Clear Lake City (Greater Houston) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clear Lake City
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Housing development
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Harris County Courthouse Bay Area Annex
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 Clear Lake City
Location in Texas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Harris |
| Elevation | 20 ft (6 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 281, 713, 832 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1377174 |
Clear Lake City is a special kind of planned community in southeast Harris County, Texas. It's part of the Bay Area near Greater Houston. It's the second-largest planned community in Houston. Most of Clear Lake City is inside the city limits of Houston. Some northern parts are in Pasadena, and a small eastern part is in Taylor Lake Village.
This community is right next to NASA's Johnson Space Center. Many other big aerospace companies, like Boeing and Lockheed Martin, are also nearby. Because of NASA and the local industries, many engineers live in Clear Lake City and the areas around it.
Contents
History of Clear Lake City
The land where Clear Lake City now stands was first developed by James Marion West Sr.. He came to Texas in 1880 and became a rich businessman. He owned ranches, lumber businesses, and oil companies. His main ranch and home were near Clear Lake and Clear Creek.
In 1938, Humble Oil (now ExxonMobil) bought the land after oil was found there. Most of the land stayed undeveloped for a long time. Then, NASA decided to build the Johnson Space Center nearby. Because of this, Humble Oil's company, the Friendswood Development Company, planned to build a new community. They started the Clear Lake City Community Association, Inc. (CLCCA) in 1963.
Clear Lake City used to have a small private airport called the Clear Lake City STOLport. It was used by Houston Metro Airlines for quick flights to Houston Intercontinental Airport in the 1970s.
In 1977, the city of Houston officially took over a large part of Clear Lake City. This means it became part of Houston. Residents tried to stop it, but it happened anyway. This event even led to changes in how Houston's city government works. Later, Pasadena also took over its part of Clear Lake City. Since the 1980s, many Asian-American families, including those from China, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam, have moved to Clear Lake City.
Why is it Called Clear Lake City?
The community gets its name from Clear Lake. This lake is south of the Johnson Space Center. Clear Lake and Clear Creek separate Harris County from Galveston County. The lake is where Clear Creek flows into Galveston Bay.
Neighborhoods in Clear Lake City
Clear Lake City is made up of many smaller neighborhoods. Some of these include Bay Forest, Bay Glen, Bay Knoll, Bay Oaks, Bay Pointe, Brook Forest, Brookwood, Clear Lake Forest, Camino South, Meadowgreen, Middlebrook, Northfork, Oakbrook, Oakbrook West, and Pinebrook.
When NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (now the Johnson Space Center) opened, thousands of people came to work there. This caused the value of land in Clear Lake to go up a lot. In the Timber Cove neighborhood, the local swimming pool was even designed to look like the Mercury space capsule. It was finished in 1963.
Getting Around Clear Lake City
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) runs a park and ride service called Bay Area Park and Ride. Harris County Transit also offers transportation services that go through Clear Lake City.
Parks and Fun Places
The City of Houston manages the Sylvan Rodriguez Park on Clear Lake City Boulevard. This park is a great place for outdoor activities.
The Clear Lake City Community Association, Inc. (CLCCA) runs the Kermet H. Applewhite Sports and Recreation Center. This center has an indoor heated pool, a fitness room, outdoor pools, a gym, and tennis courts. It's a popular spot for sports and recreation.
Culture and Events
Clear Lake City and the areas nearby have many fun cultural events.
- The Bay Area Houston Ballet and Theatre group puts on ballet shows and American musical theater performances.
- The Clear Lake Symphony performs classical and "pops" music concerts every year.
- The Arts Alliance at Clear Lake is a group of local arts organizations. They regularly plan art exhibits, music shows, and other art programs.
Other exciting events include:
- The Gulf Coast Film Festival shows independent films from local and international artists.
- The Ballunar Festival is an annual event with amazing hot-air balloons.
- The Wings over Houston Air Fest at Ellington Field features incredible air shows by military and civilian pilots.
Education in Clear Lake City
Schools for Kids and Teens
Clear Lake City is part of the Clear Creek Independent School District. Two high schools serve the community: Clear Lake High School and Clear Brook High School.
Clear Lake Intermediate School and Space Center Intermediate School serve different parts of Clear Lake City. Clear Lake Intermediate was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in 1986-87 for its excellence.
There are also private schools in the area. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston operates the St. Clare of Assisi school. St. Bernadette Catholic Church offers early childhood education. The Clear Lake Christian School is located in the Bay Knoll neighborhood.
Colleges and Universities
The University of Houston–Clear Lake is right next to the community. Most of its campus is in Pasadena, but some parts are in Houston.
Students living in the Harris County part of Clear Creek ISD, which includes Clear Lake City, can attend San Jacinto College.
Famous People from Clear Lake City
Many notable people have lived in or are connected to Clear Lake City:
- Bobby Burling, a professional soccer player for the San Jose Earthquakes.
- Booker T, a famous professional wrestler in the WWE.
- Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, a member of the Danish royal family.
- Ellison Onizuka, one of the seven astronauts who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. He was the first Asian American to go into space.
- Kevin Kwan, a novelist known for his books like Crazy Rich Asians.
- Bill Krueger, a high school basketball coach who was once the nation's winningest high school basketball coach.
Images for kids
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Clear Lake City–County Freeman Branch
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Clear Lake Intermediate School
