Cypress (often referred to as Cypress-Fairbanks, or Cy-Fair) is an unincorporated area of Harris County, Texas, United States located completely inside the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston. The Cypress area is located along U.S. Highway 290 (Northwest Freeway) twenty miles (32 km) northwest of Downtown Houston.
Large scale residential and commercial development beginning in the 1980s transformed the once rural area into one of the Houston area's largest suburban communities.
History
The area around which Cypress sits now was populated by Atakapan Indian tribes, but they soon disappeared after the appearance of German settlers in the 1840s; the German heritage is most notably reflected in the names of some of the major thoroughfares of the area, such as Huffmeister and Telge Roads.[1] General Sam Houston and his Texas Army visited the area on March 22, 1836 on the way to Harrisburg, which is now in East Houston, just days before the Battle of San Jacinto.[2] The area was mostly rural until the 1980s when developers began construction of several master-planned communities. The area is often referred to as Cy-Fair or Cypress-Fairbanks, which comes from when the Cypress and Fairbanks volunteer fire departments joined together to form the Cypress-Fairbanks Volunteer Fire Department (now known simply as Cy-Fair VFD).
Geography
Longwood is a heavily wooded golf course community located in North Cypress
Cypress is located at 29°59′40″N 95°40′3″W / 29.99444°N 95.6675°W / 29.99444; -95.6675, near the intersection of US Highway 290 and Spring-Cypress Road. Cypress is located within the Cypress Creek and Little Cypress Creek watershed.
Cypress has two distinct geographic profiles separated by Highway 290. The area north of US 290 is forested and thickly wooded, while the area south of 290 is predominately ranchland and grassy prairie dotted with scrub brush, Live Oaks and Post Oaks.
Cypress falls under the jurisdiction of Harris County Precincts 3 and 4 (separated by Cypress Creek).
Major arteries include Highway 290 to the South and State Highway 249 to the East.
Demographics
Blackhorse Ranch is a golf course community in Cypress
As of the 2000 US Census, there were approximately 46,025 people, 15,207 households, and 12,914 families living in the zip codes labeled as Cypress. There were 15,207 housing units at an average density of 494.6/sq mi (190.9/km²). [3][4]
The 77429 Zip Code is one of the most affluent zip codes in Harris County; nearly 77% of the population has an income over US $50,000 and 42.65% earning over $100,000. [5] The Cypress urban cluster ranks 50th in the top 100 highest-income urban areas in the United States.
Healthcare
There are two major hospitals in the Cypress area, North Cypress Medical Center and Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital.
Government and infrastructure
The area of Cypress is served by two volunteer fire departments, Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department and Cypress Creek VFD. The Cy-Fair VFD is the largest volunteer fire department in the United States with 12 stations. [6]
The United States Postal Service operates the Cypress Post Office at 16635 Spring Cypress Road.[7]
Attractions
- Cypress is home to Tin Hall, one of the oldest continually operating Dance Halls in Texas, in operation since 1889.
- Cypress is home to The Berry Center, an $80 million multi-use complex owned by Cy-Fair ISD. The Berry Center features a football stadium, basketball arena, conference center, auditorium, multimedia production, and catering facility.
- Cypress is home to Northwest Forest Conference Center, an 80 acre resort and conference center with a life-size replica of the Alamo.
- Cypress is home to the trailhead of the planned Cypress Creek Greenway Project, a major parks project which will link major anchor parks along the entirety of Cypress Creek via a Greenbelt complete with Hike & Bike Trails, Horseback Riding, Canoeing and other attractions for outdoors/nature enthusiasts. It will link up with the planned Spring Creek Greenway northeast of Interstate 45.
- Cypress has numerous Golf Courses, including:
- Longwood Golf Club
- Blackhorse
- Houston National
- Cypress Lakes
- Cypress Golf Club
- Hearthstone Country Club
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
Cypress is served by Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, the third largest school district in the State of Texas and one of the fastest growing in the United States. CFISD serves more than 100,000 students as of 2008, nearly half of them above average, some like Hamilton Elem., Moore Elem. and Hancock.[8]
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD high school students attend Cy-Fair High School, Jersey Village High School, Cypress Creek High School, Cypress Falls High School, Cypress Woods High School, Cypress Springs High School, Langham Creek High School, Cypress Ridge High School, Cypress Ranch High School, and Cypress Lakes High School.
Private schools
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School, a K-8 Roman Catholic school operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, is in close proximity to Cypress.
Cypress Christian School, a K–12 private school, is located in the area.
Colleges and universities
Cypress is home of the Cy-Fair campus of the Lone Star College District.
Public libraries
Harris County Public Library (HCPL) operates public libraries in the Cypress area. LSC-Cyfair Library, a partner effort between HCPL and Lone Star College System, is located at 9191 Barker-Cypress Road on the Lone Star College–CyFair campus.[9] The Northwest Branch Library is located at 11355 Regency Green Drive.[10]
References
- ^ http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/hlc66.html. Handbook of Texas Online, Entry for Cypress. Last accessed November 18, 2006.
- ^ http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/common/viewform.asp?atlas_num=5201010623&site_name=Burnett%2C%20Matthew&class=5000. Texas Historical Site Atlas. Last accessed November 18, 2006.
- ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=86000US77429&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_lang=en&-_sse=on. US Census Fact Sheet for Zip Code 77429. Last accessed November 18, 2006.
- ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=86000US77433&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-_sse=on. US Census Fact Sheet for Zip Code 77433. Last accessed November 18, 2006.
- ^ http://webadv.chron.com/house/house_z/zipcode/harris01p4.html. Listing of Harris County zipcodes. Last accessed November 19, 2006.
- ^ http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2008/07/17/copperfield_sun/news/072308_new_station.txt |title=Cy-Fair VFD to Celebrate 12th Station Opening |work=hcnonline.com |publisher=Copperfield Sun |accessdate=2008-10-04
- ^ "Post Office Location - CYPRESS." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 4, 2008.
- ^ [1]. Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District. Last accessed February 13, 2009.
- ^ "LSC-Cy-Fair Library." Harris County Public Library. Retrieved on February 15, 2009.
- ^ "Northwest Branch Library." Harris County Public Library. Retrieved on February 15, 2009.
External links
