Areas in Houston that are similar to Southern Orange County, California

[Johnhw2]

Originally Posted by WRM20

Houston has the ability to prevent incorporation or annexation within its ETJ, and has used that ever since the law was passed, although I am not sure why the Memorial Villages were allowed to incorporate.

One article(sorry about the paywall) https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...ts-8264251.php

City Planning Department website on the topic https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Annexation/

Local Government Code section https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/D.../htm/LG.42.htm

The villages were where a large number of Shell, etc employees moved in the 1960s I am told, Reason allowed was likely money talks. I've heard the memorial villages use to be called yankee stadium as most moved from NYC or so I was told.

[gwarnecke]

The Memorial Villages incorporated in the 1950s (and for that matter, other enclave cities like West University Place incorporated even earlier). I believe this predates CoH's big annexation push and application of the ETJ laws by a decade or so.

Shell did indeed move its US HQ from Manhattan to One Shell Plaza in the early 70s. Would make sense that the Villages would appeal to Manhattan transplants, who would probably find them reminiscent of the upscale bedroom communities outside of NYC.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by gwarnecke

The Memorial Villages incorporated in the 1950s (and for that matter, other enclave cities like West University Place incorporated even earlier). I believe this predates CoH's big annexation push and application of the ETJ laws by a decade or so.

Shell did indeed move its US HQ from Manhattan to One Shell Plaza in the early 70s. Would make sense that the Villages would appeal to Manhattan transplants, who would probably find them reminiscent of the upscale bedroom communities outside of NYC.

Just as Kingwood was built in large part to cater to transferring oil company professionals who were presumed to want highly regulated and frankly exclusionary suburban environments like would be found in the Northeast. (And yes, the "exclusionary" part was definitely important.)

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

Just as Kingwood was built in large part to cater to transferring oil company professionals who were presumed to want highly regulated and frankly exclusionary suburban environments like would be found in the Northeast. (And yes, the "exclusionary" part was definitely important.)

Kingwood was a joint venture between the King Ranch and Exxon's Friendswood Development subsidiary, if anyone was wondering.

[DoBetterHouston]

I find Kingwood extremely unappealing.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by DoBetterHouston

I find Kingwood extremely unappealing.

I like the trails and Midway's project on the lake (King's Harbor), but that's about it. But, it represented what developers thought "sophisticated" (read: educated Northeasterners and Midwesterners) professionals wanted in suburban living in the 1970s and 1980s. Especially the golf.

[Htown2013]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

I like the trails and Midway's project on the lake (King's Harbor), but that's about it. But, it represented what developers thought "sophisticated" (read: educated Northeasterners and Midwesterners) professionals wanted in suburban living in the 1970s and 1980s. Especially the golf.

Wasn't Kingwood developed as unincorporated Harris County that was part of Houston ETJ and eventually annexed into the city of Houston?

Where I'm from places like Kingwood would be its own city, making decisions for itself and with its own police and city services, and with probably at least 2 or 3 layers of other self governing entities between it and the central city.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by Htown2013

Wasn't Kingwood developed as unincorporated Harris County that was part of Houston ETJ and eventually annexed into the city of Houston?

Where I'm from places like Kingwood would be its own city, making decisions for itself and with its own police and city services, and with probably at least 2 or 3 layers of other self governing entities between it and the central city.

Yes, Kingwood only became part of the City of Houston in the 1990s. State law in Texas strictly limits the powers of counties (as compared to incorporated cities), so they can't provide many things that counties do in some other states. Why Kingwood residents didn't choose to incorporate while it still had the ability to do so and provide those services itself, I don't know, but there may have been legal (perhaps because it's in Houston's ETJ) or fiscal reasons, or maybe they just didn't want that layer of government (taxes, bureacracy, etc.). Remember, Kingwood has strict deed restrictions and what I would assume is a powerful POA, so residents may have felt confident in those things and didn't see the need for incorporation.

[arsenaultcason]

An area similar to Plano would be the Memorial Area, an area similar to Allen would probably be Kingwood.