Greenspoint, Houston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Greenspoint
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Neighborhood and business district
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Skyscrapers in the Greenspoint District
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| Country |  United States |
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| State | Texas | |
| County | Harris County | |
| City | Houston | |
| District created | 1991 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Management district | |
| • Body | North Houston District | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 18.0 km2 (6.96 sq mi) | |
| Population
(2012)
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| • Total | 42,569 | |
| • Density | 2,361.5/km2 (6,116/sq mi) | |
| ZIP Code |
77037
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| Area code(s) | 281, 346, 713, 832 | |
Greenspoint, also known as the North Houston District, is a large neighborhood and business area. It covers about 7 square miles (18 square kilometers) in northern Harris County, Texas. Most of Greenspoint is inside the city of Houston.
This area is a good example of a "planned community" or "edge city." It grew up around the meeting point of two big highways, Interstate 45 and Texas State Highway Beltway 8. It is also close to George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Greenspoint is one of Houston's main business centers. It has many office buildings and nearly 50,000 people work there. To help the area grow and improve public services, the Texas Legislature created the North Houston District in 1991. This special group works on things like new roads, safety, and city planning.
Contents
Where is Greenspoint?
Greenspoint is located where two important highways meet: Interstate 45 (the North Freeway) and Texas State Highway Beltway 8. It is also only about 6 miles (10 kilometers) west of George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). This makes it easy to get to and from the area.
Greens Bayou
The Greens Bayou, a major stream, flows through the district from west to east. In the 1970s, parts of the bayou were changed to help water drain better from the new airport. However, many new buildings in the area have made it harder for the bayou to handle heavy rain. This can cause flooding. The bayou has also faced issues with water cleanliness over the years.
In 2005, a group called the Houston–Galveston Area Council said that Greenspoint was one of the most challenging places in Houston for people walking.
Who Lives in Greenspoint?
In 2012, about 42,569 people lived in the Greater Greenspoint area. There were about 13,859 households, and most of these were families.
Greenspoint is a very diverse community. In 2012, about 5% of the people were non-Hispanic white, 29% were non-Hispanic Black, 66% were Hispanic, and 1% were Asian. This means many different groups of people call Greenspoint home. The number of Black and Hispanic residents in Greenspoint is much higher than in Houston as a whole.
Since the 1980s, the number of families in Greenspoint has grown a lot. The number of people under 18 years old increased almost six times between 1990 and 2010. This shows that more families with children have moved into the apartment complexes in the area. The number of children under 5 years old in Greenspoint is almost double that of the rest of Houston.
The average income for families in Greenspoint is lower than in Houston overall. In 2012, the average household income in Greenspoint was about $26,823, while in Houston it was about $44,648. Almost half of Greenspoint residents (48%) earn less than $25,000 per year.
People in Greenspoint also have lower levels of education compared to Houston. In 2012, only 6% of Greenspoint residents had a bachelor's degree or higher. This is much lower than the 29% in Houston. Also, 45% of Greenspoint residents did not finish high school, compared to 25% in Houston.
History of Greenspoint
Greenspoint began to grow as a suburban area when the Greenspoint Mall was built in 1976. This mall was very modern for its time. It had a design that looked like a city street, with lots of natural light and plants. Big stores like Foley's and Montgomery Ward were some of its first tenants.
The mall's opening brought more development to the empty land around it. In 1978, Friendswood Development Company, which was part of the oil company Exxon, bought a lot of land. They planned to build a major business area with 5,000 apartments and eight office towers.
Challenges and Changes
In the mid-1980s, the oil industry faced problems, and Exxon cut many jobs. Greenspoint, which had many new homes and offices, started to lose its luxury feel. The Greenspoint Mall also began to have safety concerns. Because of these issues, the mall was sometimes called "Gunspoint."
In 1998, a company called Goldman Sachs bought 24 apartment complexes in the Greenspoint area. They spent over $130 million to buy them. Many of these apartments were updated and combined into a large development called "CityView." This project aimed to attract younger working people with higher incomes.
Since 2000, Greenspoint has experienced several major floods. This is partly because many apartment complexes are built in the floodplain of Greens Bayou. The bayou has overflowed its banks during big storms like Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 and Hurricane Harvey in 2017. About three-quarters of the district's apartment buildings are in a floodplain.
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005, many people who had to leave their homes moved into apartments in Greenspoint.
In 2017, there were plans to sell Greenspoint Mall to a new group. They wanted to change the mall into a place with different types of buildings, like homes, shops, and offices.
By 2020, Amazon had opened a warehouse in Greenspoint. Some people believe this shows that Greenspoint is starting to "revive" or become better. However, the old "Gunspoint" nickname was still sometimes used in 2019.
Greenspoint's Economy
Greenspoint has a lot of office space, about 10.82 million square feet (1 million square meters). There are 2,880 companies here, employing almost 50,000 people. In 2010, Greenspoint was named one of the top five places in the United States for companies that handle shipping and logistics.
ExxonMobil's Impact
ExxonMobil used to have a very large presence in Greenspoint. They even built an eight-story office building called Greenspoint Eight in the 1990s. However, in the mid-2010s, ExxonMobil moved all its operations to a new campus in Spring. This left about 2 million square feet (185,800 square meters) of empty office space in Greenspoint. This move caused the office occupancy rate in Greenspoint to drop to 60% in 2015, making it the worst-performing office area in Greater Houston at that time.
Companies in Greenspoint
Greenspoint is home to the main offices of companies like:
- Canrig Drilling Technologies
- Friendswood Development Company
Other large companies also have major operations here, including:
Past Company Operations
Some companies that used to have operations or headquarters in Greenspoint include:
- ASP Westward
- ExpressJet Airlines
- Anadarko Petroleum (moved to The Woodlands, Texas)
- Atofina (now Total Petrochemicals USA)
Education in Greenspoint
Community Colleges
The Lone Star College-Houston North campus is located along Beltway 8. It is part of the Lone Star College System. This center used to be the main office for the entire Lone Star College system. Most of the Greenspoint area is also served by Lone Star College-North Harris.
Schools for Kids
Most students living in Greenspoint attend schools in the Aldine Independent School District. However, some students go to schools in the Spring Independent School District.
Aldine Independent School District
Aldine ISD serves most of the Greenspoint area.
- Pre-Kindergarten schools include deSantiago, Griggs, Hinojosa, Keeble, and Magrill.
- Elementary schools include Greenspoint, Black, Bussey, Calvert, Eckert, Gray, Marcella, Spence, Stehlik, and Thompson.
- Middle schools include Stovall, Lewis, Plummer, and Teague.
- High schools like Aldine High School and Benjamin O. Davis High School are located in Greenspoint. Nimitz High School serves a smaller part of the district.
Spring Independent School District
None of the Spring ISD schools that serve Greenspoint are actually inside Greenspoint. Students in this part of Greenspoint attend:
- Clark Primary and Clark Intermediate School (for elementary grades)
- Heritage Elementary School
- Wells Middle School
- Dekaney High School
Public Libraries
The Harris County Public Library Aldine Branch serves the Greenspoint community. It is located at 11331 Airline Drive. This library first opened in 1976. It was renovated and expanded in 2001, adding more space and computers for visitors. Students from nearby schools often use this library.
Parks and Fun in Greenspoint
The North Houston District has worked to create new parks in Greenspoint. They turned two old apartment complexes into green spaces for the community.
- CityView Park is about 2.5 acres (1 hectare). It has benches, a garden, a pavilion, and tables.
- Thomas R. Wussow Park is larger, at 11 acres (4.5 hectares). It offers baseball and soccer fields, trails for walking and biking, a playground, a public pavilion, a spray ground, and sand volleyball courts. This park is named after Thomas R. Wussow, who helped start the district.
In 2010, the district announced plans for a 10-acre (4 hectare) skate park. It was planned to be built near Kuykendahl Road and Rankin Road, close to Interstate 45.
Images for kids
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Bussey Elementary School
