Sarnoff, Nancy.
Atlanta REIT buys former BFI buildings
" ''

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 with each market ...

''. Friday October 20, 2000. Retrieved on February 8, 2010. The district is the second-largest employment center in the region with more than 94,000 employees and over 300 companies. SyscoHQHouston

The Energy Corridor is home to the national or international headquarters of the following companies: * Becks Prime *

at Westlake Park *

Equinor Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is a Norwegian multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger, Norway. It is primarily a petroleum company, petroleum company operating in 36 countries with additional investments in renew ...

* Foster Wheeler * Gulf States Toyota2013 Inventory and Database CDS Market Research

Archive
. Energy Corridor. p. 1 (Boundary Map). Retrieved on April 30, 2014. *

McDermott International McDermott International, Ltd provides engineering and construction services to the energy industry. Operating in over 54 countries, McDermott has more than 30,000 employees, as well as a fleet of specialty marine construction vessels and fabri ...

PCL Construction The PCL family of companies is a group of independent General contractor, general contracting construction companies in Canada, the United States, Australia and the Caribbean. PCL has headquarters in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with the United Stat ...

* SBM Offshore USA *

* Technip USA * Wood Group * WorleyParsons ConocoPhilipsHQ

Kiewit Corporation Kiewit Corporation is an American construction company based in Omaha, Nebraska founded in 1884. In 2021, it was ranked 243rd on the Fortune 500. Privately held, it is one of the largest construction and engineering organizations in North America ...

* Enbridge Energy US elocated US corporate office in July 2022

, the fifth-largest employer in the Energy Corridor, operates a large campus in the district.Map
(). ''Energy Corridor''. Retrieved on February 5, 2009.Land Use and Demographics
" Energy Corridor District. March 2009. 3 (7/53). Retrieved on January 16, 2010.

Dow Chemical Company The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company was among the three largest chemical producers in the world in 2021. It is the operating subsidiary of Dow Inc., ...

and Sonangol USA have offices in the area.

Transportation

The

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is a major public transportation agency based in Houston, Texas, United States. It operates bus, light rail, bus rapid transit, HOV and HOT lanes, and paratransit service (under the n ...

(METRO) provides public transportation to the area. Line 75, originally known as the Energy Corridor Connector, operates during weekdays. Commuters from

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 in Texas, Interstate 10, Interstate 45 ...

and Midtown Houston can connect to the 75 connector via 228 Addicks and 229 Kingsland/Addicks through the Addicks Park and Ride. The 75 connector also connects with routes along Westheimer Road and Memorial Drive. In January 2011, the name of the route was changed to 75 Eldridge Crosstown, and the southern terminus of the line was extended to Mission Bend Park and Ride, enabling more convenient connections with the Westchase district and the New Chinatown area. EnergyCorridorstreetsigns

Two general aviation airports serve the Energy Corridor: West Houston Airport, near Addicks Reservoir, and

Houston Executive Airport Houston Executive Airport is a public-use airport in unincorporated area, unincorporated Waller County, Texas, Waller County, Texas, United States. The airport is located 28 nautical miles (52 km) west of Downtown Houston, Downtown Houston, ...

in unincorporated

Waller County 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 ...

. The latter was built to serve employees of firms in the Energy Corridor.Lee, Renée C., Helen Eriksen, Eric Hanson, Ruth Rendon, Harvey Rice, and Richard Stewart.
TRANSPORTATION / A flurry of airport expansions in the Houston region can serve corporate customers who don't like the hassles of airline travel
" ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, 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''. ...

''. Sunday June 17, 2008. Business 1. Retrieved on October 18, 2009. Two-thirds of the district's employees live within a "commute zone" spread across northern Fort Bend County, western Harris County, and southern

Education

Public schools

The southern, western and eastern areas of the Energy Corridor are served by

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest Public school (government funded), 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 ci ...

Katy Independent School District The Katy Independent School District (KISD) is a public school district based in Katy, Texas, United States with an enrollment of over 85,700 students. In 2022, the district was given a grade of "A" by the Texas Education Agency. The distr ...

, and Spring Branch Independent School District, respectively. Houston ISD residents are zoned to Ray K. Daily Elementary School, West Briar Middle School (with Revere Middle School, a STEM Magnet, as an option), and Westside High School. Residents zoned to Westside may transfer to Lamar High School. Katy ISD residents are zoned to Wolfe Elementary School, Mayde Creek Junior High School, Mayde Creek High School, Memorial Parkway Junior High School, and James E. Taylor High School. Spring Branch ISD residents are zoned to Nottingham Elementary School, Spring Forest Middle School, and Stratford High School.

Private schools

The Village School is near the Energy Corridor. In 2016, the

British International School of Houston The British International School of Houston (BISH), formerly the British School of Houston (BSOH), is a non-sectarian, co-educational college preparatory day school in the Greater Katy region of the Greater Houston, Houston area. BISH, which open ...

opened in

to serve the district's large population of British

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

s.Kirk, Bryan.
Katy-area campus set to open in fall '16
" ''

''. June 9, 2015. Retrieved on September 11, 2015.

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 ...

operates the Kendall Neighborhood Library on Eldridge Parkway. Of all HPL branches the Kendall Library received the most severe damage during

in 2017; the damage, which affected the electronic system and elevator, but not most of the books as the majority were on the library's second floor, included mold and was so severe that HPL employees re-entered the branch several days after the flood. The total level of water ranged from to . The library afterward enacted a $4 million project post-Harvey renovation program with a tentative 2019 opening.

Parks and recreation

The Energy Corridor is intersected by Terry Hershey Park, a

linear park A linear park is a type of park that is significantly longer than it is wide. These linear parks are strips of public land running along canals, rivers, streams, defensive walls, electrical lines, or highways and Esplanade, shorelines. Examples o ...

which runs east to west along Buffalo Bayou from

to Barker Reservoir. The district is connected to a wider trail system by

trailhead A trailhead is the point where a trail begins or is accessed, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles. Modern trailheads often contain restrooms, maps, signposts, and distribution centers for ...

s at the intersection of Eldridge and Enclave and at Mayde Creek as it passes under Interstate 10. These trails connect the district to

to the southwest. Ray Miller Park, a neighborhood park, is located at the southern end of the district on Eldridge Parkway. In 2015 Energy Corridor Cricket, a children's

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

club, was established.

Notes

External links

Energy Corridor Management District webpageEnergy Corridor Lodging webpage
{{coord, 29.77, -95.63, type:city_region:US-TX, display=title Geography of Houston Neighborhoods in Houston Economy of Houston