River Oaks, Houston, Texas
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River Oaks is an affluent community located in the geographic center of Houston, Texas, United States.
River Oaks is inside the 610 Loop, halfway between Downtown and Uptown. River Oaks spans 1,100 acres (4.45 km²) in area. River Oaks is north of the Houston district of Upper Kirby and west of the nearby area of Neartown/Montrose.
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[edit] Overview
River Oaks consists of approximately 1,100 properties in a region bounded on the north by Buffalo Bayou, on the east by South Shepherd Drive, on the west by Willowick Road, and on the south by Westheimer Road. Residents are predominantly successful professionals, and real estate values range in from $1 to $20 million U.S. dollars[1]. The commute from River Oaks to Downtown, Uptown, or the Houston Medical Center is generally ten to fifteen minutes. The community is minutes from every major Houston thoroughfare such as Westheimer, Richmond, San Felipe, US-59 ("Southwest Freeway"), I-10 ("Katy Freeway"), and Interstate 610.
The community has a country club, River Oaks Country Club[2]. River Oaks operates its own private security force, River Oaks Patrol, commonly referred to as "ROPS" or "ROPO."
River Oaks is, as of 2006, currently in the process of implementing a completely revised set of deed restrictions which can be found at http://www.ropo.org/DRR.html.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
River Oaks is a part of the Houston City Council District G [1].
[edit] Federal and state representation
River Oaks is in Texas's 7th congressional district [2].
[edit] Schools and public libraries
Two schools are located in River Oaks, River Oaks Baptist School[3] (a K-8 private school), and River Oaks Elementary School (a K-5 public school) that actually is a combined neighborhood school and magnet school for HISD and therefore attracts student from all over the HISD system.
[edit] Public schools
Public schooling is available under the Houston Independent School District and consists of River Oaks Elementary School, Lanier Middle School (6-8, in the Montrose district), and Lamar High School (9-12, in the Upper Kirby district).
There is a joke in the River Oaks community that states that River Oaks Boulevard is the only street with a country club at both ends. One is the River Oaks Country Club, and the "other" is Lamar High School. [3] [4]
Between 1986 and 1996, River Oaks Elementary School only admitted magnet school students, and River Oaks itself was divided between the attendance zones of Wilson Elementary School and Will Rogers Elementary School, the latter of which closed in Spring 2006. In 1995, several River Oaks parents petitioned HISD to re-establish the neighborhood program at River Oaks Elementary School. In fall 1996, HISD added a neighborhood program to the school for grades Kindergarten through 2, with grades 3 through 5 phased in over a subsequent three-year period [5] [6].
[edit] Private schools
Several independent (private) schools serve the community, including:
- St. Thomas High School (9-12, north of River Oaks along the north edge of the Buffalo Bayou)
- St. Anne Catholic School (K-8, between River Oaks and Montrose)
- St. John's School (K-12, in the adjacent Upper Kirby district)
- Annunciation Orthodox School (K-8, in the Montrose district)
- River Oaks Baptist School (K-8, in River Oaks)
[edit] Libraries
The neighborhood is served by the Looscan Branch of Houston Public Library. As of 2006 the Looscan Branch is undergoing new construction. The old non-Americans with Disabilities Act compliant library, which was established in 1956, closed on August 27, 2005 and was demolished in February 2006. The new library is scheduled to open in late 2007 [7].
[edit] Fire service
Houston Fire Department operates Station 3 River Oaks at 3735 West Alabama at Cummins [8].
[edit] Police service
The neighborhood is within the Houston Police Department's Central Patrol Division [9]. It is worth saying here that River Oaks has one of the lowest crime rates in Houston[[10]].
[edit] Businesses
River Oaks homes are within a couple miles of both River Oaks Shopping Center[4] and the Highland Village Shopping Center[5] and adjacent the business areas of Upper Kirby and Greenway Plaza.
As of 2006, Landmark Theatres operates two "arthouse" theaters within a mile of River Oaks, The River Oaks Theater (east) and Landmark Greenway (south) in Greenway Plaza. The closest mainstream movie theater to River Oaks is the Edwards Theatres Grand Palace 24.
[edit] History
Will and Mike Hogg, the sons of former Governor of Texas Jim Hogg, and Attorney James Potter established River Oaks in the 1920s[6]. Potter obtained an option to purchase 200 acres around the River Oaks Country Club in 1923, and in the following year Hogg established the Country Club Estates in order to augment the development. The two brothers promoted lots in the subdivision for $2,200 apiece in 1928[7].
Will, Mike, and Ima Hogg, oversaw the construction of a stately southern-style home, Bayou Bend[11], on a 14-acre plot sitting high above Buffalo Bayou on Lazy Lane.
Deed restrictions at the time prohibited home prices of less than $7,000 and required control in architecture, with a gentlemen's agreement excluding blacks, Jews, and other minorities[6]. Homes along Kirby Drive were only allowed to be American Colonial or English Tudor styles[7].
The usually peaceful community was the site of the 1997 murder of Doris Angleton.
[edit] Community information
The River Oaks Park, operated by the City of Houston, is located at 3600 Locke Lane [12]. Another notably exciting nearby park is Memorial Park
The Upper Kirby YMCA is located in nearby Upper Kirby.
[edit] Trivia
River Oaks west of the locations of two Starbucks in the River Oaks Shopping Center; River Oaks is across South Shepherd Drive from the two coffee shops. The Starbucks, each located on one side of West Gray Street and therefore across from each other, became famous in a Lewis Black comedy bit [13].
River Oaks is the home of Jeff Skilling who is now serving his 25 year sentence in a prison in Minnesota for his involvement in the Enron scandal [8].
River Oaks is where the alternative rock band Blue October was formed, and is currently based.
The training facilities for the Houston Ballet and its pre-professional school, the Ben Stevenson Academy, are located in River Oaks, on West Gray, east of the River Oaks Shopping Center.
[edit] References
- ^ House values in River Oaks. Retrieved on June 23, 2006. at House Almanac
- ^ http://www.riveroakscc.net/
- ^ http://www.robs.org/
- ^ http://www.riveroaksshoppingcenter.com/
- ^ http://www.shophighlandvillage.com/
- ^ a b River Oaks from the Handbook of Texas Online
- ^ a b http://houston.about.com/od/neighborhoods/p/riveroaks.htm
- ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/10/24/business/web.1024enron.php
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- River Oaks Property Owners, Inc.
- River Oaks Garden Club
- River Oaks Limo & Transportation
- River Oaks Country Club
- River Oaks from About.com
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City of Houston History | Geography | Economy | Culture | Politics | Architecture | Transportation | Education | Houstonians |
|---|---|
| Areas | Downtown | Uptown | Texas Medical Center | Midtown | Neartown | Museum District | Upper Kirby | Greenway Plaza | Rice Village | Westchase | Greenspoint |
| Communities | Acres Homes | Addicks | Aldine | Alief | Braeburn | Braeswood Place | Clear Lake City | Genoa Township | Harrisburg | Houston Heights | Independence Heights | Inwood Forest | Kingwood | Maplewood | Memorial | Meyerland | Northshore | Oak Forest | River Oaks | Sharpstown | South Park | Spring Branch | Sunnyside
|
| Enclaves | Bellaire | Bunker Hill Village | Hedwig Village | Hilshire Village | Hunters Creek Village | Piney Point Village | Southside Place | Spring Valley | West University Place |
![[2]](http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/tx07_109.gif){kind=link}
![[12]](http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/images/NeighborhoodRevList3.gif){kind=link}