Memorial City, Houston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Memorial City
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District
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Memorial City sign
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| Etymology: Memorial, Houston | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| County | Harris County |
| City |  Houston |
| District created | 1999 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 340 ha (850 acre) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 4,422 |
| ZIP Code |
77024, 77055
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Memorial City is a busy area in Houston, Texas, United States. It's located along Interstate 10, a major highway. This district is famous for its huge Memorial City Mall, which is one of the biggest shopping malls in the country. It also has the Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center, a modern area called CityCentre, and the Town & Country Village shopping center.
A company called MetroNational owns a lot of land in Memorial City. They have built many parts of the area, including the entire mall. Memorial City is a big place for jobs, with lots of stores and offices. Over 47,000 people work here. The Memorial City Mall alone gets about 20 million visitors every year! More than 4,400 people also live in Memorial City, mostly in large apartment buildings.
A special group called the Memorial City Management District helps manage the area. They work to improve the district and fund new projects. This group was created by the Texas Legislature in 1999.
Contents
How Memorial City Grew Over Time
Early Days: The Mall Opens
The Memorial City Mall first opened in August 1966. Back then, it was called Memorial City Shopping Center. It had 42 stores, including a movie theater. The mall's opening helped the area grow a lot. New apartments and parts of the hospital were built nearby. By the early 1970s, the Memorial area was one of the fastest-growing places in Houston. Many new students joined the Spring Branch Independent School District each year.
Mall Expansions in the 1970s
As the area grew, Memorial City Mall also got much bigger. In 1973, a third main store, Montgomery Ward, joined the first two, Sears and Weingarten's. The next year, the mall almost doubled in size. It added a new section with 40 more stores, including a Foley's department store. By the mid-1970s, Memorial City Mall had over 1.25 million square feet of stores. It had 126 shops and 6,500 parking spaces. Another expansion was finished in 1977.
Challenges for Shopping Centers
The fast growth led to another big shopping center opening. In 1983, Town & Country Mall opened with 90 stores. It quickly grew to 150 stores by 1985. However, a major road construction project started on Interstate 10. This made it hard for shoppers to get to Town & Country Mall. Many stores closed, and sales dropped a lot. The mall's owners even thought about suing the state.
Houston also faced an economic downturn in the 1980s. This made things even harder for businesses. Despite these challenges, Memorial City Mall added new fun places. A new movie theater opened in 1988, along with a roller-skating rink and an arcade. These entertainment options helped Memorial City stay popular.
Changes and New Beginnings
Town & Country Mall continued to struggle in the 1990s. The new highway interchanges made it hard to see or reach the mall. By 1995, large parts of the mall were empty.
In 1999, the Texas Legislature created the Memorial City Management District. This group helps fund new projects and improvements in the area. Houston also approved a special tax zone for Memorial City. This zone helps collect money from businesses to pay for new roads and buildings. Some local residents were worried about more traffic, but the city council approved it to help prevent flooding and economic decline.
Mall Makeover and New Developments
MetroNational, the company that owns much of Memorial City, decided to give the mall a huge makeover. They spent $100 million to renovate the entire mall. This project was finished in 2003. The mall became the second-largest in Houston, adding stores like Target and Dillard's. A 16-screen Cinemark movie theater opened in 2007. After these changes, the mall became very successful.
Meanwhile, Town & Country Mall was torn down in 2004. In its place, a new project called CityCentre was built. CityCentre is a modern area with offices, stores, and homes all in one place. It's designed so people can walk around easily and don't always need a car. The first part of CityCentre opened in 2009. It has been very successful, with most of its stores rented out.
MetroNational also kept building new things around Memorial City Mall. They added a tall office tower, a Westin hotel, and more offices. The district even expanded north of Interstate 10 for the first time. To help people recognize the area, four tall, lighted monuments called obelisks were built along Interstate 10.
What Memorial City Looks Like
Memorial City is split by Interstate 10, a major highway. It's located between Beltway 8 and Bunker Hill Road. The area has many stores, medical buildings, and offices. There are also four apartment complexes where people live, with almost 1,000 homes. One of these, the Terrace at Memorial City, is just for senior citizens.
Like some other special areas in Houston, Memorial City has its own unique street signs. They look different from the usual green and white signs you see in other parts of the city.
Memorial City's Businesses and Jobs
Many people who work in Memorial City live close by. The three biggest employers are Memorial City Mall, which has 5,000 local employees, the Chase Bank Service Center, with 1,100 employees, and CEMEX United States operations, with 1,000 employees.
The district has 24 retail centers, which are places with many stores. The Memorial City Mall alone has over half of all the retail space in the area. In 2006, it was estimated that the total sales from stores in Memorial City were about $1.1 billion each year.
There are 20 office buildings in Memorial City. Most of these buildings have many different companies renting space. Some, like the Chase Service Center, have only one large company. The district also has 11 buildings used for storage and distribution. There are three hotels in Memorial City: the Candlewood Suites, the Four Points by Sheraton, and the Westin Houston Memorial City. The Westin hotel has 250 rooms, and some apartments on its top floors.
Several big companies have offices or headquarters in Memorial City. Group 1 Automotive has its main office here. Dow Chemical has a purchasing office, and Sumitomo Corporation has a Houston office that deals with chemicals and plastics.
Who Lives in Memorial City
In 2006, about 4,324 people lived in Memorial City. They lived in 1,756 homes. Most of the people living here were Hispanic (54.8%) or non-Hispanic White (35.4%). There were also Asian and African-American residents.
The "commute zone" is a larger area around Memorial City, about 10 miles wide. In 2006, over 1.3 million people lived in this zone. The population in this wider area was more diverse, with many non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, African-American, and Asian residents.
Learning and Schools
Colleges and Universities
Houston Community College (HCC) has its Spring Branch Campus in Memorial City. It's located where Beltway 8 and Interstate 10 meet. This campus used to be inside the old Town & Country Mall. In 1999, HCC moved into a large building that used to be a movie theater and a Kmart store. Other colleges and universities, like Houston Baptist University, are also nearby.
Schools for Kids
The homes in Memorial City are part of the Spring Branch Independent School District.
Younger children living south of Interstate 10 go to Wildcat Way School for preschool. Those north of I-10 go to Tiger Trail School. For elementary school, students go to Bunker Hill Elementary, Frostwood Elementary School, or Shadow Oaks Elementary.
For middle school, students north of I-10 attend Spring Oaks Middle School, while those south of I-10 go to Memorial Middle School. High school students south of I-10 are zoned to Memorial High School, and those north of I-10 attend Spring Woods High School.
Education Levels of Adults
In 2006, about 18% of adults over 24 in Memorial City had less than a 9th-grade education. About 20% had a high school diploma or GED. Many adults had some college education, and about 18% had a bachelor's degree. A smaller number had master's, professional, or doctorate degrees.
In the wider 10-mile commute zone, the education levels were similar. About 10% had less than a 9th-grade education, and 18% had a high school diploma. Many adults had college experience, and about 23% had a bachelor's degree.
Getting Around Memorial City
Interstate 10 (also called the Katy Freeway) runs right through Memorial City. This highway helps people travel east and west. Beltway 8 is another major road that helps people travel north and south in the wider region. Gessner Road also provides north-south access within the district.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) provides public transportation, like buses. Several bus routes connect Memorial City to other parts of Houston. For example, the 72 Westview route connects to Spring Branch. The 70 Memorial route connects to the Northwest Transit Center, allowing transfers to other routes. There are also express routes like the 160, 161, and 162 that connect Memorial City to Downtown Houston. Other routes like the 46 Gessner and 39 Katy Freeway help people get around the area.
