Memorial, Houston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Memorial
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Super neighborhood
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Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center along Interstate 10 in the Memorial City area.
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| County | Harris County |
| City |  Houston |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.75 sq mi (27.8 km2) |
| Population
(2013)
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| • Total | 44,413 |
| • Density | 4,131/sq mi (1,595/km2) |
| Time zone | Central Time Zone (CT) |
| ZIP codes |
77079, 77055, 77024
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| Area code(s) | 281, 832, 713, 346 |
| Website | memorialsn.org |
The Memorial area is a cool part of Houston, Texas. It's located west of Downtown, which is the city center. You'll find it northwest of Uptown and south of Spring Branch. The City of Houston calls it the Memorial Super Neighborhood.
This area is known for its beautiful, tree-filled neighborhoods. You can see many different styles of homes, especially mid-century modern designs. Memorial is also home to big office buildings and shopping centers. These include Memorial City, Town & Country Village, and CityCentre. A large business area called the Energy Corridor is also in west Memorial. Many energy companies have offices there. The area gets its name from Memorial Drive, a main road that runs through it.
Contents
Exploring Memorial's Past
Before Houston grew and took over the Memorial area, it was mostly large country farms and big estates. In the mid-1940s, a town called Addicks had to move. This happened because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the Addicks Reservoir, which flooded the old town.
This same flood control project, finished in the 1950s, also created Barker Reservoir to the west. It also changed Buffalo Bayou, a local waterway, to help control water flow. Houston slowly added Memorial to its city limits between the 1950s and 1980s.
How Memorial Grew
Houston grew very quickly in the 1960s. This led to many new neighborhoods being built in Memorial. Some of these include Nottingham Forest, Westchester, and Fonn Villas. The Memorial Bend neighborhood is special. It was first built in 1955 and has many cool mid-century modern houses.
As more homes were built, U.S. Route 90 was rebuilt into Interstate 10, a major highway. Shopping areas also grew. Memorial City Mall opened in 1962, and Town & Country Village followed in 1965.
In the early 1960s, people in Memorial Bend didn't want Texas State Highway Beltway 8 to be built through their neighborhood. They suggested a different route, but it was too expensive. Because of money problems, Beltway 8 wasn't built through Memorial until the late 1980s. Memorial continued to gain more people between 1980 and 1990.
Modern Changes and Hurricane Harvey
From 1999 to 2003, Memorial City Mall got a huge upgrade that cost $600 million. The mall and the nearby Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center are now a big center. This area has many office towers, hotels, and apartments.
Another mall, Town and Country Mall, was built in the 1980s. It was torn down in 2005. In its place, CityCentre was built. This is a walkable area with shops, restaurants, and homes.
How Hurricane Harvey Affected Memorial
In August and September 2017, parts of Memorial experienced serious flooding. This was due to record rainfall from Hurricane Harvey. The Addicks Reservoir to the north and Barker Reservoir to the west had very high water levels. This forced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release a lot of water into Buffalo Bayou. This caused flooding in low-lying neighborhoods near Terry Hershey Park and in the Memorial Villages.
The high water levels in Buffalo Bayou made many main roads impassable. These included Texas State Highway 6 and parts of Interstate 10. A sunken part of the Sam Houston Tollway near CityCentre was underwater for a week. Homes that were flooded in Memorial had a required evacuation. The whole area also had an emergency curfew for a time.
Who Lives in Memorial?
In 2015, the Memorial Super Neighborhood had 47,604 people living there. About 67% were non-Hispanic white, 14% were Hispanic, and 11% were non-Hispanic Asian. About 5% were non-Hispanic black, and 3% were other groups. In 2000, there were 44,957 residents. At that time, 78% were non-Hispanic white, 10% were non-Hispanic Asians, and 9% were Hispanic.
Learning in Memorial: Schools and Libraries
Schools for Young People
Most of Memorial is part of the Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD). The Houston Independent School District does not serve this area. Some students in the western part of Memorial go to Katy Independent School District schools. The schools in Memorial are generally known for being very good.
In 2015, some residents in the Katy ISD part of Thornwood tried to switch to Spring Branch ISD. They said their commute to Katy schools was too long. However, the Spring Branch ISD board did not approve their request.
Public Schools
For pre-kindergarten, all students in Spring Branch ISD go to the Wildcat Way School in Memorial. Elementary schools in the Memorial area include Meadow Wood, Nottingham, Rummel Creek, Thornwood, and Wilchester. Some areas are also served by Bunker Hill Elementary School and Frostwood Elementary School in Bunker Hill Village. Memorial Drive Elementary School in Piney Point Village also serves parts of Memorial.
The district also has Bendwood Elementary School. This school is for gifted students in grades 3 to 5. It also helps students with special needs.
Major middle schools in Memorial are Memorial Middle School and Spring Forest Middle School. Spring Branch Middle School in Hedwig Village also serves some parts of Memorial.
Memorial High School in Hedwig Village serves the eastern part of Memorial. Stratford High School in Memorial serves the western part. Westchester Academy for International Studies is a special charter magnet school for grades 6-12 in Spring Branch ISD.
Private Schools
Memorial Private High School, a private school for grades 6-12, is located in Memorial.
Other private schools nearby include:
- Saint John XXIII High School is close to Memorial.
- The Village School in the Energy Corridor area has a bus service to Memorial.
- Awty International School in Spring Branch also has a bus service to Memorial.
Public Libraries
Memorial has two libraries. The Kendall Library is part of the Houston Public Library (HPL) system. It's on Eldridge Parkway. The Spring Branch Memorial Branch of Harris County Public Library is in Hedwig Village.
The Kendall Library was badly damaged during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The water was about 4.5 to 5 feet deep. Most books were safe on the second floor, but the electronic system and elevator were damaged. The library is undergoing a $4 million renovation and plans to reopen in 2019.
Colleges and Universities
The Houston Community College System (HCC) provides college courses for students from Spring Branch ISD and Katy ISD.
Fun in Memorial: Parks and Recreation
The western two-thirds of Memorial has Terry Hershey Park along its southern border. This long park follows the Buffalo Bayou. It's named after Terry Hershey, a local conservationist. She helped stop the bayou from being lined with concrete. Today, the park is a popular place for running and biking.
Other public parks in Memorial include Bendwood Park, next to Town and Country Village, and Nottingham Park, near Tully Stadium.
Another big park near Memorial is Memorial Park. It's one of the largest urban parks in Texas and the United States. The park has a 3-mile running track, tennis courts, a golf course, and playgrounds. You can also find many trails that lead to lakes, ponds, and quiet spots.
Memorial in the News
- The Memorial Buzz is a monthly magazine about people and services in the community. It's mailed for free to all residents.
- The Houston Chronicle is Houston's main newspaper.
- The Memorial Examiner is a local newspaper owned by Hearst. It's part of the Chronicle.
Memorial's Neighborhoods
The Energy Corridor
The Energy Corridor is a business area focused on the energy industry. It overlaps with western Memorial. In Memorial, it runs along Interstate 10 between Highway 6 and Kirkwood Road. It also extends south of Buffalo Bayou along Eldridge Parkway.
This whole area has over 300 companies and employs 94,000 people. One of the biggest employers in the Energy Corridor is BP America. Its main office is in the Memorial area at Westlake Park.
Memorial Bend
As of 2004, Memorial Bend had about 350 houses. Most of them were Mid-Century Modern and ranch houses. Many were built in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This neighborhood is close to Town & Country Village.
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest is a group of neighborhoods. It's bordered by Memorial Drive to the north and the Buffalo Bayou to the south and west. This neighborhood was one of the first areas in far west Memorial to be developed in the 1960s.
Nottingham Forest was where comedian Bill Hicks grew up.
Famous People from Memorial
- Jeff Bagwell, a retired first baseman for the Houston Astros baseball team.
- Jose Camarena and Judy Camarena, who founded the Taqueria Arandas restaurant chain.
- Roger Clemens, a retired MLB pitcher who played for the Houston Astros.
- Darryl Hamilton, a former MLB outfielder.
- Bill Hicks, a standup comedian who spent his childhood in Memorial.
- Andy Pettitte, a retired MLB pitcher who played for the Houston Astros.
- Mary Lou Retton, a retired American gymnast.
- J. J. Watt, an NFL defensive end who played for the Houston Texans.
- Andrew Luck, an NFL QB who played for the Indianapolis Colts. He went to Stratford High School.
