Cinco Ranch, Texas

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Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement

Cinco Ranch is a planned community located in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the city of Houston within Fort Bend and Harris counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It lies approximately Template:Convert west of the Harris County seat of Houston and Template:Convert north of the Fort Bend County seat of Richmond. Cinco Ranch is considered to be part of the Greater Katy area and is roughly 10 miles southeast of the city of Katy. Cinco Ranch was defined as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census<ref name=2000CensusTX/> but has since grown to include additional area.Template:Citation needed

History

The Blakelys, and Blakely Ranch (1824–1937)

Bassett "Papa" Blakely (sometimes misspelled Blakeley) (1873–1943) was born to Mary Foster Blakely and Thomas Blakely. Mary was Randolph Foster's daughter, and John Foster's grand-daughter; both of those men were part of the Old Three Hundred who were granted leagues of land when Texas was part of Mexico. Bassett Blakely inherited the land grant from his grandfather, and over time bought more land until he owned Template:Convert. This was Blakely Ranch, and today's Cinco Ranch is on a portion of that land, on these land grants:<ref name=KatyHistoricalSociety>Template:Cite book</ref>

  • Thomas Hobermaker survey: 4,605 acres granted to Hobermaker as a first class headright in the 1830s. He sold half of his land to George Cartwright who was one of the Old Three Hundred, and the Stephen Hobermaker survey also comes from this survey. Blakely bought the Thomas Hobermaker survey in 1918.
  • Henry Looney survey: 320 acres granted to Looney as a third class headright in 1839. Blakely bought this in the early 1900s.
  • E.M. McGinnis survey: Originally Mr. Symes's survey, which he bought from the state of Texas in 1876, and then sold to McGinnis in 1897. This was bought by the "five friends" later.<ref name=KatyHistoricalSociety />

The state of Texas also granted surveys to other people and railroad companies to encourage building infrastructure. Some of those companies sold their surveys instead of building on them, and they are also part of the land that Blakely bought that is now part of Cinco Ranch; for example, land from:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The cowhands of Blakely Ranch annually drove 10,000 head of cattle to the railheads in Kansas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Because there were so many cattle on this working ranch and neighboring ranches, several movies were filmed here, including the 1924 North of 36<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the 1925 Womanhandled.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

At some point, Bassett's wife Bonnie Dunlavy Blakely was sentenced to prison for selling narcotics,<ref name=AbileneMorningReporterNews>Template:Cite news</ref> and in April 1931 she died.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The next month, their son Bassett Blakely Jr. was charged with assault to murder and burglary by firearms<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and in 1935, he was sentenced to prison for the selling narcotics.<ref name=AbileneMorningReporterNews /> In about 1937, the ranch was sold. Bassett Blakely died in 1943.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The five friends, and Cinco Ranch (1937–1984)

In 1937, five oil men of Houston bought about 4,880 acres of the Blakely Ranch from South Texas Commercial Bank for $50,000 cash (equivalent to $1.1 million in 2025), to use as a hunting preserve with country lodges and homes. They named it Cinco Ranch (cinco means "five" in Spanish) and incorporated themselves as Cinco Ranch Company:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The ranch was a profitable working ranch used for cattle, rice, and peanut farming. Only the Wheless family lived on the ranch, but all of the families visited on many holidays and weekends, making use of a huge clubhouse complete with two-bedroom wings.<ref name=KatyHistoricalSociety />

Over the years, they added and sold parcels of land, and Wheless and Abercrombie bought out the other three members to own all the land that is current-day Cinco Ranch. In 1949, they sold 2,500 acres to the United States Army Corps of Engineers to increase the Barker Reservoir, used for flood control of Houston.<ref name=KatyHistoricalSociety /><ref name=USACE2009>Template:Cite report</ref>

Cinco Ranch Venture (1984–1997)

In 1970, Robert Mosbacher bought Wheless's share of Cinco Ranch. Josephine Abercrombie inherited her father's share upon his death in 1975.<ref name=KatyHistoricalSociety /> In 1983, the politically connected<ref name=Sallee>Template:Cite news</ref> Walter Mischer Sr. offered to buy the land. Mischer, Mosbacher, and Abercrombie requested the state highway department to build a 31-mile stretch of highway along the route defined in long-term plans for what is now Texas State Highway 99, the Grand Parkway, an engineering firm asked people to donate rights-of-way property, and Vinson & Elkins law firm drafted a bill to allow the donated land to be used. On June 27, 1984, State Representative Ed Emmett filed the drafted bill and that day Mosbacher and Abercrombie sold Cinco Ranch to Cinco Ranch Venture for $84 million—the largest raw land transaction in Houston's history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cinco Ranch Venture consisted of:

The bill passed in only a few weeks, and Governor Mark White signed it into law as The Texas Transportation Corporation Act,<ref>Template:Cite conference</ref> which privatized the land acquisition needed for roads. Weeks later, a private corporation was formed to build a proposed 150-mile loop around Houston, starting with a segment adjacent to Cinco Ranch. It was later discovered that Mischer's son, a director at Mosbacher Energy Corporation, and a real estate advisor for Abercrombie were on the new corporation's board; Mosbacher and Abercrombie held back land to sell later at a higher price; and Representative Ed Emmett also stood to gain.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=Reid>Template:Cite book</ref> Mosbacher and Abercrombie sold 800 acres of the held-back land for commercial use,<ref name=Bivins>Template:Cite news</ref> and sold a parcel closest to the edge of the parkway in 1985 for $12.9 million.<ref name=Reid />

Houston's economy took a downturn in the 1980s as the price of oil dropped, and the housing market stalled for most of the decade.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> American General eventually bought out the other partners and in 1991, the Cinco Ranch planned community opened with 35 homes sold, another 110 under construction. Central to the community was the Cinco Ranch Beach Club, a manmade beach and swimming pool surrounded by a lake.<ref name=Bivins /><ref name=Khan>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1994, they added the Golf Club at Cinco Ranch, an 18-hole championship course designed by architect Carlton Gipson, with an 11,000 square foot clubhouse.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Cinco Ranch, a Terrabrook community (1997–2003)

In 1997, Terrabrook (a subsidiary of Westbrook Partners) bought Cinco Ranch and other American General land development assets.<ref name=KatyHistoricalSociety /> They continued to expand Cinco Ranch and add amenities.

In 2000, they opened the Cinco Ranch Bayou Trail within a wetlands nature preserve along the Willow Fork section of Buffalo Bayou, with oxbow lakes filled with fish, turtles, and wildlife, and platforms for viewing and fishing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2002, this trail was extended another 1.5 miles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That year, they also added more pools with water park elements, and one full-scale water park.<ref name=Khan /> Terrabrook also donated land to build a 33,000 square foot Cinco Ranch branch of Fort Bend County Libraries.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2002, Cinco Ranch also acquired another 1,828 acres to its west and southwest borders, increasing the size of the community to about 7,228 acres to add another 4,000 homes and 180 acres of commercial development.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Terrabrook only developed the area to the west (west of TX-99).

Cinco Ranch I and II, Newland communities (2003–2020)

In late 2003, Newland bought most of Terrabrook's communities, including Cinco Ranch.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2005, Newland passed control of the homeowners association to the residential property owners.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With development completed, this part of the community is now called Cinco Ranch I, and development began with Cinco Ranch II.

Cinco Ranch I and Cinco Ranch II have separate homeowners associations, but have a reciprocal use agreement to share amenities. Cinco Ranch II comprises Cinco Ranch Southwest and Cinco Ranch Northwest.

In 2007, Newland began developing the land acquired by Terrabrook southwest of Cinco Ranch I; this is Cinco Ranch Southwest. In 2010, Newland bought another 492 acres for expansion, as part of a joint venture with Sekisui House. This is Cinco Ranch Northwest; it is not contiguous with the rest of Cinco Ranch.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2020, Newland Real Estate (Newland Communities) completed building and selling homes in Cinco Ranch,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> having been a best-selling community for many years and having won multiple awards for its design.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Amenities

Cinco Ranch (Cinco Ranch I and II) has:

  • 15,098 homes (8,740 in Cinco Ranch I and 6,358 in Cinco Ranch II) on 8,092 acres
  • Miles of paved and unpaved trails<ref name=CincoIParksRecreation /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 91 parks, pocket parks, playgrounds, picnic areas with barbecue grills, gazebos, and greenway spaces<ref name=CincoIParksRecreation>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 17 tennis and pickleball courts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 11 pools and water parks<ref name=CincoIPools>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 7 lake areas, some stocked for catch-and-release fishing and some with paddle boats and kayaks
  • 6 fields for league athletics (soccer, baseball, football)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 3 sand volleyball courts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 2 full-size basketball courts and 1 half-court<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 1 Beach Club<ref name=CincoIPools /> and 1 Lake House<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 1 golf club and 18-hole, par-71 golf course<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 1 wetlands nature preserve and trail with viewing and fishing platforms
  • 1 cricket pitch field<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 1 lakeside Exer-Trail
  • 34 acre commercial "town center" with shopping, dining, and entertainment (LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> plus other businesses throughout the community

Geography

Map of the Cinco Ranch planned community in Katy, Texas USA<ref name=Cincowebsite/>Template:Self published source

Cinco Ranch is located at Template:Coord (29.741522, -95.758343).

The U.S. Census indicates that Cinco Ranch covers a total area of 4.9 square miles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, the Cinco Ranch community has expanded beyond the area defined by the census to 8,092 acres (12.64 square miles) and 15,098 homes.Template:Citation needed The area to the far west of Houston continues to grow and diversify.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Failed verification

Template:Clear

Demographics

Template:US Census population

Map of the Cinco Ranch CDP as defined by the US Census Bureau (2024)

Cinco Ranch was first listed as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.<ref name=2000CensusTX/> In the 2010 U.S. census, part of the CDP was annexed to the city of Houston.<ref name=2010CensusTX/> The area defined by the census indicates a population of 16,899 in 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/> and does not include the expansions since 2000.<ref name=Cincowebsite>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Self published source

2020 census

Cinco Ranch CDP, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> % 2000 % 2010 Template:Partial
White alone (NH) 9,325 12,537 10,054 83.29% 68.61% 59.49%
Black or African American alone (NH) 315 634 556 2.81% 3.47% 3.29%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 23 38 22 0.21% 0.21% 0.13%
Asian alone (NH) 739 2,343 2,470 6.60% 12.82% 14.62%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 2 6 9 0.02% 0.03% 0.05%
Other race alone (NH) 35 52 111 0.31% 0.28% 0.66%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 103 315 787 0.92% 1.72% 4.66%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 654 2,349 2,890 5.84% 12.85% 17.10%
Total 11,196 18,274 16,899 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

Template:Clear

Government and infrastructure

Cinco Ranch is governed by:

  • Political subdivisions, including:
  • Special purpose districts, which are a type of political subdivision and include:
    • Municipal utility districts (MUDs)
    • Willow Fork drainage district
    • Fort Bend and Harris-Galveston subsidence districts
    • North Fort Bend regional water authority
    • Harris Health System and contracted indigent health care
    • Fort Bend emergency services
    • Fort Bend county assistance districts (CADs), primarily for roads and law enforcement
  • Private non-profits such as homeowner associations

In statewide government, Cinco Ranch is part of:

On a federal level, Cinco Ranch is part of:

City of Houston and Greater Katy area

Cinco Ranch is in the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of the City of Houston: Houston's ETJ extends up to five miles from its city limits, as allowed by the 1963 Texas Municipal Annexation Act,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and it annexed the neighboring Barker Reservoir in the 1970s.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>

As an ETJ, Houston can regulate development of Cinco Ranch and can collect sales taxes, but is not required to provide city services such as police, water, or fire department, and Cinco Ranch residents cannot vote in city elections.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cities can annex ETJs, so Houston could annex Cinco Ranch, but the city would be required to assume the debt of Cinco Ranch's MUDs.<ref name=Hennes>Template:Cite news</ref>

Cinco Ranch also is part of the Greater Katy area, but not part of the City of Katy or its ETJ.<ref name=Hennes />

Community assets and covenants

Cinco Ranch has property owners associations (POAs) that manage, maintain, and govern shared community assets and enforce community covenants. Each are governed by a board of directors, and the boards hire management companies to perform ongoing administrative and operational tasks.

In Cinco Ranch I:

  • Cinco Residential Property Association (CRPA) oversees residential neighborhoods, maintaining amenities like arks and pools, and establishing and enforcing architectural guidelines for homeowners.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Cinco Landscape Management Association (CLMA) is responsible for shared landscaping, including boulevards and entrances.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Cinco Commercial Property Association (CCPA) governs commercial parcels, maintaining appearance, signage, and property use to maintain harmony with the surrounding community.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In Cinco Ranch II:

  • Cinco Ranch Residential Association II (CRRA II) manages community standards, amenities, and common area maintenance, including roadside and entrance landscaping.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Cinco Ranch Commercial Association II ensures visual consistency and compliance with development restrictions in commercial properties.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Emergency medical services and fire departments

Emergency medical services (EMS) in Cinco Ranch primarily are provided by Fort Bend County Emergency Services District No. 2, which also operates the Willowfork Fire Department.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Willowfork Fire Department has three stations<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and has attained an ISO Fire Service Suppression Rating of Class 1 (the highest class).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The emergency services district is funded by property tax, and is governed by five board members who are appointed by the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court for two-year terms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Hospital districts and public health

Public health services, such as restaurant inspections, mosquito control, and immunizations, are provided by the counties: Fort Bend County Health and Human Services<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Harris County Public Health.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Hospital districts provide healthcare for low-income residents who fall into the Medicaid coverage gap (that is, they are excluded from Medicaid eligibility, are uninsured, and are unable to pay for basic medical services). In Texas, the state's Indigent Health Care and Treatment Act of 1985 requires counties to subsidize basic healthcare costs for indigent residents. Some counties, like Harris County, meet this requirement with hospital districts. Other counties, like Fort Bend County, establish County Indigent Health Care Programs (CIHCPs).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fort Bend's Health and Human Services manages the county's CIHCP.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They contract with OakBend Medical Center, which is a charity hospital with three campuses in the county but none in Cinco Ranch.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They also have contracts with AccessHealth (with clinics in the county but not in Cinco Ranch) as well as other nearby hospitals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cinco Ranch residents who live in Harris county are served by the Harris Health hospital district, which similarly has clinics nearby in the county but not in Cinco Ranch.

Law enforcement

Cinco Ranch does not have its own police department. Law enforcement comes from the counties. The Sheriffs are elected by voters in their counties and Constables are elected by voters in their precinct, each for four-year terms.

In Fort Bend County:

Katy ISD Police Department provides around-the-clock security for all Katy ISD campuses and facilities, of which Cinco Ranch schools are a part. They also have community programs that help children during the winter holidays and provide teddy bears for special needs children.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Clark />

In Harris County:

  • The Sheriff's Office in District IV patrols, investigates crimes, responds to incidents, and coordinates with police in bordering jurisdictions. They also have specialized divisions like a bomb squad, SWAT, division for livestock crimes, and police dog teams.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Clark />
  • The Constable, Precinct 5, also provides law enforcement and programs like a citizen police academy, a watch program for senior citizens, and an animal cruelty taskforce.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Clark />

Municipal services (water, sewage, and trash)

In 1985, Texas created municipal utility districts (MUDs) as a political subdivision, mostly to provide municipal services in extraterritorial jurisdictions like Cinco Ranch and other suburban or rural areas. These services can include water, wastewater treatment, stormwater management, trash disposal and recycling services, and sometimes fire departments, parks and recreation facilities, and roads.<ref name=CincoMUD5>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Developers or property owners create MUDs to issue bonds and levy property taxes to support this infrastructure, which can take up to 30 years to pay off. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality oversees MUDs. Each MUD has a board with five members who are property owners or residents living within the MUD's district and who are elected by the district's residents to four-year terms on a staggered basis with elections held every two years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Walter Mischer Sr., whose company Mischer Corporation bought the Cinco Ranch land as part of Cinco Ranch Ventures in 1984, was instrumental in persuading Texas to create MUDs.<ref name=Sallee /> Today, Cinco Ranch is divided into 19 MUDs: Cinco MUDs No. 1–12, Cinco Southwest MUDs 1–4, Fort Bend MUDs 35 and 58, and Cornerstones MUD.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They provide water, wastewater (sewage) treatments, and drainage within their district boundaries, and contract with companies to provide trash pickup and recycling services. Some MUDs also provide other services and amenities like parks and security patrols.<ref name=CincoMUD5 />

Roads

Most of Cinco Ranch's roads are maintained by Fort Bend county, through property taxes and sales taxes levied by county assistance districts (CADs).

Texas started CADs for some counties in 1999 and allowed them for all counties in 2007. CADs are a political subdivision that levy a sales tax at businesses within the district's boundaries for roads, law enforcement, recreational facilities, firefighting, and economic development.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Fort Bend county began creating CADs in 2011;<ref name=Para>Template:Cite news</ref> Fort Bend CADs 1, 7, 9, and 10 are within Cinco Ranch<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and levy a 1%–2% sales tax.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Because CADs levy sales taxes, usually their boundaries mostly enclose commercial property. People who live within the boundary vote on whether or not to create a CAD, but these elections have few (or sometimes no) voters because it is commercial property. For example, the election to create Fort Bend CAD 1, which encloses LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch, had only two voters and four eligible voters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The CADs within Cinco Ranch are governed by the Fort Bend county commissioner court.

Within its first three years, Fort Bend's CADs generated more than $8 million in sales tax revenue, with more than $6 million coming from CAD 1 in Cinco Ranch.<ref name=Sansbury>Template:Cite news</ref> In their first years, the county commissioners mentioned the tax revenue could be used for libraries and community centers,<ref name=Sansbury /> but in the years since it has been used primarily for roads, traffic signs, and additional law enforcement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Surface water and groundwater

Subsidence contributes to flooding, and in the area of Cinco Ranch it's mostly caused by pumping water out of the ground (groundwater) instead of using surface water. It's a particular problem in areas like the Gulf Coast, with high demand for drinking water and soil that has a lot of clay which compresses after water is removed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The compaction of the clay is irreversible, but subsidence districts aim to prevent further subsidence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The state created the Fort Bend Subsidence District (FBSD) in 1989,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the district required all groundwater users in its Area A (which includes Cinco Ranch) to reduce groundwater usage by 60% by 2025.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> In 2005, the state legislature created North Fort Bend Water Authority (NFBWA) to help municipal utility districts (MUDs) comply with these mandates. Cinco Ranch's MUDs are required to participate in NFBWA's plan, which reduces groundwater use by buying surface water from the City of Houston, selling it to the MUDs in its district, and charging the MUDs a fee to fund water infrastructure projects such as the $1.2 billion project to bring surface water from Lake Houston (requiring over 55 miles of pipeline).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> MUDs pass along this fee to residents and businesses in their monthly water bill.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cinco Ranch is in NFBWA's precincts 4, 5, 6, 7,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and each precinct has one member on its board of directors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The MUDs elect the board members.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Cinco Ranch High School

Pupils in Cinco Ranch are zoned to schools of the Katy Independent School District in and around Cinco Ranch.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Elementary schools in Cinco Ranch:

  • Betty Sue Creech Elementary School
  • Bonnie Holland Elementary School
  • Edna Mae Fielder Elementary School
  • Odessa Kilpatrick Elementary School
  • James E. Williams Elementary School
  • Jo Ella Exley Elementary School
  • Stan Stanley Elementary School
  • Tom Wilson Elementary School
  • Fred & Patti Shafer Elementary School
  • MayDell Jenks Elementary School

Other elementary schools serving Cinco Ranch:

  • Michael L. Griffin Elementary School

Junior high schools in Cinco Ranch:

  • Rodger & Ellen Beck Junior High School
  • Beckendorff Junior High School
  • Cinco Ranch Junior High School
  • Seven Lakes Junior High School

Other junior high schools serving Cinco Ranch:

  • Joe Adams Junior High School (opening Fall 2019)
  • James & Sharon Tays Junior High School
  • Garland McMeans Junior High School (Meadow Ridge, Park View, & Park Hollow neighborhoods)

High schools in Cinco Ranch

Other high schools serving Cinco Ranch

Schools within the CDP boundaries are Fielder Elementary, Williams Elementary, McMeans Junior High (partial), and Cinco Ranch High.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Private schools

Template:As of The Village School in the Energy Corridor area has a bus service to Cinco Ranch.<ref>Template:Cite web - Village Bus Routes 2018-2019 Template:Webarchive and Cinco Ranch Bus Route</ref>

Higher education

The Houston Community College System serves areas in Katy ISD, and therefore Cinco Ranch.<ref>Sec. 130.182. HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM DISTRICT SERVICE AREA..</ref> The Northwest College's Katy Campus is in an unincorporated section of Harris County.<ref>"Northwest College Template:Webarchive." Houston Community College District. Accessed September 5, 2008.</ref>

Public libraries

Cinco Ranch is not part of a special-purpose library district. Instead, all Cinco Ranch residents are served by both county libraries, the Houston Public Library, and the statewide TexShare program.

Sculpture of Mark Twain, sitting on a park bench and reading his Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was created by sculptor Gary Lee Price and donated to the Cinco Ranch branch of Fort Bend County Libraries in April 2005, by Newland Communities.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> He sits behind the two-story library building, facing a lake.

The Cinco Ranch branch of Fort Bend County Libraries first opened in 1998 as a single room at a University of Houston campus in Cinco Ranch, and then quickly moved to the larger, former Cinco Ranch development sales office. The community asked for a larger branch, and Fort Bend County Judge James Adolphus organized efforts to have a library established. Adolphus negotiated the donation of a library site from Terrabrook, the Cinco Ranch developer at the time, secured a challenge grant, and hosted a fundraising gala. The current Template:Convert library opened on April 3, 2004. The Cinco Ranch branch has computers, 3D printers, and wi-fi for public use; hosts literacy and citizenship classes; and has daytime programming for children and adults.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

One of two tile murals outside the Maud Smith Marks branch of Harris County Public Library shows handprints from friends of the library

All Cinco Ranch residents also are served by Harris County Public Library and are eligible for their free Knowledge Card, which gives them full access to all 26 branch locations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Maud Smith Marks branch is in the nearby Kelliwood neighborhood. It is named after a woman who, in 1920, ran the first county library in Barker, Texas, the general area of today's Cinco Ranch. The current location opened in 1993 and has maker equipment such as 3D printers and Cricut cutting machines; hosts citizenship and technology classes; and has programming for children.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Like all Texans, people in Cinco Ranch can get a free Houston Public Library MYLink card to access ebooks and other online media, and to access other library offerings including their technology centers such as makerspaces, graphic design studios, music studios, and craft workshops.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Fort Bend and Harris county libraries participate in the statewide TexShare program, so Cinco Ranch residents also can borrow books and other physical materials, plus access databases and other resources, from about 500 public, academic, and medical libraries statewide. This program is funded by a grant from the US Institute of Museum and Library Services.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Shopping

References

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