Montgomery County, Texas

Montgomery County, Texas
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 620,443. The county seat is Conroe. 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. Between 2000 and 2010, its population grew by 55%, the 24th-fastest rate of growth of any county in the United States. Between 2010 and 2020, its population grew by 36%. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the estimated population is 678,490 as of July 1, 2022.
Montgomery County is part of the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (3.3%) are covered by water.
Adjacent counties
Walker County (north)
San Jacinto County (northeast)
Liberty County (east)
Harris County (south)
Waller County (west)
Grimes County (northwest)
National protected area
Sam Houston National Forest (partial)
Communities
Cities
Cleveland (most of the city is in Liberty County)
Conroe (county seat)
Cut and Shoot
Houston (most of the city is in Harris County)
Magnolia
Montgomery
Oak Ridge North
Panorama Village
Patton Village
Roman Forest
Shenandoah
Splendora
Willis
Woodbranch
Towns
Stagecoach
Woodloch
Census-designated places
Pinehurst
Porter Heights
The Woodlands (small part of the CDP located in Harris County)
Unincorporated communities
Chateau Woods (former city)
Decker Prairie
Dobbin
Egypt
Grangerland
Imperial Oaks
New Caney
Porter
River Plantation
Spring (larger part in Harris County, which includes the CDP part)
Tamina
Demographics
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
As of the 2010 census, there were 455,746 people, 162,530 households, and 121,472 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 177,647 housing units at an average density of .
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. 20.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. At the 2020 census, the racial and ethnic makeup was 59.86% non-Hispanic white, 5.51% African American or Black, 0.30% Native American, 3.45% Asian alone, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.41% some other race, 3.92% multiracial, and 26.45% Hispanic or Latino American of any race.
At the 2010 census there were 162,530 households, out of which 36.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.70% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.30% were non-families. 20.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the county, 27.60% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 26.60% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.29 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.94 males.
At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $50,864, and the median income 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 7.10% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.90% of those under age 18 and 10.10% of those age 65 or over.
From 2010 to 2016, 54% of all vehicle-related fatalities in the county were related to the use of controlled substances, including alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine and synthetic drugs. According to Tyler Dunman, former Montgomery County assistant district attorney, approximately 60-70% of all crime in the county is connected to substance abuse.
Politics
Since the late 20th century, Texas's suburbs, especially those of Houston, Dallas and Austin, have supported Democratic candidates in greater proportion. However, Montgomery County has largely bucked this trend; it has given GOP candidates 70 percent or more of the vote since 2000. The county has not been won by a Democratic presidential candidate 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. In 2008, 75.8% of the voters supported the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin. In 2016, this 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.
United States Congress
Texas Legislature
Texas Senate
Texas House of Representatives
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 (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.
Libraries
The county operates the Montgomery County Memorial Library System.
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
Interstate 45
Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59
State Highway 75
State Highway 99 - Grand Parkway Toll Road
State Highway 105
State Highway 242
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
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). 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.
See also
List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
Earth Quest Adventures
National Register of Historic Places listings in Montgomery County, Texas
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Montgomery County
References
External links
Montgomery County government's website
Montgomery County in the Handbook of Texas Online from The University of Texas at Austin
History of the Lake Creek Settlement and the Founding of the Town of Montgomery, Texas
Early History of Montgomery County, Texas
Lonestar College – The Lone Star College System, formerly known as the North Harris Montgomery Community College District, is accredited through the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
Montgomery County Community Website
1837 establishments in the Republic of Texas
Populated places established in 1837
Hurricane Ike
Greater Houston