West University Place, Texas
Encyclopedia
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
within the metropolitan area and southwestern 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...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the population of the city was 14,211. The city is nicknamed "The Neighborhood City" and the city is mainly a bedroom community for upper-middle class families.
West University Place is completely surrounded by the city 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 ...
. 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...
even uses "Houston" as the city designation for all West University Place addresses, although the actual name of "West University Place" is also acceptable.
As of 2000, West University Place is the 8th wealthiest location in Texas by per capita income
Texas locations by per capita income
Texas is the thirty-second richest state in the United States of America, with a per capita income of $19,617 .-Texas counties ranked by per capita income:...
.
West University continues to develop as one of the most desirable and affluent parts of the Houston area.
Almost all streets in West University Place are allusions to universities, colleges, and poets throughout the United States and the world.
History
The city was developed in 1917 by Ben Hooper, a former TennesseeTennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
governor. The name "West University Place" originated from its proximity to Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
. The first lots in the community were sold in 1917. In the 1920s, Lillian "Lilly" Nicholson, a Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
English major, lived with a friend whose father was a city planner. The city planner asked Nicholson and her friend to name the streets of West University Place. Nicholson took names from her English literature book and gave them to the streets in West University Place. As a result, many West University streets are named after authors, such as Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
, John Dryden
John Dryden
John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...
, and William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
. Cydney Mackey, a family friend of Nicholson, said in a Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
article "Aunt Lilly had always said she wanted to be an architect, unknown for women in that era, and this was her way of making a small but lasting mark on our city's landscape." One street, Weslayan Road, is a misspelling of "Wesleyan
Wesleyan (disambiguation)
Wesleyan has the following meanings:* A Wesleyan is any person who adopts the principles of Wesleyan theology or Wesleyanism* In a closely related usage, Wesleyan may refer to the theological emphasis on sanctification, characteristic of the holiness movement of which Wesley was part.* There are...
."
The city incorporated in 1924 because Houston was reluctant to extend power line
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
s that far from the city center. West University Place, unlike Houston Heights, did not consolidate into the City of Houston. Because of the 1923 incorporation, Houston did not incorporate West University Place's territory into its city limits, while Houston annexed surrounding areas that were unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
. In 1939, the municipality refused to consolidate, later adopting a formal city charter the following year. The city had around 15,000 residents in the 1960s and the 1970s. The city had 12,714 people in 1990.
Prior to 1992 West University Place liberalized its development rules. This allowed developers to build new houses within the city. Don Stowers of the Houston Post
Houston Post
The Houston Post was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper was absorbed into the Houston Chronicle.-History:The newspaper was established on February 19, 1880, by Gail Borden Johnson...
said that West University Place changed from an "aging middle class neighborhood" consisting of mid-20th century bungalows and cottages to an increasingly wealthy community of "dare we say, Young Urban Professionals in their austere red-brick Georgians." As new houses appeared, property values increased and the city began to get more tax money. Eventually West University Place ran out of available lots, and its construction peaked. Area home buyers began to consider nearby Bellaire
Bellaire, Texas
Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 15,642 and is completely surrounded by the cities of Houston and West University Place....
because it had more inexpensive and larger lots, and amenities described by Stowers as "comparable" to West University Place's amenities.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 2 square miles (5.2 km²), all of it land.
The City of Houston surrounds much of West University Place. The boundaries are roughly Bellaire Boulevard
Bellaire Boulevard
Bellaire Boulevard is an arterial road in western Houston, Texas, United States. The street also goes through unincorporated areas in Harris County and the cities of Bellaire, Southside Place, and West University Place....
/Holcombe Boulevard, Kirby Drive, Bissonnet Road, and Community Drive.
The city's boundaries are: Kirby Drive to the East, Union Pacific St. Louis Southwestern Railway
St. Louis Southwestern Railway
The St. Louis Southwestern Railway , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply Cotton Belt, was organized on January 15, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short lines founded in Tyler, Texas, in 1870 that connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern...
railroad track to the West, Bellaire Boulevard/West Holcombe Boulevard to the South, and Bissonnet and Law Streets to the North. Viewed on a map, the city shape resembles a little house, with a "chimney" to the West side, and since it surrounds the City of Southside Place, a "door" is formed on the map surrounding Southside Place. (See map.)
Cityscape
The original housing stock of West University Place consisted of mid-20th century bungalows and cottages. Prior to 1992 the City of West University place liberalized its development rules, allowing for new houses to be built in the city. As lot sizes were typically about 50 feet (15.2 m) by 120 feet (36.6 m), the houses constructed were GeorgianGeorgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
houses described by Don Stowers of the Houston Post
Houston Post
The Houston Post was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper was absorbed into the Houston Chronicle.-History:The newspaper was established on February 19, 1880, by Gail Borden Johnson...
as "lot hugging." Because nearby Bellaire
Bellaire, Texas
Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 15,642 and is completely surrounded by the cities of Houston and West University Place....
had larger, more inexpensive lots, many area home seekers began to consider Bellaire. In a 15-year period ending in 2002 around half of the existing houses in West University Place were torn down and replaced with newer houses.
One subdivision in West University is called "Rice Court", which is located north of University Boulevard and east of Buffalo Speedway. Rice Court once was distinguished by blue tile markers; the markers began to disappear around the 1990s. "Pemberton" is an area south of University Drive and east of Wakeforest Street. People living in the area were fond of restoration of older houses, and includes some of West U's more expensive homes. There is another section called "Colonial Terrace" that is west of Weslayan Street and is near the railroad tracks. Originally it was the least developed part of West University Place. By 2000 this area was as built up and popular as other areas within West University Place.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 14,211 people, 5,286 households, and 4,059 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 7,068.6 people per square mile (2,729.8/km²). There were 5,543 housing units at an average density of 2,757.1 per square mile (1,064.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.37% White, 0.50% African American, 0.07% Native American, 4.74% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.72% of the population.
There were 5,286 households out of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $130,721, and the median income for a family was $157,312. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $65,739 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $69,674. About 0.9% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.
Claudia Feldman of the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
described West University Place as a "wealthy city inside a city" and "a tidy, orderly community, one where furniture matches, bills get paid and accomplished parents raise accomplished children." John Nova Lomax, a journalist, stated in a 2008 Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
article that, due to the growth and dominance of Houston, municipal enclaves with their own services, including West University Place, "are little more than glorified neighborhoods."
Local government
The City Council appoints the city manager to carry out the operations of the city. The city secretary maintains ordinances, resolutions, meeting minutes, and legally required publications. The city attorney gives the city council general counsel, litigation, contract review, and ordinance review.
West University Place's sewage treatment plant and animal pound are located on a lot in Houston.
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
article that the pace of work in the department is "a lot slower than in other city stations—certainly slower than the Provo Fire Department
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
, where I moved from, or some of Houston's units
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...
, whose guys run twenty to thirty calls a day." The West University Place Police Department is headquartered at 3814 University Boulevard.
Local politics
The city permits smokingSmoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
within the single bar in the city limits, the Marquis II; in contrast, the City of Houston banned cigarette smoking within its bars in 2007.
The city enforces a ban prohibiting drivers around West University Elementary School
West University Elementary School
West University Elementary School is a primary school located in West University Place, Texas, United States.West University Elementary School, which serves grades kindergarten through college, is a part of the Houston Independent School District. The school has Houston ISD's Math and Science...
from talking on mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s during school zone hours. AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
tried and failed to persuade the city to not apply the ban. The West University City Council voted 5-0 to establish the ban; a person who violates the ban gets a $500 United States dollar
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
fine.
In December 2009 the city voted to ban texting while driving
Texting while driving
Texting while driving is the act of composing, sending, reading text messages, email, or making other similar use of the web on a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle. The practice has been viewed by many people and authorities as dangerous. It has also been ruled as the cause of some motor...
. Bans of texting while driving were passed in West University Place and Bellaire, Texas
Bellaire, Texas
Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 15,642 and is completely surrounded by the cities of Houston and West University Place....
within hours of one another.
County, state, and federal representation
Harris CountyHarris 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...
Precinct Three, headed by Steve Radack as of 2008, serves Gulfton.
West University Place is located in District 134 of the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
. As of 2008 Ellen Cohen
Ellen Cohen
Ellen Cohen was a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 134 from 2006 to 2010.-Personal Life and Career:Before moving to Houston in 1977, Cohen and her late husband, Lyon, lived in Lyon's hometown of Montreal with their two children, Marcie and Eric.Shortly after...
represents the district. West University Place is within District 17
Texas Senate, District 17
District 17 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves portions of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Senator Kyle Janek announced his resignation on May 29, 2008. Governor Rick Perry called for a special...
of the Texas Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
.
West University Place is in Texas's 7th congressional district
Texas's 7th congressional district
Texas District 7 of the United States House of Representatives is a Congressional district that serves a small area of western Harris County...
; as of 2008 John Culberson
John Culberson
John Abney Culberson is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party caucus...
is the representative. The closest 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...
office is the Weslayan Post Office at 5340 Weslayan Street, Houston, Texas, 77005-1048.
Transportation
West University Place is a member city of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, TexasMetropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County is a major public transportation agency based in Houston . It operates bus, light rail, future commuter rail, and paratransit service in the city as well as most of Harris County...
(METRO). The city is served by bus lines 2 (Bellaire), 17, 18 (Kirby Limited), 65 (Bissonnet), 68 (Brays Bayou Crosstown), and 73 (Bellfort Crosstown).
Parks and recreation
The first West University Place Recreation Center, formerly the Southwest YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, included a gymnasium, a swimming pool, and lighted sports fields.
In 2008 residents approved a bond to build a new $8.8 million recreation center at a plot of land bounded by Bellaire Boulevard
Bellaire Boulevard
Bellaire Boulevard is an arterial road in western Houston, Texas, United States. The street also goes through unincorporated areas in Harris County and the cities of Bellaire, Southside Place, and West University Place....
, Community, and Westpoint. The new recreation center does not have basketball courts. Russ Schulze, the chairperson of the Parks and Recreation department of West University Place, said that the city wants to construct a recreation center "for our residents, not something that will compete with nearby fitness centers or the Weekley YMCA, or to merely attract what residents outside West University want."
Colonial Park, at 4130 Byron Street, has a park and a recreational center. The park has a playground, a picnic area, two tennis courts, a sand volleyball court, a concrete walking path, and a pavilion. The center has a swimming pool, a weight room, a cardiovascular room, and racquetball courts. On May 11, 2009, the West University Place city council approved the design of the new Colonial Park pool. Friends Park, formerly the Rice Pocket Park, is located at 3771 Rice Boulevard. The park, the newest in the city, opened on December 11, 2007. Huffington Park, located at 3901 Milton Street, has a playground, a shaded arbor, picnic tables, and game tables. Whitt Johnson Park, at 6540 Wakeforest Street, has a playground, a gazebo, a picnic area, and a lighted basketball court. Judson Park, at 4242 South Judson, has a playground, a picnic area, a lighted tennis court, and a concrete walking path. Wier Park, at 3012 Nottingham Street, has a playground, picnic tables, two lighted tennis courts, and a basketball court.
Public schools
The city is within the Houston Independent School DistrictHouston 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...
.
Pupils who live in West University Place are zoned to West University Elementary School
West University Elementary School
West University Elementary School is a primary school located in West University Place, Texas, United States.West University Elementary School, which serves grades kindergarten through college, is a part of the Houston Independent School District. The school has Houston ISD's Math and Science...
in West University Place, Pershing Middle School
Pershing Middle School (Houston)
John J. Pershing Middle School is a secondary school located at 3838 Bluebonnet in Houston, Texas with a zip code of 77025.Pershing, located in the Braeswood Place neighborhood, serves grades 6 through 8 and is a part of the Houston Independent School District.Pershing has a neighborhood program, a...
in the Braeswood Place neighborhood 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 ...
, and Lamar High School
Lamar High School (Houston)
Mirabeau B. Lamar Senior High School is a secondary school located at 3325 Westheimer Road in Houston, Texas, United States, with a zip code of 77098...
, in the Upper Kirby
Upper Kirby
Upper Kirby is a commercial district in Houston, Texas, United States.Upper Kirby contains many businesses, including restaurants. Upper Kirby is east of the Greenway Plaza, southwest of Neartown, north of the city of West University Place, and south of River Oaks.Upper Kirby is considered to be in...
district of Houston. All pupils zoned to Pershing may attend Pin Oak Middle School
Pin Oak Middle School
Pin Oak Middle School is a secondary school that is located in Bellaire, Texas, United States. Pin Oak, which serves grades 6 through 8, is a part of the Houston Independent School District. It is located near the intersection of the 610 Loop and U.S. Route 59...
(in the city of Bellaire
Bellaire, Texas
Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 15,642 and is completely surrounded by the cities of Houston and West University Place....
) instead. Pin Oak was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2008.
West University Place is in close proximity to The Rice School
The Rice School
The Rice School is a combined elementary and secondary school in Houston, Texas.Rice, which serves grades kindergarten through 8, is a part of the Houston Independent School District....
, a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through 8th grade magnet school
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
in Houston. The Rice School opened in August 1994 to relieve West University Elementary School and several nearby campuses.
Gabriela Mistral Early Childhood Center is the closest public early childhood center to the city of West University Place. Only economically disadvantaged students, homeless students, students who are not proficient in English, or children of active-duty members of the U.S. military or whose parent has been killed, injured, or missing in action while on active duty. Students who are eligible for HISD's preschools may attend any Early Childhood Center in Houston ISD. Beehive, a preschool located on the grounds of West University Elementary, serves many pupils from West University Place, Southside Place, and other communities.
Private schools
St. Mark's Episcopal School (West University Place, Texas)
St. Mark's Episcopal School is a combined Episcopalian primary and secondary school located in West University Place, Texas, United States....
(K-8) is the sole private school located within West University Place. Other nearby parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
s and private schools include the School of St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church in Braeswood Place in Houston, St. John's School in Houston, Episcopal High School
Episcopal High School (Bellaire, Texas)
Episcopal High School is a co-educational private day school in Bellaire, Texas, United States. The high school is located on a campus in the city, which is partially surrounded by the city of Houston....
in Bellaire, St. Francis Episcopal Day School (Texas)
St. Francis Episcopal Day School (Texas)
St. Francis Episcopal Day School is a private Episcopal elementary and middle school located at 335 Piney Point Road in Piney Point Village, Texas, United States, near the city of Houston....
in Piney Point, and The Post Oak School
The Post Oak School
The Post Oak School is a Montessori school located in Bellaire, Texas, United States, near Houston.Founded in 1963, the school is a non-profit corporation. It is accredited by the Association Montessori Internationale and the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest...
in Bellaire.
Colleges and universities
West University Place is also served by Houston Community College SystemHouston Community College System
Houston Community College System is a community college system that operates community colleges in Houston, Missouri City, and Stafford in Texas....
.
Public libraries
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....
system operates the West University Branch Library in West University Place. The library opened in a section of the West University Community Center in 1942. As World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
continued the library was moved into the Reed and Yancey Realtors field office. After the war ended the library moved back into the community center. The current 6100 square feet (566.7 m²) library facility opened in 1963.
Media
The West University Buzz is a monthly magazine mailed free of charge to all residents. The West University Buzz is about people, products and services in the community.The Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
is the area regional newspaper. On Thursdays, residents receive the Bellaire
Bellaire, Texas
Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 15,642 and is completely surrounded by the cities of Houston and West University Place....
/West U/River Oaks
River Oaks, Houston, Texas
River Oaks is an affluent community located in the geographic center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans . Established in the 1920s by brothers William and Michael Hogg, the community became a well-publicized national...
/Meyerland
Meyerland, Houston, Texas
Meyerland is a community in southwest Houston, Texas, outside of the 610 Loop and inside Beltway 8.A notable feature of Meyerland is Meyerland Plaza, a large outdoor shopping center. Meyerland also is the center of Houston's Jewish community...
http://www.chron.com/news/community/bellaire local section.
The West University Examiner is a local newspaper distributed in the community.
The Village News is a local newspaper distributed in the community.
Community information
West University Place has a little leagueLittle League
Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
team called the "West University Little League". West University Little League was established in 1949, and is the largest Little League Baseball group in the United States, with more than 1,200 players, after merging with Braes Bayou Little League in 2005. Former first lady Barbara Bush threw out the first pitch on opening day 2005, in honor of the establishment of West University Little League's Challenger Division, which promotes opportunities for mentally and/or physically challenged children to participate in baseball games, many with the help of "buddies" who guide these players through the game. The West University Little League Challenger division will send one team to Williamsport, PA for an exhibition game during the 2008 Little League World Series festivities.
Notable residents
- Craig BiggioCraig BiggioCraig Alan Biggio is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, catcher, and outfielder. He played his entire 20-year baseball career with the Houston Astros . He ranks 21st all-time with 3,060 career hits, and is the ninth player in the 3000 hit club to get all his hits with the same team. He...
, Retired Baseball player for the Astros - Rafael EspadaRafael EspadaDr. José Rafael Espada is the Vice President of Guatemala and a former cardiothoracic surgeon.Espada is well known in the Houston cardiothoracic surgery community. He grew up in Guatemala. From an early age he wanted to grow up to be a doctor...
, as of 2008 the Vice President of GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. - Ken Hoffman (Houston ChronicleHouston ChronicleThe Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
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