Development
Development For the most part,The Woodlands was developed from East to West, with a few exceptions. Therefore, the older homes are in the “front” of The Woodlands (closest to I-45) and the newer homes are at the back (near 2978). Today, new homes are primarily available in Creekside Park. All of Creekside Park is in Harris County, whereas the remainder of The Woodlands is in Montgomery County. In the beginning,The Woodlands’ schools were all part of the Conroe Independent School District. As population and land acquisitions for development increased, the zoning for the schools expanded to include Tomball ISD in the Harris County sections and Magnolia ISD in the far western sections. For information on specific schools, see our Schools section in this report, which includes links to school zone boundary maps, to specific schools’ websites and to the school reports issued by the TEA (Texas Education Agency). In addition to world-class public schools,The Woodlands is home to some wonderful private schools, including The John Cooper School and The Woodlands Christian Academy For a list of all private schools in The Woodlands, click here. Higher learning campuses nearby include Lone Star College and Sam Houston State University.
Originally,The Woodlands was regulated by a Homeowners’ Association, but was eventually incorporated as a Township with elected officials. At that point, the HOA fees were eliminated and a tax, based on individual property value, went into effect. The taxes paid as a resident of The Woodlands include the city and county taxes (within which the hospital and school districts are covered), water district taxes and, of course, the township tax. For more information on the history of taxes within the Township, click here or to gain a further understanding of The Township, its governance, and the services provided, click here.
Water districts were created outside the city limits of Houston, with the city floating bonds to start new water district sources. When a neighborhood is developed in a new water district, taxes are higher until additional homes are constructed to help pay down the debt. Therefore, older neighborhoods will have lower water district taxes than a newer home does in most cases.
