Webster is a city in the

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

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 in Harris County, within the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. Its population was 12,499 at the 2020 U.S. census.

History

The community was founded in 1879 by James W. Webster under the name "Gardentown". It was established initially as a colony for settlers from England. It began as a stopover for travelers between

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 ...

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

, Kemah, and Seabrook. Eventually, railroads, such as the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, were built through the area. Farmers in the area raised

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosaceae, bearing the Pome, po ...

s and other produce. Texas State Historical Association. In 1903, the Houston Chamber of Commerce invited Seito Saibara, a former

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese member of parliament and a Christian theologian, to come to Texas to teach

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

farming. Rice at that time was emerging as an important cash crop. Saibara settled in Webster and established a small farming community of Japanese Christians. Saibara and his son Kiyoaki established the foundations of what became the rice industry of the U.S. Gulf Coast. Texas State Historical Association. Dairies and livestock ranches developed in the town, as well, in the early 1900s.

Petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...

was discovered at the Webster (Friendswood) Oil Field in 1937, but the population remained small. The community was incorporated in 1958. In 1961, the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the United States's civil space program, aeronautics research and space research. Established in 1958, it su ...

announced that it was building the Manned Spacecraft Center (now known as the

Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight in Houston, Texas (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight controller, flight control are conducted. ...

) nearby along the shores of Clear Lake. Growth and development quickly swept over the Clear Lake area, and Webster's population blossomed. Webster today has become a thriving bedroom community closely tied to the Clear Lake area and its high-tech industry.

Geography

Webster is located in southeastern Harris County at (29.538581, –95.119354). It is bordered to the north by the city of

and to the northeast by Nassau Bay. Clear Creek forms the southeastern border of Webster and is the Harris County / Galveston County line. League City borders Webster to the south and southwest, in both counties.

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

runs through the western side of Webster, with access from exits 23 through 25. Downtown Houston is to the northwest, and

is to the southeast. 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 city has a total area of , of which , or 3.24%, is covered by water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Webster has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,499 people, 5,334 households, and 2,530 families residing in the city. The 2019

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

determined 11,451 people lived within the city limits. The racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 70.6%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

, 19.4% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian or Alaska Native, 4.2% Asian, 3.7% multiracial, and 33.1% Hispanic or Latin American of any race. In 2019, the 4,994 households had an owner-occupied housing rate of 13.1%, and the median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $186,400. Webster had a median gross rent of $1,131 from 2015–2019. The city of Webster had a median household income of $55,497 and per capita income of $29,242. Roughly 18.7% of persons lived at or below the poverty line according to the 2019 survey. At 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, 9,083 people, 4,114 households, and 1,970 families were residing in the city. The population density was . The 4,733 housing units had an average density of 715.4/sq mi (276.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.85% White, 9.03% African American, 0.55% Native American, 5.72% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 15.78% from other races, and 3.92% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 27.24% of the population. Of the 4,114 households, 24.6% had children under 18 living with them, 32.7% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.1% were not families. About 40.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.14, and the average family size was 2.97. In the city, the age distribution was 20.9% under 18, 15.0% from 18 to 24, 43.5% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 107.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $42,385, and for a family was $43,495. Males had a median income of $35,346 versus $29,808 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 city was $21,964. About 12.5% of families and 13.2% 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 19.2% of those under 18 and 5.6% of those 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The city of Webster has fire stations #1 and #2, with the fire department offices in the second station.Public Information Phone Numbers
" City of Webster. Retrieved on May 16, 2010. The city has its own police department. Harris County Housing Authority operates Baybrook Park, a public-housing complex for seniors, in the Webster city limits. It has 100 units.Our Properties
" Harris County Housing Authority. Retrieved on January 1, 2019. "Baybrook Park Address: 500 W. Texas Avenue, Webster, TX 77598" The Texas Department of Public Safety operates its Webster Field Investigator Office and Driver's License Office in a nearby area in Houston. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Webster District Parole Office in a nearby area in Houston. 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 ...

Webster Post Office is located at 17077 North Texas Avenue. Some locations in the City of Houston have Webster mailing addresses. Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated Strawberry Health Center in Pasadena for ZIP code 77598. The nearest public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the

Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a List of neighborhoods in Houston, neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States. It is immediately south of the Houston Museum District, Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 6 ...

Economy

The Baybrook Mall is located in the City of Houston,SN_81.pdf

Archive
. Retrieved on March 31, 2014. near Webster.Kaplan, David.
Major expansion set for Baybrook Mall
" ''

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''. ...

''. March 24, 2014. Retrieved on March 31, 2014. "The company that owns the indoor shopping complex off the Gulf Freeway in suburban Webster will add 555,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space and create a community lawn the length of a football field."

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Pupils in Webster attend schools in Clear Creek Independent School District. The community is divided between the Board of Trustees District 2 and the Board of Trustees District 4. They are represented by Win Weber and Stuart J. Stromeyer, respectively, as of 2008. CCISD was established in 1948, partly from the former Webster school district, which served up to high school and took high-school students from Kemah and Seabrook. Most residents within the city limits are zoned to Margaret S. McWhirter Elementary School in Webster. The school occupies a building. The current McWhirter campus held its groundbreaking in 2014, and opened in 2016. The re-dedication was held in March of that year. That year the

Texas Education Agency The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States.

gave the school a grant allowing it to re-establish a full day Prekindergarten program. Some residential sections of the city are served by Armand Bayou (Houston), Falcon Pass (Houston), League City ( League City), and Whitcomb (Houston) elementary schools. Most residents are zoned to Clear Creek Intermediate School (League City). Some residents are zoned to Clear Lake, and Space Center intermediate schools, both in Clear Lake City and in Houston. Most residents are zoned to Clear Creek High School in League City, while Clear Lake High School in Clear Lake City, Houston, serves a small section. P.H. Greene Elementary School, in an

unincorporated area 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 ...

, serves areas outside of the city with Webster addresses.

=History of schools

= Webster Intermediate School formerly served the city, but moved to an unincorporated area near Friendswood and was renamed Westbrook Intermediate School in spring 2005; Westbrook does not serve Webster.

Private schools

Iman Academy Southeast Secondary School is in southeast Houston, northeast of Webster, off of Highway 3.

Colleges and universities

The portion of Clear Creek ISD in Harris County (and therefore Webster) is assigned to San Jacinto College.

Parks and recreation

The Edgar A. Smith Family

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

is located in Houston; it has a Webster mailing address.

Notable people

Stephanie Beatriz Stephanie Beatriz Bischoff Alvizuri (born February 10, 1981) is an American actress. She is known for playing Detective Rosa Diaz in the Fox/ NBC comedy series ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' (2013–2021), Quiet in the Peacock action-comedy series '' ...

, actress * Josh Huestis, basketball player for the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

* Dennis Paul, a Republican member 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. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

from District 129, formerly resided in Webster. * Steve Stockman, Republican former member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from Texas's 36th congressional district * Ryan Trecartin, multimedia artist

References

External links

City of Webster official website

''Handbook of Texas'' Online article on Webster

McWhirter Elementary School
{{authority control Cities in Harris County, Texas Cities in Texas Galveston Bay Area Greater Houston Populated places established in 1879 1879 establishments in Texas