Bridgeland Community, Texas

History

In the mid-1800s, European settlers began to establish small farms within the Katy Prairie and where Bridgeland now sits, growing corn, potatoes, cotton and raising cattle. During the 1940s, and through the next two decades, the land was primarily used for rice farming. After rice production ceased, the fields were converted to improved pastures to provide foraging areas for cattle. Approximately 10,167 acres were purchased for development in 2003 and sales of new homes in Bridgeland began in 2006. In 2007 General Growth Properties (GGP) purchased an additional 1,234 acres of land from the Texas General Land Office. Over the course of development, additional parcels of land were acquired bringing the community's total acreage to 11,500. In 2009 during the economic downturn, GGP filed for bankruptcy but did not include its master planned communities of The Woodlands and Bridgeland in that filing. The Howard Hughes Corporation was spun off from GGP and in 2011 acquired majority interest in both development projects, which it now manages, as well as others in its portfolio.{{cite web |last1=Sterngold |first1=James |title=20 Years After Howard Hughes Died, His Empire Ends

Geography

Bridgeland consists of 11,500 acres of mostly flat to gently rolling terrain in northwest Harris County. It is located on and along the eastern margins of the Katy Prairie spanning two watersheds. The property's northern boundary abuts the Cypress Creek corridor and to the south, Langham Creek. Other existing natural and constructed features include Mallard Lake and Ramey Lake, Longenbaugh Pond and the K-150 Canal now known as Josey Lake.

Education

Students living in Bridgeland's Lakeland Village and those in Parkland Village attend schools in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD). Children living in Prairieland and Creekland Villages will be zoned to Waller ISD with a small section of Prairieland Village zoned to both Cy-Fair ISD and Katy ISD.

Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District

• Margie Sue Pope Elementary School, Jim and Pam Wells Elementary School, and Sue McMichael McGown Elementary School
• Sprague Middle School
• Bridgeland High School

Pope Elementary School is in The Cove subdivision. It was named after a longtime CFISD teacher. It opened in August 2013 as the first of nine on-site schools planned.

Jim and Pam Wells Elementary School, another elementary school in Bridgeland, opened in 2017. Jim and Pam Wells were also longtime CFISD teachers and employees.

Waller Independent School District

• Richard T. McReavy Elementary School, located in Prairieland Village, was the first Waller ISD elementary school to be established in the Bridgeland complex. Its operations began in August 2024. It is the zoned school of this area.
• Zoned junior high school: Waller Junior High School
• Waller High School is the zoned high school for all of Waller ISD

Colleges

• Lone Star College is the designated community college for residents of Cy-Fair ISD. Blinn College is the designated community college for residents of Waller ISD.

Histories of schools

In the beginning residents were zoned to Robison Elementary School, Spillane Middle School, and Cypress Woods High School.

Residents were at one point rezoned to Warner Elementary School, and Cypress Ranch High School. In 2017, the entire development was to be rezoned to Bridgeland High School.

Other school districts

Future phases of Bridgeland will be served by Katy Independent School District and the Waller Independent School District.

Schools

• Pope Elementary School
• Bridgeland High School
• Roy J. Sprague Jr. Middle School
• Wells Elementary
• Sue McGown Elementary School
• Waller ISD elementary school

Private Schools

The first private school, Cypress Christian School, purchased 40 acres of land in 2021 to move their K-12 campus to Prairieland Village. The school will serve 1,000 students and is slated to open for the 2025-2026 school year. The community's first charter school, Harmony Public Schools, purchased a 28-acre parcel of land in Creekland Village in August 2022. The school will serve 450 students from pre-kindergarten to second and sixth grades in the first phase of development, which is slated to open ahead of the 2025-2026 school year. A future phase will include a second building for middle and high school classes that is slated for opening for the 2026-2027 school year. Students living in the Greater Houston area meeting requirements are eligible to attend.

Villages

Bridgeland's master plan consists of four distinct villages: Lakeland Village, Creekland Village, Prairieland Village and Parkland Village. Each village will have clusters of neighborhoods anchored by a village center. The Bridgeland Town Center is a centralized location between the villages for businesses and amenities.

Recreation

Bridgeland's master plan details 3,000 acres of open space, including 900 acres of lakes. Three of four planned recreation complexes are open, with one in each village: Lakeland Activity Center, Dragonfly Park and Activity Center and Longwing Landing.

More than 250 miles of trails are planned for the community, with many miles already open, including the first phase of Cypress Creek Nature Trail, a wooded trail in the Cypress Creek corridor that has educational signage and wildlife observation areas.{{cite web |last1=|first1=|title=Cypress Creek Trail

References

References

1. Schmidt, Gregory. (April 7, 2024). "Gen X-ers Age Into New Homes". [[The New York Times]].
2. Miles, Donna. (November 2009). "Wounded Warrior Accepts Keys To New Home in Texas". Leatherneck.
3. (17 January 2011). "Hughes Corp. takes over interests in Bridgeland, and The Woodlands".
4. "Bridgeland topographic map, elevation, terrain".
5. (July 11, 2023). "First Waller ISD Elementary School Under Construction in Prairieland Village". Bridgeland Community.
6. "Waller ISD Announces Principals of New Elementary Schools". [[Waller Independent School District]].
7. "2024-2025 Elementary School Attendance Zones Map (Detail View)". [[Waller Independent School District]].
8. "Junior High Schools Attendance Zone Map". [[Waller Independent School District]].
9. [https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.168. Blinn Junior College District Service Area. and Sec. 130.191. Lone Star College System District Service Area].
10. (12 June 2017). "Elementary Attendance Zones".
11. "Katy ISD GIS".
12. [https://bridgeland.cfisd.net/ Bridgeland High School homepage]
13. "Home – Sprague Middle School".
14. (9 March 2021). "Cy-Fair ISD to add first middle school in Bridgeland community". Houston Business Journal.
15. "Home – Wells Elementary School".
16. (December 8, 2015). "Bridgeland High School".
17. (December 10, 2021). "Cypress Christian School to relocate to Bridgeland in 2025".
18. (August 17, 2022). "Harmony Public Schools to build new charter campus in Bridgeland".
19. "Josey Lake Park".