Spring Branch, Houston, Texas

Spring Branch is a community in west-northwest Houston, Texas, United States, roughly bordered by Clay Road and U.S. Highway 290 to the north, Beltway 8 to the west, Interstate 10 to the south, and the 610 Loop to the east. The community has been divided by the city of Houston into three super neighborhoods:

* Spring Branch East
* Spring Branch Center
* Spring Branch West

Several minor bayous run through the community, including Brickhouse Gully, Spring Branch (the neighborhood namesake), and Briar Branch, which drain into Buffalo Bayou in central Houston. Spring Lake is a large pond near the center of the neighborhood.

Long Point Road, which runs east/west through the middle of Spring Branch, is one of Houston's earliest roads.

Spring Branch, as of 2008, includes immigrant Korean American and Hispanic American communities." [http://blogs.houstonpress.com/houstoned/2008/01/the_seoul_of_houston_the_weath.php The Seoul of Houston: The Weather Was Not the Strong Point on Long Point] ." "Houston Press".]

The Consulate-General of El Salvador in Houston resides in Spring Branch.

History

Spring Branch began as a religious German farmer settlement; many of the farmers owned dairies. Karl Kolbe, who arrived in Texas from Germany in 1830, was Spring Branch's earliest settler.Handbook of Texas|id=SS/hrsrj|name=Spring Branch, Texas] The Germans opened sawmills to cut area timber.Handbook of Texas|id=HH/hgh11|name=Hunter's Creek Village, Texas] In 1848, St. Peter's United (Lutheran) Church opened on a site donated from the Bauer family; the lumber used in the construction originated from one of the local sawmills. The Spring Branch School Society, sponsored by the church in 1856, would eventually become the Spring Branch Independent School District.

In the mid-1950s efforts to create a Spring Branch municipality failed. Following this, the Memorial villages formed. Houston annexed the rest of the Spring Branch area.

Apartment complexes opened in the Spring Branch area around the 1970s. By the 1980s Houston's economy collapsed and occupancy rates declined. Many apartment complexes faced foreclosure, bankruptcy, and changes in ownership. Bill Zermeno, a city electrical inspector, said in a 1988 "Houston Chronicle" article that many of the apartments with some of the strongest violations against maintenance-related city laws were in Spring Branch. Kim Cobb, the author of the 1988 "Houston Chronicle" article, said that many of the poorly-maintaned complexes were located next to well-maintained single family subdivisions.Cobb, Kim. " [http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1988_556944 Drugs, neglect transform `single scene' to slums] ." "Houston Chronicle". July 17, 1988. Section 3, Page 1.]

Public services

The Spring Branch area is served by the Northwest Patrol Division [" [http://www.houstontx.gov/police/cs/beatpages/northwest.htm Crime Statistics for Northwest Patrol Division] ." "City of Houston"] , headquartered at 6000 Teague." [http://www.houstontx.gov/police/vip/vip_cops.htm VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES PROGRAM - Citizens Offering Police Support] ." "City of Houston".] The Spring Branch Storefront Station is located at 8400 Long Point Road #A.

Education

Spring Branch Independent School District serves Spring Branch, Memorial, and several small cities. Despite being located in Houston, it is "not" served by the Houston Independent School District.

Students living in the Spring Branch area, North of the Memorial Area, primarily attend Spring Woods High School and Northbrook High School. The southern portions of West Spring Branch have students zoned to both Stratford High School and Spring Woods High School. Very small areas along Westview and Interstate 10 have Students zoned to Memorial High School.

It is served by the Ring and Hillendahl branches of Houston Public Library, as well as the Spring Branch Memorial Branch of Harris County Public Library (the Spring Branch Memorial Branch is in Hedwig Village).

References

External links

*
* [http://www.springbranchisd.com Spring Branch Independent School District]
* [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/homefront/neighborhoods/844198.html Spring Branch neighborhood still affordable] - "Houston Chronicle" - 2001