Conroe is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Montgomery County,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States, about north of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. It is a

principal city In the United States, a principal city is the largest incorporated place with a population of at least 10,000 in a core-based statistical area (CBSA) or New England city and town area (NECTA), or if no incorporated place of least 10,000 populati ...

in the metropolitan area. As of 2024, the population was 114,581. Since 2007, the city has increased in size (and population) by annexation, with the city territory expanding from 52.8 to 74.4 square miles. Some communities have attempted to fight such annexation. According to the

Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, Conroe was the fastest-growing large city in the United States between July 1, 2015, and July 1, 2016.

History

The city is named after Isaac Conroe. Born in the North, he served as a Union Cavalry officer and settled in

after the Civil War. There he became a lumberman.Jackson, Charles Christopher
Conroe, TX.
The Handbook of Texas Online: December 11, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2018. Conroe founded a sawmill in this area in 1881. The community built its early economy and wealth on the lumber industry. Originally named "Conroe's Switch", the community received an influx of workers and residents in the late 19th century who were attracted to the growth of the lumber industry, which harvested the local piney wood forest. In 1886, Conroe Mill School was established in the expanding town.

Conroe Normal and Industrial College Conroe Normal and Industrial College (1903–1981) was a private co-educational vocational school and normal school for African American students, founded in 1903 in Conroe, Texas Conroe is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, ...

, a school for African Americans, served the area. Six lynchings were recorded in Montgomery County around the turn of the century, and some suspects were lynched at the courthouse in Conroe. In 1922, a young black man named Joe Winters was lynched, burned alive on the courthouse square for allegedly attacking a young white woman. Within the black community, it was known he was in a consensual relationship with the woman, who denied it when they were discovered. In 1941 Bob White was shot to death in the courthouse, during his third trial. The African-American man was arrested in 1936 on charges of assaulting a white woman in

Livingston, Texas Livingston is a town in and the county seat of Polk County, Texas, United States. With a population of 5,640 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, it is the largest city in Polk County. It is located approximately south of Lufk ...

. (Alternative accounts in the black community said they had a standing consensual relationship.) He was first tried there, before an

all-white jury Racial discrimination in jury selection is specifically prohibited by law in many jurisdictions throughout the world. In the United States, it has been defined through a series of judicial decisions. However, juries composed solely of one racial ...

. They convicted him. The case was appealed with the help of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

in Houston because he had not been given a lawyer or been able to contact family, and he was tortured in interrogation. The second trial was held in Conroe for a

change of venue A change of venue is the legal term for moving a trial (law), trial to a new location. In high-profile matters, a change of venue may occur to move a jury trial away from a location where a fair and impartial jury may not be possible due to wides ...

. Another

convicted White again. The case reached the United States Supreme Court on appeal, which had just ruled that coerced confessions were unconstitutional and remanded the case to the lower court for trial. During the proceedings in the courtroom, in front of the judge and numerous witnesses, the husband of the alleged victim shot White in the back of the head and immediately killed him. The husband was arrested and tried the following week, and was acquitted. In 1931 George W. Strake discovered the Conroe Oil Field. Distillate and natural gas were produced from the

Cockfield Formation The Cockfield Formation is a geologic formation in Mississippi. It preserves fossils dating back to the Paleogene period Period may refer to: Common uses * Period (punctuation) * Era, a length or span of time *Menstruation, commonly referred ...

at a depth of about . cA second well in 1932 produced 1200 BOPD. By 1935, the field had produced 40 million barrels of oil. During the 1930s, because of oil profits, the city briefly boasted more millionaires per capita than any other U.S. city. After the construction of

Interstate 45 Interstate 45 (I-45) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. While most primary Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, ...

in the postwar period improved automobile access, many Houstonians began to follow the highway to new suburban communities that developed around Conroe.

Geography

The

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

classifies Conroe as a

within the metropolitan area. The city is about north of

Annexation

When Conroe incorporated in 1904, the city limits encompassed a 5.44 square mile area. From 1970 to 2000, the city limits expanded from 7.15 square miles to 42.35 square miles.100 Plus Years of Growth: Conroe's City Limit Expansion 1904 to December 2013.
City of Conroe, Texas. Retrieved March 12, 2018. Beginning in 2007, the city outlined a plan to continue expanding its city limits through

annexation Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...

.Kuhles, Beth
Conroe studies future annexation options.
Houston Chronicle: February 22, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2018. According to Chapter 43 of the Texas Local Government Code,

home rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

municipalities like Conroe may annex territory that is adjacent to the city's current boundaries, with certain restrictions. The city's 2007 plan projected doubling its size through a combination of voluntary and involuntary annexations. As of 2022, the city has annexed territory every year since 2007, increasing the city limits from 52.8 to 77.5 square miles.Mendoza, Jesse
Conroe expands city limits, tax base through annual annexation program.
''Community Impact Newspaper'': June 8, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2018.City Limits through April 2022.
City of Conroe, Texas. Retrieved December 29, 2022. In April 2015, residents of the gated community of April Sound filed a lawsuit against Conroe after their community was annexed on January 1, 2015. The lawsuit was dismissed in March 2017. Involuntary annexations were a major issue in the 2016 mayoral election, the first after April Sound residents were incorporated into the city. Proponents of annexation contended that it was a useful tool to "promote and facilitate growth and progress," while those in opposition were concerned about whether annexed territories receive a "fair shake" in the negotiations. In 2017, the city council voted in favor of additional involuntary annexations.

Ecosystem

Conroe is in the southwest corner of the East Texas Piney Woods. The Piney Woods consist of pine trees and hardwood forests. The most common type of tree in the southwest Piney Woods is the

loblolly pine ''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pi ...

Shortleaf pine The shortleaf pine or ''Pinus echinata'' is a species of coniferous tree endemic to the United States. The shortleaf pine is sometimes referred to as the "old field", "spruce", "rosemary", "yellow", "two-leaf" and "heart" pine. The common name " ...

are also abundant. Pockets of blackland prairie vegetation are also present, but are disappearing due to

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...

."Flood Insurance Study: Montgomery County, Texas and incorporated areas volume 1 of 6"
Federal Emergency Management Agency: September 23, 2008. Pages 6-8, 13. Retrieved March 11, 2018. In 1926, the Texas A&M Forest Service purchased 1700 acres of Piney Woods to establish W. Goodrich Jones State Forest. The forest serves as a research and demonstration area for sustainable forestry techniques. The forest also preserves the habitat of the

red-cockaded woodpecker The red-cockaded woodpecker (''Leuconotopicus borealis'') is a woodpecker endemic to the southeastern United States. It is a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Description The red-cockaded woodpecker is small- to mi ...

, a species classified in the early 21st century as

Near Threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

. In 2017, Texas A&M asked Conroe state senator Brandon Creighton to author a bill setting aside 10 percent of the forest for educational and research-related development. The bill also opened the possibility of commercial development on the land. Public concern over the bill persuaded Creighton to revise it. The final version, which passed the Senate unanimously, protected the entire forest from development.

Water resources

The West Fork of the San Jacinto River flows through the western edge of Conroe. The entire city is within the river's watershed. The river flows southeast from

Lake Conroe Lake Conroe is a lake in Montgomery County, Texas, United States. Even though it is named Lake Conroe, only the southern third of the lake is in Conroe, Texas. Most of the lake is in unincorporated Montgomery County, while a small northern sli ...

, a 19,640 surface acre lake created by a dam in 1973 to establish an alternative source of drinking water for

.History of Lake Conroe.
San Jacinto River Authority. Retrieved March 10, 2018. Conroe developed over several geologic layers of underground

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...

s, which supply the city with fresh drinking water. Due to rapid development in this area, and the increased population of Conroe and the surrounding area, the groundwater supply is being withdrawn faster than it can be replenished. As a result, the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, which oversees groundwater usage in Montgomery County, mandated that Conroe reduce its groundwater usage by 30 percent of 2009 amounts by January 1, 2016.Jordan, Jay R
Conroe loses rehearing motion on water lawsuit, could appeal to Texas Supreme Court.
''Houston Chronicle'': March 7, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2018. As part of the groundwater usage reduction plan, the

San Jacinto River Authority The San Jacinto River Authority manages the San Jacinto River and its contributing watershed, which is located in Southeast Texas. The Texas Legislature established the authority in 1937 as the San Jacinto River Conservation and Reclamation Distr ...

began in September 2015 to supplement Conroe's groundwater supply with surface water pumped from Lake Conroe. The SJRA charges the city usage fees to cover the cost of pumping and treating the water.Mendoza, Jesse
Water dispute costs county residents millions of dollars.
''Community Impact Newspaper'': July 25, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2018. On August 27, 2015, the City of Conroe filed a lawsuit against the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, claiming that the LSGCD did not have the authority to limit the city's groundwater usage. The city also refused to pay SJRA water usage fee increases in 2016, resulting in a separate lawsuit filed by the SJRA against the city. The LSGCD and Conroe reached a settlement agreement in January 2019. The SJRA case was dismissed in June 2020. Parts of Conroe surrounding the West Fork of the San Jacinto River are in a floodplain. Significant flooding occurs along the floodplain when rainfall exceeds nine inches in a 48-hour period. The Conroe area has approximately a 10 percent chance of receiving this much rainfall in any given year. Urban development in Conroe and the surrounding area has also exacerbated the risk of flooding.Zedaker, Hannah
Montgomery County recovers from historic flood conditions.
Community Impact Newspaper: June 13, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2018. Montgomery County had 500-year floods in three successive years, in May 2015, April 2016, and August 2017.Schlafer, Kelly
Local officials to study flood mitigation in Montgomery County.
''Community Impact Newspaper'': January 24, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2018. A 500-year flood has a 0.2 percent chance of occurring in a year. In addition, a fourth major flood occurred in May 2016, resulting in two major floods in two months. The flooding in August 2017 took place during

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cy ...

, when nearly 32 inches of rain fell on the city. To protect the integrity of the dam, San Jacinto River Authority officials released 79,100 cubic feet per second of water from Lake Conroe downstream into the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, exacerbating flooding already taking place in the floodplain. Conroe city officials ordered a mandatory evacuation of McDade Estates, a neighborhood on the banks of the river. As a response to the flooding, Montgomery County commissioners in October 2017 requested $1.25 million from the federal government for a flood mitigation study, along with an additional $95.5 million to implement various flood mitigation projects.

Demographics

During the first decade of the 21st century, the city attracted many new residents from the Houston area. Renée C. Lee said that Conroe around 2002 was "a sleepy, backwater town" and that at the time, Conroe city officials needed to use financial incentives to attract home developers to Conroe. Between 2003 and 2006, Conroe became a hotbed of construction of new houses. As a result, Conroe's population grew from 36,811 in 2000 to 56,207 in 2010. As of the 2020 United States census, there were 89,956 people, 32,547 households, and 21,369 families residing in the city. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

U.S. Census website
United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 13, 2018. of 2010, there were 56,207 people, 18,651 households, and 13,086 families residing in the city. Since the 2010 census, Conroe's population has continued to grow. Between 2014 and 2015, Conroe was the sixth fastest growing city in the United States.Rhor, Monica, and John D. Harden
Conroe booming as America's fastest growing city.
Houston Chronicle: May 26, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2018. The following year, the US Census Bureau reported that Conroe was the fastest-growing large city in the United States. It had a 7.8% growth rate between 2015 and 2016."The 15 Fastest-Growing Large Cities between July 1, 2015, and July 1, 2016 (Populations of 50,000 or more in 2015)"
Vintage 2016 population estimates: United States Census Bureau. Accessed on June 15, 2017. New housing developments throughout the city have contributed to the rapid population growth. Conroe's annexation of growing communities within its

extraterritorial jurisdiction Extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries. Any authority can claim ETJ over any external territory they wish. However, for the claim to be effective in the external ...

has also contributed to its growth. The racial makeup of the city was 69.7% White (including Hispanic), 10.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.2% Native American, 1.8% Asian, less than 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 13.7% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 38.5% of the population. White alone (not Hispanic or Latino) were 48.3% of the total population. According to the 2016

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, the median income for a household in the city was $50,517 and the median income for a family was $60,087. Males had a median income of $44,343 versus $37,747 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $28,672. About 12.2% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over. In response to income inequality, several non-profit groups including the Montgomery County

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

, and the Crisis Assistance Center help provide residents of the area with a variety of services ranging from transportation to food and shelter.

Economy

In the early 1980s,

Exxon Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the largest direct successor of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the modern company was form ...

considered consolidating its employees to a site in Conroe. The company ended the plans after the local oil-based economy collapsed.Dawson, Jennifer. "Exxon Mobil campus 'clearly happening'." ''

Houston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...

''. Friday January 15, 2010
2
Retrieved on January 16, 2010. According to the city's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,City of Conroe 2016 CAFR, page 138
Retrieved February 25, 2018 the top employers in the city are:

Culture

Downtown Conroe's Central Business District hosts multiple arts venues. The oldest is the Crighton Theatre, which opened on November 26, 1935. The theatre is named after Harry M. Crighton, Conroe's mayor from 1932 to 1933. The theatre functioned as the community's movie theatre until 1967, at which point it fell into disrepair. In 1979 it was renovated, and it now hosts live theatrical productions. Another theatre, the Owen Theatre, is also located in the district. The Central Business District has outdoor performance venues at Conroe Founder's Plaza and Heritage Place, which host multiple festivals throughout the year. The city supports several arts organizations, including the Greater Conroe Arts Alliance. The Alliance is a network of multiple arts groups in the city such as the Conroe Symphony, the Conroe Art League, and the Montgomery County Choral Society. The Alliance also sponsors, along with the state of Texas, the Young Texas Artists Music Competition. The competition, founded in 1983, showcases young musicians who aspire to careers in classical music. In 2009, the city sponsored the Art Bench Project, which converted 13 stone benches scattered throughout the central business district into works of art. Each bench portrays a different part of Conroe's history and culture, from historical figures like George Strake and Charles B. Stewart to contemporary art groups such as the Crighton Players.

Parks and recreation

The city contains multiple parks which document local history. The Heritage Museum of Montgomery County maintains artifacts of Montgomery County's early settlers. The Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park displays the flags that flew over Texas. The flags are positioned in a circle around the park, with a statue of a

Texian Texians were Anglo-American immigrants to Mexican Texas and, later, citizens of the Republic of Texas. Today, the term is used to identify early Anglo settlers of Texas, especially those who supported the Texas Revolution. Mexican settlers of tha ...

in the center. Each flag comes with a plaque that describes its connection to Texas history. At the park's entrance is a statue of Charles B. Stewart, who is claimed to have designed the lone star flag. Montgomery County War Memorial Park is a memorial to the 166 soldiers from Montgomery County who have been killed in active duty. The park's dedication ceremony was in 1976 and featured a speech by President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

.Zedaker, Hannah
Veteran's memorial commission planning to relocate War Memorial Park.
''Community Impact Newspaper'': June 12, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2018. In 2017, the Montgomery County Commissioners Court and the City of Conroe agreed to relocate and expand the memorial, to include the names of up to 50,000 soldiers who have lived in Montgomery County. As of June 2019, the expansion is ongoing.

, northwest of downtown Conroe, is a site for such water-based activities as boating and fishing. The most common fish in the lake are

Largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus nigricans'') is a carnivorous, freshwater fish, freshwater, ray-finned fish in the Centrarchidae (sunfish) family, native to the eastern United States, eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada an ...

bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or, in Texas, "copper nose", is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands ea ...

channel catfish The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus''), known informally as the "channel cat", is a species of catfish native to North America. They are North America's most abundant catfish species, and the official state fish of Kansas, Missouri, Nebra ...

white bass The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (''Morone chrysops'') is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12–15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with whit ...

, and

hybrid striped bass A hybrid striped bass (''Morone chrysops × M. saxatilis''), also commonly referred to by the portmanteau wiper, is a freshwater hybrid fish between white bass (''Morone chrysops'') and striped bass (''M. saxatilis''). In the United States, wipe ...

Crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxi ...

may also be found in the early spring and fall.

Government

Local government

For the 2019 Fiscal Year, the city had $157.8 million in revenues and $147.9 million in expenditures. The city's net position was $189.7 million. The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:

Law enforcement

The Conroe Police Department has 142 full-time police officers and 42 support staff. The department has a number of bureaus. The Uniformed Services Bureau includes the Patrol Division,

SWAT A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...

a part time unit and honor guard. The Support Services Bureau the Criminal Investigations Division and animal control unit. On 14 September 1982, Sergeant Ed Holcomb was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call. In July 2013, Conroe Police Sergeant Jason Blackwelder was off duty, and he observed store employees chasing a shoplifting suspect. He joined the chase. In an isolated area, Blackwelder killed the suspect with a single gunshot to the back of the head. In June 2014, he was convicted of

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

. He was sentenced to five years'

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incar ...

Public libraries

The county operates the main branch of the

Montgomery County Memorial Library System Montgomery County Memorial Library System is a public library system in Montgomery County, Texas, United States. The system operates libraries in several Montgomery County cities and areas. History The library started with 1,200 items inside t ...

State government

98% of Conroe is represented in the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

(

District 4 District 4 can refer to: * District 4, Düsseldorf, in Germany * District 4, Grand Bassa County, in Liberia * District 4 (Ho Chi Minh City), in Vietnam * District 4 (New York City Council), in the United States * IV District, Turku, in Finland *Aus ...

) by Republican Brandon Creighton. A small portion of the northern part of Conroe is part of

District 3 District 3 can refer to: *III District, Turku, in Finland *District 3, Düsseldorf, in Germany *District 3, Grand Bassa County, in Liberia *District 3, Malta, an electoral district of Malta *District 3, a police district of Malta *Wiedikon, also k ...

, represented by Republican Robert Nichols.Who Represents Me: Districts by City
Texas Legislative Council. Retrieved on June 17, 2017 In the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

, 94% of Conroe is part of District 16, represented by Republican Will Metcalf. The southern portion of Conroe is in District 15, represented by Republican

Steve Toth Steve Hixson Toth (born November 29, 1960) is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 15, The Woodlands area. Early life and education Born and raised in New York (state), Ne ...

. Less than 1% of Conroe residents are part of District 3, represented by Republican Cecil Bell Jr. The

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...

(TDCJ) operates the Conroe District Parole Office in Conroe.

Federal government

At the Federal level, the two U.S. senators from Texas are Republicans

John Cornyn John Cornyn III ( ; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. ...

and

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

. Conroe is part of

Texas's 8th congressional district Texas's 8th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes all of Polk County, Texas, Polk and San Jacinto County, Texas, San Jacinto counties, and parts of Harris County, Texas, Harris, Walker County, Texas, Wal ...

, which is represented by Republican Morgan Luttrell. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

Conroe Post Office is located at 809 West Dallas Street.

Education

Colleges and universities

Residents of both

Conroe ISD Conroe Independent School District (CISD) is a school district in Montgomery County, Texas. The current superintendent has been Dr. Curtis Null since June 2018. As of April 2024, Conroe ISD was the 9th largest school district in Texas and 60th ...

and Willis ISD (and therefore the whole city of Conroe) are served by the

Lone Star College System Lone Star College (LSC) is a public community college system serving the northern portions of the Greater Houston, Texas, area. In 2017, it enrolled about 95,000 students. The headquarters of the Lone Star College System are located in The Woo ...

(formerly North Harris Montgomery Community College). It is primarily served by the Lone Star College-Montgomery Campus and LSC University Center. Other campuses in the county include the EMCID Center in New Caney, and the Conroe Center. The territory in Conroe ISD joined the community college district in 1991, and the territory in Willis ISD joined the district in 1996. The Catholic University of St. Thomas opened a campus in Conroe in fall 2020. The Old Conroe Police building has been adapted to serve as a temporary site for up to three years. The permanent campus is proposed to be at Deison Technology Park. Class of 1952 alumnus Vincent D'Amico offered the university of land in east Montgomery County for the project.

Public school districts

Almost all areas of Conroe are within the

Conroe Independent School District Conroe Independent School District (CISD) is a school district in Montgomery County, Texas. The current superintendent has been Dr. Curtis Null since June 2018. As of April 2024, Conroe ISD was the 9th largest school district in Texas and 60th ...

though a small northern section of Conroe is within the

Willis Independent School District The Willis Independent School District is a public school district based in Willis, Texas, Willis, Texas, United States. Located in Montgomery County, Texas, Montgomery County, the district extends into a portion of San Jacinto County, Texas, ...

, and a western section is in the

Montgomery Independent School District Montgomery Independent School District is a public school district based in Montgomery, Texas. The district's attendance zone includes the city of Montgomery, portions of Conroe, and the surrounding unincorporated area of Montgomery County ...

Conroe Independent School District

All of the schools listed here are in the city of Conroe. Approximately 60% of the Conroe ISD section of Conroe is zoned to

Conroe High School Conroe High School is a secondary school in Conroe, Texas. The school is a part of the Conroe Independent School District and serves most of the city of Conroe as well as portions of unincorporated Montgomery County, including the community of ...

though some parts of Conroe attend Oak Ridge High School and

Caney Creek High School Caney Creek High School is a high school in Montgomery County, Texas, near Conroe. It is part of the Conroe Independent School District. Caney Creek serves several areas in Montgomery County, including the city of Cut and Shoot, the census-d ...

. The junior high schools that serve the Conroe High School feeder zone are: *John V. Peet Junior High School *Washington Junior High School *Albert B. Moorhead Junior High School Some intermediate schools that serve the Conroe High School feeder zone are: *Cryar Intermediate School *Travis Intermediate School *Bozman Intermediate School Some elementary schools that serve the Conroe High School feeder zone are: *Anderson Elementary School *Neil Armstrong Elementary School *Giesinger Elementary School *Sam Houston Elementary School *O. A. Reaves Elementary School *B. B. Rice Elementary School *J. W. Runyan Elementary School *Wilkinson Elementary School

Willis Independent School District

The Willis ISD section is zoned to Turner Elementary School, Brabham Middle School, and

Willis High School Willis High School is a public high school in Montgomery County, Texas, United States. It is a part of the Willis Independent School District. In 2022, the school received a C grade from the Texas Education Agency. History The school was opened ...

Private schools

*Sacred Heart Catholic School –

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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

* Covenant Christian School *Lifestyle Christian School *Montgomery Christian Academy The closest Catholic high school is Frassati Catholic High School in north Harris County; Conroe is in the school's intended catchment area.

Media

'' The Courier'' is a

daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

published in Conroe, Texas, covering

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Montg ...

. In 2016, the newspaper was purchased by

Hearst Communications Hearst Corporation, Hearst Holdings Inc. and Hearst Communications Inc. comprise an American multinational mass media and business information conglomerate owned by the Hearst family and based in Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan in New York ...

, a

media conglomerate A media conglomerate, media company, media group, or media institution is a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises, such as music, television, radio, publishing, motion pictures, video games, amusement parks, or ...

which also owns and operates the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, 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''. ...

''. Two Houston television stations,

Ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...

owned-and-operated KPXB-TV (channel 49) and

Quest A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. It serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of every nat ...

owned-and-operated

KTBU KTBU (channel 55) is a television station licensed to Conroe, Texas, United States, serving as the Houston area outlet for the digital multicast network Quest (American TV network), Quest. It is owned and operated by Tegna Inc. alongside CBS af ...

(channel 55), are licensed to Conroe. Both stations operate from studios located in the city of Houston. Two

low-power FM Low-power broadcasting is broadcasting by a broadcast station at a low transmitter power output to a smaller service area than "full power" stations within the same region. It is often distinguished from "micropower broadcasting" (more commonl ...

radio stations, KZCW-LP (104.5 FM) and KZCC-LP (106.1 FM), are owned by the city. The stations were purchased for emergency broadcasts during natural and civil emergencies, but air local and regional content when these are not a threat. Content is usually simulcast on the city's official cable television channel 12 "''Our City TV''" on the Consolidated and

Optimum Mathematical optimization (alternatively spelled ''optimisation'') or mathematical programming is the selection of a best element, with regard to some criteria, from some set of available alternatives. It is generally divided into two subfiel ...

providers.

Infrastructure

Transportation

In 2012 the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

classified the area around Conroe and The Woodlands as a "large urbanized transit area." This is defined as an area having more than 200,000 residents, which makes it eligible to receive federal transportation funds, particularly to support transit. *

directly connects the city with

to its south (40 miles) and with

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

to its northwest (200 miles). * Texas Highway 105 connects the city of

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

to the east and town of Montgomery to the west. * Texas Loop 336 circles the city of Conroe. * Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport provides

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

services to Conroe. *

Greyhound Bus Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as intercity buses in Mexico. B ...

operate a small station. *

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is a major public transportation agency based in Houston, Texas, United States. It operates bus, light rail, bus rapid transit, HOV and HOT lanes, and paratransit service (under the n ...

(291 Conroe Park & Ride) provide service to Downtown Houston. *The City of Conroe launched a local bus service, Conroe Connection, in 2015. It runs Monday through Friday, from 7:00 am to 7:00 pmCity of Conroe: Transit.
Accessed on June 25, 2017. *Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

operates the busy Conroe subdivision, an east–west railroad main line that runs from Silsbee in Hardin County to Navasota in Grimes County. There it intersects a main line running between Fort Worth and Galveston. Union Pacific Railroad Corporation operates another busy main line that runs north from Houston in Harris County to Palestine in Anderson County, known as the Palestine subdivision. The two railroads intersect at a diamond in downtown Conroe between Main and First Streets.

Healthcare

In the early 1920s the Mary Swain Sanitarium, was established as the first organized healthcare institution in the city.
See at
''

''
see at

PressReader PressReader is a digital newspaper distribution and technology company with headquarters in Vancouver, Canada and offices in Dublin, Ireland and Manila, Philippines. PressReader distributes digital versions of over 7,000 newspapers and magazines ...

. The Mary Swain Sanitarium was private. In 1938 the Montgomery County Hospital, a public institution, replaced it. It had 25 beds. The hospital closed after a new hospital of the Montgomery County Hospital District opened in 1982.

Notable people

* Brandon Allen, former Major League Baseball player for

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

* Brian Barkley, former pitcher for

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

* Kyle Bennett, professional BMX racer * Richard Bradford, motion picture and television actor, notable leading roles in ''Man in the Suitcase'', ''The Untouchables'' and ''Trip to Bountiful'' * Clarence Lee Brandley, exonerated prisoner *

Jeromy Burnitz Jeromy Neal Burnitz (born April 15, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player. Burnitz was a right fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the New York Mets (1993–94, 2002–03), Cleveland Indians (1995–96), Milwaukee ...

, Conroe High School 1987, baseball player drafted by

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

in 1990; played for seven major league teams over a fourteen-year career * Rock Cartwright, NFL running back,

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Andrew Cashner Andrew Burton Cashner (born September 11, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red ...

, Conroe High School 2005, drafted by

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

, pitcher for Texas Rangers *

Jonathan Daviss Jonathan Pierce Daviss (born February 28, 2000), also known simply as J.D. or JD, is an American actor. He stars as Pope Heyward in the Netflix drama series ''Outer Banks.'' Early life Daviss was raised in Conroe, Texas and attended Conroe Hig ...

, leading role in the Netflix series

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separatin ...

Colin Edwards Colin Edwards II (born February 27, 1974), nicknamed the "Texas Tornado", is an American former professional Motorcycle sport, motorcycle racer who retired half-way through the 2014 season. He is a two-time List of Superbike World champions, Wo ...

, two-time World Superbike champion and former MotoGP rider *

Annette Gordon-Reed Annette Gordon-Reed (born November 19, 1958) is an American historian and law professor. She is currently the Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard University and a professor of history in the university's Faculty of Arts & Sciences. She ...

, historian and law professor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

MacArthur fellow The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and 30 individuals workin ...

and winner of the

Pulitzer Prize for History The Pulitzer Prize for History, administered by Columbia University, is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished book about the histor ...

and the

National Book Award for Nonfiction The National Book Award for Nonfiction is one of five US annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation to recognize outstanding literary work by US citizens. They are awards "by writers to writers". The panelists a ...

* John Hambrick, broadcast journalist, reporter, actor, voice-over announcer, and TV documentary producer * Matt Lepsis, former National Football League player for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

and

Super Bowl XXXIII Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion and defending Super Bowl XXXII champion 1998 Denver Broncos season, Denver Broncos and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion ...

winner * Parker McCollum, Texas Country musician * John Monroe, infielder in Major League Baseball for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

* David M. Parsons, 2011 Texas State Poet Laureate *

Kevin Slowey Kevin Michael Slowey (born May 4, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Slowey was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the second round (73rd overall) of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. He also played for the Miami Mar ...

, starting pitcher for MLB's

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

* Grant Stuard, NFL player and 2021 Mr. Irrelevant *

Roger Vick Roger Hamilton Vick (born August 11, 1964) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a Fullback (American football), fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagle ...

, former NFL fullback

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Conroe has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Conroe, Texas
/ref>

Explanatory notes

References

External links

*
Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of CommerceConroe in Handbook of Texas
{{authority control Cities in Montgomery County, Texas Cities in Texas County seats in Texas Greater Houston Populated places established in the 1880s