Vital statistics for The Woodlands as of 2008 are shown below:

The Woodlands development started in 1974 as one of the nation’s first true master planned communities. For the first 20 years, most development was residential with retail centers built primarily to support the village-style living philosophy. In the past 5 years, however, dramatic retail expansions such as The Woodlands Waterway, Market Street, and Town Center have completed the ultimate plan with absolute perfection. Now 34 years later, The Woodlands is considered the standard for master planned communities; its success has inspired countless developments state-wide, but none (to my knowledge) have managed to rival The Woodlands in terms of stability, popularity, and innovation.

Often described as a suburban utopia, I see The Woodlands community as a self-sustaining suburb. The significance? It’s primarily residential, yet enough commerce has emerged here to generate a powerful, self-sustaining local economy. Almost 40% of primary household earners actually work in The Woodlands.

Surrounding Area: Suburban North Houston

The Woodlands is one of several communities that make up the Suburban North Houston area. Adjacent neighborhoods include:

• Spring - Just south of The Woodlands, Spring (which includes the Champions area) is an unincorporated community in Harris County. Spring is primarily residential and retail, with homes ranging from just under $100k up to the $1M range. Residential and commercial development activity is still very high, particularly around the FM 2920 corridor.
• Conroe - On the North and Northeast sides of The Woodlands, Conroe is an established, historic community that is not technically a part of Houston. Lake Conroe is by far the most popular Lake in the Houston North area; high-end waterfront residential development has grown significantly over the past few years. More info
• Magnolia - A more rural community, Magnolia & Montgomery border The Woodlands to the North and Northwest. Magnolia is responsible for much of the growth in Montgomery County since 2000, with numerous high-end ranch-style neighborhoods being developed.
• Tomball -  On the Southwest side of The Woodlands is Tomball. Similar to Spring, Tomball is a growing residential community with a wide range of home prices, major retail centers, and also the giant Hewlett-Packard campus.

The majority of North Houston has always been residential & retail, with the industrial sector starting just South of the Spring area. The Woodlands, however, has become a popular and prestigious location for oil-related and biotech firms, including several Fortune-500 companies.

For more information about The Woodlands economy, visit The South Montgomery County / Woodlands Chamber of Commerce site. The south and west areas of of North Houston (Spring, Champions, and Tomball) belong to Harris County; for more info, see this article about the Northwest Harris County Economy.

Driving Force: The Woodlands Waterway, and its impact on Real Estate Values

At The Woodlands’ closest point to Interstate 45—the primary thoroughfare between downtown Houston and Dallas—shine the bright lights of our local downtown. The Woodlands Waterway Center is a precisely-planned mixture of pedestrian-friendly retail, high-end office space, and luxury in-town residential space has far exceeded most expert expectations.

photo by photoram

With the Waterway addition, The Woodlands is now the hottest commercial building market in Houston, one of the most successful master-planned communities in the country, and this so-called ‘suburb’ now boasts over 7 million sqft of office space, 6 million sqft of retail space, and 1,500+ companies paying the salaries of over 42,000 employees.

The residential piece of The Woodlands Waterway includes in-town residence in the form of townhomes, brownstones, and condos. Along the East Shore of Lake Woodlands, new developments of luxury patio homes, townhomes, and custom homes have been extremely successful—selling for as high as $300/sqft.

Living the Village Life

photo by gsloan

The design and layout of The Woodlands is based on Villages–sub-communities within The Woodlands perimeter. Within these villages, the developers designated a specific combination of residential single family, multi-family (apartments/condos), retail, parks, places of worship, private & public schools; the intent of this village system is to create an independent neighborhood with all the essentials for a safe, friendly, high-quality family life….all contained within each village. View an interactive map of The Woodlands Villages here.

The village lifestyle is certainly a factor in our high quality of life, and thus the success of The Woodlands. After 5+ years, I’m still impressed with the level of genuine neighborly love–that is, happy smiles and friendly waves–that I’m welcomed with on each drive home. It may sound simplistic, but those smiles are significant. They’re a daily assurance that the members of our diverse community share one invaluable quality: respect and appreciation for our quality of life.