Houston Energy Corridor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Energy Corridor
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Business district of Greater Houston
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Westlake Park, which contains the BP Americas headquarters
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| County | Harris |
| Government | |
| • Type | County Improvement District |
| • Body | Harris County Improvement District #4 (Energy Corridor Management District) |
| Population | |
| • Estimate
(2016)
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22,034 |
| Website | energycorridor.org |
The Energy Corridor is a busy business area in Houston, Texas. It's on the west side of the city, between two major roads called Beltway 8 and the Grand Parkway. This area stretches about 7 miles (11 km) along Interstate 10, also known as the Katy Freeway. It also goes south along Eldridge Parkway.
Many big energy companies have offices here, like BP America, Citgo, ConocoPhillips, and Shell Oil Company. But it's not just energy companies! Other large businesses, such as Sysco and Gulf States Toyota Distributors, also have their main offices in the Energy Corridor. This district has a huge amount of office space, enough for over 105,000 workers.
Right next to the Energy Corridor are over 26,000 acres (105 km²) of urban parks. These include George Bush Park and Bear Creek Pioneers Park. These parks are part of a big system that helps control floods in the area.
Contents
History of the Energy Corridor
Energy companies started moving to west Houston in the 1970s. They were looking for land to build large office campuses. They also wanted to be close to new neighborhoods where their employees could live.
In 2001, the Texas Legislature created the Energy Corridor Management District. This is a special government group. It can collect taxes from businesses in the area. These taxes help pay for new roads, sidewalks, and bike lanes. The district also works to make the area look nice by planting many trees.
Between 2001 and 2013, the value of all the properties in the district grew a lot. It went from $600 million to over $2 billion. Many new offices were built during this time. However, a slowdown in the oil industry around 2010 meant fewer people were renting offices and apartments. Even with this slowdown, many new hospitals were built in the mid-2010s. These included new facilities for Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital.
In 2017, the Energy Corridor faced major flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Heavy rains caused the nearby Addicks and Barker reservoirs to overflow. This led to widespread flooding in homes and businesses throughout the district.
Companies and Jobs
The Energy Corridor is one of Houston's most important business areas. It is the second-largest place for jobs in the region. More than 94,000 people work here for over 300 different companies.
Many companies have their main offices or large operations in the Energy Corridor. Some of these include:
- Becks Prime
- BP America
- ConocoPhillips
- Citgo
- Equinor
- Foster Wheeler
- Gulf States Toyota
- McDermott International
- PCL Construction
- SBM Offshore USA
- Sysco
- Technip USA
- Wood Group
- WorleyParsons
- Kiewit Corporation
- Enbridge Energy US
Shell Oil Company has a very large campus in the district. Other companies like Dow Chemical Company also have offices here.
Getting Around the Energy Corridor
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) offers public buses in the area. Bus Line 75 runs on weekdays. People can connect to this bus from other routes if they are coming from Downtown Houston or Midtown Houston. The 75 bus also connects to other major roads like Westheimer Road.
There are two small airports nearby that serve the Energy Corridor. These are West Houston Airport and Houston Executive Airport. The Houston Executive Airport was built to help people who work for companies in the Energy Corridor travel easily. Most of the people who work in the district live in nearby counties like Fort Bend, Harris, and Waller.
Schools and Libraries
Public Schools in the Area
Different parts of the Energy Corridor are served by different school districts. These include Houston Independent School District, Katy Independent School District, and Spring Branch Independent School District.
- Students in the Houston ISD part might go to Ray K. Daily Elementary, West Briar Middle, and Westside High School.
- Students in the Katy ISD part might attend Wolfe Elementary, Mayde Creek Junior High, and Mayde Creek High School.
- Students in the Spring Branch ISD part might go to Nottingham Elementary, Spring Forest Middle, and Stratford High School.
Private Schools
The Village School is located close to the Energy Corridor. In 2016, the British International School of Houston opened nearby. It serves many British families who live in the area.
Public Libraries
The Houston Public Library has a branch called the Kendall Neighborhood Library on Eldridge Parkway. This library was badly damaged during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. It had to be closed for repairs but was later reopened.
Parks and Fun Activities
The Energy Corridor has many green spaces for outdoor activities. Terry Hershey Park is a long park that runs through the district along Buffalo Bayou. It has trails that connect to a larger system, including George Bush Park.
Ray Miller Park is a smaller park located at the southern end of the district. In 2015, a children's cricket club called Energy Corridor Cricket was started in the area.
