FOURTH WARD
Contact and meeting info:
Joseph Panzarella, President
Contact Jpanzarella638@gmail.com
Meetings are held on 3rd Thursday of every other month
from 6:30pm to 8:00pm
at the Rose of Sharon Baptist Church
1106 Valentine St, Houston, TX 77019
Fourth Ward was a major commercial and cultural center for Houston’s widely scattered African American community. After the construction of Interstate 45 cut off the eastern edge of the community, that portion was redeveloped as the Allen Center office, hotel, and retail center. Since then, absentee property owners have anticipated redevelopment of the remaining area. The Allen Parkway Village public housing project was built in the area during the 1940s, and its recent redevelopment has helped spur redevelopment of the remaining area. A major portion of the Fourth Ward has been included within a tax increment reinvestment zone.

SECOND WARD
Contact and meeting info:
Ricky Cardenas, President
1st Monday, 6:30 pm, Even Months
Houston Community College – Felix Fraga Academic Campus
301 N Drennan St
Houston, TX 77003
superneighborhood63@gmail.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/secondward_63
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Second-Ward-Super-Neighborhood-63
Twitter - https://twitter.com/SecondWard_63
Second Ward is one of Houston’s four original neighborhoods. Frost Town, which is arguably the earliest part of Houston (pre-dates 1836) is located within Second Ward. The area is one of the city’s most historic and culturally significant neighborhoods and has a proud heritage of being a focal point in the city’s twenty-first century industrial expansion. The area has maintained a strong Hispanic identity for much of the 20th Century, and the neighborhood is so deep-rooted that it has played host to several different periods of settlement by different ethnic groups. During the mid to late 19th century, the area was largely settled by Germans, followed by Italians and Anglos, and then by Hispanics beginning in the 1920s and gaining in numbers by the 1940s. The area remains primarily Hispanic and is now home to a diverse population of many cultures, multi-generational families, an influx of new residents, and socio-economic backgrounds. The location and neighborhood culture are primary attractions to entrepreneurs investing in the re-emergence of the neighborhood as a business hub to professional services, manufacturing, food service industry, and technology.
Aside from the parts of the neighborhood located within the downtown district, much of Second ward was very rural until the turn of the 20th century. There were few named roads to take residents to and from Second Ward into downtown, located only 1–2 miles away, except for Commerce Street, Engelke, and Harrisburg. Today, organizations like the East End District, Houston East End Chamber of Commerce, BakerRipley, Ripley House, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Rebuilding Together Houston, and Talento Bilingue De Houston promote the cultural history, entrepreneurial spirit and diversity that is the East End. The area is home to one City of Houston Landmark, two State of Texas Historic Landmarks, and numerous potential historic landmark sites and districts that date from the 1870s, the 1930s, and 1940s.
Civic clubs: Navigation Village Homeowners Association, Oakland Fullerton Civic Club, Segundo Civic

DOWNTOWN
Contact and meeting info:
Mitchel Walker, President
downtownsn61@gmail.com
3rd Monday 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Location City Hall Annex
Downtown is the birthplace of Houston and is home to the Market Square Historic District with some of Houston’s oldest historic buildings. The construction of a ring of freeways in the 1960s and 1970s created the modern boundaries of downtown. This area includes state of art performing art facilities, major government, banking, energy interests, the George R. Brown Convention Center and University of Houston Downtown. Loft conversions in older, often vacant office/commercial buildings are adding a new and welcome residential element to downtown along with a thriving nightlife, restaurant and club scene. Downtown includes quality park space such as Discovery Green and Market Square Park that includes places for performances, dog runs and other activities. Two sports stadiums, Daikin Park and the Toyota Center give the downtown area additional interest.
The area includes the East Downtown Management District, whose vision for East Downtown or EaDo is “of a well-planned, high quality community, integrating regional and metropolitan commercial development with a stable, desirable residential neighborhood.”
Civic clubs: EaDo Civic Club, Friends of Columbia Tap

CLINTON PARK TRI-COMMUNITY
Ruby Nelson, President
3rd Tuesday, 6:00 pm, Odd Months
Clinton Park Community Center
200 Mississippi St., 77029
clintonpark59sn@gmail.com
Clinton Park/Fidelity is a small community located just north of Clinton Drive, adjacent to the City of Galena Park. It is split between Houston ISD (Clinton Park) and Galena Park ISD (Fidelity), and includes a part of the Port of Houston. From its inception, this area has been almost exclusively an African American community. Spurred by the proximity to jobs in the Port and nearby Ship Channel industries, development in the area began before World War II. Large holding ponds containing materials dredged from the Houston Ship Channel are located adjacent to the residential areas. The high earthen dikes surrounding the ponds are distinctive forms on this flat coastal plain. The wetlands created by these dikes offer open space that permanently buffers many residences.

GREATER UPTOWN
It includes an office and retail complex centered on the Galleria, which rivals the downtowns of many major cities. It also includes neighborhoods of expensive homes developed after World War II when this area was the city's western edge. The large subdivisions developed in the 1950s have now been almost entirely redeveloped. Apartments, condos, and expensive patio homes have replaced the modest, single-family homes on Augusta, Bering, Potomac and Nantucket. Briargrove and Tanglewood are also undergoing renewal as large older homes are replaced with new homes much grander in scale. Lamar Terrace, located between Westheimer and Richmond Avenue, once characterized by its modest frame houses is being redeveloped through the St. George/Lamar Terrace TIRZ into Saint George's Place, a community of high-end homes.
Civic club: Mamre Civic Club

GREATER INWOOD
Julie Marinucci, President
3rd Monday, 7:00 pm, March, June, September, December
Forrest Lake Townhouse Association Clubhouse
5805 Lumberdale Rd
Meeting Virtually at this time
SuperNeighborhood05@yahoo.com
Greater Inwood area was developed in the early 1960s for oil executives during the Houston oil boom. During this period, the Inwood Forest Country Club was built, a private golf course, later became a community gathering place. The club, located on Antoine is no longer used as a golf course. This ethnically diverse community has a mixture of land uses, with single-family residential comprising the majority (85%) of the land uses. These homes are located in 35 neighborhoods including Inwood Forest, Candlelight Oaks, Woodland Trails, Candlelight Forest, Forest West and Antoine Forest Village. Industrial uses account for the second highest (9%) land use and are concentrated primarily along two major thoroughfares, Bingle Road and Houston Rosslyn. The International Paint Company is one of the major employers in the area. Office uses, which account for the least (2%) land use, are scattered throughout the area. Several large apartments in the area are located along Antoine, Tidwell, De Soto, Holly View, West Little York and Gulf Bank.
Civic clubs: Bayou Bend Community Improvement Association, Forrest Lake Townhome Association, Sheraton Oaks Homeowners, Yorkwood Civic Club

GREATER HOBBY AREA
The Greater Hobby Area takes its name from Hobby Airport, located at the center of this part of southeast Houston. A rail line at the western edge of the community provides access for a number of large industrial facilities. Sims Bayou, along the northern boundary, attracted development of single-family homes in the Garden Villas subdivision before World War II and in the Glenbrook Valley subdivision during the 1950s. Gulf Freeway Oaks is a similar subdivision of homes located close to I-45, an eastern boundary of the area. East Haven and Skyscraper Shadows, located to the east and south of the airport, respectively, still have many empty lots and a variety of housing styles. Gulf Meadows is located close to Clear Creek, the southern edge of the community.
Civic clubs: Gulf Meadows Civic Club, Skyscraper Shadows Civic Club

GOLFCREST / BELLFORT / REVEILLE
Golfcrest/Reveille is a section of southeast Houston located outside Loop 610 between Mykawa and the Gulf Freeway. Subdivisions within this community include Overbrook, Bayou Oaks, Santa Rosa, Greenway, Lum Terrace, Golfcrest, Kings Court, Tropicana Village and Oakland Plaza. Many small industrial facilities are located near Long Drive in the western part of the community. The original Golfcrest Country Club site was redeveloped with a stadium for Houston ISD, public housing and a City park. Most of the homes in the area date from the suburban development after World War II. Many of the more expensive homes were built on heavily wooded sites adjacent to Sims Bayou.
Civic clubs: Glenbrook Valley Civic Club, Andover / Southview / Fairlawn Civic Association, Bayou Oaks Civic Club, Garden Villas Civic Association, Gulf Freeway Oaks Civic Club, Tropicana Civic Club

ELDRIDGE / WEST OAKS
Jeff Baker, President
2nd Wednesday, 7:00 pm, Monthly
Eagle's Trace Retirement Community
14703 Eagle Vista Drive, 77077
SuperNeighborhood17@gmail.com
sn17.org
Eldridge/West Oaks moved from rural sprawling ranches just 30 years ago, to booming residential, energy and business growth. Eldridge/West Oaks has been lucky to take advantage of the extensive expansion of the Terry Hershey Parke Trail System, which is walking or biking distance for most area residents. Super neighborhood 17 residents are also fortunate to have the George Bush Park just to the west. The Ray Miller Park on the main artery on Eldridge is a fabulous local park within the super neighborhood boundaries. A new library sits on the border of SN17 with meeting rooms and an indoor basketball court.
Civic clubs: Briarhills Property Owners Association, Terraces On Memorial Homeowners Association, Ashford Hills POA, Ashford Park I-V, Ashford Park VI, Ashford West HOA, Briarhills HOA, Briarhills POA, Briar Park CIA, Briar Village HOA & POA, Briarwood Eagle’s Trace Lake at Stonehenge, Lakes of Parkway, Lakeside Enclave HOA, Parkhollow Place, Parkridge HOA, Parkway Villages Residential Association, Reflections HOA, Reflections on the Lake HOA, Shadowlake, Stonehenge I HOA, Terraces on Memorial, The Parkway Association, Westhollow Village HOA

WASHINGTON AVENUE COALITION / MEMORIAL PARK
Stacie Fairchild, President
3rd Thursday, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, Monthly
Meetings currently in person
Meeting location: HPD Central 1217 Morin Pl, Houston, TX 77002
superneighborhood22@gmail.com
sn22.org
Memorial Park, and the Camp Logan and Crestwood neighborhoods, are at the western edge of the super neighborhood, and were home to a World War I training camp for US Army soldiers. Today, Memorial Park is a 1500-acre urban park that also contains the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. The park is also home to many recreational amenities, such as a 3-mile long jogging trail, picnic areas, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and soccer, softball, and baseball fields.
At the eastern edge of the super neighborhood are the Old Sixth Ward and First Ward neighborhoods. These are historic neighborhoods created late in the 19th century, and were the first designated by the City of Houston as a Protected Historic District. Many of the commercial and industrial sites created in the 20th century, are giving way to a vibrant art district today.
SN22 is also home to two historic cemeteries. Olivewood Cemetery was founded in 1875, and is the first to serve the African-American community in Houston. Glenwoood Cemetery was founded in 1871, and is the resting place for many notable Texans, including the last president of the Republic of Texas.
There are more than 10 neighborhoods in SN22, founded early in the 20th century as working-class neighborhoods. Today, they are one of the most rapidly changing areas in Houston, and home to many upscale single and multi-family residental properties.
Civic clubs: Arlington Court Association, Camp Logan Memorial Civic Club, Cottage Grove Civic Club, Crestwood Civic Club, First Ward Civic Club, Magnolia Grove Civic Association, Old Sixth Ward Neighborhood Association, Rice Military Civic Club, West End Civic Club, Westwood Grove Civic Club, Woodcrest Neighborhood Civic Association

GREATER FIFTH WARD
Joetta Stevenson
1st Wednesday, 6:00 pm, Monthly
Fifth Ward MSC
info@fifthwardsn55.org
One of Houston's original six wards, the site was sparsely inhabited before the Civil War. It was subsequently settled by freedmen and became known as the Fifth Ward in 1866, when an alderman was elected to represent the community in the Houston city government.
At the time, half the population was African-American and half Anglo. By 1870, the population of the ward comprised 561 white and 578 black residents. Two schools, one black and one white, corresponded to the roughly equal segments of the ward's population in 1876. Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, founded in 1865 by former slave Rev. Toby Gregg, is the oldest institution in the ward. Five other churches are over 100 years old: Pleasant Grove Baptist, Mount Pleasant Baptist, Sloan Memorial United Methodist, Payne Chapel Methodist, and First Shiloh Baptist. The Fifth Ward was also the site of a saloon named for Carry Nation, which, after considerable damage resulting from a dispute with the owner over the name, was subsequently known as the "Carnation."
In the 1880s, the ward enjoyed a boom following the construction of repair shops for the newly built Southern Pacific Railroad. Growth was interrupted by a fire in 1891 at the Phoenix Lumber Mill and another in 1912 that burned 119 houses, 116 boxcars, nine oil tanks, thirteen plants, and St. Patrick's Catholic Church and school.
Eventually, the Fifth Ward population became predominantly black. Frenchtown, a four, square block neighborhood in the ward; 500 blacks of French and Spanish descent from Louisiana organized a community in 1922. Black-owned businesses, including a pharmacy, a dentist's office, an undertaking parlor, a theater, and several barbershops, operated after 1900 on Lyons Avenue and numbered forty by 1925. Working-class blacks were primarily employed within walking distance of the ward; many worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad or at the Houston Ship Channel. Others commuted across town to work as domestics and servants for wealthy Houstonians. By 1927 Phillis Wheatley High School in the ward, with 2,600 students and sixty teachers, was one of the largest black high schools in America. Other new businesses developed in the 1930s, including printing plants, photography studios, and the Club Matinee, which came to be known as the Cotton Club of the South. Local businessman Grand Duke Crawford organized the Fifth Ward Civic Club.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the area saw significant housing and commercial growth as the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation, organized in 1989, worked to revitalize the neighborhood through new home construction as well as an increased focus on job training, access to technology, and access to the arts. A cultural arts festival celebrated the artistic, culinary, and musical heritage of the area. By 2000, the neighborhood had an estimated population of 22,000.
Civic clubs: Blocks Organizing Neighborhood Defense, Fifth Ward Neighborhood Civic Club, Fondren Place Townhome Association, Prince Square Civil Association, Progressive Fifth Ward Community Association

DENVER HARBOR / PORT HOUSTON
Denver Harbor/Port Houston is made up of two distinct but similar neighborhoods located north of the Houston Ship Channel turning basin. The southern portion of the area along Clinton Drive is industrial. The smaller residential area, Port Houston, is laid out on both sides of McCarty Street. It has a mix of residential, commercial and industrial uses. Denver Harbor is primarily residential. Lyons Avenue is the major commercial corridor in Denver Harbor. Although Interstate Highway 10 splits Denver Harbor physically, its identity has remained strong. Both neighborhoods, originally blue collar Anglo neighborhoods, are now predominantly Hispanic.
Civic club: Denver Harbor Civic Club

PLEASANTVILLE AREA
Bridgette Murray, President
4th Monday, 6:30 pm, Monthly except July & Aug
Judson Robinson Sr. Center
pasnc57@gmail.com
facebook.com/PASNC57
Pleasantville Area includes many industrial areas, as well as two distinct residential areas. Groveland Terrace is a small residential area in the north and south of Interstate 10 (East Freeway) is the Pleasantville subdivision. Pleasantville was developed after World War II and is predominantly African-American. The high homeownership rate and strong neighborhood identity has staved off deterioration even as the residential area has been surrounded by warehouses and industries.
Civic club: Groveland Terrace Civic Club

NORTHSHORE
Northshore is an area immediately north of the Houston Ship Channel, east of Loop 610. The community includes subdivisions such as Songwood, Holiday Forest, Wood Bayou, Cimarron, Home Owned Estates, Woodland Acres, Hidden Forest and Greens Bayou. Neighborhoods east of Greens Bayou and those south of Market Street are in Galena Park ISD. The balance of the area is in Houston ISD. This heavily wooded area includes a variety of home styles and prices. In the 1980s, the Brown Foundation donated a large tract of land that the new Crosby Freeway (Highway 90) will pass through. In addition, the land is just beginning to be developed into Herman Brown Park, a major regional facility.
Civic club: Songwood Civic Association

LAZYBROOK / TIMBERGROVE
Marie Carlisle, President
3rd Wednesday, 6:30 pm, Even Months
Meeting in person and via videoconference
The Spaghetti Western Restaurant
1951 W TC Jester Blvd
houstonSN14@gmail.com
In the pre-freeway period after World War II, this area remained undeveloped while suburban development was exploding in every other direction. Now, this community of ranch style brick homes built in the 1950s and 1960s is easily accessible to Loop 610, and prices are rising as demand increases for close-in housing in attractive settings. The northwestern corner of the area, located outside of Loop 610 on both sides of US 290, includes Brookwood, a large lot subdivision, the Brookhollow business park, Northwest Mall and HISD's Delmar Stadium complex.
Civic clubs: Lazybrook Civic Club, Timbergrove Manor Civic Club

GREATER HEIGHTS
Kevin Strickland, President
3rd Tuesday, 6:30 pm, February, May, August, November
Heights Fire House
GHSNC.sn15@gmail.com
facebook.com/GreaterHeightsSNC/
The Greater Heights Super Neighborhood (SN 15) is centered on the area's largest neighborhood, Houston Heights. Houston Heights, commonly referred to as "The Heights," was Houston's first master-planned community. The idealistic vision for the community was one in which entrepreneurs and workers could live and work within a close community setting. The location for the community was chosen because it had a natural higher elevation than the City of Houston which was seen as advantageous to both industry and residents alike. In 1892, the grand entrance to the community was constructed, known today as Heights Boulevard. Stately Victorian mansions were constructed along the boulevard. Textile manufacturing and milling operations located in the Houston Heights provided employment for many of the area's residents. In addition, the community was able to support a business district that included a hotel, an opera house, and other public amenities.
The community's success of attracting residents and businesses contributed to Houston Heights incorporating as a city in 1891. Houston Heights remained an independent municipality until the end of the 1910s when it was annexed into the City of Houston. The areas surrounding Houston heights began to develop around this time. The eastern portion of Greater Heights was generally developed in the 1920s and 1930s. The western portion of Greater Heights was developed later, generally from the 1930s into the 1950s. Today, the proximity to downtown Houston and ease of access to major freeways, keeps the neighborhoods in Greater Heights in high demand. The demand for housing is leading to the redevelopment of some areas to more dense urban forms while other areas are experiencing the rehabilitation of the older housing stock. Whether it is a new condominium or a rehabbed bungalow, Greater Heights is an area that is experiencing considerable investment and revival.
Civic clubs: Clark Pines Civic Assoc., East Sunset Heights, Houston Heights Association, Montie Beach Civic Club, Norhill Neighborhood Association, Sunset Heights Civic Club, Woodland Heights Civic Association

KASHMERE GARDENS
Keith Downey, President
2nd Tuesday, 5:30 pm, Monthly
Kashmere Multi-Service Center
4802 Lockwood Drive
kgsnc52@yahoo.com
Kashmere Area, located north of Fifth Ward along Loop 610 (N. Loop E.), is an area of modest single family homes, many on large lots. Some areas are wooded. The eastern edge is made up of warehouses and light industry. The western edge is adjacent to a major rail yard and rail corridor. The Harris County public hospital, named for Lyndon B. Johnson, is located on Loop 610 east of Lockwood Drive.
Civic club: Northeast Concerned Citizens Civic League

MINNETEX
Lloyd Ford, President
2nd Wednesday, 6:00 pm, Monthly
Sunnyside MSC/HC
Super Neighborhood 76 & 77 meet together
superneighborhood76@gmail.com
Minnetex is an isolated, semi-rural area in south central Houston which experienced very little development. The recent opening of the South Belt through the southern edge of this community raises the possibility of new development. The scattered homes, small large-lot subdivisions and occasional industrial facility are surrounded by acres of raw land which now has quick access to the rest of the metropolitan area. For now impediments to new growth are the lack of water and sewer lines.
Civic clubs: Autumn Glenn HOA, Minnetex Civic Club

NEAR NORTHSIDE
Council Leadership Team (CLT)
4th Thursday, 6:00 pm, Odd Months
Avenue CDC
3517 Irvington Blvd 77009
HoustonSN51@gmail.com
A major rail yard lies on the neighborhoods southern edge leaving only two streets to connect the northern and southern half of the neighborhood. There is also rail yard that defines the eastern border of the community. The southern two thirds of the area consist of older Victorian-era gabled wood frame homes that once housed European immigrants of the 1880s and 1890s. North Main and Fulton are the major commercial arteries of the neighborhood.
The northern third includes Lindale Park, with its large lots and more substantial homes. Moody Park is an important gathering place in the center of the community, as is the Davis High School - Marshall Middle School - Carnegie Library complex in the southern part of the community.
Civic clubs: Glen Park Civic Club, Lindale Park Civic Club, North Lindale Neighborhood, Ryon Addition Action Association, Silverdale Civic Club

SPRING BRANCH EAST
Spring Branch East is uniquely and conveniently located just outside the 610 Loop and is minutes from Downtown, Memorial Park, The Galleria, The Heights, Memorial Villages and Memorial City Mall. Spring Branch East enjoys ample access to US 290 and the newly widened and improved I-10. New home construction is occurring at an ever-increasing pace in many of the single-family deed restricted subdivisions especially near Wirt Road and in several gated subdivisions replacing deteriorated apartment complexes. There are industrial, warehouse and retail developments along the northern part of the community near Hempstead Highway and US 290. The former site of the Cameron Iron Works on I-10, on the community's southern boundary, is now a retail and entertainment complex.
Civic clubs: CBB Civic Club, Village at Spring Branch, Village Spring Branch

SPRING BRANCH NORTH
This super neighborhood is located north of Interstate 10, in the northwest corner of the Spring Branch community. The boundaries are Clay Road to the north, Campbell Road to the east, Neuens Road and Hammerly to the south and the Sam Houston Parkway on the west.
Single family homes dominate the area, mostly in deed restricted subdivisions such as Spring Shadows. The area currently includes nine apartment complexes located on Centre Park, Kempwood, and Hammerly and one mobile home area on Campbell.
Civic clubs: Spring Shadows Civic Association, Spring Shadwos Townhomes

EL DORADO / OATES PRAIRIE
Oates Prairie is a residential area begun when the area was rural and which developed further because of its proximity to jobs in Houston and the Channel industries. El Dorado is a typical tract home subdivision. OST Acres is a large-lot subdivision close to Loop 610. The route of the new Crosby Freeway (proposed Hwy 90) crosses an eastern corner of the community. The excellent access the new freeway and existing thoroughfares provide makes this area desirable for further development of warehouse and industrial facilities on the remaining large tracts of undeveloped land.

SPRING BRANCH CENTRAL
Catherine Barchfeld, President
1st Thursday, 6:30 pm, Monthly
VFW Post 8790
cma1947@sbcglobal.net
Spring Branch has a history older than the City of Houston.
In 1830, before the Allen Brothers founded Houston in 1836, a German immigrant raised his log cabin along a small stream flowing to Buffalo Bayou. That earliest settler, Karl Kolbe, was to be remembered in history, and that history would become part of the curriculum taught in the Spring Branch I.S.D.
One day a stranger stopped by Karl Kolbe’s place to rest his horse. As they walked along a small stream, the stranger inquired of its name and was told it had not been given a name. Observing the natural spring fed stream, he suggested that they call it Spring Branch. The stranger moved on, but the name remained. Through the generations, the story is told that a surveyor asked Karl Kolbe what was the name of the community. Given a moment of reflection he replied, “Spring Branch.”
In the early to mid 1840’s, four other families looking for a new life from their native Germany settled in the community. They were the families of Daniel Ahrenbeck, Jacob Schroeder, Louis Hilendahl, and Henry Hilendahl.
In 1848, the Wilhelm Rummel and Siegesmund Bauer families arrived in Galveston aboard the condemned ship Neptune. Kolbe, Ahrenbeck, and Daniel Hilendahl met and encouraged them to settle in Spring Branch. That evening they, along with five other families, held a thanksgiving service for their safe trip. August Bauer, son of Carl Bauer was appointed religious leader of the group.
In 1849 logs were cut and prepared for the first log cabin church. Left in the woods to season, the logs were stolen. At that time, a new railroad was being built, and lumber was needed for crossties. Any thought as to the whereabouts of the stolen logs is still considered to be speculation.
In 1850 new logs were cut and seasoned under the very watchful eyes of Wilhelm Rummel, who donated a quarter of an acre for the church.
In 1854, five years after the first service was held, a little log cabin church was built near the stream. Due to fire damage in 1864, the log cabin church was replaced by a small frame church. That church still stands at 9022 Long Point, just east of Campbell Road (in Spring Branch Central Super Neighborhood). A larger church now stands beside it.
Spring Branch has gone through many changes. In time, its population shifted from solely German to a broader but mostly Anglo population. Again, in time, that changed. Today, surely no area has a more diversified population than Spring Branch. Families still come, looking for a new and better way of life.
The little church now serves as a wedding chapel. That little stream of water, Spring Branch Creek, has certainly taken on some changes. Part of it now flows through large underground culverts beneath a new Harris County park. Another part is still open but lined with concrete while still another part remains in its natural form as it winds through Spring Branch and across I-10 into the Buffalo Bayou.
Civic clubs: Binglewood Civic Club, Spring Branch Estates II Civic Association, Spring Branch Oaks Civic Association

HUNTERWOOD
Development began in the mid-1970s, but in the 1980s property values fell along with the general real estate market. The high tax rate of the former Hunterwood Municipal Utility District prevented a revival of the market in Hunterwood during the 1990s. In 1996 the district asked the City of Houston to annex it in order to relieve the tax burden. New home construction has since resumed.

SETTEGAST
Vicky Martin, Vice President
3rd Tuesday, 6:30 pm, Monthly
Northeast Multiservice Center
9720 Spaulding St, 77016
Super Neighborhood 49 & 50 meet together
superneighborhood49.50@gmail.com
Currently, small wood frame homes are interspersed with many empty lots and very few commercial or industrial uses. It is bordered on the west by a very large railroad-switching yard, and on the south by Loop 61 0 and the old Beaumont highway. The community had its own high school when the Northeast Houston ISD (now North Forest ISD) was segregated.
Civic club: New Progressive Civic Club

LANGWOOD
Several large apartment complexes adjacent to the freeway are also part of the community. Three school districts serve Langwood: Spring Branch ISD serves the area southwest of Hempstead Highway and Cypress Fairbanks ISD and Houston ISD serve the area northwest of Hempstead Highway.

INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS
Mardie Paige, President
2nd Tuesday, 6:30 pm, Monthly
Temporary meeting place starting April 2026:
Precinct 1 CERT: 803 Crosstimbers,77022
paigemardie@yahoo.com
The Independence Heights Super Neighborhood Council is a community that consists of the historical sector of Independence Heights and the post-WWII community of Yale-Victoria. Even though Independence Heights is predominately a historical African American community, recently, the area is being diversified with Hispanics calling "Houston's little Harlem" home.
1908 - Black families started to migrate to Northern Houston known as the Independence Heights community. The area was developed by Wrightland Company, which consisted of small wood frame houses, purchased by the residents. Many of the houses were built by black contractors who lived in the area.
1911 - Education and religion played a pivotal role in this African American community. Independence Heights School was established in 1911. Green Chapel AME Church was also organized as well as, New Hope Missionary B.C. in 1912, St. Paul CME and Ebenezer M. E. Church in 1916 and Concord Missionary B.C. 1917.
1915 - On January 17, 1915 Independent Heights, with a population of nearly 600 was incorporated, becoming the first African American municipality in Texas. George O. Burgess, a lawyer born in Milligan Texas 1876, was elected as the 1st Mayor of Independence Heights. Burgess Hall, named today located at 700 E. 34th Street was the City Hall-Courthouse until 1919. City improvements over the next few years included the shell paving of streets, plank sidewalks, and the installation of a municipal water system.
1919 - June 19, 1919 O. L. Hubbard became the second Mayor of Independence Heights. He served until 1925.
1925 - Arthur L. McCullough became the third and final Mayor of Independence Heights. He served from 1925 to 1928.
1928 - There were 40 black-owned businesses in Independence Heights they included: grocery stores, restaurants, a lumber company, a watch repair shop, ice cream parlors, a cleaning and pressing shop, a drug store, a black smith shop, law offices and an electrical shop. Other professions included: teachers, attorneys, construction, longshoremen and rail road workers.
1929 - Independence Heights dissolved as a city and was annexed by Houston on December 26, 1929.
Civic clubs: Independence Heights Civic Association, Oakridge Houston Civic Club

CENTRAL NORTHWEST
Just prior to WWII, Garden Oaks was laid out as a garden suburb with curvilinear streets and a full range of housing from cottages to mansions. Oak Forest was developed immediately after the war, and soon became the largest residential development in Houston at the time. Between the 1950s and the 1970s, Candlelight Estates, Shepherd Park and other surrounding subdivisions were developed. The area's thick pine trees and proximity to Loop 610 makes this community increasingly attractive to homebuyers. This community is deed-restricted and served by Houston ISD.
Civic clubs: Candlelight Oaks Civic club, Candlelight Plaza Civic Club, Garden Oaks Civic Club, Kempwood North Civic Association, Mangum Manor Civic Club, Shepherd Forest Civic Club, Shepherd Park Plaza Civic Club

TRINITY / HOUSTON GARDENS
Huey German-Wilson
4th Tuesday, 6:30 pm, Monthly
Northeast Multi-Service Center
9720 Spaulding St, 77016
sn48.houston.trinitygardens@gmail.com
Originally developed as communities just outside the city, each had oversized single-family home sites, allowing residents to have their own gardens. Now, home types vary widely, although most are single family and, generally, affordable. Density remains low. Railroad tracks trisect the neighborhood and are a dominant feature. Some of the inexpensive land has been converted to industrial uses, especially on the community's eastern edge. There are no major concentrations of retail development within the area.
Civic clubs: Rosewood Civic Club, Houston Gardens Civic Association

CARVERDALE
Carverdale subdivision is small deed-restricted residential area originally developed in the 1950's. The area is predominately African-American. Due to its proximity to the Northwest Freeway (US 290) and Beltway 8 West, this area become one of the major hubs for commercial and industrial complexes in the northwest part of the city.
Besides the Carverdale SN Council, other civic organizations active in this area are the Carverdale Civic Club and Revitalize America Partnerships. The Mission of Yahweh is one of the major social organizations in the area and helps more than 700 women and children every year.
Carverdale Community Fellowship Church, Greater Macedonia Baptist Church, Greater Riverdale Baptist Church, St. James Missionary Baptist Church, St. Jude UMC, and Wolridge Chapel AME Church are major religious organizations in this area.
Civic club: Carverdale Civic Club

EASTEX - JENSEN AREA
Lupita Talley, President
4th Thursday, 6:00 pm, Monthly
Rotating throughout Super Neighborhood.
eastexjensensn46@gmail.com
The many neighborhoods found here are made up of modest frame homes set in pine forests. Subdivisions include Huntington Place, Croyden Gardens and Epsom Downs, which was the site of a horse race track in the 1930s. Jensen was once the primary highway to east Texas but was replaced by the Eastex Freeway. The area is split between Houston, Aldine and North Forest school districts.
Civic club: Sunbeam Curry Civic Club

EAST HOUSTON
Vicky Martin, Vice President
3rd Tuesday, 6:30 pm, Monthly
Northeast Multiservice Center
9720 Spaulding St, 77016
Super Neighborhood 49 & 50 meet together
superneighborhood49.50@gmail.com
East Houston is a collection of neighborhoods in the northeastern part of the city in the North Forest ISD. The name is taken from an old subdivision located just off what was then the highway to Beaumont; most of that old town site remains undeveloped. The community is made up largely of single family homes in standard suburban tract subdivisions. The area remains generally wooded, especially close to Halls Bayou, where a City of Houston golf course, Brock Park, is found. A major industrial park, Railwood, is located in the southeast corner of the community adjacent to a major land fill. One neighborhood, Verde Forest, is a recent addition to the City, having been annexed in 1996.
Civic clubs: Clairmont Place Civic Organization, Glenwood Forest Community Civic Club, Verde Forest Civic Association, Verde Forest Section II

ACRES HOME
Latisha Grant, President
3rd Thursday, 6:00 pm, Monthly
Acres Homes Multi-Service Center
6719 West Montgomery Rd. 77091
acreshomessnc@gmail.com
Acres Home was developed around the time of World War l when it was settled by African Americans mainly from rural areas. During this time, a few landowners sold homesites by acres, hence the original name Acreage Home. The area was attractive to African Americans because of inexpensive land prices, low taxes, and an agrarian lifestyle. Residential development occurred slowly until the late 1930s when W.W. Mount and the Wright land Company began building in the area. The community is predominately African American (86%). The community has a mixture of land uses, with single-family residential as the majority (54%), followed by undeveloped land. Multi-family residential, parks, office and transportation uses occupy the less than one percent of the uses.
Civic clubs: Carver Estate Civic Club, Ella Park Terrace Civic Club, Garden City Park Civic Club, Green Meadows Civic Club, Highland Heights Civic Club #2, Precinct 576 Civic Association, White Oak Terrace, Willow Run North Plaza, Yorkdale Civic Club

NORTHSIDE/NORTHLINE
SN45 meets quarterly (January/April/ July/October at 7:00 PM on the last Thursday of the month. Meetings are held virtually, hybrid and at satellite locations within the territory.
President, Pastor Deb Bonario-Martin
super.neighborhood.45@gmail.com
Northside/Northline super neighborhood is in the north central part of the City. The area is largely single-family residential with large apartment complexes located near the I-45 (North Freeway) on the western edge of the community. The two major roadways, I-45 and the Hardy Toll road, provide access to the area.
The North Freeway initially spurred development of numerous retail centers, light industrial and distribution facilities in close proximity to the freeway. Later development of the Hardy Toll road did not have the same affect.
Civic clubs: Northtown/Northline Civic Association, Melrose Civic Club, Helms Estates Civic Group, Hawthorn Civic Club, Parkway Civic Club

HIDDEN VALLEY
Although located between heavily wooded areas to the north and south, the land here was treeless when it was developed, beginning in the 1960s. It is characterized by tract homes separated from the freeway edge by a row of large auto dealerships.

EAST LITTLE YORK / HOMESTEAD
Robin Curtis, President
4th Monday, 6:30 pm, Monthly
Houston Community College - North Forest Campus
6010 Little York Rd, Houston, TX 77016
sn47elyh@gmail.com
These wooded subdivisions consist of modest single family homes built in the 1950s and 1960s. The newest subdivisions, like Riverwoods Estates have more recent construction and larger homes. There is very little in the way of commercial or industrial development.
Civic clubs: Armstrong Acres Homeowner's Association, Calgary Woods HOA, Fontaine / Scenic Woods Civic Club, including Concerned Citizens of Fair Oaks, Leelan Woods, Riverwood Estates Civic Club Association, Royal Oaks Terrace, Scenic Woods Plaza Civic Club, Shady-Tidwell-Timbers Association, Timber Acre, Towne Park Village HOA, Wayside Village HOA

WILLOWBROOK
Willowbrook Mall, a major electric generating station and several retail shopping centers dominate the land use of the area. The area was annexed to the City of Houston in 1993.
Willowbrook Mall was platted and approved by the City Planning Commission in November 1982. It is one the regional shopping centers in Houston and Harris County. It was developed by Homart Development Company; has 160 stores or outlets with an area of 1,530,000 square feet.. The mall was bought by General Growth Properties in 2001 from a pension fund managed by Lend Lease Real Estate Investments Inc. The 1.5 million-square foot mall was cited as one of the most successful retail shopping malls in Houston, consistently ranking near the as of the area's top-grossing malls per square foot.
The area is still growing and has potential for future growth due to a supply of vacant land and its accessibility to SH 249, US 290, Beltway 8 and FM 1960.

GREATER GREENSPOINT
The original subdivisions here were developed for Houstonians seeking moderately priced homes in Aldine ISD close to the North Freeway. The opening of Intercontinental Airport in 1969 transformed the intersection of 1-45 and the Beltway into a commercial crossroads. The subsequent rapid development of office space around the mall provided the jobs to support massive construction of apartment complexes, which now dominate much of the landscape. The real estate bust of the last decade produced significant deterioration in those complexes, and led to the creation of a management district. Crime has been significantly reduced and renovation of the apartments led to a revitalized area.

IAH / AIRPORT AREA
Planning and land acquisition for the airport began in the early 1960s when this area included heavily wooded land on the edge of development. Many of the small subdivisions here recently received city water and sewer service, reflecting their origins as rural home sites. One such community is Bordersville, the last section of which was recently annexed at its residents’ request. The World Houston and Interwood developments on the airport’s south side are major employment centers.

KINGWOOD AREA
Dee Price
3rd Wednesday, 7:00 pm, Monthly
Kingwood Community Center
4102 Rustic Woods, Kingwood
Meeting Virtually at this time
kingwoodsnc.com
Kingwood was originally part of the famous King Ranch. Many oil and gas assets are nearby. In the 1970s, Friendswood Development Company partnered with the Ranch to build this immense master-planned community. During the oil boom of that era, the community grew quickly. It offered a safe haven for people who preferred more central planning than most of Houston offered at the time. Deed restrictions are still strictly enforced here.
During the 1980s, Kingwood expanded eastward from US 59. The population expanded from about 20,000 to almost 70,000 in 2014. In 1996, Kingwood was annexed by Houston at the end of the Bob Lanier administration.
Community Description
Kingwood is known as “The Livable Forest.” People here are proud of the way the environment has been maintained as the City has grown. Nestled on the shores of Lake Houston, Kingwood offers natural amenities galore, including approximately 100 miles of greenbelts that connect various portions of the community with shopping districts, schools, and parks.
Kingwood is a conservative, mostly residential community that takes pride in the exceptional environment it offers for raising families.
The spirit of volunteerism is alive and well in Kingwood. The area offers five parks, privately funded by resident contributions and managed by the Kingwood Service Association, an all-volunteer organization.
Community Features
Kingwood offers three main shopping districts: on North Park Drive, about 1.5 miles east of US 59; on Kingwood Drive about one-half mile east of US 59, and Town Center at Kingwood Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway.
The area contains numerous churches representing most religions.
Although inside Houston City limits, Kingwood schools belong to the Humble ISD.
Kingwood also has a large campus of the Lone Star College system which enrolls approximately 7,000 students. LSC/Kingwood offers associate degrees in many programs. Credits earned here readily transfer to 4-year colleges throughout Texas.

LAKE HOUSTON
The majority of the population in this area resides in the Lakewood Heights, single-family subdivision. In 1965, the subdivisions immediately adjacent to the lake were annexed to the City and provided with City sewer services. Lake Houston includes a number of lakeside homes, which are part of the master-planned community of Atascosita. The area is within the Huffman ISD.

FAIRBANKS / NORTHWEST CROSSING
Many garden apartment complexes are scattered through and around the edge of the Northwest Crossing office and retail development. Prior to the opening of the freeway which bisects the area, access to Houston was provided by the Hempstead Highway, which still is lined with a combination of aging retail developments, light industrial facilities and agricultural service businesses.
Civic clubs: Cole Creek Manor Civic Club, Outpost Estates Civic Club, Verde Forest II Civic Organization

WESTBRANCH
One portion, Westway, consists of townhomes, and the other, Westbranch, is made up of single-family homes. Most of Westbranch's medium-priced homes were built in the 1970s, but home construction resumed in the 1990s. The western portion of the community, which adjoins the West Belt, is being redeveloped with commercial and office projects. The City of Houston annexed the neighborhood in 1994.

SHARPSTOWN
Sharpstown was Houston’s largest development when it was undertaken in the mid-1950s. A prototype for the master planned communities of today, its pattern of middle class homes on curving streets and cul-de-sacs surrounding a shopping mall and country club was widely imitated. Even its problem areas, such as the densely sited and poorly maintained apartments found on Beechnut in the southern part of the community, are examples of what to avoid. In recent years, Asian merchants have moved into empty shopping centers along Bellaire Boulevard and their groceries, restaurants and small shops now thrive. Demand in these areas is strong, resulting in the conversion of warehouses and apartments to meet the demand for retail space.
Civic club: Sharpstown Civic Association

WESTWOOD
The Westwood Super Neighborhood is a diverse group of Houstonians living in an area of mostly apartments and condominiums. Developed during the 1970s and early 1980s, the Westwood area consists of a number of high-density residential developments and one predominantly traditional single family development.
After the recession in the mid-1980s, the area experienced a decline. The notable commercial enterprise, the Westwood Mall failed as a shopping center (however Sears continued to maintain their building) and it was eventually was converted into a business center. Crime levels increased in the area.
Today the area is gaining momentum and community efforts are tackling many of the issues. The Westwood area is fortunate to have the West Houston Weed & Seed program incorporated in the area to help weed the bad elements of the area and plant the seed to enhance the quality of life for the greater Westwood community.
Currently, the Westwood area is flanked by known automobile dealerships along the Southwest Freeway and Beltway; most of the area lies with the Greater Sharpstown Management District, and the area has a HPD storefront situated within the Westwood technology Center (formerly the Westwood Mall). The area is served by the Alief Independent School District.
Civic clubs: Southampton Civic Club, Southampton Extension Property Owners Assoc

FORT BEND HOUSTON
Willie Rainwater, Sr., President
2nd Thursday, Monthly, 7:00 PM
Quail Run Community Center
fbhsnc.41@gmail.com
Mailing address:
2601 Cartwright Road Suite D Pmp 236
Missouri City, TX 77489
Fort Bend/Houston is a collection of middle class subdivisions developed in the 1960s and 1970s in northeastern Fort Bend County. Beginning in the 1970s,the area has attracted middle class African-American families. Most of the housing in the area is single-family. New home construction has recently resumed in the southeastern part of this Fort Bend ISD community.
Civic clubs: Briargate Community Improvement Association, Green Valley Estates Civic Club Section 123, Mayfair Park Civic Club, Ridgegate Community Improvement Association, Ridgemont Comm Improvement Association, Southwest Crossing HOA

FONDREN GARDENS
Fondren Gardens is a corner of southwest Houston initially developed as an opportunity for Houstonians to work in the city and live in the country. Its large lots were sold to individuals who built modest homes at various times over the decades. Once isolated on the edge of Harris County, accessible only by South Main and what was a narrow Fondren Road, it is now bordered by the South Belt and accessible by West Orem Boulevard as well. Further development and redevelopment of this community is a likely outcome of this improved accessibility.
Civic clubs: Fondren Civic Club, Heathercrest Post Oak Village Civic Club

SOUTH BELT / ELLINGTON
Ellington Field, a general aviation airport that was once a military training field, is at the eastern edge of the community. Almeda Mall is the center of a large retail and commercial district that spreads across both sides of the Gulf Freeway. Some of the older subdivisions in the community include Beverly Hills, Gulf Palms, and the Genoa townsite. Later developments include Kirkwood, Sagemont, and Scarsdale. The City of Houston annexed Sycamore Valley, another subdivision in the area, in 1994. The completion of Beltway 8 has stimulated residential and commercial development throughout the community. New home construction is continuing in the western subdivision of Bridgegate.
Civic clubs: Beverly Hills Civic Club, Sagemont Civic Club, Tierra Homeowners Association, Sagemeadow HOA, Kirkwood Civic Club, Rainbow Valley Civic Club Sagemont Maintenance Fund, Sagemont Park Improvement Association

SOUTH ACRES / CRESTMONT PARK
Lloyd Ford, President
2nd Wednesday, 6:00 pm, Monthly
Sunnyside MSC/HC
South Acres/Crestmont Park is a suburban area of south central Houston across Sims Bayou from Sunnyside. Most of the housing in the community is post-war single family in typical suburban street patterns, although there are some large apartment complexes on the eastern edge. Many homes adjacent to Sims Bayou have been flooded several times. The community is bordered by undeveloped land to the south, east and west, and was relatively inaccessible until the opening of the South Freeway in the early 1980s and the recent opening of the South Belt.
Civic clubs: Bayou Terrace Civic Club, Cloverland Civic Club, Cresmont Plaza Civic Club, Crestmont Park Civic Association, Crestmont Plaza Civic Club, South Acres West Civic

BRAYS OAKS
Sylvia Rivas
Sylvia Rivas, President
Braeswood Assembly of God Church
Braysoakssnc36@gmail.com
braysoakssnc36.org
Brays Oaks was originally part of oil tycoon Walter Fondren's ranch. Developers turned the undeveloped land into a new attractive location for young professionals. The area became one of Houston's most accessible and popular communities with a mixture of families, culture and commercial businesses. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a mixture of apartment complexes sprang up beside residential subdivisions which resulted in more commercial businesses and restaurants moving into the Community. However, by the mid 1980's, the real estate market began to suffer from the Houston oil bust. Property values declined and many of the apartment complexes deteriorated as ownership and management changed frequently. Turnover in the residential areas also led to merchants leaving the area and retail spaces remaining vacant.
The Community fought back to improve the area. One of the most important projects was the effort to have the Texas legislature create a management district for the area. Members of the Community, including officers of the Super Neighborhood, met with local businesses to get the required petition signatures for the creation of a management district and testified before the Texas legislature in favor of the management district. In June 2005 the Texas legislature voted to create the Brays Oaks Management District which has become a major force in the ongoing improvement of the Community. The name of the area changed to Brays Oaks. The Brays Oaks Super Neighborhood is included in the boundaries of the Brays Oaks Management District. Today, the Brays Oaks Community is one of the most diverse areas in Houston.
The Brays Oaks Super Neighborhood is actively engaged in the ongoing improvement of the entire Brays Oaks Community. Guest speakers at our monthly meetings include many of our local and state elected officials who provide information about what is occurring in our local and state governments and our attendees can discuss their issues and concerns with our guest speakers. Representatives of our elected officials provide updates and listen to the concerns raised by the attendees. Other organizations attend our meetings to obtain information and to provide information about their activities, meetings and projects to the attendees. The Brays Oaks Super Neighborhood also is an advocate on important issues which affect the quality of life in our Community, including providing our support and advocacy when other organizations come to us for assistance.
Civic clubs: Braes Park Subdivision Civic Club, Glenshire Community Association, Southwood Place Civic Club, Bellfort Place Community Association, Braeburn Terrace Home Owners Association, Braeburn Valley Home Owners Association, Braeburn Valley West Home Owners Association, Gessport Home Owners Association, Glenshire Community Association, Maplewood West Civic Association, Neighborhoods to Trails Southwest, Northbrook North Townhouse Association, Northbrook South Townhouse Association, Northfield I & II Home Owners Association, South Meadow Property Owners Association, West Airport Home Owners Association, West Bellfort Property Owners Association, West Place Green Home Owners Association, Westbrae Village Home Owners Association, Braeburn Valley HOA, Fondren Lake HOA, Frontenac HOA, Gessport HOA, Lafayette Place civic Club, Lakes of Fondren HOA, Southwood Place HOA

CENTRAL SOUTHWEST
In 1892, the unincorporated town of Almeda, Texas was recorded. It was located on the (Houston) Columbia Tap Railroad. At that time Almeda was 11 miles from Houston city limits.
In 1914, a two story brick building served the needs of students coming from Brazoria, Fort Bend, and Harris County as far north as Holmes Road.
In 1938, the citizens voted to become part of the Houston Independent School District. Students attended San Jacinto High until Madison High School was built in 1965.
In the 60's Petersen, Montgomery, Grissom, Hobby, Windsor Village elementary schools were built to accommodate students who until then attended Almeda School with an enrollment of 1200.
Almeda Plaza was the first subdivision. Until then most homes were wood frame.
Civic clubs: Almeda Plaza Civic Club, Cambridge Village Civic Assoc, Keswick Place-Ramblewood Park Civic Club, Meredith Manor Civic Club, Southwest Manor Civic Club, Westbrook Civic Club, Wild Heather Civic Club

SUNNYSIDE
Melanie Young, President
4th Thursday, Monthly, 6:00 PM
Sunnyside MSC/HC
Superneighborhood71@gmail.com
Sunnyside is located on southside of Houston. Its borders are Loop 610 South on the North, Hwy 288 on the West, Sims Bayou on the South and meandering through different land uses land west of Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Brief History
Sunnyside is historically, an African-American community with a very rich history. However, over the last decade, this community like most other communities in Houston is becoming more diverse in its population.
1915 During the era of "Restricted Communities", this was the first addition south of the City of Houston, to be developed and offered exclusively for Negroes.
1918 Operated as a county school until 1927, Sunnyside Colored School was organized.
1922 First church built in Sunnyside. Mt Vernon Baptist Church.
1927 Sunnyside Colored School became part of the Houston Independent School District.
1936 Sunnyside Civic Club organized for the purpose of securing better drainage, lighting and general civic improvement.
1950 Created its own water district and volunteer fire department, was later taken over by the city of Houston.
1987 Sunnyside Civic Club purchased from the city of Houston the site of the first water district and the original site of the first fire station in Sunnyside station #46.
Civic clubs: Blueridge Civic Club, Brookhaven Civic Club, Cloveland Civic, East Sunny Side Court Sec III and Southland Acres Civic Club, Greater Sugar Valley, Blueridge, and Reedwood Civic Club, Kennedy Heights Civic Association, Sunnyland Civic Club, The Official Sunnyside Civic Club, We The People Of: Sunnyside Garden/ Bayou Estates

ALIEF
Barbara Quattro, President
4th Tuesday, 6:30 pm, Monthly
Alief Neighborhood Center
11903 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77072
alieflife@googlegroups.com
aliefsuperneighborhood.org
The Alief ISD school district serves the majority of the Alief Super neighborhood area. Alief’s legendary diversity is evident in the large section of Asian residents and businesses along Bellaire Boulevard. It is also home to large Latin American and African American communities.
1861 – The community known as Alief began as a flood prone prairie called Dairy, located 15 miles Southwest of Houston at the Brays Bayou headwaters. The prairie was once home to dairy, rice, corn, cattle, and cotton farms.
1889 – The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Rail Roads granted right of way, and in 1904, a rail road depot was built on the land where the AISD stadium is now located.
1894 -- Dr John Magee, DDS and his wife, Alief Ozelda Morris Magee, settled in Dairy. Two years later, a U.S. Post Office was established in Dairy. The post office was located in the Magee home, and Alief Magee was named postmistress. 1897 – The name of the town was changed from Dairy to Alief, to avoid having it confused with another town that had a similar name. The population, at the time, was around 25 citizens.
Alief Magee died in 1899. She is buried in the Alief Cemetery located at the corner of Bellaire Boulevard and Dairy Ashford.
1900 -- Alief was devastated by the Great Hurricane of 1900, which also destroyed Galveston. Most of Alief's 30 families fled, but many returned by 1904. 1909 – The Harris County Flood Control District was established.
1911 -- Alief Independent School District was created and a 3-story school was built.
The first high school in Alief, Hastings High, was named after the Hastings family, who were storekeepers and Alief's postmasters.
By 1940, the school district had added an 11th and 12th grades.
1977 -- Houston begins annexing the areas of Alief that are currently within the Super Neighborhood boundaries.
2000 -- Alief Super Neighborhood #25 was recognized by the Mayor's Office in a ceremony on June 22, 2000.
Civic clubs: Leawood West Home Owners Association, Meadow Village Homeowners Association, Brays Forest Townhomes, Brays Village HOA, Catalina Square HOA, Crown Colony HOA, Crown Colony West HOA, Glenshannon Community Association, Huntington Village Townhomes, Keegan's Glen HOA, Leawood Civic Improvement Association, Parkglen Civic Improvement Association, Wilcrest Park Townhome Association

PECAN PARK
Pecan Park is a pre-World War II single- family residential community located just south of Harrisburg. Its close proximity to the Port of Houston made it a popular loca - tion for workers in the Channel industries. The community is bounded by the Gulf Freeway on the southwest, Loop 610 on the southeast, and Griggs Road on the north - west. Commercial development has eroded the edges of the neighborhood along the freeways. In the southern part of the area, a large apartment complex originally built for adults only is now the home of hundreds of families with school-age children. The influx of young families in general prompted the construction of two new schools for this community.
Civic club: Pecan Park Civic Association

CLEAR LAKE
Clear Lake City is a master-planned community located in the southeastern part of Harris County within the Bay Area of Greater Houston. The community is adjacent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Ellington Field, and Baybrook Mall retail center. The Super Neighborhood is generally bounded by Genoa Red Bluff to the north, the City of Houston’s southernmost boundary on the south, the City of Houston’s easternmost boundary to the east, and just past I-45 South on the west. In 1938, James Marion West, a wealthy business man with interest in ranching and oil, sold 30,000 acres which included his family ranch in southern Harris County to Humble Oil and Refining Company (now Exxon Mobile). Most of the property remained undeveloped until 1961 when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration selected Houston as the site for its Manned Spacecraft Center (renamed the Johnson Space Center in 1973) and built the space center development on a 1,000-acre tract of the former West ranch. Humble Oil's venture, the Friendswood Development Company, made plans in 1963 to establish a master-planned residential development to support the new space industry and established the Clear Lake City Community Association, Inc. (CLCCA). Governor John Connally formally opened Clear Lake City on September 15, 1963. In 1968, the first year for which population statistics are available, 3,785 people lived in Clear Lake City. By 1970 the population had grown to 8,000, and in 1974 it was 16,000. New home construction continues in the northern part of the development.
Clear Lake City was annexed to Houston in 1977 despite a grass roots campaign of local residents to stop it. Clear Lake City is located in Houston Council District E and Harris County Precinct 2.
Civic clubs: Clear Lake City Community Association, Association of Clearlake Communities

WESTBURY
Lindsey Pollock, President
Becky Edmondson, President
3rd Wednesday, 9:30 am, Monthly
Shannon Walker Neighborhood Library,
11630 Chimney Rock Rd, 77035
westbury37WAIC@gmail.com
www.westbury37waic.org/
https://www.facebook.com/waicHouston
Westbury was originally created in the 1950's as a large suburban subdivision with 5,000 homes and was known for its shopping center "Westbury Square" which was considered to be the Galleria of its time. In addition, another 3,500 units of multifamily apartments and townhomes were built. Westbury Square was designed to look like the Italian squares that developer Ira Berne visited while traveling through Europe. However with the advent of air-conditioned malls in the 1970s and the recession of the 1980s, the iconic shopping center and heart of the neighborhood fell into ruin.
Recently, Westbury has experienced a rebirth as the area has become attractive to buyers forced out of pricier markets such as the Heights and Montrose. Westbury was named as the 2007 "Best Hidden Neighborhood" by the Houston Press. With little in the way of commercial development, the neighborhood began focusing on quality of life issues and greenspace and created a new green identity. . In 2004, ground was broken on the Willow Waterhole Greenway detention project which added 250 acres of greenspace to Westbury and will help to alleviate flooding. In 2010, another 7 acres of greenspace was added when the Westbury Community garden was built.
Civic club: Westbury Civic Club

NEAR SOUTHWEST
Jeff Peters, President
1st Thursday, Even Months
Willow Meadown Baptist Church
Also ZOOM
President.SNC38@gmail.com
facebook.com/NearSWSuperNeighborhood
Recent development of upscale retail centers on South Post Oak Road, at the edge of the community, illustrates its continued attraction to middle class home buyers. The southern edge of the community adjacent to South Main includes light industrial facilities.
Civic clubs: Precinct 287 Civic Association, Westwood Civic Club, Willow Meadows Civic Club, Willowbend Civic Club

BRAEBURN
Bert Ruiz, President
2nd Thursday, 6:30 pm, Monthly Every-other-month
Bayland Community Center
6400 Bissonnet St., 77074
BraeburnSN30@gmail.com braeburn30.com
The first of these middle class subdivisions was developed after World War II at a time when Richmond Road (later renamed as Bissonnet Street) provided the route into the city.
Bissonnet is the commercial corridor and northern boundary of the Braeburn Super Neighborhood. Both sides of this corridor consist of high density residential developments and commercial strip centers. Gessner is the major thoroughfare on the western sector of the super neighborhood as well as, Braeburn Glen Subdivision. One of the subdivisions, Brae Acres, is known for the large single family lots.
Over the past 50 years, this area has seen progressive growth and an increasingly diverse population.
Civic clubs: Bonham Acres Civic Association, Braeburn Glen Civic Club, Braeburn Terrace Civic Club, Robindell Civic Club, Braeburn Valley Section I and II, Braeburn Acres HOA, Lakewood Civic Club, Braes Timbers Civic Association

SOUTH MAIN
Astroworld, which has since been demolished, was located south of the Loop. South Main Street was a major highway leading into the city before the Southwest Freeway was built. Most of the residential development in the area consists of large multi-family complexes. The Main Street Coalition and the South Main Alliance (SMA) are working jointly to create a dramatic gateway to the corridor at Main Street and Loop 610 South.
Civic club: Windsor Village Civic Club

SOUTH PARK
Travis McGee, President
1st Monday, Monthly, 6:00 pm, Monthly
Email: southparksn72@gmail.com
South Park is a series of tract-home subdivisions developed along South Park Boulevard during the 1950s. The oldest subdivision consists of small frame homes on streets named for World War II battles that the original homebuyers, many of whom were returning veterans, knew from personal experience. Throughout the area, many small and well-maintained homes remain; however, they are often adjacent to deteriorating properties or vacant lots. Many homes adjacent to the main thoroughfare, now called Martin Luther King Boulevard, have been converted to various commercial uses.
Civic clubs: Precinct 239 Neighborhood Civic Club, Precinct 237 Civic Club, South Park Area Civic Club

ASTRODOME AREA
At that time boulevards cut through the treeless plain and large tracts of undeveloped land were laid out for major investments. Plaza Del Oro was the largest project, a mixed use development by Shell Oil Company which was scaled back to a few technical and medical office buildings and many apartments and condominiums. The majority of residential units in the area are multi-family or single-family attached. Staffordshire in the northern part of the area is single-family.

GREATER OST / SOUTH UNION
Beverly Adjei, President
Email: info@sn68-ostsouthu.org
Website: www.sn68-ostsouthu.org
Super Neighborhood 68 (SN68) is bound by Old Spanish Trail (OST) on the north, State Highway 288 on the west, IH610 on the south and Mykawa Road on the east.
The Greater Old Spanish Trail/South Union is a collection of neighborhoods in South Central Houston inside Loop 610. The area was well-known for the Christmas decorations provide by LaSalette Place and Scott Terrace subdivisions. Each year there was a different theme. Cars were lined for miles driving Yellowstone Street to see this spectacular site.
Palm Center was the location of one of the first major shopping malls in Houston, Texas, with over 41 stores. A highlight of Palm Center Shopping Mall was “Midnight Madness” sales. One day was set aside several times a year in which the stores closed early mid-afternoon and reopened from 6:00 p.m. until midnight. The sales were awesome! People came from near and far to take advantage of great bargain shopping.
Palm Center is the location of the Harris County Precinct 7 Constable’s Office. Constable May Walker, now retired, provided the conference room of Precinct 7 for Super Neighborhood 68 meetings. The newly elected, 2024, Precinct 7 Constable is James “Smokie” Philips.
George T. Nelson and Zollie Scales are parks named after notable community and civil rights activists responsible for city services and integrating administrative hiring within HISD, Coca-Cola, as well as seating for Blacks within NFL Stadiums. Elaine Anderson worked to ensure people within the area were able to vote. Preston Roe and wife, La’Trelle were icons within the community. Mr. Roe was President of both LaSalette Civic Association and OST/South Union Super Neighborhood 68 for a number of years. Valarie Atari both as a city employee and a resident made resources available for jobs, food and shelter for individuals in need. Paulette Wagner, Civic Club President, with the assistance of Gwen Fredrick (SEHTA) coordinated the OST South Union history book. Beverly Sadler Adjei is credited with the neighborhood speed bumps located within South Union and the first South Union Pacific train meeting to address the concerns of residents due to Union Pacific trains blocking the railroad tracks. James Anthony, and Jo Chevalier, worked tirelessly in the community as active leaders. Carol Parrott Blue brought both beautification and historical knowledge to OST/South Union and 3rd Ward. Pauline Brown as President of the MacGregor Palms-Terrace Civic Association was able to bring two programs to OST/South Union: 1) homeowners were provided seminars for homestead exemptions, volunteer attorneys were present to assist with understanding tax liens, inherit property, and; 2) writing Wills. Beverly Sadler Adjei with the assistance of DONs (Rhonda Sauter and Kymeicko Williams), Paulette Wagner and Jennifer Brown updated the SN68 Bylaws.
Following the decline of Palm Center Shopping Mall, the entire area declined as well: grocery stores, banks, restaurants, businesses all closed. Beginning in 2009 and moving forward with the realization of the convenient location of SN68 a revitalization of the area began: The Texans YMCA, YWCA, Harris Health Clinic, apartments, a newly designed Young Branch Library, Texas Children Clinic, Metro Purple Line Train, Metro Southeast Transit Bus Center, an HEB, a major change of Palm Center from a shopping mall to the Houston Business Development, Inc., Gordon’s Restaurant Market, Aldi’s grocery store, relocation of the Foster Place Post Office, The Park at Palm Center which includes park activities for families, an outdoor kitchen and a community garden, upgrading of MacGregor Park, and banks.
Civic clubs: LaSalette Place Civic Club, MacGregor Palm Terrace Association, MacGregor Trail Civic Association, South Union Proud Civic Association, Scott Terrace Civic Association

PARK PLACE
Park Place was an independent municipality before 1927 when it voluntarily consolidated with the City of Houston. At that time, Broadway and Park Place Boulevards were lined with large homes. Most of these were replaced with apartments and small businesses after deed restrictions in the area lapsed. (Some areas in the wooded setting adjacent to Sims Bayou are still deed restricted.) Many side streets in the community are lined with large pecan trees, some of which date from the 1920s. Industrial development occupies the northeastern corner of the community, which is close to the Houston Ship Channel. In recent years, several aging apartment complexes have been converted into condominiums.
Civic club: Park Place Civic Club

MEADOWBROOK / ALLENDALE
Meadowbrook/Allendale is located on Houston’s southeast edge bounded by the cities of Pasadena and South Houston, Loop 610, the Gulf Freeway, and the Ship Channel. The northern part of the community is home to several major chemical plants. The southern corner, which was once an oilfield, is now an industrial area. Several wooded neighborhoods with single-family homes are nestled in between. The oldest areas, Meadowbrook and Allendale, were built before World War II. After the war, Forest Oaks and Oak Meadows were built for Houston’s growing population of middle-income citizens. The newest addition to the area, Meadowcreek Village, contains the largest homes in the community.
Civic clubs: Houston Meadowbrook Association, Oak Meadows Civic Club

MEDICAL CENTER AREA
The Texas Medical Center itself has expanded its campus far beyond the original site north of Holcombe and east of Fannin, and has replaced the early restaurants and shopping centers on Main Street with high rise hotels, out patient clinics and professional buildings. Hermann Park, home of the city’s zoo, amphitheater, and museum of natural history is bordered on the north by several high rise condominiums, a private hospital and a medical museum.

GULFTON
Sandra Rodriguez, President
3rd Monday, 12:00 pm, Monthly
Houston Community College Room C142 - West Loop Campus
gulftonsnc@gmail.com
gulftonsuperneighborhood.com/
Although it includes two small areas of single-family homes, large apartment complexes dominate the area’s landscape along with scattered commercial and light industrial uses. Most of Gulfton was originally developed as a rural subdivision called Westmoreland Farms. The large acreage parcels and widely-spaced grid pattern of roads made it possible for very large apartment complexes to be built in the area starting in the 1960s, many of which were restricted to adults. Gulfton is home to many recent immigrants from Mexico and Latin America.

MACGREGOR
Tomaro Bell, President
3rd Thursday, 6:30 pm, Monthly
Good Hope Baptist Church
3015 N. Mac Gregor Way, 77004
Meeting in person
betoma5@aol.com
MacGregor is a collection of neighborhoods on both sides of Brays Bayou east of the Texas Medical Center. The super neighborhood is bounded by Blodgett/Wheeler on the north, Old Spanish Trail on the south, Almeda on the west and Spur 5 on the east.
The area was once home to a large number of Jewish families such as the Fingers, the Sakowitz's, and the Battlesteins. The area started becoming predominantly African American in the middle 1950s, after the Jewish families began moving out to the suburbs. Some parts of the community include stately homes interspersed with small motels and apartments. Some subdivisions, notably Timbercrest, University Oaks and Riverside Terrace along South MacGregor, retain their gracious residential characteristics and contain numerous examples of outstanding architecture. Home construction and commercial development have recently revived, especially on the southern edge of the area.
1930's - One neighborhood became well known for having the two firsts: Riverside Terrace had an all gas home and first air conditioned home.
1944 - The Groovey Grill Restaurant came into being in 1944 and was originally at the corner of Tierwester St. and Wheeler Avenue. Many well known celebrities dined at the restaurant.
1983 - Family Café restaurant opened
1985 - Unity National Bank was chartered
Civic clubs: Oak Manor/University Woods Civic Club, Parkwood Drive Civic Club, Riverside Civic Association, Riverside Terrace Alliance for Beautification, South MacGregor Civic Club, Southwood Civic Club, Tierwester Civic Club, Timbercrest Civic Club, University Oaks Civic Club, West MacGregor HOA, West Riverside Civic Club

GULFGATE RIVERVIEW / PINE VALLEY
Gulfgate/Pine Valley is a collection of neighborhoods inside Loop 610 south of the Gulf Freeway. It is criss-crossed by older highways, such as Telephone Road and the city’s first by-pass, the Old Spanish Trail/Wayside combination. These highways, along with a major rail line and Brays Bayou, divide the area into a number of discrete neighborhoods. The largest of these, Pine Valley, Freeway, and Riverview consist of single family homes surrounded by light industrial buildings and warehouses. Gulfgate, one of Houston’s first malls, located on the eastern edge of the area, is being completely redeveloped as part of a tax increment reinvestment zone to revitalize what had been a failing retail district.
Civic club: Fonde Civic Club

HARRISBURG / MANCHESTER / SMITH ADDITION
Priscilla Argueta, President
1st Saturday, 10:30 am, Odd Months
Hartman Park
HistoricEastEnd@gmail.com
Harrisburg/Manchester/Smith Addition has a history which predates Houston. Harrisburg was a community located at the confluence of Brays Bayou and Buffalo Bayou before the Texas Revolution. It was burned by Santa Anna's army on their way to defeat at San Jacinto. Houston, established upstream of the devastated community later that year, quickly overtook and eclipsed Harrisburg. By 1927 the area was a part of Houston, dependent on the adjacent Port of Houston.
Harrisburg was originally founded by John Richardson Harris, a New Yorker, who erected a trading post in the area. A town site, Harrisburg, was laid out to accommodate the growing population. It became the temporary capital of Texas when the government officials headquartered there as they were fleeing from Santa Ana's forces.
When the railroad, the Southern Pacific Railroad system, moved its shops to Houston in 1870, Harrisburg began to decline.
The end for Harrisburg as a city came when it was annexed by the City of Houston in 1926. Nothing remains today of pioneer Harrisburg except Glendale Cemetery, which overlooks the Houston Ship Channel.
Civic clubs: Manchester Civic Club, Smith Addition Civic Club

UNIVERSITY PLACE
Kathie Easterly
2nd Tuesday, 11:30 am, Quarterly
Meeting Virtually at this time
uplace@airmail.net
The University Place Association (UPA) was established in 1989 to serve the University Place community, and in 2000 became the first Super Neighborhood in Houston. For more than 30 years, the University Place Association/Super Neighborhood has been serving as a unified and highly effective voice for the diverse interests of our community. The UPSN Board is comprised of representatives from civic clubs, institutions, and businesses in the area. Active participants include civic clubs in the Southampton, Boulevard Oaks, Morningside Place, Old Braeswood, Southampton Extension, and Southgate subdivisions, the Museum Area Municipal Association, Christ the King Lutheran Church, Congregation EmanuEl, and First Christian Church, Rice University, and the South Main Alliance, and Rice Village and Holcombe Blvd. businesses. UPSN employs part-time Executive Director Kathie Easterly.
UPSN is relied on by civic organizations, homeowners, businesses, and institutional stakeholders to help protect and enhance the University Place community, request and support needed changes and repairs affecting infrastructure improvements, beautification, deed restriction protection, City of Houston ordinance enforcement, and more. UPSN works closely with elected officials, METRO, TXDOT, HPD, Rice University, other Super Neighborhoods, and the City of Houston, which used University Place as its model for Super Neighborhoods. Comprised of single-family homes, multi-family duplexes and apartments, student housing, the Rice Village and other businesses, churches and synagogues, historically designated neighborhoods, two exemplary elementary schools, numerous parks, including two Spark Parks, and Rice University—University Place is like a small town with the charm of a close-knit village.
Civic clubs: Morningside Place Civic Association, Museum Area Municipal Association, Southampton Civic Club, Southampton Extension Property Owners Assoc

WESTCHASE
ts heavily landscaped boulevards are lined with condo and apartment projects, office buildings, distribution centers and retail centers. Developed with a central plan beginning in the 1970s, it has undergone an increase in the density of development as Houston boomed. The opening of the West Belt increased access and helped to end the real estate slump of the 1980s here. On the western edge of the area is the old Andrau Air Park. This privately owned airport has closed and a gated country club community has been announced for this large tract.

MUSEUM PARK
Kathleen O'Reilly, President
Museum of Fine Arts Houston Audrey Jones Beck Building
5601 Main St
info@museumparksn.org
museumparksn.org
The Museum Park Super Neighborhood is just south of Downtown bounded by Highway 59 to the north, Almeda Road to the east, Hermann Park to the south and Main Street to the west.
It is a walk-able community of historic old homes, new residential development both low and high density, thirteen museums and cultural institutions, medical facilities, business and much more all within a short walk to Hermann Park.
Civic club: Museum Park Neighborhood Assn

LAWNDALE / WAYSIDE
Lindsay Williams, President
4th Wednesday, 6:30pm, Monthly
Magnolia Multi-Service Center
superneighborhood64and88@gmail.com
Lawndale/Wayside is a collection of neighborhoods, which still reflect the area’s origins as a prestigious east side neighborhood. At that time, the municipal Wortham Golf Center was the City’s first country club, what is now the Houston Country Club. The adjacent heavily wooded Country Club and Idylwood neighborhoods have remained attractive. The areas of Forest Hill and Mason Park are middle class havens with curving streets and large lots. The presence of wooded preserves such as the large Forest Park Cemetery, Villa De Matel convent, Mason Park and Wortham Golf Center have helped to maintain the area’s beauty. The entire neighborhood is within the Greater East End Management District.
Civic clubs: Houston Country Club Place Civic Club, Idylwood Civic Club, Eastwood Civic Association, East Lawndale Association

GREENWAY / UPPER KIRBY AREA
The Upper Kirby / Greenway Plaza Super Neighborhood has three main regional draws: Greenway Plaza, The Upper Kirby District, and Highland Village. Greenway Plaza is a master-planned mixed-use development with over 50 acres of prime frontage on the Highway 59. The complex has 10 main commercial buildings that contain 4.25 million square feet of Class A office space. In addition to office buildings, the complex contains a hotel, condominiums, retail space and a full service food court. The buildings in the complex are interconnected by bridges, tunnels, and walkways. The well maintained and manicured campus is a major employment center for the Houston Metro area.
Upper Kirby is the one area's major commercial corridors. Though the area is surrounded by affluent residential neighborhoods, the commercial corridor did not develop the same panache. The area's commercial corridor once had rundown commercial buildings and an uninteresting streetscape. The Upper Kirby District was created to combat the decline of the commercial corridor. Upper Kirby has undergone or is undergoing major transportation and beautification projects that are giving new life to this commercial corridor. Upscale restaurants and shops are moving into the area.
Along with Greenway Plaza and Upper Kirby District, Highland Village is another regional commercial attraction. Home furnishing stores, a large urban market, and national clothing chains bring people to the area to shop. Highland Village offers an upscale shopping experience for Houston's discerning shoppers.
The neighborhoods surrounding the Greenway Plaza and the Upper Kirby Commercial Corridor were built primarily in the 1940s and 1950s. The homes built throughout the area were predominately large ranch homes. The proximity to Houston's premier shopping districts, employment centers and entertainment venues have helped these residential areas stay in high demand. These neighborhoods have not experienced the physical decay often found in neighborhoods built during the same time. Despite the stability of property values in the area, starting in the 1990s many of the original homes have been demolished. New two-story homes are being built, adding verticality to the neighborhood streetscapes.

GREATER THIRD WARD
Ken Rodgers, President
3rd Thursday, 6:00 pm, Monthly
Eldorado Ballroom
3rdwardsn67@gmail.com
facebook.com/3rdwardsn67
Third Ward is conveniently located southeast of Downtown, and is bounded by I-45 on the east, State Highway 288 on the west, Wentworth and Blodgett to the South and then along Spur 5 up to I-45.
Cultural identity and general community characteristics
Greater Third Ward is the home of some of the most important institutions in Houston's African American community, including Texas Southern University, Riverside Hospital, and dozens of prominent churches.
Brief History of Greater Third Ward
Notable landmarks and events
In the 1950s and 1960s, many folks remember the mighty Yates High School Lions whipping their rival Wheatley High School Wildcats from the Fifth Ward area at Jeppensen Stadium (now Robertson) during many Thanksgiving weekends.
Dr. Benjamin Covington's home which was located at 2219 Dowling boarded such notables as Marian Anderson and Booker T. Washington when they were unable to find rooms at the city's downtown hotels.
Emancipation Park, located at 3018 Dowling, was purchased in 1872 by freed slaves in an effort led by Rev. Jack Yates, for the celebration of Juneteenth, which is a celebration to mark the anniversary of June 19, 1865 when all slaves in Texas were emancipated from slavery. The park was donated to the City of Houston in 1916, and for more than twenty years, the park was the only public park in Houston open to African-Americans. As the site of one of the original Juneteenth celebrations, Emancipation Park remains an important symbol of a turning point in state and national history.
Third Ward is also home to the old Eldorado Ballroom, 2310 Elgin at Dowling, which was one of the country's musical epicenters hosting the likes of legends from Count Basie to B.B. King and home to locals such as Conrad Johnson and Sam Lightin' Hopkins.
While the Third Ward is changing and a large Hispanic population is settling in the area, it remains an old stalwart of African-American life.
Civic clubs: Canfield Oaks Civic Association, Third Ward is Home Civic Club, University Village Civic Club

MID WEST
The area was predominantly rural before 1950 with a few farm roads, most of them unpaved. Growing commercial development along Westheimer Road and other arterial streets over the years brought many new residents and businesses that flourish in this part of the city. A number of high-density residential developments have been built in and around the Galleria business and shopping district. There are a few neighborhoods that are predominantly traditional single family homes built from the 1960s to the 1980s. Some of those neighborhoods are seeing redevelopment with new, larger houses replacing the older ones because of the desirable location.
The schools are in the Houston Independent School District. There are several Elementary Schools, one charter school, and Robert E. Lee High School. Lee High School serves a diverse student population where students speak over 40 different languages. The student body is made up predominantly of Hispanic immigrants and sons and daughters of Hispanic immigrants.
Churches in the area include the non-denominational Unity Church, Westchase United Methodist Church, and Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist, a church with a long and proud history of serving its African-American membership in West Houston.
Civic club: Piney Point Civic Club

GREATER EASTWOOD
Lindsay Williams, President
4th Wednesday, 6:30pm, Monthly
Magnolia Multi-Service Center
superneighborhood64and88@gmail.com
Eastwood Civic Association
Eastwood is one of Houston's first master-planned subdivisions. It was designed and developed in 1913 by William A. Wilson, who also developed Eastwood's sister neighborhood, Woodland Heights. The first residents were young entrepreneurs in the city: business owners and management. The first lots went on sale in June 1912 and Eastwood was officially opened in September 1913. The development was planned with paved streets, cement curbs and sidewalks, city water, gas, electricity, telephones and sanitary sewerage as well as terraced lots designed for natural drainage and planned placement of trees.
The homes built in Eastwood were custom homes reflecting the early 20th century fondness for Craftsman, Arts & Crafts, Foursquare and Mission architecture. Today, Eastwood has one of Houston's largest intact collections of these architectural styles.
Civic club: Eastwood Civic Association

MIDTOWN
Giselle Martinez, President
1st Wednesday, 5:45 pm, Monthly
midtownsn@gmail.com
midtownsn.org
https://www.facebook.com/groups/midtownsn62/
Midtown was a fashionable residential district before World War I. However, encroaching commercial development and heavy traffic sent high-income homeowners in search of quieter neighborhoods. The area became a mix of old homes, small apartment buildings and low-rise commercial buildings. For many years, the only stability in the community was a number of surviving churches and the Houston Community College campus in the old San Jacinto High School building. A Vietnamese business district has arisen along Milam, Webster, Fannin and San Jacinto. Spurred by the Midtown TIRZ, luxury apartment / townhome construction has begun in the western edge of the community and in areas close to Baldwin Park.
Civic club: Oakpark Square HOA

BRAESWOOD
Cheryl O'Brien
3rd Thursday, 6:00 pm, Monthly, except August and December
Linkwood Park
clpobrien@comcast.net
Construction of expensive new homes has resulted, originally north of Brays Bayou in Braes Heights, but now spreading to the west in Ayrshire, and the south in Braes Terrace and Knollwood Village. Other neighborhoods include Linkwood, Woodshire and Woodside.
Civic clubs: Knollwood Village Civic Club, Linkwood Civic Club, Stella Link Big Trees Civic Association, Woodshire Civic Club, Woodside Civic Club

MEYERLAND AREA
Harold Eaton, President
4th Monday, 7:00 pm, Monthly
https://SN31-GMA.org
Many institutions of Houston’s Jewish community are found here, including several temples and the Jewish Community Center. The northeast corner of the community includes the redeveloped Meyerland Center retail development. The area was developed beginning in the 1950s. Recently a deteriorated apartment complex was torn down for the construction of new luxury homes, reflecting the continued high demand for homes in the area.
Civic clubs: Braesmont Civic Club, Maplewood Civic Club, Meyerland Community Improvement Association, Barkley Square Civic Club, Barkley Circle Civic Club, Marilyn Estates Association, Maplewood South/North Community Improvement Association, Meyercrest, Shadowcrest Homeowners Association

EDGEBROOK AREA
The Edgebrook Area is a group of single-family home subdivisions on both sides of Edgebrook Boulevard in southeast Houston. The City of South Houston forms the northern boundary; South Shaver sets the eastern and southern boundaries, and the western boundary is the Gulf Freeway. The area began to develop after the opening of the Gulf Freeway in 1948. Its oldest subdivision is Freeway Manor, followed by Gulfway Terrace, Sun Valley, and Arlington Heights, all developed in the 1950s. Large apartment complexes are found along the freeway, Edgebrook and State Highway 3, which bisects the community.
Civic clubs: Freeway Manor Civic Club, Arlington Heights Civic Club

MAGNOLIA PARK
Priscilla Argueta, President
1st Saturday, 10:30 am, Odd Months
Hartman Park
HistoricEastEnd@gmail.com
Magnolia Park, near the Houston Ship Channel in eastern Harris County, is one of Houston's oldest Hispanic neighborhoods. Magnolia Park borders the Ship Channel just south of the Turning Basin, north of Rusk and east of Terminal Road. Magnolia Park was laid out in 1890 on a 1,374-acre site belonging to Thomas M. Brady, on Harrisburg Road across Bray's Bayou from Harrisburg and seven miles downstream from Houston. It was named for the 3,750 magnolias that developers planted there.
Though whites first inhabited the town, Mexican Americans from South Texas began arriving by 1911, first settling in the area filled by sand dredged from the turning basin and known as El Arenal or the Sands. Most of the new settlers worked as laborers, laying railroad tracks or dredging and widening Buffalo Bayou. Others loaded cotton on ships and railroad cars or helped construct the ship channel.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, organized in 1912, provided schooling, and, along with the Heart of Mary Catholic Church, established in 1926, became a community center. By 1920, with an influx of immigrants from northern Mexico, the community had become a barrio with its own business district of Mexican-owned firms.
Magnolia Park was annexed to the city of Houston in October 1926. By 1929, Magnolia Park, surrounded by refineries, factories, textile mills, industrial plants, and wharves, was the largest Mexican settlement in Houston. By 1990, the community was a working-class neighborhood with a population of 14,000.
Civic club: Greater Magnolia/Pineview Civic Club

AFTON OAKS / RIVER OAKS AREA
The combined Super Neighborhood is defined by a network of historic neighborhoods and major economic centers. This group of neighborhoods with their unique characters and identities encompasses River Oaks, Afton Oaks, Greenway Plaza, and Upper Kirby.
The area boasts large retail centers such as the Highland Village and the River Oaks Shopping Center, and it is immediately adjacent to the Galleria. With a median household income of over $90,000, retail in this area continues to thrive and is expanding daily. These centers offer consumers a varied retail and restaurant experience.
River Oaks was Houston’s first master planned community. The area was purchased and developed by Michael and William Hogg and Hugh Potter in the 1920’s. Although it was originally planned as a middle-income development, the area soon became an enclave for the wealthy and has remained so to date. For one week each spring, River Oaks’ mansions and well-kept properties are the centerpiece of a home and garden tour called the “Azalea Trail.” The tour features rows of magnificent hot pink, red, and white azaleas along with tours of select houses. For a more detailed discussion of the history of River Oaks visit https://www.ropo.org.
The River Oaks/Afton Oaks super neighborhood includes several residential areas located in quiet tree-lined neighborhood pockets. Afton Oaks, one of these quiet neighborhoods, is a subdivision composed primarily of 1950s ranch-style homes. The fact that it's close to downtown, as well as its proximity to Uptown and the Galleria area, has made it a destination of choice for two-income families wanting to be near both work and the Inner Loop's numerous entertainment venues.
Civic clubs: Avalon Property Owners Association, West Lane Place Civic Association

BRIAR FOREST
Bryant Banes
3rd Tuesday, 7:00 pm, Monthly
Heathlake Clubhouse, 12010 Carriage Hill Drive, Houston, Texas 77077
emailer@briarforestsn.org
www.facebook.com/briarforestsn/
The area is largely single family residential with some multi-family, patio and townhomes located along the area’s major thoroughfares. Office complexes are located along the Sam Houston Parkway in the Westchase District, on Wilcrest, along Westheimer and on Dairy Ashford. From the early days of the Akokisa until after World War II, the area making up the Briar Forest neighborhood was one which people largely passed through on their way to and from places such as the Habermacher ranch to the west, or from Dairy (now known as Alief) on the road (later Dairy Ashford road) to the Ashford stop on the Houston & Texas Central Railroad. Along the way, they would follow or cross over the neighborhood’s most significant landscape feature, Buffalo Bayou. For those who chose to stay in the area, rice and cotton became a way of life, with farms and mills providing a large portion of the jobs and livelihoods for many residents up until the last three decades of the 20th century.
By the 1960s, urban sprawl resulted in bedroom communities, such as Ashford, Lakeside and Briargrove Park – developed by Walter Mischer, Sr., emerging from the forests. Farms disappeared and a small two lane road became a massive thoroughfare and anchor for successful commerce – Westheimer - bordering the southern boundary of the neighborhood. By 2000, at least 42,000 Houstonians chose to call the Briar Forest area home.
Whereas the Briar Forest area was once far from Houston, it now sits on the edge of what is rapidly becoming the very center of the entire metropolitan area. Westchase District, the first management district of its kind in Texas, supports the southern portion of the neighborhood, with outstanding business and commercial opportunities, tremendous beautification efforts and master plan style management. The Energy District sits just to the west and north and City Centre, Town & Country and Memorial shopping are a stones throw to the northeast.
Within the Briar Forest area residents and visitors also enjoy access to outstanding recreation and entertainment opportunities. Adventurous mountain bikers ride the “Ant Hills” trail alongside the southern bank of Buffalo Bayou. Joggers and walkers are able to experience a peaceful run or stroll under the trees along the Robin Trail in Terry Hershey Park or in Francklow Park. If you are lucky, you may spot an armadillo, raccoon, river otter, coyote, Mississippi Kite, heron, Loggerhead turtle, coral snake or other fauna found along the Bayou. Golf and tennis enthusiasts will enjoy Lakeside Country Club and Westside Tennis Center, possibly even spotting one of the Rockets outside their training facility. Residents and guests also enjoy some of the best French, Chinese, Vietnamese, Mediterranean, Brazilian, Italian, Spanish and Tex-Mex cuisine found in the city.
With easy access to I-10, the Beltway, Westpark Tollway, Westheimer, Westchase District and the Energy Corridor, the Briar Forest area is superbly placed to develop as one of Houston’s premier 21st century neighborhoods.

NEARTOWN - MONTROSE
Jack Valinski, President
2nd Thursday, 7:00 pm, Monthly
The Women’s Home
607 Westheimer, 77006
info@neartown.org
neartown.org
Neartown includes some of Houston’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods and is home to 6 Houston designated Historic Districts. Neartown is one of Houston's most eclectic communities. The area has a very distinctive Bohemian atmosphere where people from diverse backgrounds come together. The community has a history of attracting a free spirited creative class. The availability of affordable housing and close proximity to performance and entertainment venues made the area a prime location for artists and musicians. Houston's gay, lesbian, and transgender communities have also embraced Neartown as a destination neighborhood. These groups have come together to create a truly unique urban experience.
The Neartown living experiences, as well as proximity to downtown, has placed considerable growth pressure on the area. The demand for housing in and around Neartown is changing the look and feel of the community. In some areas of Neartown, old homes are being demolished to make way for high-end contemporary homes or multi-unit condominiums and apartments. However, many neighborhoods in Neartown fortunate enough to have deed restrictions have managed to retain their neighborhood character. Vintage neighborhoods with back yards and singe-family homes can still be found in Neartown. The mixture of new and old, traditional and contemporary and the variety of housing stock greatly contribute to the diversity that defines Neartown.
Today's Neartown/Montrose is home to cultural institutions such as the Menil Collection, Rothko Chapel, and Art League Houston; service organizations like Legacy Community Health and the Montrose Center; the University of St. Thomas; as well as a number of churches and public and private schools. Greater Montrose remains a hub of entertainment, distinctive eateries, eclectic businesses, and artistic endeavors. These are just a few examples of the varied contributions that give today’s Neartown a vitality that stands at the core of Houston’s urban identity.
Neartown is an evolving community. Slowly, the second-hand stores, vintage shops and dinners are giving way to high end boutiques, coffee shops and trendy restaurants. The artist and musicians that once thrived in Neartown are finding it more difficult to find affordable housing as young professionals, students and families move into the area.
Civic clubs: Audubon Place Association, Avondale Civic Association, Courtlandt Place Civic Association, East Montrose Civic Association, First Montrose Commons Neighborhood Association, Hyde Park Civic Association, Lancaster Place Civic Association, Mandell Place Civic Association, North Montrose Civic Association, Richwood Place Civic Association, Richwood Place Civic Association, Vermont Commons Civic Association, WAMM Civic Association, Westmoreland Civic Association, Winlow Place Civic Club

MEMORIAL
David Nelson
4th Monday, 6:30 pm, Monthly
Nottingham Forest Club - Houston
325 Kickerillo Dr, 77079
memorialsn16@gmail.com
memorialsn.org
Memorial is one of Houston's most prestigious neighborhoods. Situated between Buffalo Bayou and I-10, west of several incorporated villages, the community takes its name from the main thoroughfare, Memorial Drive. The first significant residential development in this area began in the 1950s. Above-average income homebuyers were attracted to this heavily wooded area and to Spring Branch ISD and Katy ISD schools. Subdivisions range from comfortable mass-produced homes to million dollar estates. Development along I-10 on the northern portion of the area includes important office centers in the Energy Corridor and massive retail districts at City Center, Town and Country, and Memorial City.
Civic clubs: Memorial Drive Acres Section 1 Homeowners Association, Memorial Thicket Homeowners Association, Nottingham West Civic Club HOA, Westchester Villa Maintenance Association, Woods On Memorial Home Owners Assocation

SPRING BRANCH WEST
Single family homes dominate the area, mostly in deed restricted subdivisions which were primarily developed in the late 1950's and the 1960's. New single family residential developments have begun to occur in the past five years due to the close proximity of the area to the Memorial City Mall and Medical Center, Town and Country Village, the new City Centre Development as well as the Energy Corridor office market which are located to the south and west of the SN. These developments, along with the new 900,000 SF Memorial Hermann office building located at the intersection of Gessner and Interstate 10, should attract additional single family redevelopments. The area also includes apartment complexes primarily located on Gessner, Long Point, and Westview Roads.
The major transportation arteries in the SN are Interstate 10 and Long Point Road (east/west) and Gessner Road and the Sam Houston Tollway (north/south). The majority of retail commercial development is found along Gessner Road, Long Point Road, and Interstate 10. The area is largely deed restricted single-family residential. The Bunker Hill Road area near Interstate 10 has seen intense development in recent years with the addition of large retail centers featuring national tenants such as Costco, Best Buy, HEB Grocery Stores and Academy.
Civic clubs: Greater Wrenwood Civic Club, Hilshire Village Civic Club, Nob Hill Civic Association, Old Spring Branch Civic Association, Royal Oaks Civic Association, Shadow Oaks Civic Club, Spring Branch Civic Association, Springwoods Civic Association

ADDICKS PARK TEN
Most of the area is made up of the Addicks Reservoir, a large flood control dam. The surrounding area, which is most subject to flooding, is being developed for recreational uses, including a golf course, a wildlife sanctuary and soccer fields. Park Ten, an area between I-10 and the Reservoir, is developed as office, commercial, and light industrial. Residential development in the area includes approximately 9,000 people residing in two single-family subdivisions and several apartment complexes.