Greater Katy

"This article is in reference to the area around the City of Katy, Texas. For more information regarding the City itself, please go directly to Katy, Texas."

Introduction

Greater Katy is the term often used to refer to a suburban region on the west side of the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. This area includes the suburbs that surround the Katy city limits west to Pederson road, east to Fry road , north to FM 529 and south to FM 1093/Grand Parkway. While these boundaries are not exact, it gives a rough outline of what most people consider Greater Katy. Most of Greater Katy is to the east of the city of Katy toward Houston and includes surrounding suburban areas and unincorporated areas that are not in the Houston city limits. The region includes parts of Harris County, Fort Bend County, and Waller County much as the City of Katy does. Greater Katy is one of the fastest growing portions of the Houston metropolitan area.

Greater Katy versus The City of Katy

The City of Katy is actually a very small area surrounded by Greater Katy. The City itself only has an estimated 13,000 residents as of 2004 (estimated). Many people confuse Greater Katy with the City of Katy, however there is no city representation or services provided to people outside of the actual city limits of Katy. Some of this area is actually within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston the city of Katy cannot annex this area without express permission from the City of Houston. This has occurred on several occasions in regards to relatively small tracts of land. Most recently this came into play with development of the Katy Mills Mall, which sat mostly within the City of Katy but about half was in the Houston ETJ. The developer and city of Katy threatened to build just parking lot on the Houston area depriving Houston of any real property tax value. For 1 million dollars Katy bought the right to annex the area desired.

While the city government of Katy only serves the area within their city limits, Greater Katy is serviced nearly entirely by entities such as the Katy Independent School District, the Greater Katy Chamber of Commerce, as well as nearly all postal addresses using Katy as the city name. Fire protection services are provided by a consortium of volunteer fire departments (VFDs) while law enforcement is provided by the respective county sheriff's departments (Harris, Waller, or Fort Bend).

A few areas with Katy addresses are served by the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District. None of the areas are within the Katy city limits.

Key roads and streets within Greater Katy

North-South roads

(listed from west to east)
* Pederson Road
* FM 1463
* Pin Oak Road
* Gaston Road
* Katy-Fort Bend Road
* Grand Parkway (State Highway 99)
* Peek Road
* Mason Road
* Westgreen Boulevard
* Fry Road

East-West roads

(listed from north to south)
* Clay Road
* Morton (Ranch) Road
* Franz Road/Saums Road
* Colonial Parkway/Park Row
* U.S. Highway 90 (Highway Boulevard)
* Katy Freeway (Interstate 10)
* Provincial Boulevard
* Kingsland Boulevard
* Highland Knolls Drive/Bay Hill Boulevard
* Cinco Ranch Boulevard
* Westheimer Parkway
* Fry Road (Which bends West between Westheimer Parkway and Mason Road)
* Westpark Tollway, FM 1093

Neighborhoods within Greater Katy

The Greater Katy area is very much defined by the neighborhoods that comprise where people live. In fact, the neighborhood that one lives in is almost as much a defining factor in Greater Katy as the occupation that one works in. Some of the neighborhoods and subdivisions that are in Greater Katy:

* "West Memorial"—The oldest development outside the City of Katy, now located in the center of the Greater Katy area. Most of the homes here were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s and the area has indeed matured out with large trees lining the streets and homes there. Generally considered an older middle-class neighborhood.

* "Williamsburg"—This was supposed to be a master-planned community. Built in the late 70's/early 80's, and really didn't take off, some say, because it is located north of I-10. It's neighborhoods includes: Williamsburg Settlement, Williamsburg Parish, Williamschase, Williamsburg Hamlet, and Williamsburg Colony. Williamsburg Parish and Settlement are the two neighborhoods that stand above the rest. Settlement is comparable to Nottingham and Kelliwood. The Parish has new homes being built, and has tripled in size since 2000.

* "Memorial Parkway"—Neighborhood to the south and east of West Memorial. Both developments flank Mason Road. Memorial Parkway was built in the late 1970s and 1980.

* "Cimarron"—Also an older neighborhood in the core area of Greater Katy, similar to West Memorial.

* "Nottingham Country"—Built in the 1970s and 1980s as an upscale development with large brick homes and an oversized community center and swimming pool. Considered more upscale in the early years, it has lost some ground to Cinco Ranch, Seven Meadows and Grand Lakes. The newer Areas of Nottingham to the south are a more modern fit to today's look.

* "Cinco Ranch"—This is a collection of developments that was built out during the late 1980s and 1990s and is still growing. Second only to the Woodlands in growth. Cinco Ranch was the first of the "ultra modern" master planned developments to be built in Greater Katy. The amenities were and still are one of a kind. Typical subdivisions include swimming pools, parks, numerous lakes and man-made beaches. Housing prices range from the 170's to multi million dollar homes. Today many of the new shopping outlets in Greater Katy are located in Cinco Ranch and the general vicinity.

*"Grand Lakes"—A rather new neighborhood built between Cinco Ranch and the Westpark Tollway. The community does have a series of lakes. In May 2008, the last house in Grand Lakes was finished and the community is considered finished.

*"Falcon Point"—A neighborhood built around the The Club at Falcon Point an 18 hole private golf club. Bay Hill Blvd comes to an end right in the middle of Falcon Point which is bordered by Roesner Rd and backs up to the Katy Mills Mall area.

*"Firethorne"—- A master-planned community built near just outside of Katy city limits. It is a sprawling 1500 acres and homes just started construction in early 2008.

*"Seven Meadows"--A smaller community located south of I-10 between Fry Road and FM 1093. It is very close to the Westpark Tollway allowing a quick commute to Houston. Home prices range from around 200,000 dollars to over 1 million dollars. Avalon at Seven Meadows features lakefront custom and semi-custom homes as well as patio golf course homes.

Community information

The Katy Family YMCA is located in Cinco Ranch. The YMCA was originally named after Ken Lay; Lay asked for his name to be removed from the YMCA in June 2006.

hopping and Restaurants

Besides the typical strip centers that line many of the main roads in the Greater Katy Area, upscale shopping centers have been added that have boutiques and restaurants. The Villagio [ [http://www.atworkinkaty.com/properties/vcr.php/ ] ] located in the heart of Cinco Ranch is a "Boutique Lifestyle Center" that offers more than just a strip center feel.

Another up scale shopping center is LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch [http://www.lacenterra.com/ [ ] ] which is basically an upscale town center for the Greater Katy area. LaCenterra offers shopping at name brand stores, and dining at nationally known restaurants.

The Grand [http://www.onlykaty.com/featured/the-grand-new-katy-mall-set-to-open-in-2012/ [ ] ] is an "open-air" shopping center that is set to open in 2012. Located off I-10 and the Grand Parkway, the 1.1 million square foot shopping mall already includes a JCPenney's and will offer stores such as Dillard's and Macy's.

External links

* [http://www.katychamber.com Greater Katy Area Chamber of Commerce web site]
* [http://www.katyedc.org Katy Area Economic Development Council web site]
* [http://www.katyisd.org Katy Independent School District]
* [http://www.atworkinkaty.com/properties/vcr.php At work in Katy]
* [http://www.lacenterra.com LaCenterra]
* [http://www.onlykaty.com/featured/the-grand-new-katy-mall-set-to-open-in-2012/ The Grand]