Westbury, Houston

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Template:Short description Template:More citations needed Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English

A sign indicating the Westbury neighborhood

Westbury is a neighborhood in the Brays Oaks district of Southwest Houston, Texas, United States. It is located east of Bob White Road, north of U.S. Highway 90 Alternate (South Main Street), and west of South Post Oak Road, adjacent to the Fondren Southwest and Meyerland neighborhoods, just west of the southwest corner of the 610 Loop.

Westbury was named as the 2007 "Best Hidden Neighborhood" by the Houston Press [1]. Westbury was also listed in the 25 Hottest Houston Neighborhoods in the June 2013 edition of Houstonia Magazine. [2].

Areas served by the Westbury Civic Club include Westbury 1-5, Parkwest 1-3, and Westbury South.

History

Westbury Professional Building, which includes the Houston Police Department Westbury Storefront

Template:More citations needed section Westbury was developed in the 1950s and 1960s by Ira Berne as part of the post–World War II migration to the suburbs.Template:Citation needed The developer had moved from Westbury, New York, after which he named the new community.<ref name="SchoolHistoriesHoustonISD">"School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names Template:Webarchive." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on August 11, 2009.</ref> Around 1953 the area known as Sam Houston Airport ended its flight operations where the airport property was redeveloped.

In 1960 Berne had developed the Westbury Square shopping center.<ref>Sarnoff, Nancy. "Westbury Square for sale." Houston Chronicle. October 9, 2010. Retrieved on March 7, 2011.</ref>

In the 1980s the City of Houston Housing Authority proposed a 105-unit public housing project in the Westbury area. Thousands of residents entered public hearings to protest the concept, so the city did not build any public housing in the Westbury area.<ref>Rodriguez, Lori. "$5.7 million to go toward public housing" (). Houston Chronicle. Tuesday January 24, 1989. A1.</ref>

Around the 1980s markets crashed and many of Westbury's businesses either closed or became abandoned. Crime increased at this time, but has decreased greatly in recent years. As real estate has become more expensive in gentrified areas such as Houston Heights and Neartown, Westbury has become an attractive place to live for some of Houston's gay and lesbian population.Template:Citation needed Gays and lesbians began moving to Westbury in the 2000s, and some were referring to it as "Little Montrose".<ref name=HoustoniaHottestNeighborhoods>Holley, Peter, John Lomax, and Todd Spoth. "25 Hottest Neighborhoods" (Archive). Houstonia. June 1, 2013. Retrieved on November 2, 2015.</ref>

In April 2010 the City of Houston "automated" curbside recycling program was extended to Westbury East.<ref>"Residents begin new curbside recycling." Houston Chronicle. April 2, 2010. Retrieved on May 2, 2014.</ref>

In 2011 the Brays Oaks district expanded.<ref name="2011exp">"Parks & Recreation." Brays Oaks. Retrieved on October 23, 2011.</ref> Westbury, which was originally not a part of the Brays Oaks district,<ref name="BOMD">Home page. Brays Oaks Management District. Retrieved on August 10, 2009. "The boundaries are from Hillcroft Avenue on the east to US 59 on the west; Brays Bayou is the northern boundary and US 90A/Main Street our southern edge. The District is entirely in Houston and Harris County, Texas, as well as in the City of Houston’s Council District C. None of the District includes any of the Westbury subdivision."</ref> became a part of it.<ref name="Expansion">"Enroll_Expansion.pdf Template:Webarchive." Brays Oaks Management District. Retrieved on October 23, 2011.</ref>

Sections

Areas served by the Westbury Civic Club include Westbury 1-5, Parkwest 1-3, and Westbury South.<ref>"Resource Center Deed Restrictions." Westbury Civic Club. Retrieved on July 27, 2017.</ref><ref>"Board Members." Westbury Civic Club. Retrieved on July 27, 2017.</ref>

Demographics

In 2015 the City of Houston-defined Westbury Super Neighborhood had 20,693 people. 39% were Hispanics, 19% were non-Hispanic blacks, 35% were non-Hispanic whites, 5% were non-Hispanic Asians, and 2% were non-Hispanic others. In 2000 the super neighborhood had 22,090 people. 37% were non-Hispanic whites, 34% were Hispanics, 22% were non-Hispanic blacks, 7% were non-Hispanic Asians, and 1% were non-Hispanic other.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Government and infrastructure

Local government

Fire Station 48 Westbury

The Westbury Civic Club has its headquarters in Suite 107 at 5322 W. Bellfort.<ref>Home. Westbury Civic Club. Retrieved on July 27, 2017. "Westbury Civic Club Office [...] 5322 W. Bellfort, Suite 107, Houston, TX 77035"</ref> In 2021 there were accusations that the organization, which is a civic club and not a homeowner's association, was sending bills for fees and describing them as mandatory; as the former it is not supposed to describe fees as mandatory while the latter can.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The neighborhood is within the Houston Police Department's Southwest Patrol Division [3]. The Westbury HPD Storefront Station was formerly located at 5550 Gasmer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Houston Fire Department Fire Station 48 Westbury, located in Fire District 59, serves the neighborhood.<ref>"Fire Stations." Houston Police Department. Retrieved on May 8, 2010.</ref> Station 48 relocated to its current location in 1961 and was last renovated during the financial year of 1998.<ref>"Fire Station 48." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 8, 2010.</ref> Station 48 is in Section 3.<ref name=Sec3Plate4>"Westbury Sec. 3-Replat Plate 4 of 7" (PDF and JPG). Harris County Block Book maps. Volume 86, Page 3. Retrieved on July 27, 2017. The Chimney Rock Park/Platou Park property is in Reserve L and the fire station and future library property is in Reserve F.</ref>

Fire Station 48, 1976

Westbury is now a part of Houston City Council District K, currently represented by Council Member Martha Castex-Tatum (replacing the late Larry Green), while a small number of about 100 homes remain in District C, currently represented by Council Member Ellen Cohen (as of 2012).<ref>"Editorial: Larry Green for council District K." Houston Chronicle. Tuesday October 11, 2011. Retrieved on October 26, 2011.</ref> The area was previously served by Houston City Councilmember District C (Anne Clutterbuck as of 2009).

County, federal, and state representation

The area is split between Texas's 9th congressional district (Al Green as of 2012) and Texas's 7th congressional district (Lizzie Fletcher as of 2021).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is in Harris County Commissioner Precinct One, represented by Commissioner Rodney Ellis as well as Harris County Constable Precinct Five, represented by Ted Heap.

Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated Valbona Health Center (formerly People's Health Center) in Greater Sharpstown for ZIP codes 77035 and 77096. The nearest public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} - See ZIP codes 77035 and 77096. See this map for relevant ZIP code.</ref>

Parks and recreation

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Westbury Park

The city of Houston operates Westbury Park at 5635 Willowbend ([4]) which features the Westbury Pool (street address is 10605 Mullins), a playground, tennis courts, and a multi-sport playing field. [5]. Westbury Park is located in Parkwest Section 1.<ref name=Parkwest1Map>"Parkwest" Section 1 (PDF, JPG). Harris County Assessor's Office Block Book Map. Retrieved on July 30, 2017. - Note tract A-A and tract B-B. Parkwest 1 was originally submitted to the Harris County Assessor's Office as Section 5 Plate 11 (http://books.tax.hctx.net/BlockBooksPDF/v088/AE1997_88_0026.pdf PDF] and JPG) which shows Tract B-B, the site of Parker Elementary (as the tract for "Ho. Ind. Sch. Dist."); and site A-A, of Westbury Park ("To City") - This was marked Parkwest SD.</ref><ref>"Our Parks O-Z." City of Houston. Retrieved on July 30, 2017. "Westbury Park 5635 Willowbend, 77096"</ref>

In addition, the city operates the Leiv & Betty Platou Community Center located in Chimney Rock Park.<ref>"Our Parks A-F." City of Houston. Retrieved on July 27, 2017. "Chimney Rock Park 11655 Chimney Rock"</ref><ref name=PlatouCommCent>"Platou Community Center." City of Houston. Retrieved on July 27, 2017. "Address: 11655 Chimney Rock Houston, TX 77035"</ref> Chimney Rock Park has a playground, tennis courts, and basketball courts.Template:Citation needed Chimney Rock Park and Platou Community Center are in Westbury Section 3.<ref name=Sec3Plate4/><ref name=PlatouCommCent/>

Lee Hager Park is in Westbury Section 4.<ref>"Our Parks G-N." City of Houston. Retrieved on July 27, 2017. "Hager (Lee) Park (% Lease) 12100 Landsdowne, 77035"</ref><ref name=Sec4Page95>"Westbury Sec. 4" (PDF, JPG). Harris County Block Book Maps. Volume 86, Page 95. Retrieved on July 27, 2017. Anderson Elementary School is in Reserve O, marked "To Ho. Ind. School Dist.", while Hager Park is in Tract B, "To City of Houston"</ref> The park, with its covered basketball court, is located next to the Anderson Elementary School between Landsdowne Drive and McClearen Dr, and attracts many in the neighborhood for outdoor sports.([6]) Hager Park also features a walking trail, a multi-purpose sports field, and has a shared playground with Anderson Elementary School.

The Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy Reserve is located in Westbury behind the Westbury High School.<ref name=WillowWaterhole>"[7]." Willow Waterhole. Retrieved on March 07, 2019.</ref> This 290-acre park includes a pavilion, walking trails, and waterways with abundant local and migrating bird species. The Conservancy hosts community events at the park, including an annual music festival, annual fishing events, and periodic family fun days with activities and movies for children. The park is the recipient of a Houston Arts Alliance grant to support the annual MusicFest<ref name=WillowWaterholeGrant>"[8]." Willow Waterhole Grant. Retrieved on March 07, 2019.</ref> and a grant from the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation to build a performing arts pavilion that is scheduled to open in 2020.<ref name=LevittFoundation>"[9]" Levitt Foundation. Retrieved on March 07, 2019.</ref>

Community information

The closest YMCA is the West Orem YMCA Branch. The old Westland YMCA was acquired by the Westbury Christian Church to expand its successful athletic program and hosts numerous soccer tournaments on adjacent fields.

The Westbury Civic Club is the area civic club. The Community Association Institute, along with Randall's, gave it the "1992 Civic Club Community of the Year Award" at the Adam's Mark hotel in Westchase.<ref>Collins, Ken. "Realtors contribute to success of Westbury Civic Club." Houston Post. April 26, 1992. L section. Available from the microfilm desk at the Jesse H. Jones Building of the Houston Public Library Central Library.</ref>

The neighborhood has a baseball little league called Westbury Little League. It won the Little League World Series in 1966.Template:Citation needed

The closest Emergency Room and hospital is called Westbury Community Hospital located near the high school on Gasmer drive. <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The United States Postal Service operates the Westbury Post Office at 11805 Chimney Rock Road.<ref>"Post Office Location - WESTBURY." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 4, 2008.</ref>

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

File:WestburyHighSchoolHouston.JPG
Westbury High School serves most of Westbury

The neighborhood is served by the Houston Independent School District.

The neighborhood is divided between the following attendance zones for elementary school:

The neighborhood is divided between the following attendance zoned for middle school:

Anyone zoned to Johnston may apply to Pin Oak Middle School's regular program.<ref>"Pin Oak Middle School." The Southwest District. Houston Independent School District.</ref>

Westbury High School serves almost all of Westbury.<ref>"Westbury High School Attendance Zone Template:Webarchive." Houston Independent School District.</ref> A sliver of Westbury is zoned to Bellaire High School.<ref>"Bellaire High School Attendance Zone Template:Webarchive." Houston Independent School District.</ref>

History of public schools

Parker Elementary opened in 1959, and Johnston Middle School opened in its current location in 1959. Anderson and Kolter opened in 1960. Westbury High School opened in 1961. Fondren Middle opened in 1966.<ref name="SchoolHistoriesHoustonISD"/>

Anderson, initially with a capacity of 600, had it increase to 900 as a new wing opened in 1963.<ref name=Kliewerover>Template:Cite news</ref> In the late 1990s Anderson Elementary was overcrowded due to increasing student populations in Westbury area apartment complexes.<ref name=Connellypeer>Connelly, Richard. "Peer Pressure." Houston Press. Thursday March 26, 1998. 1. Retrieved on March 11, 2010.</ref> In 1996 there were 1,500 students; an additional 300 had been reassigned to other schools.<ref name=Kliewerover/> In 1998 the school had almost 1,600 students.<ref name=Connellypeer/> Around that time hundreds of students who were zoned to Anderson were bussed to relief campuses.<ref>Connelly, Richard. "Peer Pressure." Houston Press. Thursday March 26, 1998. 2. Retrieved on March 11, 2010.</ref>

Tinsley opened in 2002, relieving Anderson and another area school.<ref name="SchoolHistoriesHoustonISD"/>

As of 2006 many middle and upper class residents of the Westbury attendance zone would not send their children to Westbury; usually they send their children to Bellaire High School, Lamar High School, or private schools.<ref>Seely, Rachael. "Westbury through the eyes of a graduate." West University Examiner.</ref><ref name="Stepchild2">Downing, Margaret. "Stepchild?" Houston Press. September 6, 2001. 2. "Critics, the devoted supporters of the school who don't think it is getting its due, say it doesn't represent its (white) surrounding neighborhood anymore.[...]" and "Aggravating the sense of unease has been the movement of Westbury students to Bellaire and Lamar,[...]"</ref>

Medical Center Charter School, a pre-kindergarten through 5th grade charter school, was located in the Westbury area. Despite its name, the school is not located in the Texas Medical Center area.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Medical Center Charter School opened in 1996,<ref name=fourlose>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and catered to employees working in the Medical Center and had the Montessori method,<ref name="Berryhill1">Berryhill, Michael. "Think Small." Houston Press. Thursday August 15, 1996. 1. Retrieved on December 2, 2011.</ref> used until grade two. Its specialty as of 2003 was foreign languages.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2014, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced that the school's performance was insufficient and that it sought to revoke its charter.<ref name=fourlose/> By 2018, its charter had closed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Private schools

St. Thomas More School (K-8 [10], operated by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston), a neighborhood Roman Catholic school in Maplewood South Section 6.<ref>Maplewood South Sec. 6 Res "C" (JPG, PDF). Harris County Block Book Map. Volume 96, Page 166. Retrieved on August 8, 2017.</ref><ref>Home. St. Thomas More Parish School. Retrieved on August 8, 2017. "5927 Wigton Drive, Houston, TX 77096"</ref>

The neighborhood has or has in close proximity several other private schools, such as Westbury Christian School (K–12) and St. Nicholas School Southwest Campus (K-8).

Trafton Academy and Miss Porter's School located in the Willowbend area also serves Westbury residents.Template:Citation needed

Public libraries

File:Dr. Shannon Walker Library.jpg
Dr. Shannon Walker Neighborhood Library

Dr. Shannon Walker Neighborhood Library of the Houston Public Library (HPL) is the library location for Westbury. Its namesake is Shannon Walker.<ref name=Ackermancutting>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Meyer Library in Meyerland opened in 1962. In 1994 the library received renovations to accommodate disabled people. By 2013 HPL planned to purchase land for a new Meyerland branch with $442,000. HPL spokesperson Sandra Fernandez stated that HPL wants to build a new facility in order to increase the size and parking capacity. There was a proposal to move the library to Westbury Square, supported by the Westbury community but opposed by Meyerland residents.<ref>Peyton, Lindsay. "Residents divided on plans for Meyer Library." Houston Chronicle. Tuesday January 22, 2013. Retrieved on May 15, 2016.</ref> In 2015 various proposals on where the replacement library should go were being debated.<ref>Kerr, Jocelyn. "Ideas for new Meyer Neighborhood Library under consideration ." Examiner Newspaper Group. Sunday February 1, 2015. Retrieved on May 15, 2016.</ref> Prior to Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the Houston community considered the Meyer Branch to be the Houston library in the poorest state of maintenance. Hurricane Harvey gave the library moderate damage, and the city government closed it afterwards, with demolition scheduled. The new library, which also replaced HPL Express Frank, was to be built at 5505 Belrose on a Template:Convert plot of land,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in Westbury Section 3.<ref name=Sec3Plate4/>

Media

The Houston Chronicle is the area regional newspaper. On Thursdays, residents receive the Bellaire/West U/River Oaks/Meyerland [11] local section.

The Bellaire Texan, which served the Westbury area community in the mid-20th Century,<ref>The Bellaire & Southwestern Texan (Bellaire, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 8, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 25, 1975 Page: 1 of 47 (see page). At the Portal to Texas History, University of North Texas. Retrieved on March 2, 2017. "6622 Ferris St. Houston, Texas 77036"</ref> was headquartered in Bellaire and published by the Texan Publishing Corporation.<ref>The Bellaire Texan (Bellaire, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 31, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 14, 1955. p. 4 of 16 (see page). At the Portal to Texas History, University of North Texas. Retrieved on March 2, 2017. "215 N. 6th St., Bellaire, Texas"</ref> By 1975 it became known as the Bellaire & Southwestern Texan and was published by the Preston Publishing Company. It was then headquartered in Houston.<ref>The Bellaire & Southwestern Texan (Bellaire, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 8, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 25, 1975 Page: 2 of 47 (see page). At the Portal to Texas History, University of North Texas. Retrieved on March 2, 2017. "6622 Ferris St. Houston, Texas 77036"</ref>

Notable residents

References

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  • Fox, Stephen, et al. Houston Architectural Guide, Second Edition. Houston : American Institute of Architects, Houston Chapter ; Herring Press, 1999

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