Clear Lake City (Greater Houston)
Encyclopedia
Clear Lake City is a master-planned community located in southeast Harris County, Texas
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...

, within the Bay Area
Galveston Bay Area
The Galveston Bay Area is a region that surrounds the Galveston Bay estuary of Southeast Texas in the United States within the metropolitan area. Residents of Houston and surrounding areas typically call it simply the "Bay Area"...

 of Greater Houston
Greater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...

. It is the second-largest master-planned community in Houston — behind Kingwood
Kingwood, Houston, Texas
Kingwood is a 14,000 acre master-planned community located in northeast Houston, Texas, United States. The majority of the community is located in Harris County with a small portion in Montgomery County...

. The majority of the community lies in the corporate limits of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

, while a northern portion is in the city limits of Pasadena
Pasadena, Texas
Pasadena is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Harris County, 17th-largest in Texas, and 162nd largest in the United States. The area was founded in 1893 by John H. Burnett of Galveston....

 and a small eastern portion within the city limits of Taylor Lake Village.

The community is adjacent to NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

's Johnson Space Center, as well as other major aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...

 companies—including Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...

 and Lockheed-Martin. Clear Lake City has the largest Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...

 concentration within any master-planned communities inside the city of Houston. The community and its adjacent areas have a high concentration of engineers due to both NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

 and the local petrochemical
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....

 industries.

History

The first substantial development on the land Clear Lake City now occupies was accomplished by James Marion West
James Marion West Sr.
James Marion West Sr. was a wealthy Houston, Texas businessman who substantially influenced the city's development during the early 20th century....

, who came to Texas from Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

 as a boy in 1880. West became a wealthy businessman with interests in ranching, lumber, and oil
Petroleum industry
The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting , and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline...

. His main ranch property and the site of his home was around the shores of Clear Lake
Clear Lake (Galveston Bay)
Clear Lake is a brackish lake located near Houston, Texas, USA in Harris County. The lake feeds Galveston Bay. It is bordered by Houston , Pasadena, League City, Clear Lake Shores, Taylor Lake Village, and El Lago, Texas...

 and Clear Creek
Clear Creek (Harris County, Texas)
Clear Creek is a small river in Southeast Texas in the United States, which channels much of the run-off in southeast Harris County into Clear Lake and Galveston Bay. Much of the length of the stream forms the boundary between Harris County and Galveston County...

.

Humble Oil
Humble Oil
Humble Oil and Refining Co. was founded in 1911. The company would later consolidate with Standard Oil of New Jersey to become Exxon.-Early history:...

 (now ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...

) purchased the property from West in 1938 after oil was discovered. Most of the property remained undeveloped until, following the decision to establish the Johnson Space Center in the area, Humble Oil's venture, the Friendswood Development Company
Friendswood Development Company
Friendswood Development Company is a major real estate developer in Greater Houston. It is headquartered at 550 Greens Parkway, a building in the Greenspoint area of Houston....

, made plans to establish a residential development. The company established the Clear Lake City Community Association, Inc. (CLCCA) in 1963.

The portion of Clear Lake City that was Houston's extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.Any authority can, of course, claim ETJ over any external territory they wish...

 (ETJ) was annexed by the city of Houston in 1977 despite a grass-roots campaign by its residents to stop it. Their slogan was "Free The Clear Lake 25,000!" Lawsuits over the annexation resulted in the conversion of Houston city government from at-large city councilmen to the current-day nine district and five at-large council seats. The 1977 annexation added 3174 acres (1,284.5 ha) of land to the Houston city limits.

The eastern portion in Pasadena's extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction
Extraterritorial jurisdiction is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.Any authority can, of course, claim ETJ over any external territory they wish...

 (ETJ) was eventually annexed by the city of Pasadena
Pasadena, Texas
Pasadena is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Harris County, 17th-largest in Texas, and 162nd largest in the United States. The area was founded in 1893 by John H. Burnett of Galveston....

.

Since 1980, part of Clear Lake City within the Houston City Limits is located in Council District E.

From the 1980 U.S. Census to the 1990 Census, many Asian-Americans settled in Clear Lake City. They were mostly Chinese American
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...

, Indian American
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...

, and Pakistani American
Pakistani American
A Pakistani American is any citizen or resident of the United States who has Pakistani heritage.- History in the United States :Muslim immigrants from areas that are now part of Pakistan have been migrating to America and first entered the United States as early as the eighteenth century, working...

 with some Vietnamese American
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....

s.

Etymology

The community was named Clear Lake City for Clear Lake
Clear Lake (Galveston Bay)
Clear Lake is a brackish lake located near Houston, Texas, USA in Harris County. The lake feeds Galveston Bay. It is bordered by Houston , Pasadena, League City, Clear Lake Shores, Taylor Lake Village, and El Lago, Texas...

, which lies south of the Johnson Space Center and, along with Clear Creek, separates Harris County
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...

 from Galveston County
Galveston County, Texas
Galveston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 291,309. Its county seat is Galveston. League City is the largest city in Galveston County in terms of population; between...

. The lake is effectively the mouth of Clear Creek which empties into Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay is a large estuary located along the upper coast of Texas in the United States. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by sub-tropic marshes and prairies on the mainland. The water in the Bay is a complex mixture of sea water and fresh water which supports a wide...

.

Local government

The Clear Lake City Water Authority serves the community. The authority was created on May 6, 1963 by House Bill 1003 during the regular session of the 58th Legislature of Texas. When it was created the authority had 12269 acre (49.7 km²; 19.2 sq mi) of land in its jurisdiction. Due to annexations, as of 2009 the authority now has 16098 acre (65.1 km²; 25.2 sq mi) of land in its jurisdiction.

Houston City Council
Houston City Council
The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.Currently, there are fourteen members, nine elected from council districts and five at-large. The members of the Council are elected every two years, in odd-numbered years...

 District E serves portions of Clear Lake City within Houston.

The fire departments of Houston, Pasadena
Pasadena, Texas
Pasadena is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Harris County, 17th-largest in Texas, and 162nd largest in the United States. The area was founded in 1893 by John H. Burnett of Galveston....

, and Taylor Lake Village serve sections of Clear Lake City. The Houston Fire Department
Houston Fire Department
City of Houston Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Houston, Texas, United States, the fourth largest city in the United States...

 serves areas of Clear Lake City within the City of Houston limits. In 1978, City of Houston officials contracted with the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's center for human spaceflight training, research and flight control. The center consists of a complex of 100 buildings constructed on 1,620 acres in Houston, Texas, USA...

 to open a fire station on the base. The city introduced plans to provide services for the Pipers Meadow area, which was annexed in 1994. in January 2005. This new fire station had a price of $2,644,438.

The police departments of Houston, Pasadena, and Taylor Lake Village serve sections of Clear Lake City. The Houston Police Department
Houston Police Department
The Houston Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. Its headquarters are in 1200 Travis in Downtown Houston....

 serves areas of Clear Lake City within the City of Houston limits. The Clear Lake Patrol Division serves the portion of Clear Lake City in Houston.

County, state, and federal representation

Harris County operates the County Courthouse Bay Area Annex, including a tax office, on Buccaneer Lane in Clear Lake City, Houston.

The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

 operates the Albert Thomas
Albert Richard Thomas
This article is about the US Congressman. For the article on the French Socialist and First Director of the International Labour Organisation see Albert Thomas ....

 Post Office on El Camino Real Drive in Houston and the Nassau Bay Post Office on Upper Bay Road in Nassau Bay
Nassau Bay, Texas
Nassau Bay is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States, bordering the southeastern edge of the city of Houston. It is located in the Clear Lake Area near Galveston Bay, directly adjacent to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The population was 4,170 at the 2000 census...

, near Clear Lake City.

Neighborhoods

Clear Lake City is itself subdivided into various neighborhoods. These include Bay Forest, Bay Glen, Bay Knoll, Bay Oaks, Bay Pointe, Brook Forest, Brookwood, Clear Lake Forest,Camino South, Meadowgreen, Middlebrook, and Northfork, Oakbrook, Oakbrook West, and Pinebrook.

Transportation

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) operates the Bay Area Park and Ride. In addition Harris County Transit
Harris County Transit
The Harris County Transit Services Division is a transportation agency that serves areas of Harris County, Texas that do not have service from Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas...

 operates services going through Clear Lake City.

Primary and secondary schools

Pupils in Clear Lake City attend Clear Creek Independent School District
Clear Creek Independent School District
Clear Creek Independent School District is a school district based in League City, Texas . The district serves most of the Clear Lake Area and some other neighboring parts of the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metro area....

. The community is divided between the Board of Trustee District 2 and the Board of Trustee District 3,. They are represented by Win Weber and Ken Baliker, respectively, as of 2008.
Four high schools in the district—Clear Brook High School
Clear Brook High School
Clear Brook High School is a secondary school located in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States, adjacent to the city of Friendswood....

 and Clear Lake High School
Clear Lake High School (Houston)
Clear Lake High School is a public secondary school located in Houston, Texas, United States.The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Clear Creek Independent School District...

 (Clear Springs and Clear Crrek serve the district but not Clear Lake. Clear Horizons and Clear View —serve the community. Despite being located in Houston and Pasadena, it is not served by the Houston Independent School District
Houston Independent School District
The Houston Independent School District is the largest public school system in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and insular municipalities...

 nor the Pasadena Independent School District
Pasadena Independent School District
Pasadena Independent School District is a school district that is based in Pasadena, Texas . Dr. Kirk Lewis, was named Superintendent of Schools in 2005.Pasadena ISD serves much of southeast Harris County...

.

Clear Lake Intermediate School
Clear Lake Intermediate School
Clear Lake Intermediate School is a school that is in Clear Creek Independent School District that is located on the corner of El Dorado Rd. and El Camino St. in Houston, Texas. Its principal is Brett Lemley. Assistant principals are Genny Horton and Klaus Oglesby. The school's first principal...

 and Space Center Intermediate School serve sections of Clear Lake City. Clear Lake Intermediate was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 1986-87.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston encompasses of ten counties in the southeastern area of Texas: Galveston; Harris; Austin; Brazoria; Fort Bend; Grimes; Montgomery; San Jacinto; Walker; and Waller.The chancery of the diocese is located in Downtown Houston. The Archdiocese's...

 operates the St. Clare of Assisi school in the community. The Clear Lake Christian School
Clear Lake Christian School
Clear Lake Christian School is a Christian K-12 school located in Clear Lake City, Houston, Texas. The independent Christian school is located on a facility, with one building and 106,000 usable square feet, in the Pineloch neighborhood in Clear Lake City. The usable square footage is surrounded...

 is located in the Pineloch neighborhood in Clear Lake City.

Colleges and universities

The University of Houston–Clear Lake
University of Houston–Clear Lake
The University of Houston–Clear Lake is a state university, and is a component institution of the University of Houston System. Its campus spans 524-acre in Pasadena, with a satellite campus in Pearland. Founded in 1971, UHCL has an enrollment of more than 8,000 students...

 is adjacent to the community (the majority of the 520 acres (2.1 km²) UHCL campus lies in the corporate limits of Pasadena, while the part of campus south of Horsepen Bayou lies in the city of Houston).

The West mansion in Pasadena Clear Lake is still located on NASA Parkway overlooking Clear Lake. For years, the Lunar and Planetary Institute
Lunar and Planetary Institute
The Lunar and Planetary Institute is a scientific research institute dedicated to study of the solar system, its formation, evolution, and current state. The Institute is part of the Universities Space Research Association and is supported by the Science Mission Directorate of the National...

 was housed in the mansion until it moved to a bigger, more modern building. The property was sold to former basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...

's property management company for future development.

Public libraries

The 42000 ft2 Clear Lake City–County Freeman Branch is administered by Harris County Public Library
Harris County Public Library
Harris County Public Library is a public library system serving Harris County, Texas, United States. The county library system is headquartered at 8080 El Rio in Houston....

, and is funded in part by the Houston Public Library
Houston Public Library
Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. The library system has its headquarters in the Marston Building in Neartown Houston.-History:It can trace its founding to the Houston Lyceum in 1854...

. The Freeman Branch Library, named after Theodore C. Freeman, opened in 1964. It moved to the Harris County multipurpose annex in 1976. The current city-county facility opened in 2004. The Friends of the Freeman Library raises $80,000 annually to fund the library.

Parks and recreation

The City of Houston operates the Sylvan Rodriguez Park on Clear Lake City Boulevard. In 1991 the city purchased a 111.46 acres (45.1 ha) property for $1,399,000. In 1999 the city appropriated $2.5 million to begin building the park. In 2001 the park received its current name.

The Clear Lake City Community Association, Inc. (CLCAA) operates the Kermet H. Applewhite Sports and Recreation Center at 16511 Diana Lane. The center includes an indoor heated pool, a fitness room, several outdoor pools, an air-conditioned gymnasium, and tennis courts.

Culture

A number of cultural events occur in and near the community. The Bay Area Houston Ballet and Theatre
Bay Area Houston Ballet and Theatre
Bay Area Houston Ballet and Theatre is a non-profit performance theater group located in the Bay Area of Greater Houston in the United States. The group offers performances in genres ranging from ballet to American musicals....

 group stages ballet and American musical theater performances. The Clear Lake Symphony offer performances each year from classical to "pops". The Arts Alliance at Clear Lake, a group of 50 area arts organizations, regularly schedules arts exibihits, musical performances, and other arts programs.

The Gulf Coast Film Festival
Gulf Coast Film Festival
The Gulf Coast Film and Video Festival, commonly known as the Gulf Coast Film Festival, is a film festival in the United States held in the Clear Lake Area of Greater Houston, Texas...

 annually showcases independent films from local, regional and international artists in various categories ranging from short films to documentaries. The Ballunar Festival is an annual hot-air balloon spectacular. The Wings over Houston Air Fest at Ellington Field
Ellington Field
Ellington International Airport is a joint civil-military airport located in the U.S. state of Texas within the city of Houston— southeast of Downtown. Established by the Army Air Service on 21 May 1917, Ellington Field was one of the initial World War I Army Air Service installations when...

 offers air acrobatics by military and civilian pilots.

Notable residents

  • Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, Crown Princess of Denmark
  • Sylvan Rodriguez
    Sylvan Rodriguez
    Sylvan Rodriguez was a television news personality in Texas, United States....

    , anchor for KHOU-TV
    KHOU-TV
    KHOU is the CBS affiliate television station in Houston, Texas. Serving Greater Houston, it is owned by the Belo Corporation and broadcasts on digital and PSIP channel 11...

  • Ellison Onizuka
    Ellison Onizuka
    was a Japanese American astronaut from Kealakekua, Kona, Hawaii, who successfully flew into space with the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-51-C, before losing his life to the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger, where he was serving as Mission Specialist for mission STS-51-L...

    , one of the seven astronaut
    Astronaut
    An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....

    s killed in the Challenger disaster
    Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
    The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...

     and first Asian American to go into space.
  • Booker T (wrestler), professional wrestler in the WWE
  • Bobby Burling
    Bobby Burling
    Robert Charles "Bobby" Burling is an American soccer player who currently plays for Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer.-College:...

    , Defender for San Jose Earthquakes
    San Jose Earthquakes
    The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....

    soccer team

External links

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