Shenandoah, Houston, Texas

Shenandoah is a subdivision in Houston, Texas, United States.

Shenandoah, located outside of the 610 Loop, inside Beltway 8, and south and east of U.S. Highway 59 (Southwest Freeway), is surrounded by a community of apartment complexes called Gulfton. Shenandoah's sections include Shenandoah 1, Shenandoah 2, Shenandoah 3, and SIGRID.

History

Shenandoah, the first subdivision in the area, opened in the mid-1950s on former greenfield. Shenandoah had 16 blocks of ranch-style homes.Rogers, Susan. " [http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1949&context=ced/places Superneighborhood 27: A Brief History of Change] ." "California Digital Library".] The Shenandoah Civic Association opened in 1956; since the City of Houston has no zoning, the Shenandoah Civic Association's main goal is to enforce deed restrictions which regulate construction of housing and prevent businesses being operated from homes.Fisher, Robert and Lisa Taafe. "Public Life in Gulfton: Multiple Publics and Models of Organization." "Community Practice: Models in Action". 38.]

Robert Fisher and Lisa Taafe, authors of the 1997 article "Public Life in Gulfton: Multiple Publics and Models of Organization", said that the sudden demographic shifts in the late 1970s and 1980s "profoundly affected" Shenandoah as bars, warehouses, and nightclubs appeared next to Shenandoah houses. Many area apartment owners let their units decay from a lack of maintenance. The factors threatened Shenandoah property values, therefore the Shenandoah Civic Association added a security patrol, lobbied for Houston's city council to end liquor licenses of bars adjacent to Shenandoah, engaged in neighborhood beautification, and supported the establishment of a Houston Police Department storefront in Gulfton. Generally the Shenandoah Civic Association did not involve itself in matters related to the apartments surrounding the subdivision.Fisher, Robert and Lisa Taafe. "Public Life in Gulfton: Multiple Publics and Models of Organization." "Community Practice: Models in Action". 38-39.]

In April 1992 Bob Lanier, the Mayor of Houston, named Gulfton as one of ten Houston neighborhoods targeted by a city revitalization program. [Piller, Ruth. " [http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1992_1048416 Mayor lists 10 neighborhoods in revitalization-rebuilding plan] ." "Houston Chronicle". April 11, 1992. Section A, Page 26.] One aspect of Lanier's project consisted of building barricades around the Shenandoah subdivision to reduce traffic and crime; the Shenandoah Civic Association supported and pursued the street closures.Fisher, Robert and Lisa Taafe. "Public Life in Gulfton: Multiple Publics and Models of Organization." "Community Practice: Models in Action". 39.] The Gulfton Area Neighborhood Organization (GANO) opposed Shenandoah's barricading. [Fisher, Robert and Lisa Taafe. "Public Life in Gulfton: Multiple Publics and Models of Organization." "Community Practice: Models in Action". 44.] All of the other advocacy groups, except for some GAAC members, opposed the closure. Members of the community groups said that the closured has racist motives, that the closures would not effectively control crime, that the city was not using funds wisely, and that the closures would harm local businesses.

Fisher and Taafe that the Shenandoah Civic Association was a conservative organization made of mostly middle class residents that aimed to maintain the neighborhood and its property values. [Fisher, Robert and Lisa Taafe. "Public Life in Gulfton: Multiple Publics and Models of Organization." "Community Practice: Models in Action". 46-47.] Fisher and Taafe said that after Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN) merged into GANO, the combined organization was unlikely to cooperate with the Shenandoah Civic Club. [Fisher, Robert and Lisa Taafe. "Public Life in Gulfton: Multiple Publics and Models of Organization." "Community Practice: Models in Action". 44.] In November 1995, when the Texas State Legislature established a juvenile crime prevention grant for Gulfton, GANO cooperated with the Shenandoah Civic Association to accomplish the goal. [Fisher, Robert and Lisa Taafe. "Public Life in Gulfton: Multiple Publics and Models of Organization." "Community Practice: Models in Action". 47.]

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Shenandoah is within the Houston Independent School District. [" [http://www.sca77081.com/downloads/maps/NeighborhoodWithSubdivisionsMarked.pdf NeighborhoodWithSubdivisionsMarked.pdf] (Composite map). "Harris County Appraisal District". Accessed October 6, 2008.] Cunningham Elementary School serves Shenandoah I, Shenandoah II, and Shenandoah III. [" [http://dept.houstonisd.org/ab/schoolboundarymaps/CunninghamES.pdf Cunningham Elementary Attendance Zone] ." "Houston Independent School District". Accessed October 6, 2008.] Braeburn Elementary School serves SIGRID. [" [http://dept.houstonisd.org/ab/schoolboundarymaps/BraeburnES.pdf Braeburn Elementary Attendance Zone] ." "Houston Independent School District". Accessed October 6, 2008.] Shenandoah is zoned to Jane Long Middle School (with Pin Oak Middle School as an option) and Lee High School (with Lamar and Westside high schools as options). [" [http://dept.houstonisd.org/ab/schoolboundarymaps/LongMS.pdf Long Middle Attendance Zone] ." "Houston Independent School District". Accessed October 6, 2008.] [" [http://web.archive.org/web/20020214054405/http://dist.houstonisd.org/southwest/schools/pin_oak/letter5.htm Pin Oak Middle School] ." "The Southwest District". "Houston Independent School District".] [" [http://dept.houstonisd.org/ab/schoolboundarymaps/LeeHS.pdf Lee High School Attendance Zone] ." "Houston Independent School District". Accessed October 6, 2008.] [http://web.archive.org/web/20050509100740/hs.houstonisd.org/leehs/home2.htm Home Page] as of May 9, 2005. "Lee High School".]

Cunningham Elementary School opened in 1953, Braeburn Elementary School opened in 1956, Long Middle School opened in 1958, and Lee High School opened in 1962." [http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=0afe09c28afc3110VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD&vgnextchannel=2e2b2f796138c010VgnVCM10000052147fa6RCRD School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names] ." "Houston Independent School District". Accessed September 24, 2008.]

Colleges and universities

Gulfton is within the jurisdiction of the Houston Community College System (HCCS). The community college district operates the HCCS Gulfton Center, located at 5407 Gulfton Drive. Gulfton Center, a 35,100 square foot campus building owned by HCCS, opened in 1990 after Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Co. sold the building to HCCS for $700,000 (1990 dollars). The West Loop Center, an HCCS-owned campus at 5601 West Loop South which opened in Spring 1999, is in close proximity to Gulfton. [" [http://www.window.state.tx.us/tspr/hccs/ch10.htm TSPR Houston Community College System] ." "Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts". Accessed September 23, 2008.] [Bivins, Ralph. " [http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1990_717903 Lower-priced buildings keep office sales humming] ." "Houston Chronicle". July 22, 1990. Business section, page 6.]

Gallery of schools

References

External links

* [http://www.sca77081.com Shenandoah Civic Association]