Cypress, Texas
Cypress is an unincorporated area of Harris County, Texas located completely inside the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston. The Cypress area is located along U.S. Highway 290, twenty miles northwest of central Houston.
Large scale residential and commercial development in recent years, has transformed the once rural area into one of the Houston area's largest suburban communities.
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History
The area around which Cypress sits now was populated by Atakapan Indian tribes, but they soon disappeared after the appearance of German settlers in the 1840s; their heritage is most notably reflected in the names of some of the major thoroughfares of the area, such as Huffmeister and Telge Roads.[1] General Sam Houston and his Texas Army visited the area on March 22, 1836 on the way to Harrisburg, which is now known as Houston, just days before the Battle of San Jacinto.[2] The area was mostly rural until the 1980s, when developers began construction of several residential communities.
Geography
Longwood is a heavily wooded golf course community located in North Cypress
Cypress is located at 29°59?40?N, 95°40?3?W, near the intersection of US Highway 290 and Spring-Cypress Road. Cypress is located within the Cypress Creek and Little Cypress Creek watershed.
Cypress has two distinct geographic profiles separated by Highway 290. The area north of US 290 is forested and thickly wooded, while the area south of 290 is predominately ranchland and grassy prairie dotted with scrub brush, Live Oaks and Post Oaks.
Cypress falls under the jurisdiction of Harris County Precincts 3 and 4 (separated by Cypress Creek).
Major arteries include Highway 290 to the South and Texas State Highway 249 to the North.
Demographics
Blackhorse Ranch is a golf course community in Cypress
As of the 2000 US Census, there were approximately 46,025 people, 15,207 households, and 12,914 families living in the zip codes labeled as Cypress. There were 15,207 housing units at an average density of 494.6/sq mi (190.9/km?).
The 77429 Zip Code is one of the most affluent zip codes in Harris County; nearly 77% of the population has an income over US $50,000 and 42.65% earning over $100,000. The Cypress urban cluster ranks 50th in the top 100 highest-income urban areas in the United States.
Attractions
- Cypress is home to Tin Hall, one of the oldest continually operating Dance Halls in Texas, in operation since 1889.
- Cypress is home to The Berry Center. A $80 million multi-use complex owned by CFISD, featuring a football stadium, basketball arena, conference center, auditorium, multimedia production, and catering facility.
- Cypress is home to Northwest Forest Conference Center, an 80-acre resort and conference center with a life-size replica of the Alamo.
- Cypress is home to the trailhead of the planned Cypress Creek Greenway Project, a major parks project which will link major anchor parks along the entirety of Cypress Creek via a Greenbelt complete with Hike & Bike Trails, Horseback Riding, Canoeing and other attractions for outdoors/nature enthusiasts. It will link up with the planned Spring Creek Greenway northeast of Interstate 45.
- Cypress has numerous Golf Courses, including:
- Longwood Golf Club,
- Blackhorse,
- Houston National,
- Cypress Lakes
- Cypress Golf Club.
- Hearthstone Country Club.
Education
Cypress Springs High School
The Richard E. Berry Center
Primary and Secondary Schools
Public Schools
Cypress is served by Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, the third largest school district in the State of Texas and one of the fastest growing in the United States. CFISD serves more than 92,000 students, as of 2006.
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD high school students attend Cy-Fair High School, Jersey Village High School, Cypress Creek High School, Cypress Falls High School, Cypress Woods High School, Cypress Springs High School, Langham Creek High School, and Cypress Ridge High School.
Two high schools are currently under construction, scheduled to open in 2008. They are Cypress Ranch High School and Cypress Lakes High School. Additionally, two more high schools are in the planning stages.
Cy-Fair ISD also includes 15 middle schools and 47 elementary schools. Two additional elementary schools are scheduled to open in 2008.
Private Schools
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School, a K-8 Roman Catholic school operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, is in close proximity to Cypress.
Cypress Christian School , a K-12 private school, is located in the area.
Colleges and Universities
Cy-Fair College
Cypress is home of Cy-Fair College of the North Harris Montgomery Community College District.
Public Libraries
Harris County Public Library operates public libraries in the Cypress area.
Fire Departments
The area of Cypress is served by two volunteer fire departments, Cy-Fair VFD and Cypress Creek VFD. Cy-Fair VFD is the second largest volunteer fire department in the United States with 11 stations.
Notable Residents
- Sam Adams - Defensive Tackle with the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals. Played HS football at Cypress Creek HS and Texas A&M University.
- Fred Caldwell, co-founder of Houston real estate group Caldwell Watson (now named Caldwell Companies).
- Martha Madison - Actress on NBC's "Days of our Lives". Attended HS at Cypress Creek HS.
- Dan Neil - Offensive Guard with the NFL's Denver Broncos. Played HS football at Cypress Creek HS and the University of Texas.
- B.J. Symons - Former Chicago Bears and Houston Texans quarterback. Set the NCAA Division I-A record for most passing yards in a single season with 5,833 in 2003 at Texas Tech University. Graduated from Cypress Creek HS.
- Chuck Watson, founder of Dynegy (formerly NGC), minority owner of the Houston Texans and the Houston Aeros. Principal of Houston Real Estate group Caldwell Watson.
- Fred Whitfield, seven-time calf-roping world champion.
- Josh Williams - Former Defensive Tackle for the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. Played American Football at Cypress Creek HS and the University of Michigan.
- Woody Williams, RHP for the Houston Astros. Attended Cy-Fair HS and the University of Houston.
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