Highlands is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) located along the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

, north of

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

and west of Farm to Market Road 2100, in an industrialized area of unincorporated Harris County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 8,612 individuals during the 2020 census.

History

The community was named Highlands because the east bank of the San Jacinto River, where Highlands is located, has a higher elevation than the west bank of the river. By 1908, Highlands became a station on the

Beaumont, Sour Lake and Western Railway The Beaumont, Sour Lake and Western Railway was an railroad that ran from Beaumont, Texas to Gulf Coast Junction in Houston. It passed through small southeast Texas communities such as Hull, Texas, Hull, Kenefick, Texas, Kenefick, and Huffman, Te ...

. A post office opened in 1929. Highlands incorporated in 1930, but its charter was voided, leaving Highlands as unincorporated again. In the 1930s, Highlands had 20 businesses and its population decreased from 350 to 200. The 1936 Harris County highway map indicated two churches, a factory, a school, and a sawmill in Highlands. Highlands housed military members and war plant personnel during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. By 1948, Highlands had 3,000 residents and 75 businesses. In the 1950s, local business decreased and the population decreased to 2,723. A 1956 attempt for Highlands to incorporate did not pass. In the 1960s, Highlands had a canning sales company and an industrial chemical company. In the early 1960s, Highlands had 4,336 residents and 82 businesses. In 1965, W. O. Hutson built the Double Trouble Youth Rodeo Arena. In the early 1970s, Highlands had 3,462 residents and 66 businesses. By 1977, Highlands had 5,000 residents; in 1989 Highlands reported the same population. In 1990, Highlands had an estimated population of 6,632.

Geography

Highlands is located at (29.816803, -95.059362). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 25.18%, is water. Highlands is located on the banks of the San Jacinto River and the Houston Ship Channel. The majority of the land in Highlands is on a high river bank. The historic Lynchburg Ferry is nearby.

Demographics

Highlands first appeared as a

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in the 1950 U.S. Census; and as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the

1980 U.S. Census The 1980 United States census, conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 226,545,805, an increase of 11.4% over the 203,184,772 persons Enumeration, enumerated dur ...

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,612 people, 2,547 households, and 1,766 families residing in the CDP. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 7,089 people, 2,564 households, and 1,976 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 2,812 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.18%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.61%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.51% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 5.28% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 13.01% of the population. There were 2,564 households, out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.14. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $41,288, and the median income for a family was $49,655. Males had a median income of $41,926 versus $25,226 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $18,556. About 6.7% of families and 9.8% 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 ...

, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

Highlands is located within Harris County Precinct 3; as of 2008 Ken Jones heads Precinct 3. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Highlands Post Office at 608 Main Street. Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated Baytown Health Center in Baytown for ZIP code 77562. The nearest public hospital is Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital in northeast Houston.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Highlands students are zoned to schools in the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District, though a small portion of the community is within the boundaries of Deer Park Independent School District. Highlands is divided between the Board of Trustees District 1 and the Board of Trustees District 3. As of 2008 Phelitria Barnes and Ken Martin represent the districts, respectively. Schools in Highlands CDP include Bonnie P. Hopper Elementary School (PK-1), Highlands Elementary School (2-5),Elementary Options 3G
" '' Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District''. Retrieved on November 30, 2008. and Highlands Junior High School (6-8). Harlem Elementary School (PK-5), outside of the Highlands CDP, serves some areas with Highlands addresses that are not in the CDP. The community is zoned to Goose Creek Memorial High School for high school. Harlem was originally built in 1923.School Information
" ''Harlem Elementary School''. Retrieved on November 30, 2008. Highlands Elementary School opened in 1926 as part of the

Crosby Independent School District Crosby Independent School District is a public school district based in unincorporated area, unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States within the Greater Houston, Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Crosby ISD serve ...

. It joined GCISD in 1928.School Information
." ''Highlands Elementary School''. Retrieved on November 30, 2008. Highlands Junior High School has existed since 1958.
." ''Highlands Junior High School''. Retrieved on November 30, 2008. Hopper opened in 1980.
" ''Bonnie P. Hopper Elementary School''. Retrieved on November 30, 2008. Harlem had its current facility built in 1992. During the same year Highlands Elementary's current campus opened. Highland Junior High's current campus was funded by a 2005 bond. Goose Creek Memorial opened on August 25, 2008.

Private schools

The Chinquapin School, a private school for low income students, is located east of the Highlands CDP at 2615 East Wallisville Road. The school opened in 1969.

Public libraries

Highlands is served by the Stratford Branch Library of Harris County Public Library (HCPL) at 509 Stratford Street. The branch first opened in 1966 in a building. A woman named Anna Stratford donated the property that the library sits on. In 1985 the library was renovated and more space was added, making the library 2,700 square feet.

Parks and recreation

Precinct 2 operates the Highlands Park and the Highlands and San Jacinto Community Centers at 604 Highlands Woods Drive.Highlands Park & Community Center
." ''

Harris County, Texas Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, and was estimated to be 5,009,302 in 2024, making it the List of counties in Texas, most populous cou ...

''. Retrieved on November 30, 2008. Highlands Park includes a picnic area, a playground, a lighted walking trail, an open shelter, a lighted basketball pavilion, a lighted tennis court, a covered barbecue pit, an exercise station, a spray park, and toilets.Precinct Two Park Listings
." ''

''. Retrieved on November 30, 2008. Stratford Park and the Stratford Library are located at 509 Stratford Street.Stratford Park and Stratford Library
." ''

''. Retrieved on November 30, 2008. The park includes a picnic area, a playground, an open shelter, a lighted baseball field, and toilets.

Transportation

Harris County Transit operates public transportation.Routes / Maps
" Harris County Transit. Retrieved on January 15, 2010.

Notable people

Highlands is the hometown of: * T. J. Ford, former professional basketball player, who played in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

for four teams *

Robert Francois Robert Joseph Francois (born May 14, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Green Bay Packers, who won Super Bowl XLV against th ...

, linebacker for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

The lead characters in the TV series ''

Beavis and Butt-head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, Stupi ...

'' live in the fictional community of ''Highland'', Texas.

References

External links

* {{authority control Census-designated places in Harris County, Texas Census-designated places in Texas Greater Houston Former cities in Texas Populated coastal places in Texas