Willis is a city in

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Montg ...

, Texas, United States, located eight miles north of Conroe in north central Montgomery County. The city began to develop in 1870 after what is now 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 ...

built track through the area. As a part of the Piney Woods, the Willis economy has historically been driven by lumber, agriculture, and the manufacture of lumber and agriculture equipment. From the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, it produced tobacco as a commodity crop. Competition from Cuba reduced its contribution to the economy. The population was 6,431 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 6,964 in 2023. In 2008, after Willis's population passed 5,000, the city established a

home rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

city charter.

Geography

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 is land and (0.04%) is water.

History

Before the founding of Willis, most residents in the area lived in a settlement known as Danville, formed in the 1830s four miles west of present-day New Waverly.Danville
Heritage Museum of Montgomery County. Accessed on July 5, 2017. A few Danville residents in the 1850s settled to the south, founding the new community of what is now Willis.Foerster, Larry L
Historical Timeline of Willis, Texas.
Montgomery County Historical Commission: June 2013. Accessed on July 5, 2017. Several of these early Danville residents were large planters, who held numerous enslaved African Americans to work the labor-intensive tobacco crops on their plantations. In the 1850s, enslaved African Americans outnumbered whites in Danville: there were 600 slaves and 400 whites. After the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, many

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...

and their families moved away from the plantations to the Willis area. There in 1867 they established Thomas Chapel United Methodist Church, which is the oldest church in Willis. In 1870, the Houston and Great Northern Railroad (now the

) decided to build a railroad through Montgomery County. After residents of Danville refused to allow the railway through their town, Peter J. and Richard S. Willis donated a parcel of their landholdings in Montgomery County so the railroad and station stop could be built there. They founded the town of Willis in the process.Jackson, Charles Christopher
Willis, Texas.
''Handbook of Texas Online'': June 15, 2010. Accessed on July 5, 2017. Upon the railroad's completion in 1872, many residents of Danville, Old Waverly, and Montgomery moved to the new town of Willis. In 1874, a county election was held to determine whether the county seat of Montgomery County should be transferred from the town of Montgomery to Willis. Although Willis received more votes (788 to 646), it did not gain the requisite two-thirds majority, so the county seat remained officially in Montgomery. A protracted legal battle ended in 1878 when the

Supreme Court of Texas The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court ...

ruled in favor of Montgomery. With several county officials and Willis residents refusing to accept the results, another county seat election was held in 1880. That year Montgomery won the vote over Willis, 1308 to 1243. The dispute between the two towns finally ended in 1889, when Conroe was selected as the county seat. In the 1870s, the main occupations were farming, shipping, and the manufacture of lumber and agricultural products. In 1891, local Willis residents started growing Cuban tobacco, and Willis developed as a center for the production of cigars and other tobacco products. During the early years of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Willis suffered from falling demand in lumber products and a sharp decline in the demand for tobacco products. A man named Tom Payne was lynched in Willis in 1927. The economy began to recover in 1931 during the

Texas oil boom The Texas oil boom, sometimes called the gusher age, was a period of dramatic change and economic growth in the U.S. state of Texas during the early 20th century that began with the discovery of a large petroleum reserve near Beaumont, Texas. ...

, when oil was discovered in the area. In the 1930s and 40s, the development of

U.S. Route 75 U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway that runs in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is located at the Canadian border near Noyes, Minnesota, at a now-closed border crossing. From this point, the highway ...

, along with the recovery of the lumber industry 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 ...

, fully revitalized the local economy. In the mid to late 20th century through the present, agriculture and lumber remain vital components of the Willis economy, in addition to the retail, service, and manufacturing industries.

Demographics

As of the 2023

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 ...

, there are 2,788 estimated households in Willis with an average of 2.37 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $53,182. Approximately 12.5% of the city's population lives at or 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 ...

. Willis has an estimated 64.3% employment rate, with 16.9% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 83.2% holding a high school diploma. The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (75.6%), Spanish (24.4%), Indo-European (0.0%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.0%), and Other (0.0%). The median age in the city was 42.3 years.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 6,431 people, 2,158 households, and 1,608 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 2,346 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 47.04%

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 ...

, 16.92%

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 ...

, 0.84% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 19.08% from some other races and 15.53% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

people of any race were 38.95% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,662 people, 1,782 households, and 1,340 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,006 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 56.75%

, 18.17%

, 0.92% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.09%

, 20.12% from some other races and 3.59% from two or more races.

people of any race were 38.01% of the population. There were 1,782 households, out of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% 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, 25.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 3.55. In the city, the population was spread out, with 33.3% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,321, and the median income for a family was $32,269. Males had a median income of $_ versus $_ 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 $20,947. About _% of families and _% of the population were below the

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

Government

Local government

The city was incorporated in 1937. When Willis was incorporated, it was governed by general law, as defined by the

Constitution of Texas The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document that establishes the structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of Texas and enumerates the basic rights of its citizens. The current document was adopted on February 15, 187 ...

. In 2008, when population estimates placed noted total residents exceeded 5000 persons, Willis adopted a

Home rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

city charter. Home Rule in Texas enables cities to establish their own laws as long as those laws are consistent with the Texas Constitution. It also grants greater freedom for cities to levy taxes and pay off debts. On May 10, 2008, the residents of Willis voted to adopt the City of Willis Home Rule Charter.Home Rule Charter.
City of Willis: Adopted May 10, 2008. Last Amended: May 10, 2014. Accessed on July 5, 2017. The city has a council-manager government. The six-member city council consists of a mayor elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

and five city council member elected from

single-member district A single-member district or constituency is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. In some countries, such as Australia and India ...

s. As of June 2022, the mayor is Leonard Reed. Council members are Ashley Nixon, Barney Stone, Tamara Young-Hector, Thomas Luster, and William Brown.Mayor and City Council.
City of Willis, Texas. Accessed on June 10, 2022. The council appoints a professional city manager to deal with day to day operations and assert substantial administrative powers. As of June 2022, the city manager is Sheyi Ipaye.

State government

Willis is part of District 3,

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

, and represented by Republican Robert Nichols. In 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 ...

, Willis is part of District 16, represented by Republican Will Metcalf.Who Represents Me: Willis.
Texas Legislative Council. Accessed on September 26, 2023.

Federal government

In the

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

, Republicans

John Cornyn John Cornyn III ( ; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. ...

and

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

represent the entire state of Texas. In 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 ...

, Willis is part of

Texas's 8th congressional district Texas's 8th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes all of Polk County, Texas, Polk and San Jacinto County, Texas, San Jacinto counties, and parts of Harris County, Texas, Harris, Walker County, Texas, Wal ...

, represented by Republican Morgan Luttrell. 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 ...

Willis Post Office is located at 609 North Campbell Street.

Infrastructure

Transportation

In the 1960s,

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, ...

was built through the western portion of Willis, connecting Willis with

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 ...

to the south and

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

to the north. The previous Houston-Dallas route through Willis,

U.S. route 75 U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway that runs in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is located at the Canadian border near Noyes, Minnesota, at a now-closed border crossing. From this point, the highway ...

, is now

Texas State Highway 75 State Highway 75 (SH 75) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas. It follows the former routing of U.S. Route 75 (US 75), which was supplanted by Interstate 45 south of Dallas, except in Dallas, where the form ...

, running parallel to Interstate 45 through downtown Willis. Farm to Market Road 1097 connects Willis to

Lake Conroe Lake Conroe is a lake in Montgomery County, Texas, United States. Even though it is named Lake Conroe, only the southern third of the lake is in Conroe, Texas. Most of the lake is in unincorporated Montgomery County, while a small northern sli ...

and Montgomery to the west. Its eastern terminus is

Texas State Highway 150 State Highway 150 (SH 150) is an east–west highway in southeastern Texas beginning in New Waverly, starting at Interstate 45 and proceeds east going through Coldspring, where it turns southeast to Shepherd and terminates at Future In ...

to the east of New Waverly.

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a 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 States after BNSF, ...

operates a railroad that travels north-south through Willis.

Parks and recreation

The central portion of

is located a few miles west of Willis.

Sam Houston National Forest The Sam Houston National Forest, one of four National Forests in Texas, is located 50 miles north of Houston. The forest is administered together with the other three United States National Forests and two National Grasslands located entirely i ...

is located several miles west, north, and east of Willis.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Willis' public schools are operated by the

Willis Independent School District The Willis Independent School District is a public school district based in Willis, Texas, Willis, Texas, United States. Located in Montgomery County, Texas, Montgomery County, the district extends into a portion of San Jacinto County, Texas, ...

and Responsive Education Solutions. Five elementary schools, all of which are in Willis, serve portions of Willis: * Edward B. Cannan Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–5th) * C. C. Hardy Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–5th) * Mel Parmley Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–5th) * A.R. Turner Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–5th) * William Lloyd Meador Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–5th) * Lagway Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-5th) * Vista Academy of Willis (Grades K–8) Two middle schools serve portions of Willis: * Robert P. Brabham Middle School (Grades 6–8) (Unincorporated Montgomery County) * Lynn Lucas Middle School (Grades 6–8) (Willis) * Vista Academy of Willis (Grades K–8) All of the city is zoned to

Willis High School Willis High School is a public high school in Montgomery County, Texas, United States. It is a part of the Willis Independent School District. In 2022, the school received a C grade from the Texas Education Agency. History The school was opened ...

in Unincorporated Montgomery County. Portions of the city used to be zoned to Turner Elementary School until the attendance zoned changed for the 2006–2007 school year, rezoning the portion to Hardy Elementary School.

Area private schools

* Covenant Christian School

Colleges and universities

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 Woo ...

(originally the North Harris Montgomery Community College District) serves the community. The territory in Willis ISD joined the community college district in 1996. The nearest campus is Lone Star College-Montgomery, which operates the Conroe Center in northern Conroe.

Public libraries

Montgomery County Memorial Library System Montgomery County Memorial Library System is a public library system in Montgomery County, Texas, United States. The system operates libraries in several Montgomery County cities and areas. History The library started with 1,200 items inside t ...

operates the R. F. Meador Branch at 709 West Montgomery Street.

Notable people

* Michael Bishop, former professional football player *

Tina Chandler Tina Chandler (born September 2, 1974) is an American professional female bodybuilder. Early life and education Tina Chandler was born in 1974 in Shreveport, Louisiana, the second of three children. She grew up in Conroe and Willis, Texas. She ...

, IFBB professional bodybuilder * Jessie Hollins (1970–2009), professional baseball right-handed pitcher *

Marcus Luttrell Marcus Luttrell (born November 7, 1975) is a retired United States Navy SEAL who received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his disputed actions in June 2005 against Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wings in which he was the lone survivor ...

, Navy SEAL * D.D. Terry, professional football player * Cliff Young (1964–1993), professional baseball left-handed pitcherCliff Young.
Baseball Reference. Accessed on July 5, 2017.

References

External links

City of Willis – official website

Willis Independent School District.

inWillis.com - The City Guide for Willis, Texas Locals
{{authority control Cities in Montgomery County, Texas Cities in Texas Greater Houston