Conroe, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids City of Conroe
City
Downtown Conroe
Location in Montgomery County in the state of Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Montgomery
Incorporated	1904
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
Area
• Total	72.77 sq mi (188.48 km2)
• Land	71.97 sq mi (186.41 km2)
• Water	0.80 sq mi (2.07 km2)
Elevation	205 ft (62.5 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	89,956
• Estimate  (2022)	101,405
• Density	1,265.44/sq mi (488.59/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code(s)	77301–77304, 77306, 77384, 77385
PO Box code(s)	77305
Area code(s)	936
FIPS code	48-16432
GNIS feature ID	1333238

Conroe is a city in Texas, United States. It is the main city of Montgomery County. Conroe is located about 40 miles (64 km) north of Houston. It is a big city within the larger Houston metropolitan area.

In 2023, Conroe had a population of over 103,000 people. The city has grown a lot since 2007 by adding nearby areas. Conroe was even named the fastest-growing large city in the United States between 2015 and 2016.

Conroe's History

The city of Conroe is named after Isaac Conroe. He was a lumberman from the North who started a sawmill here in 1881. The city first became wealthy because of its lumber and oil industries. It was originally called "Conroe's Switch." Many people moved to the area in the late 1800s because of the demand for wood from the pine forests.

In the 1930s, Conroe briefly had more millionaires per person than any other U.S. city. This was thanks to the oil business. Famous singer Elvis Presley even performed at the high school football field in 1955. After Interstate 45 was built, many people from Houston started moving to communities around Conroe.

In the early 2000s, Conroe attracted many new residents from the Houston area. It used to be a quiet town, but it quickly became a popular place for new homes. In 2012, the area around Conroe and The Woodlands was called a "large urbanized transit area." This meant it had over 200,000 residents and could get federal money for transportation.

City Geography

Conroe is located at 30.316124 degrees North and -95.458801 degrees West.

The city covers a total area of about 72.77 square miles (188.48 km²). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water. Conroe is about 40 miles (64 km) north of Houston.

Population Growth

Map of racial distribution in Conroe, 2020 U.S. census. Each dot is one person: ⬤ White ⬤ Black ⬤ Asian ⬤ Hispanic ⬤ Multiracial ⬤ Native American/Other

Conroe's population has grown a lot over the years. In 2000, there were 36,811 people. By 2010, the population had grown to 56,207. This growth continued, and by 2020, there were 89,956 people living in Conroe.

The city's population keeps growing quickly. Between 2015 and 2016, Conroe was the fastest-growing large city in the United States. This is partly because many new homes are being built. Also, Conroe has added nearby communities to its city limits.

Local Economy

Conroe has many important employers that help the city's economy. These include schools, local government, and healthcare.

Culture and Arts

Crighton Theatre, first opened as a movie theatre in 1935, now hosts live theatrical performances.

Downtown Conroe has several places for arts and performances. The oldest is the Crighton Theatre, which opened in 1935. It was first a movie theater. After some time, it was fixed up and now hosts live plays. Another theater, the Owen Theatre, is also in the downtown area. There are also outdoor places for performances, like Conroe Founder's Plaza and Heritage Place. These spots hold many festivals all year.

Conroe supports many arts groups, like the Greater Conroe Arts Alliance. This group connects different arts organizations in the city. Some of these are the Conroe Symphony and the Conroe Art League. The city also helps with the Young Texas Artists Music Competition. This competition started in 1983 and shows off talented young musicians. In 2009, the city started the Art Bench Project. This project turned 13 stone benches downtown into art pieces. Each bench tells a story about Conroe's history and culture.

Parks and Recreation

Montgomery County Heritage Museum

Conroe has several parks that share local history. The Heritage Museum of Montgomery County keeps old items from the first settlers of Montgomery County.

The Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park shows the flags that have flown over Texas. The flags are in a circle around the park. In the middle is a statue of a Texian soldier. Each flag has a sign explaining its connection to Texas history. At the park's entrance, there is a statue of Charles B. Stewart. He is believed to have designed the Texas state flag.

Montgomery County War Memorial Park honors the soldiers from Montgomery County who died while serving. This park was dedicated in 1976. In 2017, the city decided to move and make the memorial bigger. It will include the names of up to 50,000 soldiers from Montgomery County.

Lake Conroe, located northwest of downtown, is a popular spot for water activities. People enjoy boating and fishing there. You can find fish like largemouth bass, bluegill, and catfish in the lake.

Education in Conroe

Conroe High School, Conroe Independent School District.

Colleges and Universities

Students in Conroe can attend classes at the Lone Star College System. The main campuses for Conroe are Lone Star College-Montgomery and the LSC University Center. There are also other campuses in the county.

The Catholic University of St. Thomas opened a campus in Conroe in 2020. They are using a temporary building for now. A permanent campus is planned for the Deison Technology Park.

Public Schools

Most of Conroe is part of the Conroe Independent School District (CISD). A small part of northern Conroe is in the Willis Independent School District (WISD). A western part is in the Montgomery Independent School District (MISD).

Conroe Independent School District

Many schools in CISD are located in Conroe. About 60% of the Conroe ISD area in the city goes to Conroe High School. Other parts of Conroe attend Oak Ridge High School and Caney Creek High School.

Junior high schools for the Conroe High School area include:

• John V. Peet Junior High School
• Washington Junior High School
• Albert B. Moorhead Junior High School

Some intermediate schools for the Conroe High School area are:

• Cryar Intermediate School
• Travis Intermediate School
• Bozman Intermediate School

Some elementary schools for the Conroe High School area are:

• Anderson Elementary School
• Neil Armstrong Elementary School
• Giesinger Elementary School
• Sam Houston Elementary School
• O. A. Reaves Elementary School
• B. B. Rice Elementary School
• J. W. Runyan Elementary School
• Wilkinson Elementary School

Willis Independent School District

Students in the Willis ISD part of Conroe go to Turner Elementary School, Brabham Middle School, and Willis High School.

Private Schools

Conroe also has several private schools:

• Sacred Heart Catholic School
• Covenant Christian School
• Lifestyle Christian School
• Montgomery Christian Academy

The closest Catholic high school is Frassati Catholic High School.

Media Outlets

The Courier is a daily newspaper in Conroe. It covers news for Montgomery County. In 2016, a large media company called Hearst Communications bought the newspaper. They also own the Houston Chronicle.

Two TV stations, Ion's KPXB-TV (channel 49) and Quest's KTBU (channel 55), are licensed to Conroe. Both stations have their main offices in Houston.

The city of Conroe owns two low-power FM radio stations: KZCW-LP (104.5 FM) and KZCC-LP (106.1 FM). These stations are used for emergency broadcasts. When there are no emergencies, they play local and regional content. This content is also shown on the city's TV channel, "Our City TV."

City Transportation

View of Texas State Highway 105 in downtown Conroe. The archway connects the Montgomery County Courthouse (right) with the Montgomery County Court Annex.

In 2012, the area around Conroe and The Woodlands was called a "large urbanized transit area." This means it has over 200,000 residents. This makes it able to get federal money for transportation, especially for public transit.

• Interstate 45 connects Conroe directly to Houston (40 miles south) and Dallas (200 miles northwest).
• Texas Highway 105 connects Conroe to Cleveland to the east and Montgomery to the west.
• Texas Loop 336 goes around the city of Conroe.
• Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport offers services for private planes.
• Greyhound Bus Lines has a small station in Conroe.
• The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas offers bus service from Conroe to Downtown Houston.
• The City of Conroe started its own local bus service, Conroe Connection, in 2015. It runs Monday through Friday.
• The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) has a busy train line that runs through Conroe.
• The Union Pacific Railroad also has a busy train line that runs north from Houston through Conroe. These two train lines cross each other in downtown Conroe.

Healthcare Services

The first organized healthcare in Conroe was the Mary Swain Sanitarium in the early 1920s. It was a private hospital.

In 1938, the Montgomery County Hospital, a public hospital with 25 beds, replaced it. This hospital closed when a new one opened in 1982.

Notable People from Conroe

• Brandon Allen, former Major League Baseball player
• Brian Barkley, former pitcher for Boston Red Sox
• Kyle Bennett, professional BMX racer
• Richard Bradford, actor in movies and TV shows
• Clarence Lee Brandley, a person who was wrongly accused and later freed
• Jeromy Burnitz, baseball player drafted by New York Mets
• Rock Cartwright, NFL running back
• Andrew Cashner, pitcher for Texas Rangers
• Jonathan Daviss, actor in the Netflix series Outer Banks
• Colin Edwards, two-time World Superbike champion
• Annette Gordon-Reed, historian and law professor at Harvard University
• John Hambrick, broadcast journalist and TV producer
• Matt Lepsis, former NFL player and Super Bowl XXXIII winner
• Parker McCollum, Texas Country musician
• John Monroe, infielder in Major League Baseball
• Kevin Slowey, starting pitcher for MLB's Minnesota Twins
• Grant Stuard, NFL player
• Roger Vick, former NFL fullback

Climate Information

Conroe has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot, humid summers. The winters are generally mild to cool.

Images for kids

• 

  Map of racial distribution in Conroe, 2020 U.S. census.

See also

In Spanish: Conroe (Texas) para niños