Westbury, Houston facts for kids
Westbury is a friendly neighborhood located in the Brays Oaks area of Southwest Houston, Texas, United States. It's found east of Bob White Road, north of U.S. Highway 90 Alternate (South Main Street), and west of South Post Oak Road. It sits right next to the Fondren Southwest and Meyerland neighborhoods.
Westbury was called the "Best Hidden Neighborhood" by the Houston Press in 2007. It was also listed as one of the "25 Hottest Houston Neighborhoods" in Houstonia Magazine in June 2013.
The Westbury Civic Club helps look after several areas. These include Westbury 1-5, Parkwest 1-3, and Westbury South.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
Westbury was built in the 1950s and 1960s. A developer named Ira Berne created it. Many people were moving to suburbs after World War II. Berne named the new community after Westbury, New York, where he used to live. Around 1953, an airport called Sam Houston Airport closed. Its land was then used to build this new community.
In 1960, Berne also built a shopping center called Westbury Square.
In the 1980s, the City of Houston wanted to build a large housing project in Westbury. But thousands of local residents protested against it. Because of their strong opinions, the city decided not to build any public housing in Westbury.
Around the 1980s, the economy faced problems. Many businesses in Westbury closed down. Crime also went up during this time. However, crime has greatly decreased in recent years. As homes in other areas like Houston Heights and Neartown became very expensive, Westbury became a popular place to live. Some people even started calling it "Little Montrose" in the 2000s.
In April 2010, Westbury East got a new "automated" curbside recycling program. This made recycling easier for residents.
In 2011, the Brays Oaks district grew bigger. Westbury, which wasn't part of it before, then became a part of the Brays Oaks district.
Different Parts of Westbury
The Westbury Civic Club helps manage different parts of the neighborhood. These areas are Westbury 1-5, Parkwest 1-3, and Westbury South.
Who Lives Here?
In 2015, the Westbury Super Neighborhood had about 20,693 people. About 39% were Hispanic, 19% were Black, 35% were White, and 5% were Asian. The remaining 2% were from other groups. In 2000, there were 22,090 people living here.
Fun Parks and Activities
The city of Houston has several great parks in Westbury.
Westbury Park
Westbury Park is located at 5635 Willowbend. It has the Westbury Pool, a playground, tennis courts, and a field for many sports. The pool's address is 10605 Mullins. Westbury Park is in Parkwest Section 1.
Chimney Rock Park
The city also runs the Leiv & Betty Platou Community Center. This center is inside Chimney Rock Park. Chimney Rock Park has a playground, tennis courts, and basketball courts. This park and community center are in Westbury Section 3.
Lee Hager Park
Lee Hager Park is in Westbury Section 4. This park has a covered basketball court. It's right next to Anderson Elementary School. Many people in the neighborhood come here for outdoor sports. Hager Park also has a walking trail and a multi-purpose sports field. It shares a playground with Anderson Elementary School.
Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy Reserve
The Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy Reserve is a large park behind Westbury High School. It's about 290 acres! This park has a pavilion, walking trails, and waterways. You can see many local and migrating birds here. The Conservancy holds community events at the park. These include an annual music festival, fishing events, and family fun days with activities and movies for kids.
Community Life
YMCA and Civic Club
The closest YMCA is the West Orem YMCA Branch. The Westbury Civic Club is the main community group here. They even won an award in 1992 for being the "Civic Club Community of the Year."
Westbury Little League
The neighborhood has a baseball little league team called Westbury Little League. This team actually won the Little League World Series in 1966!
Local Services
The closest emergency room and hospital is Westbury Community Hospital. It's located near the high school on Gasmer Drive. The United States Postal Service has a Westbury Post Office at 11805 Chimney Rock Road.
Learning and Schools
Public Schools
The Houston Independent School District serves the Westbury neighborhood.
Elementary Schools
Students in Westbury go to different elementary schools depending on where they live:
- Cynthia Ann Parker Elementary School (in Parkwest Section 1)
- Anderson Elementary School (in Westbury Section 4)
- Kolter Elementary School (in Meyerland)
- Tinsley Elementary School
Middle Schools
For middle school, students are usually zoned to:
- Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School (used to be Johnston Middle School)
- Fondren Middle School
Students zoned to Meyerland Middle School can also apply to Pin Oak Middle School.
High Schools
Most of Westbury is served by Westbury High School. A small part of Westbury is zoned to Bellaire High School.
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Parker Elementary School serves many students in northern Westbury
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Anderson Elementary School serves many students in southern Westbury
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Meyerland Middle School (formerly Johnston Middle) in Meyerland serves most of Westbury
History of Public Schools
Parker Elementary opened in 1959. Johnston Middle School also opened in its current spot in 1959. Anderson and Kolter Elementary schools opened in 1960. Westbury High School opened in 1961. Fondren Middle School opened in 1966.
Anderson Elementary became very crowded in the late 1990s. Many students were sent to other schools to help with the overcrowding. Tinsley Elementary opened in 2002, which helped ease the crowding at Anderson and another school.
Private Schools
There are several private schools near Westbury:
- St. Thomas More School (Kindergarten to 8th grade) is a Roman Catholic school.
- Westbury Christian School serves students from Kindergarten to 12th grade.
- St. Nicholas School Southwest Campus serves students from Kindergarten to 8th grade.
- Trafton Academy and Miss Porter's School are also in the nearby Willowbend area.
Public Libraries
The Dr. Shannon Walker Neighborhood Library is the library for Westbury. It's part of the Houston Public Library (HPL) system. The library is named after Shannon Walker.
The Meyer Library in Meyerland opened in 1962. A new library is being built to replace it. The new library will be located at 5505 Belrose in Westbury Section 3.
Local News
The Houston Chronicle is the main newspaper for the area. On Thursdays, residents get a special local section for Bellaire, West U, River Oaks, and Meyerland.
In the mid-20th Century, a newspaper called the Bellaire Texan also served the Westbury community.
Famous People from Westbury
- Carol Vance (a former district attorney for Harris County)
