Conroe, Texas

History

The city is named after Northern-born Union Cavalry officer and Houston lumberman Isaac Conroe. Conroe founded a sawmill there in 1881. The city originally gained in wealth due to the lumber and oil industries. Originally named "Conroe's Switch", the area saw an influx of residents in the late 19th century due to the lumber demands on the piney wood forest of the area.

During the 1930s, because of oil profits, the city boasted more millionaires per capita than any other U.S. city, though only briefly. Elvis Presley performed at the high school football field on August 24, 1955. After the construction of Interstate 45, many Houstonians began to settle communities around Conroe.

Within the first decade of the 21st century the city attracted a great deal of new residents from the Houston area. Renée C. Lee said that Conroe around 2002 was "a sleepy, backwater town 40 miles north of Houston" and that at the time, Conroe city officials needed to use financial incentives to attract home developers to Conroe. Lee said that for a three-year period ending in 2007, Conroe became a hotbed of construction of new houses.

In 2012 the U.S. Census Bureau designated the area around Conroe and The Woodlands as a "large urbanized transit area," an area defined as having over 200,000 residents, making it eligible to receive federal transportation funds.

Geography

Conroe is at 30°18′58″N 95°27′32″W (30.316124, -95.458801).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.9 square miles (98 km²), of which, 37.8 square miles (98 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (0.21%) is water.

It is about 40 miles (64 km) north of Houston.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 56,207 people, 18,651 households, and 13,086 families residing in the city. The population density was 1066.2 people per square mile (411.7/km²). There were 22,215 housing units at an average density of 412.5 per square mile (162.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.7% White, 10.3% African American, 1.2% Native American, 1.8% Asian, less than 0.05% Pacific Islander, 13.7% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.5% of the population.

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,145 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% are classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau. Of 13,145 households, 643 are unmarried partner households: 582 heterosexual, 32 same-sex male, and 29 same-sex female households. Of all households, 27.2% were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the city, the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 13.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,123, and the median income for a family was $37,201. Males had a median income of $29,468 versus $23,025 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,841. About 15.0% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

In the early 1980s, Exxon considered consolidating its employees to a site in Conroe. The company ended the plans after the local oil-based economy collapsed.

According to the City's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Parks and recreation

The city is about 7 miles southeast of popular Lake Conroe, which is at the center of multiple, year round water and cultural events.

The city is served by a number of parks, most notably Candy Cane Park. The Heritage Museum of Montgomery County is located in Candy Cane Park.

Transportation

Conroe Connection is a service of the City of Conroe. The City of Conroe Transit Department was formed in 2013 to meet the transit and mobility needs of all Conroe residents. The City of Conroe launched its first project, Conroe Connection, in January 2015 to connect people with jobs, services, and shopping along Frazier Street at Loop 336 and in the Dugan area. Conroe Connection is supported with funds from the Federal Transit Administration, the Texas Department of Transportation and the City's General Fund.

Local government

According to the city's most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Fund Financial Statements, the city's various funds had $58.3 million in Revenues, $71.6 million in expenditures, $69.6 million in total assets, $7.6 million in total liabilities, and $57.5 million in investments.

The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:Jkkt

The city employs 128 police officers.

Public libraries

The county operates the main branch of the Montgomery County Memorial Library System.

State government

Until the fall of 2013, Conroe was represented in the Texas Senate (District 4), by Republican Tommy Williams. Its member in District 16 of the Texas House of Representatives is Republican Brandon Creighton, who is running in a special election to fill the seat that Williams vacated in order to take a position in College Station at Texas A&M University.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Conroe District Parole Office in Conroe.

Federal government

At the Federal level, the two U.S. Senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz; Conroe is part of Texas' US Congressional 8th District, which is currently represented by Republican Kevin Brady.

The United States Postal Service Conroe Post Office is located at 809 West Dallas Street.

Colleges and universities

The city is served by the Lone Star College System primarily by the Lone Star College-Montgomery Campus and LSC University Center. Other campuses in the county include the EMCID Center in New Caney, and the Conroe Center. The territory in Conroe ISD joined the community college district in 1991, and the territory in Willis ISD joined the district in 1996.

Public school districts

Almost all areas of Conroe are within the Conroe Independent School District though a small northern section of Conroe is within the Willis Independent School District.

Conroe Independent School District

All of the schools listed here are in the city of Conroe. All of the Conroe ISD section of Conroe is zoned to Conroe High School.

Some Public elementary and middle schools

The two junior high schools that serve the CISD portion are:

Some intermediate schools that serve the CISD portion are:

Some elementary schools that serve the CISD portion are:

Willis Independent School District

The Willis ISD section is zoned to Turner Elementary School, Brabham Middle School, and Willis High School, all of which are in unincorporated Montgomery County.

Private schools

Media

The Courier is a daily newspaper published in Conroe, Texas, covering Montgomery County. It is owned by ASP Westward LP.

Transportation

Interstate 45 directly connects the city with Houston to its south (40 miles) and with Dallas to its northwest (200 miles). Texas Highway 105 connects the city of Cleveland to the east and town of Montgomery to the west. Texas Loop 336 circles the city of Conroe. Lone Star Executive Airport provides general aviation services to Conroe. Greyhound Bus Lines operate a small station. The City of Conroe launched a local bus service, Conroe Connection, in 2015. It runs Monday through Friday, from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Notable people

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Conroe has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.