Garden Oaks is a neighborhood in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

(

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

). The neighborhood, located north of

Houston Heights Houston Heights (often referred to simply as "The Heights") is a community in northwest-central Houston, Texas, United States. "The Heights" is often referred to colloquially to describe a larger collection of neighborhoods next to and including ...

, was established in 1937 by Edward L. Crain. Garden Oaks has many

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

pecan The pecan (''Carya illinoinensis'') is a species of hickory native to the southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River. The tree is cultivated for its seed in the southern United States, primarily in Georgia, ...

, and

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

trees in and around the neighborhood.Feser, Katherine.
Garden Oaks offers lots for the money
" ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

''. Sunday April 2, 1995. Business 8. Retrieved on February 20, 2010. Several types of houses, including ranch-style houses and bungalows, are in the neighborhood.

History

Garden Oaks was established in 1937 by Edward L. Crain. Around 1995, the population of children living in Garden Oaks was quickly growing. '' Houstonia'' magazine stated that, beginning in 2000, Garden Oaks began attracting "creative types", who wanted to establish families or who could not afford the

or Montrose.Holley, Peter, John Lomax, and Todd Spoth.
25 Hottest Neighborhoods

Archive
. '' Houstonia''. June 1, 2013. Retrieved on November 2, 2015. In 2010, Richard Connelly of the ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

'' said that Garden Oaks "used to be an underrated neighborhood but now is on everyone's radar."Connelly, Richard.
The Five Most Underrated Neighborhoods In Houston
" ''

''. Friday August 13, 2010. Retrieved on November 3, 2012. In 2013, ''Houstonia'' stated that Garden Oaks was one of the "25 Hottest Neighborhoods" in Houston; it stated that Garden Oaks was "wealthier and more developed" than Oak Forest but that the latter was also becoming popular.

Government and infrastructure

Local government

Garden Oaks is in

Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. Currently, there are sixteen members, 11 elected from council districts and five at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, w ...

District C. The area is within the

Houston Police Department The Houston Police Department (HPD) is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. With approximately 5,300 officers and 1,200 civilian support personnel it is the fifth-largest ...

's North Patrol Division with headquarters at 9455 West Montgomery Road. The Near North Storefront is located at 1335 West 43rd Street. VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES PROGRAM - Citizens Offering Police Support
" ''City of Houston''. Retrieved on September 23, 2008.

County, state, and federal representation

Garden Oaks is within Harris County Precinct 4. As of 2008, Jerry Eversole heads the precinct. Patrol services are contracted to the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office.

Harris County Hospital District The Harris Health System, previously the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD), is a governmental entity with taxing authority that owns and operates three hospitals and numerous clinics throughout Harris County, Texas, United States, includin ...

operates the Northwest Health Center at 1100 West 34th Street. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

Garden Oaks Post Office is located at 3816 North Shepherd Drive.

Harris Health System The Harris Health System, previously the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD), is a governmental entity with taxing authority that owns and operates three hospitals and numerous clinics throughout Harris County, Texas, United States, includin ...

(formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated Northwest Health Center for the ZIP code 77018. The nearest public hospital is

Ben Taub General Hospital Ben Taub Hospital is a public hospital located in Houston, Texas within the Texas Medical Center. Having opened in May 1963, the hospital is owned and operated by the Harris Health System and is staffed by the faculty, residents, and students f ...

in the

Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a medical district and neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States, immediately south of the Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 60 medical institutions, largely concentrat ...

Education

The neighborhood is served by the

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and ...

(HISD). The community is within Trustee District I, represented by Anna Eastman as of 2009. Most residents are zoned to Garden Oaks Montessori Magnet School, formerly Garden Oaks Elementary School, while a few are zoned to Durham Elementary School. Garden Oaks School is in Section 2. By 1995, a Montessori program established at Garden Oaks Elementary became popular in the neighborhood, and there were fewer spaces available than willing applicants. In 2010, Terry Grier, the superintendent of HISD, proposed making Garden Oaks an all-Montessori school, with the condition that it gets the necessary federal funding. As a result, some parents protested the proposal. The proposal and the political debate divided the Garden Oaks community. In order to expand the Montessori program to all students, the school received a grant from the Magnet School Assistance Program, a federal government program. As part of the 2012 bond, there were plans to renovate and expand the Garden Oaks Montessori building. The total cost was $26.6 million. All residents are zoned t
Frank Black Middle School
. Most residents are zoned to

Waltrip High School Stephen Pool Waltrip High School is a public high school located at 1900 West 34th Street in Houston, Texas, United States, 77018. Waltrip, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Houston Independent School District. Waltrip has Hou ...

, while some are zoned to Booker T. Washington High School. Lutheran High School North, a private school, is in the area. Parochial schools in the neighborhood, of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

include St. Rose of Lima and St. Ambrose, Catholic K-8 schools, and St. Pius X High School.

Parks and recreation

The Northwest Branch YMCA is the closest

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

to Garden Oaks. The Garden Oaks Montessori Spark Park is located adjacent to the school at 901 Sue Barnett Dr. and was recently revamped in July 2020, adding new soccer goals, benches, a new and relocated backstop, and re-paved quarter-mile track.

Media

The local weekly newspaper '' The Leader'' is distributed to Garden Oaks, as well as The Garden Oaks Gazette. The ''

'' is the citywide paper.

References

External links

Garden Oaks

Northwest Corner

Garden Oaks Elementary School
{{Coord missing, Texas Neighborhoods in Houston