Montgomery County, Texas

History

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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1076.885 sqmi, of which 34.706 sqmi (3.22%) are covered by water. It is the 65th largest county in Texas by total area.

Adjacent counties

• Walker County (north)
• San Jacinto County (northeast)
• Liberty County (east)
• Harris County (south)
• Waller County (west)
• Grimes County (northwest)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–1900 1910 1920 1930 1940

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Montgomery County was $371,646.

As of the 2023 American Community Survey, an estimated 235,474 households in Montgomery County have an average of 2.77 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $97,266. About 10.1% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Montgomery County has an estimated 64.6% employment rate, with 37.9% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 90.2% holding a high-school diploma.

The top-five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (73.0%), Spanish (21.3%), Indo-European (2.8%), Asian and Pacific Islander (1.9%), and other (1.0%). The median age in the county was 37.3 years.

Racial and ethnic composition

2023 estimate

As of the 2023 estimate, 711,354 people and 235,474 households were residing in the county. The 280,357 housing units had an average density of 269.01 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 85.0% White, 7.8% African American, 1.0% Native American, 3.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 28.3% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, 620,443 people, 219,796 households, and 164,212 families resided in the county. The population density was 595.3 PD/sqmi.

The median age was 37.2 years, 26.1% of residents were under the age of 18, and 13.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.7 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 65.7% White, 5.7% Black or African American, 1.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 10.3% from some other race, and 13.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 26.4% of the population.

77.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 22.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 219,796 households in the county, of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 57.7% were married-couple households, 14.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 238,489 housing units, of which 7.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.3% were owner-occupied and 28.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.5%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, 455,746 people, 162,530 households, and 121,472 families lived in the county. The population density was 423 /mi2. The were 177,647 housing units had an average density of 165 /mi2.

In 2010, 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. About 20.8% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

At the 2010 census, of the 162,530 households, 36.2% had children under 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.3% were not families. About 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the county, the age distributiob was 27.6% under 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.29 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 95.94 males.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $50,864 and 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 7.1% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under 18 and 10.1% of those 65 or over.

National protected area

• Sam Houston National Forest (partial)

Communities

Cities

Multiple counties

• Cleveland (most of the city is in Liberty County)
• Houston (most of the city is in Harris County)

Montgomery County only

• Conroe (county seat)
• Cut and Shoot
• Magnolia
• Montgomery
• Oak Ridge North
• Panorama Village
• Patton Village
• Roman Forest
• Shenandoah
• Splendora
• Willis
• Woodbranch

Towns

• Stagecoach
• Woodloch

Census-designated places

• Grangerland
• Pinehurst
• Porter Heights
• The Woodlands (small part of the CDP located in Harris County)

Unincorporated communities

• Chateau Woods (former city)
• Decker Prairie
• Dobbin
• Egypt
• Imperial Oaks
• New Caney
• Porter
• River Plantation
• Spring (larger part in Harris County, which includes the CDP part)
• Tamina

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
• Humble ISD (partial)
• Cleveland 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.

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.

Former colleges for black students in the pre-desegregation era included Conroe Normal and Industrial College and Royal College.

Politics

Montgomery County has given Republican candidates 70 percent or more of the vote since 2000, and a Democratic presidential candidate has not won the county since 1964, when native Texan and favorite son Lyndon Johnson won 60.9% of the county's vote.

In 2004, county voters gave 78.1 percent of their vote to Republican candidate George W. Bush, who served as Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. In 2008, 75.8% of the voters supported the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin.

In 2016, Montgomery County was the only county in the United States where Republican nominee Donald Trump won against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by a margin of greater than 100,000 votes. In 2020, Trump won Montgomery County again, with an expanded margin of 119,000 votes. In 2024, Trump won Montgomery County once again, with another expanded margin of about 140,000 votes.

Commissioners' court

County officials

United States Congress

Texas Legislature

Texas Senate

Texas House of Representatives

Libraries

The county operates the Montgomery County Memorial Library System. The public library system has been the subject of multiple book banning controversies, including a change to the book review process lobbied by local right-wing group Two Moms and Some Books that removed librarians from the review process. Under this new policy, any children books challenged but immediate be placed in the adult sections.

Healthcare

In 1938, the Montgomery County Hospital, a public institution, opened, the first public hospital in the county. It had 25 beds. 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.

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.

Major highways

• [[Image:I-45 (TX).svg|20px]] Interstate 45
• [[Image:I-69 (TX).svg|20px]] [[Image:US 59.svg|20px]] Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59
• [[Image:Texas 75.svg|20px]] State Highway 75
• [[Image:Toll Texas 99.svg|20px]] State Highway 99 - Grand Parkway Toll Road
• [[Image:Texas 105.svg|20px]] State Highway 105
• [[Image:Texas 242.svg|20px]] State Highway 242
• [[Image:Toll Texas 249.svg|20px]] [[Image:Texas 249.svg|20px]] 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

Main article: Montgomery County Toll Road Authority

Montgomery County has several toll roads within its borders, most of which are operated as "pass-through toll roads" 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).https://cms.revize.com/revize/montgomerycountytx/MCTRA%20GIS%20map%20MASTER.pdf Montgomery County Toll Road Authority (MCTRA) SH 249 Retrieved May 8, 2020 North of Pinehurst, the toll road continues as the TxDOT maintained Aggie Expressway (SH 249 Toll) up north to FM 1774 near Todd Mission then as a two-lane freeway up to State Highway 105 near Navasota. The other toll road within Montgomery County (also maintained by TxDOT) is Grand Parkway (State Highway 99) between the Harris County line at Spring Creek, with an interchange at I-69/US 59 near New Caney, and reentering Harris County before continuing into Liberty and Chambers Counties.

References

References

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24. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Montgomery County, Texas".
25. "County Population by Characteristics: 2020-2023". United States Census Bureau.
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29. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
30. "Archived copy".
31. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Montgomery County, TX". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
32. Dominguez, Catherine. (August 29, 2012). "New Catholic high school breaks ground". [[The Spring Observer]].
33. [https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.168. BLINN JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Sec. 130.191. LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.]
34. Hernandez, Sondra. (February 15, 2024). "Montgomery County's early Black schools laid the groundwork for today's education ecosystem". [[Houston Chronicle]].
35. "Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - Data Graphs".
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38. (August 9, 2017). "2016 Presidential Election Results". The New York Times.
39. [https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/statesub.php?year=2020&fips=48339&f=0&off=0&elect=0 2020 Presidential General Election Results - Montgomery County, TX], Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Elections, LLC.
40. [https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/statesub.php?year=2024&fips=48339&f=1&off=0&elect=0 2024 Presidential General Election Results - Texas - Montgomery County], Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Elections, LLC., November 5, 2024.
41. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
42. (November 5, 2024). "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)".
43. Legum, Judd. "Texas county sidelines librarians, reclassifies book on abuse of Native Americans as "fiction"".
44. (November 22, 2017). "Mary Swain Sanitarium, County Hospital cornerstones to local modern healthcare". [[Montgomery County Courier]].
45. Hernandez, Sondra. (March 23, 2021). "Developer looks to renovate old Montgomery County Hospital property". [[Montgomery County Courier]].
46. link. (July 11, 2011 ." ''George Bush Intercontinental Airport Master Plan''. [[Houston Airport System]]. December 2006. 2-1 (23/130). Retrieved on December 14, 2010.)
47. TxDot's [http://www.txdot.gov/government/programs/pass-finance.html Pass-Through Financing Program]
48. [https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/transportation/article/First-stretch-of-Aggie-Expressway-toll-road-15465486.php First stretch of ‘Aggie Expressway’ toll road opens Saturday] Houston Chronicle. August 8, 2020 (same-day retrieval)