West Oaks is a small subdivision in

Houston, Texas 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 ...

. It is east of,Feser, Katherine.
Tanglewood's tale had a slow start
" ''

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 October 2, 1994. Business 6. Retrieved on October 13, 2012. and in close proximity to,

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue and Music festival, festival in the towns of Lenox, Massachusetts, Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony ...

proper.Feldman, Claudia.
Moving back to the 'hood . . ./CITIZEN BUSH
" ''

''. Sunday December 13, 1992. Lifestyle p. 1. Retrieved on October 15, 2012. Mimi Swartz of ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

'' wrote that compared to River Oaks, West Oaks is "more nondescript".Swartz, Mimi.
Survival of the Richest
" ''

''. March 2006. Retrieved on June 4, 2014. Beginning in the 1990s,

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

became a resident of the neighborhood.

Cityscape

As of 1992 West Oaks had 30 houses on fairly large lots.Freemantle, Tony and William E. Clayton, Jr.
Bushes to build home here
" ''

''. Friday November 20, 1992. A1. Retrieved on October 17, 2012. Claudia Feldman of the ''

'' said in 1992 that West Oaks and West Oaks Drive South "are nifty, like pages out of a

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

tour guide." Herbert Wells, an

interior designer Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

from

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who lived in West Oaks and was quoted in Feldman's article, said that the area was "charming" and reminded him of his home state. As of 1992, in West Oaks, mansions and regular houses that had decaying paint were next door to one another. Many "for sale" signs are visible throughout the neighborhood, while Tanglewood does not allow "for sale" signs. Feldman said "If Tanglewood is homogenous, West Oaks is not." As of 1992, many older houses were being torn down so newer houses could be built.Hamm, Madeleine McDermott.
Architect Eubanks gets the nod to design Bushes' new house
" ''

''. Tuesday December 1, 1992. Retrieved on October 15, 2012. Feldman added that "Most of those down-at-the-heels homes will be snatched up, then bulldozed to make room for town homes." In 1992 Tony Freemantle and William E. Clayton, Jr. of the ''Houston Chronicle'' said that "the trend recently is toward smaller lots and self-standing townhouses" such as the lot that the house of

was built on.

Residence of George H. W. Bush

In 1981

became

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

and sold his

house,Hickey, Elisabeth.
Bushes' lot: No room for real estate
" ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American Conservatism, conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It covers general interest topics with an emphasis on Politics of the United States, national politics. Its broadsheet daily edit ...

''. Thursday November 19, 1992. Part E Life E1. Accessed on

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. making a $596,101 ($ in today's money) profit. This started a dispute with the

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.And you thought the President lived in the White House?
'' New York Times News Service'' at the ''

Toledo Blade ''The Blade'', also known as the ''Toledo Blade'', is a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, published daily online and printed Thursday and Sunday by Block Communications. The newspaper was first published on December 19, 1835. Overview The first issu ...

''. Sunday August 16, 1992. Section A, Page 4. Retrieved from

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(3 of 70) on October 14, 2012. To resolve the IRS dispute, in April 1985 Bush signed an affidavit that served as an agreement for him to build his retirement home on the lot at 9 West Oak Lane South, a house along West Oak Lane South, a horseshoe-shaped street that leads to South Post Oak Boulevard. The lot is within the West Oaks Addition subdivision, outside of the Tanglewood subdivision limits, but within the Tanglewood area. The lot had of space and was wide,From White House to 'regular house'
" ''

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'' at the '' Ocala Star-Banner''. Saturday November 21, 1992. 2A. Retrieved from

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(2 of 84) on October 14, 2012. making it the size of two tennis courts. In 1992 the Harris County Appraisal District valued the lot at $79,200 ($ in today's money). Elisabeth Hickey of ''

'' said that the lot appeared like "a small backyard".Hickey, Elisabeth.
Tour bashes Bush's little plot on the prairie
" ''

''. Monday August 17, 1992. Part A Nation A3. Available on

. In 1992 Michael Wines of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' said that it was "a postage stamp of a vacant lot, and most associates doubt that Mr. Bush intends to build a home there." Hickey reported that " e idea that the president would build a retirement home on this tiny patch of land, with no room for a horseshoe pit and no lawn for the grandchildren," caused some people to criticize Bush. Jack Steel, a friend of the Bush family, said that the location would be too accessible for a residence of a former U.S. president. John "Jack" Fitch, a longtime personal friend and former neighbor of George H. W. Bush,McDonald, Greg.
Bush says U.S. raid on home of diplomat was `screw-up'
" ''

''. Sunday December 31, 1989. A1. Retrieved on October 15, 2012. sold Bush the 9 West Oak Lane South lot around 1989. As part of the sale, the Bushes had an option to buy an extra of land.BUSH Houston rolls out new asphalt for president
" ''

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''. December 3, 1992. Retrieved on October 15, 2012. In 1992 Fitch said that the Bush family was "in the process of exercising that option right now." Because the Bushes, after leaving

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, had been unable to find a suitable alternative, they temporarily began leasing Fitch's former house, a two bedroom house appraised for $367,200 in 1992. In 1992 City of Houston employees repaved West Oaks Drive with a cost of $12,000 ($ in today's money), to anticipate Bush's arrival. In December 1992 the Bush family announced that it was building a new house on the lot. Edwin A. Eubanks was selected as the architect. Renaissance Builders was selected as the general contractor. Construction was scheduled to begin in early 1993 and end towards the fall of that year. The Bush house was to include several outbuildings for a guard post/security office and a U.S. Secret Service detail. By 1993 tourists began to visit the Bushes' house. The neighbors felt upset due to the increased traffic and security issues. The subdivision received approval from the

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

to erect gates to block the portion of West Oaks that houses the Bush residence from the general public. When Houstonians heard that the city may pay for the gate,

member Christin Hartung, whose district covered West Oaks, received mostly negative telephone calls. The Bushes, as of 1994, live in the West Oaks house. Swartz wrote that the Bushes prefer West Oaks because they "are too studiously sedate to live in River Oaks".

Education

The subdivision is within the

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 ...

. West Oaks is zoned to Briargrove Elementary School (in Briargrove) and Tanglewood Middle School (formerl
Grady Middle School
. High school students are zoned to

Margaret Long Wisdom High School Margaret Long Wisdom High School, formerly Robert E. Lee High School, is a publicly funded secondary school located in Southwest Houston, Texas, United States 77057. The Houston Independent School District, the 7th largest school district in the ...

(formerly Lee High School) and may choose to attend Lamar High School or Westside High School.Home Page
as of May 9, 2005. ''Lee High School''. Residents of the Briargrove Elementary School attendance zone may apply for th
Briarmeadow Charter School
Mark White Elementary School is scheduled to open in August 2016. Residents of the Briargrove Elementary zone, along with those of the Pilgrim, Piney Point, and Emerson zones, will be allowed to apply to this school.Baird, Annette.
Planned HISD elementary to relieve crowding
" ''

''. June 10, 2014. Retrieved on December 21, 2014.

References

{{coord missing, Texas Neighborhoods in Houston Gated communities in Houston