Conroe

Conroe is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Texas, United States, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Houston. It is a principal city in the HoustonThe WoodlandsSugar Land metropolitan area. As of 2021, the population was 98,081, up from 56,207 in 2010. Since 2007, the city has increased in size (and population) by annexation, with the city territory expanding from 52.8 to 74.4 square miles. In April 2015, residents of the community of Sound filed a lawsuit against Conroe after their community was annexed on January 1, 2015. The lawsuit was dismissed in March 2017. According to the Census Bureau, Conroe was the fastest-growing largeCity in the United States between July 1,2015, and July 1, 2016. The city is named after Isaac Conroe, who served as a Union Cavalry officer and settled in Houston after the Civil War. Conroe founded a sawmill in this area in 1881. The community built its early economy and wealth on the lumber industry. In 1922, a young black man named Joe Winters was lynched, burned alive on the courthouse square for allegedly attacking a young white woman. In 1941, Bob White was shot to death in the courthouse, during his third trial. The case was appealed with the help of the NAACP in Houston because he had not been given a lawyer or been able to contact family, and he was tortured in interrogation. The second trial was held in Conroe for a change of venue.

History

Conroe is the primary city name, but also Cut And Shoot are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is City of Conroe. Six lynchings were recorded in Montgomery County around the turn of the century, and some suspects were lynched at the courthouse in Conroe. In 1922, a young black man named Joe Winters was lynched, burned alive on the courthouse square for allegedly attacking a young white woman. In 1941 Bob White was shot to death in the courthouse, during his third trial. In 1931 George W. Strake discovered the Conroe Oil Field. By 1935, the field had produced 40 million barrels of oil. During the 1930s, because of oil profits, the city briefly boasted more millionaires per capita than any other U.S. city. After the construction of Interstate 45 in the postwar period improved automobile access, many Houstonians began to follow the highway to new suburban communities that developed around Conroe in the late 19th and early 20th century. The city is named after Isaac Conroe, who served as a Union Cavalry officer and settled in Houston after the Civil War. There he became a lumberman. Conroe founded a sawmill in this area in 1881. Originally named "Conroe's Switch", the community received an influx of workers and residents who were attracted to the growth of the lumber industry, which harvested the local piney wood forest. In 1886, Conroe Mill School was established in the expanding town. The community built its early economy and wealth on the lumberindustry. The Conroe Normal and Industrial College, a school for African Americans, served the area.

Geography

Conroe is in the southwest corner of the East Texas Piney Woods. The West Fork of the San Jacinto River flows through the western edge of Conroe. The river flows southeast from Lake Conroe, a 19,640 surface acre lake created by a dam in 1973. Conroe developed over several geologic layers of underground aquifers, which supply the city with fresh drinking water. The city has a 0.2 percent chance of a 500-year flood occurring in a year. In addition to major flooding in May 2016, two major floods took place in two months in August 2017, resulting in a fourth major flood in two years. In 2017, Texas A&M asked Conroe state senator Brandon Creighton to author a bill setting aside 10 percent of the forest for educational and research-related development. The forest also preserves the habitat of the red-cockaded woodpecker, a species classified in the early 21st century as Near Threatened by the IUCN. The bill also opened the possibility of commercial development on the land. The final version, which passed the Senate unanimously, protected the entire forest from development. As of 2020, the city has annexed territory every year since 2007, increasing the city limits from 52.8 to 74.4 square miles. In April 2015, residents of the gated community of April Sound filed a lawsuit against Conroe after their community was annexed on January 1, 2015. The lawsuit was dismissed in March 2017. As part of the groundwater usage reduction plan, the SanJacinto River Authority began in September 2015 to supplement Conroe's groundwater supply with surface water pumped from Lakeconroe.

Demographics

Conroe's population grew from 36,811 in 2000 to 56,207 in 2010. Between 2014 and 2015, Conroe was the sixth fastest growing city in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, there were 89,956 people, 32,547 households, and 21,369 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 69.7% White (including Hispanic), 10.3% African American, 1.8% Asian, less than 0.05% Pacific Islander, and 3.2% from two or more races. In the southern portion of downtown, White alone made up between 20.4 and 22.4 percent, African American were between 19.0 and 20.3 percent, and Hispanic or Latino were between 56.6 and 57.7 percent of the population. The city's annexation of growing communities within its extraterritorial jurisdiction has also contributed to its growth. In response to income inequality, several non-profit groups including the Montgomery County United Way, The Salvation Army, and the Crisis Assistance Center help provide residents of the area with a variety of services ranging from transportation to food and shelter. In 2010, the population density of the entire city was 1066.2 people per square mile (411.7/km²) By contrast, thePopulation density downtown was between 3,475.2 and 4,119.3 people persquare mile. The median income for a household in the City was $50,517 and the medianincome for a family was $60,087.

Economy

In the early 1980s, Exxon considered consolidating its employees to a site in Conroe. The company ended the plans after the local oil-based economy collapsed.According to the City's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: ExxonMobil, Conroe Electric, and Conroe City Hall. The city's unemployment rate is currently at 4.7 per cent, according to the city's report. The unemployment rate for women is currently 4.1 per cent. The rate for men is 4.2 per cent; the rate for females is 4 per cent in the City of Conroe, the report says. The City's poverty rate is 3.8 per cent and for women, it's 3.1per cent. It's the highest rate in the state, the city report says, and it's the lowest in Texas. The state's economy is the second-largest in the country, after the U.S., after Texas. It also has the highest unemployment rate, at 6.8 percent. The top employers are ExxonMobil and the Conroe Police Department, the Report says. It says Conroe's unemployment rates are the highest in the nation, at 5.9 per cent for women and 4.8per cent for men. The number of women working at Conroe businesses is the highest for any city in the United States, the City says. In the city, the unemployment rate stands at 3.6 per cent but it's down to 2.4 per cent among women.

Culture

Downtown Conroe's Central Business District hosts multiple arts venues. The city supports several arts organizations, including the Greater Conroe Arts Alliance. The Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park displays the flags that flew over Texas. Lake Conroe, northwest of downtown Conroe is a site for such water-based activities as boating and fishing. In 2017, the Montgomery County Commissioners Court and the City of Conroe agreed to relocate and expand the memorial to include the names of up to 50,000 soldiers who have lived in Montgomery County. As of June 2019, the expansion is ongoing. The most common fish in the lake are Largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass, and hybrid striped bass. In 2009, the city sponsored the Art Bench Project, which converted 13 stone benches scattered throughout the central business district into works of art. At the park's entrance is a statue of Charles B. Stewart, who is claimed to have designed the lone star flag. The Heritage Museum of Montgomery County maintains artifacts of the county's early settlers. The park's dedication ceremony was in 1976 and featured a speech by President Gerald Ford. In 2007, the Conroe Symphony was founded. The Conroe Art League is a network of multiple arts groups in the city. The Alliance also sponsors, along with the state of Texas, the Young Texas Artists Music Competition. The competition, founded in 1983, showcases young musicians who aspire to careers in classical music. It is held every year at the Texas State Theater in Austin.

Government

For the 2019 Fiscal Year, the city had $157.8 million in revenues and $147.9 million in expenditures. The city's net position was $189.7 million. The Conroe Police Department has 142 full-time police officers and 42 support staff. The county operates the main branch of the Montgomery County Memorial Library System. Conroe is part of Texas's 8th congressional district, which is represented by Republican Kevin Brady. The two U.S. senators from Texas are Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. The United States Postal Service Conroe Post Office is located at 809 West Dallas Street. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Conroe District Parole Office in Conroe. In June 2014, Conroe police Sergeant Jason Blackwelder was convicted of manslaughter. He was sentenced to five years' probation for the shooting death of a shoplifting suspect in July 2013. In September 1982, Sergeant Ed Holcomb was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call. Less than 1% of Conroe residents are part of District 3, represented by Republicans Cecil Bell, Jr. and Will Metcalf. In the Texas House of Representatives, 94% of conroe is in District 16, represented in the Republican Party by Brandon Creighton. The southern portion of Conroe is in districts 15 and 16. A small portion of the northern part of the city is in district 3. In July 2013, Conroes police sergeant Jason Black welder was off duty, and he observed store employees chasing a shoplift suspect. In an isolated area, he killed the suspect with a single gunshot to the back of the head.

Education

Residents of Conroe are served by the Lone Star College System (formerly North Harris Montgomery Community College) The Catholic University of St. Thomas opened a campus in Conroe in fall 2020. Conroe Independent School District (Conroe ISD) is zoned to Conroe High School. Willis ISD (Willis ISD), which includes the northern part of the city, is zoning to Turner Elementary School, Brabham Middle School, and Willis High school. The closest Catholic high school is Frassati Catholic High School in north Harris County; Conroe is in the school's intended catchment area. All of the schools listed here are in the city ofconroe. The city is home to the University of Texas at Galveston-Houston and the Texas A&M University at San Antonio. It is also the home of the Texas Military Institute and Texas Tech University, which are both located in the Houston area. It also has a number of private schools, including Texas Christian University and Texas Southern University-Corpus Christi. The town is also home to Texas Instruments, Texas Instruments and Texas Instruments-Montgomery, which is a subsidiary of Texas Instruments. The Texas Rangers play in the Texas Rangers High School Football Championship Series, which pits Texas Rangers players against each other. The Rangers also host the Texas Longhorns High School Women's and Men's Lacrosse Teams, which compete in the state's Texas State Series. The team also competes in the National Junior College Championship Series (NJCS).

Infrastructure

In 2012 the U.S. Census Bureau classified the area around Conroe and The Woodlands as a "large urbanized transit area" This is defined as an area having more than 200,000 residents, which makes it eligible to receive federal transportation funds, particularly to support transit. Interstate 45 directly connects the city with Houston to its south (40 miles) and with Dallas to its northwest (200 miles) The city of Conroe launched a local bus service, Conroe Connection, in 2015. The Mary Swain Sanitarium, was established as the first organized healthcare institution in the city in the early 1920s. In 1938 the Montgomery County Hospital, a public institution, replaced it. The hospital closed in 1982 after a new hospital of theMontgomery County Hospital District opened in 1982. The city is home to the Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport, which provides general aviation services to Conroe. It also has a small Greyhound Bus Lines operate a small station. It is located on Texas Highway 105, which runs from Cleveland to the east and town of Montgomery to the west. The Conroe subdivision is an east-west railroad main line that runs from Silsbee in Hardin County to Navasota in Grimes County. There it intersects a main line running between Fort Worth and Galveston. It runs north from Houston in Harris County to Palestine in Anderson County, known as the Palestine subdivision. The two railroads intersect at a diamond in downtown Conroe between Main and First Streets.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Conroe, Montgomery County, Texas = 16.4. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Conroe = 6.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 12,738 individuals with a median age of 31.6 age the population grows by 44.19% in Conroe, Montgomery County, Texas population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,265.44 residents per square mile of area (488.59/km²). There are average 2.78 people per household in the 18,675 households with an average household income of $41,297 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.60% of the available work force and has dropped -2.51% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 28.38%. The number of physicians in Conroe per 100,000 population = 128.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Conroe = 47.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.2 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 85. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 205. 95 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 39.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 21, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Conroe, Montgomery County, Texas which are owned by the occupant = 42.57%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 21 years with median home cost = $135,730 and home appreciation of -4.14%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $17.51 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,014 per student. There are 16.3 students for each teacher in the school, 746 students for each Librarian and 471 students for each Counselor. 3.56% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 13.09% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 5.25% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).