Known as the "Livable Forest," it is the largest master-planned community in Harris County and second-largest within the 10-county Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area.

[6] The Foster Lumber Company originally owned a portion of the tract of land that was later developed into the community of Kingwood.

[7] On December 28, 1967, the land was sold to the joint venture between King Ranch and the Friendswood Development Company, an Exxon subsidiary.

[8] Exxon's Friendswood Development Company hired John Bruton Jr. to serve as the Operations Manager in which he was responsible for the planning, development, engineering, and construction of Kingwood[9] Plans for the community included greenbelts, shopping centers, schools, churches, recreational facilities, riding and hiking trails, and a boat ramp with access to Lake Houston.

[10] Renée C. Lee of the Houston Chronicle said that Kingwood residents "fought an uphill battle [against annexation] for two years.

[15] Imad F. Abdullah, the President of Landmark Architects Inc., criticized the residents who fought annexation in his 1996 editorial in the Houston Business Journal, arguing that a "not in my backyard" mentality in particular communities overall negatively affects the entire metropolitan area.

[16] Houston annexed Kingwood at 11:59 PM on December 31, 1996,[17] adding about 15,000 acres (6,100 ha) to the city limits.

[11] Kingwood residents lobbied the Texas Legislature, asking for modifications to the state's annexation laws.

The modified law allows for communities to use arbitration if the annexing cities fail to follow through with their service plans.

The community, newly suburban and heavily forested, includes over 15,000 acres (6,100 ha) in nature preserves and parks.

[11] Kingwood is thirty miles northeast of Downtown Houston in the piney woods of southeastern Texas.

During the summer, many of the villages organize youth swimming teams affiliated with the Northwest Aquatic League (NWAL).

The golf courses and clubhouses were used in the filming of the 1996 movie, "Tin Cup" starring Kevin Costner.

MacAnulty of the Houston Police Department, who worked at the Kingwood substation, stated that almost all of the crime is perpetrated by juveniles.

[33] Kingwood pupils residing in Harris County attend the Humble Independent School District.

[48] Dedicated on August 12, 1983, the 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m2) original Kingwood Branch of the Harris County Public Library, had over 112,000 books.

In 2006 Mayor of Houston Bill White said that the city had to cover the debts of the MUDs, so it increased the water and sewer rates.

"[11] METRO operates a single Park and Ride location in Kingwood to provide commuters with an alternative to driving themselves downtown.

The Kingwood Chamber of Commerce serves local businesses and the community with regular activities such as Kleenwood.

Residents believed that they received a higher quality of police and fire services than the City of Houston offered.

[59] Ordinarily the city government would, post-annexation, allow volunteer fire departments to continue operating under a contract.

White also said that he received requests to remove police officers from Kingwood and place them in areas of Houston with higher crime rates.

White said that he refused the requests since the removal would impact response times in Kingwood, the worst in the city.

"[63] Prior to annexation, the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable provided law enforcement services.

[65][66] As of 2006, the Kingwood fire stations include one district chief, 30 firefighters, three medic units, and nine pieces of equipment.

He added that many of the new staff of the emergency services stations were not familiar with Kingwood, and some were unable to find certain locations, leading to slow response times and 11 deaths.

[74] The United States Postal Service Kingwood Post Office is located at 4025 Feather Lakes Way.

[77] Kingwood has over 500 acres (200 ha) of nature preserves and parks, and it has over 75 miles (121 km) of hike and bicycle trails.

At the south end of Woodland Hills Drive, there is River Grove, a 74-acre park with activities including 18-hole disc golf course, boat ramp with access to Lake Houston, fishing, picnic areas (including 4 covered picnic shelters with grills), playground area, pavilion facility, and restrooms.

It includes a picnic pavilion and a skate facility[92] Kingwood residents enjoy a number of community events throughout the year, including: See also: List of companies in Houston See: List of colleges and universities in Houston Category Texas portal