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| Montgomery County, Texas | |
 The Montgomery County Courthouse in Conroe
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 Location in the state of Texas | |
 Texas's location in the U.S. | |
| Founded | 1837 |
|---|---|
| Named for | Montgomery, Texas |
| Seat | Conroe |
| Largest community | The Woodlands |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,077 sq mi (2,789 km²) 1,042 sq mi (2,699 km²) 35 sq mi (91 km²), 3.3% |
| PopulationEst. - (2019) - Density |
607,391 498/sq mi (192/km²) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | http://www.mctx.org/ |
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 455,746.[1] A 2019 estimate places the population at 607,391.[2] The county seat is Conroe.[3] The county was created by an act of the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 14, 1837 and is named for the town of Montgomery.[4] Between 2000 and 2010, its population grew by 55%, the 24th-fastest rate of growth of any county in the United States.
Montgomery County is part of the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography[]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,077 square miles (2,790 km2), of which 1,042 square miles (2,700 km2) are land and 35 square miles (91 km2) (3.3%) are covered by water.[5]
Adjacent counties[]
- Walker County (north)
- San Jacinto County (northeast)
- Liberty County (east)
- Harris County (south)
- Waller County (west)
- Grimes County (northwest)
National protected area[]
- Sam Houston National Forest (partial)
Demographics[]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 2,384 | ||
| 1860 | 5,479 | 129.8% | |
| 1870 | 6,483 | 18.3% | |
| 1880 | 10,154 | 56.6% | |
| 1890 | 11,765 | 15.9% | |
| 1900 | 17,067 | 45.1% | |
| 1910 | 15,679 | −8.1% | |
| 1920 | 17,334 | 10.6% | |
| 1930 | 14,588 | −15.8% | |
| 1940 | 23,055 | 58.0% | |
| 1950 | 24,504 | 6.3% | |
| 1960 | 26,839 | 9.5% | |
| 1970 | 49,479 | 84.4% | |
| 1980 | 128,487 | 159.7% | |
| 1990 | 182,201 | 41.8% | |
| 2000 | 293,768 | 61.2% | |
| 2010 | 455,746 | 55.1% | |
| Est. 2019 | 607,391 | [6] | 106.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1850–2010[8] 2010–2019[1] | |||
As of the 2010 census,[9] there were 455,746 people, 162,530 households, and 121,472 families residing in the county. The population density was 423 people per square mile (163/km2). There were 177,647 housing units at an average density of 165 per square mile (64/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 83.5% White, 4.3% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 7.0% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. 20.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 162,530 households, out of which 36.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.70% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.30% were non-families. 20.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the county, 27.60% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 26.60% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.29 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.94 males.
As of the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $50,864, and the median income for a family was $58,983. Males had a median income of $42,400 versus $28,270 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,544. About 7.10% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.90% of those under age 18 and 10.10% of those age 65 or over.
From 2010 to 2016, 54% of all vehicle-related fatalities in the county were related to the use of controlled substances, including alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine and synthetic drugs. According to Tyler Dunman, former Montgomery County assistant district attorney, approximately 60-70% of all crime in the county is connected to substance abuse.[10]
Politics[]
Montgomery County is one of the most heavily Republican counties in Texas, giving 78.1 percent of its vote to George W. Bush in 2004[11] and 75.8% of its vote to John McCain in 2008.[12] The county has not been won by a Democratic presidential candidate since native Texan Lyndon Johnson won 60.9% of the county's vote in 1964.[13] In 1968, George Wallace, running as a third-party candidate, won the county, whilst in 1948, “States’ Rights” candidate Strom Thurmond had previously won over 29 percent of the vote to make Montgomery his fourth-strongest county in Texas, and in 1992, Ross Perot, another third-party candidate received more votes than Democratic candidate Bill Clinton. In 2016, it was the only county in the United States which Republican nominee Donald Trump won against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by a margin of greater than 100,000 votes.[14]
Even with the dramatic leftward turn of Texas' suburbs, especially in Houston, Dallas and Austin, Montgomery County has trended leftwards at a much smaller pace, with Trump remaining above 70% in both of his runs for president, and even expanding the raw vote margin to the largest in the county’s history.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 193,382 | 71.22% | 74,377 | 27.39% | 3,784 | 1.39% |
| 2016 | 150,314 | 73.00% | 45,835 | 22.26% | 9,755 | 4.74% |
| 2012 | 137,969 | 79.51% | 32,920 | 18.97% | 2,634 | 1.52% |
| 2008 | 119,884 | 75.76% | 36,703 | 23.19% | 1,664 | 1.05% |
| 2004 | 104,654 | 78.11% | 28,628 | 21.37% | 706 | 0.53% |
| 2000 | 80,600 | 75.89% | 23,286 | 21.92% | 2,327 | 2.19% |
| 1996 | 51,011 | 65.23% | 20,722 | 26.50% | 6,469 | 8.27% |
| 1992 | 39,976 | 51.28% | 18,551 | 23.80% | 19,431 | 24.92% |
| 1988 | 40,360 | 68.24% | 18,394 | 31.10% | 392 | 0.66% |
| 1984 | 41,230 | 75.39% | 13,293 | 24.31% | 167 | 0.31% |
| 1980 | 26,237 | 65.64% | 12,593 | 31.51% | 1,141 | 2.85% |
| 1976 | 15,739 | 53.07% | 13,718 | 46.25% | 202 | 0.68% |
| 1972 | 15,067 | 77.48% | 4,358 | 22.41% | 22 | 0.11% |
| 1968 | 4,353 | 32.84% | 4,021 | 30.34% | 4,881 | 36.82% |
| 1964 | 3,167 | 38.64% | 4,989 | 60.87% | 40 | 0.49% |
| 1960 | 3,309 | 47.70% | 3,510 | 50.60% | 118 | 1.70% |
| 1956 | 3,360 | 56.24% | 2,572 | 43.05% | 42 | 0.70% |
| 1952 | 2,969 | 46.32% | 3,432 | 53.54% | 9 | 0.14% |
| 1948 | 544 | 16.30% | 1,795 | 53.77% | 999 | 29.93% |
| 1944 | 219 | 6.05% | 2,902 | 80.17% | 499 | 13.78% |
| 1940 | 408 | 10.87% | 3,347 | 89.13% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 186 | 7.05% | 2,443 | 92.61% | 9 | 0.34% |
| 1932 | 126 | 6.00% | 1,971 | 93.90% | 2 | 0.10% |
| 1928 | 613 | 40.36% | 905 | 59.58% | 1 | 0.07% |
| 1924 | 166 | 9.83% | 1,500 | 88.81% | 23 | 1.36% |
| 1920 | 203 | 14.00% | 935 | 64.48% | 312 | 21.52% |
| 1916 | 197 | 16.13% | 880 | 72.07% | 144 | 11.79% |
| 1912 | 120 | 12.67% | 613 | 64.73% | 214 | 22.60% |
United States Congress[]
| Senators | Name | Party | First Elected | Level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate Class 1 | Ted Cruz | Republican | 2012 | Junior Senator | |
| Senate Class 2 | John Cornyn | Republican | 2002 | Senior Senator | |
| Representatives | Name | Party | First Elected | Area(s) of Montgomery County Represented | |
| District 8 | Kevin Brady | Republican | 1996 | Entire county | |
Texas Legislature[]
Texas Senate[]
| District | Name | Party | First Elected | Area(s) of Montgomery County Represented | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Robert Nichols | Republican | 2006 | North | |
| 4 | Brandon Creighton | Republican | Special election 2014 | South and central (including The Woodlands and Conroe) | |
Texas House of Representatives[]
| District | Name | Party | First Elected | Area(s) of Montgomery County Represented | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Cecil Bell Jr. | Republican | 2012 | Southwest to southeast | |
| 15 | Steve Toth | Republican | 2014 | South (including The Woodlands) | |
| 16 | Will Metcalf | Republican | 2014 | North and east (including Conroe) | |
Education[]
Public schools[]
Several school districts operate public schools in the county:
- Conroe ISD
- Magnolia ISD
- Montgomery ISD
- New Caney ISD
- Richards ISD (partial)
- Splendora ISD
- Tomball ISD (partial)
- Willis ISD (partial)
Private schools[]
- Pre-K to 12
- Covenant Christian School
- Christ Community School
- Esprit International School
- The Woodlands Christian Academy
- The John Cooper School
- The Woodlands Preparatory School
- Porter Christian Academy
- Cunae International School
- Legacy Preparatory Christian Academy
- Willis Classical Academy
- Pre-K to 8
- St. Anthony Of Padua Catholic School of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
The closest Catholic high school is Frassati Catholic High School in north Harris County; the planners of the school intended for it to serve The Woodlands.[16]
Colleges and universities[]
The county is also home to two campuses of the Lone Star College System (formerly North Harris-Montgomery Community College District): Montgomery and The University Center.
Lone Star College's service area under Texas law includes, in Montgomery County: Conroe, Magnolia, Montgomery, New Caney, Splendora, Tomball, and Willis ISDs. The portion in Richards ISD is zoned to Blinn Junior College District.[17]
Libraries[]
The county operates the Montgomery County Memorial Library System.
Transportation[]
Airports[]
Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport, a general aviation airport, is located in Conroe.
The Houston Airport System stated that Montgomery County is within the primary service area of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, an international airport in Houston in Harris County.[18]
Major highways[]
Interstate 45- Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59
- State Highway 75
- State Highway 99 - Grand Parkway Toll Road
- State Highway 105
- State Highway 242
- State Highway 249 - a.k.a. MCTRA 249 Tollway (from Spring Creek to Pinehurst) and the Aggie Expressway (Pinehurst up to Todd Mission)
Toll roads[]
Montgomery County has several toll roads within its borders, most of which are operated as "pass-through toll roads"[19] or shadow toll roads.
There are two "true" toll roads within Montgomery County. One toll road consists of a section of mainlanes of State Highway 249 between the Harris County line at Spring Creek to FM 1774 in Pinehurst and is signed as MCTRA 249 Tollway (maintained by the Montgomery County Toll Road Authority).[20] North of Pinehurst, the toll road continues as the TxDOT maintained Aggie Expressway (SH 249 Toll) up north to FM 1488 east of Magnolia; an extension of the tolled expressway north to FM 1774 near Todd Mission is under construction.[21] The other toll road within Montgomery County (also maintained by TxDOT) is Grand Parkway (State Highway 99) between Spring Creek to I-69/US 59 near New Caney with an extension east to Liberty and Chambers Counties currently under construction.
Communities[]
Cities[]
- Conroe (county seat)
- Cut and Shoot
- Houston (most of the city is in Harris County)
- Magnolia
- Montgomery
- Oak Ridge North
- Panorama Village
- Patton Village
- Shenandoah
- Splendora
- Willis
- Woodbranch
Towns[]
- Roman Forest
- Stagecoach
- Woodloch
Census-designated places[]
- Pinehurst
- Porter Heights
- The Woodlands (small part in Harris County)
- Spring (larger part in Harris County)
Unincorporated communities[]
- Decker Prairie
- Dobbin
- Egypt
- Grangerland
- Imperial Oaks
- New Caney
- Porter
- River Plantation
- Tamina
Healthcare[]
In 1938 the Montgomery County Hospital, a public institution, opened, the first public hospital in the county. It had 25 beds.[22] The Montgomery County Hospital District opened in the 1970s, and the purpose of the district was making a new hospital, which opened in 1982 and replaced the former hospital.[23]
See also[]
- List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
- Earth Quest Adventures
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Montgomery County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Montgomery County
References[]
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/48339.html.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016". U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (Washington, DC). March 2017. https://www.census.gov.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx.
- ^ Searle, Kameron K. The Early History of Montgomery, Texas. City of Montgomery, Texas: July 7, 2012. Accessed on June 5, 2021.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_48.txt.
- ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2019.html.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html.
- ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010". Texas Almanac. http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov.
- ^ Zedaker, Hannah. Officials: Substance abuse rising in Montgomery County. Community Impact Newspaper: June 12, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2018
- ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - Data Graph --2004 Montgomery County, Texas". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/datagraph.php?year=2004&fips=48&f=1&off=0&elect=0.
- ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - Data Graph --2008 Montgomery County, Texas". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/datagraph.php?year=2008&fips=48&f=1&off=0&elect=0.
- ^ "Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - Data Graphs". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/datagraph.php?year=1964&fips=48&f=1&off=0&elect=0.
- ^ "2016 Presidential Election Results". The New York Times. 9 August 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/president.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS.
- ^ Dominguez, Catherine (2012-08-29). "New Catholic high school breaks ground". http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/spring/news/article/New-Catholic-high-school-breaks-ground-9432116.php.
- ^ Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.168. BLINN JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Sec. 130.191. LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
- ^ "Master Plan Executive Summary." George Bush Intercontinental Airport Master Plan. Houston Airport System. December 2006. 2-1 (23/130). Retrieved on December 14, 2010.
- ^ TxDot's Pass-Through Financing Program
- ^ [1] Montgomery County Toll Road Authority (MCTRA) SH 249 Retrieved May 8, 2020
- ^ First stretch of ‘Aggie Expressway’ toll road opens Saturday Houston Chronicle. 8 August 2020 (same-day retrieval)
- ^ "Mary Swain Sanitarium, County Hospital cornerstones to local modern healthcare". 2017-11-22. https://www.yourconroenews.com/125years/article/Mary-Swain-Sanitarium-County-Hospital-12377049.php. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- ^ Hernandez, Sondra (2021-03-23). "Developer looks to renovate old Montgomery County Hospital property". https://www.yourconroenews.com/neighborhood/moco/events/article/Developer-looks-to-renovate-old-Montgomery-County-16046849.php. Retrieved 2021-04-28. - See at Houston Chronicle, see at Press Reader.
External links[]
- Montgomery County government's website
- Montgomery County in the Handbook of Texas Online from The University of Texas at Austin
- History of the Lake Creek Settlement and the Founding of the Town of Montgomery, Texas
- Early History of Montgomery County, Texas
- Lonestar College – The Lone Star College System, formerly known as the North Harris Montgomery Community College District, is accredited through the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
- Montgomery County Community Website
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Grimes County | Walker County | San Jacinto County |
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| Waller County | 
|
Liberty County | ||
   Montgomery County, Texas | ||||
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| Harris County |
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Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown METROPOLITAN AREA |
|---|---|
| Counties | Austin | Brazoria | Chambers | Fort Bend | Galveston | Harris | Liberty | Montgomery | San Jacinto | Waller |
| "Principal" cities |
Houston | Sugar Land | Baytown | Galveston |
| Cities and towns |
Alvin | Angleton | Bellaire | Cleveland | Clute | Conroe | Dayton | Deer Park | Dickinson | Freeport | Friendswood | Galena Park | Hitchcock | Hempstead | Humble | Jacinto City | Jersey Village | Katy | Lake Jackson | La Marque | La Porte | League City | Liberty | Meadows Place | Missouri City | Pasadena | Pearland | Richmond | Rosenberg | Santa Fe | Seabrook | Sealy | South Houston | Stafford | Texas City | Tomball | Webster | West University Place |
| Unincorporated areas | Atascocita | Channelview | Cloverleaf | Cypress | Klein | Spring | The Woodlands |
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