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Stella, Harris County, Texas

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Stella , in Harris County, Texas was formerly an unincorporated area located approximately 10 miles southwest of downtown Houston . It existed there during the late 1800s through the 1920s and then it disappeared from area maps . During the 1950s the area was annexed into the City of Houston

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94-469: Over the years various railroad lines went through, crossed, and connected with the area. A railroad timetable from the era shows Stella as a stop with access to connecting trains. The identifier "Stella" is affixed to the signal bungalow located next to the tracks along Holmes Road about 1/4 mile west of Kirby Drive. The modern day Stella Link Road in Houston gets its name from Stella, Texas. It began as

188-468: A Spanish Renaissance architectural style and was financed by a $ 55,000 bond. The majority of the land that housed the school was donated by D. T. Austin and W. D. Haden. In the 1970s and 1980s West University parents reshaped West University Elementary, which Tim Fleck of the Houston Press described as "deteriorating", into "a community focal point that kept many West U children in public school through

282-648: A census-designated place (CDP). A CDP is an area defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. It is a populated area that generally includes one officially designated but currently unincorporated community for which the CDP is named, plus surrounding inhabited countryside of varying dimensions, and occasionally other smaller unincorporated communities as well. Otherwise, it has no legal status. The Census Bureau designates some unincorporated areas as "unorganized territories", as defined by

376-424: A county island is surrounded on most or all sides by municipalities. In areas of sparse population, the majority of the land in any given state may be unincorporated. Some states, including North Carolina , grant extraterritorial jurisdiction to cities and towns (but rarely villages) so that they may control zoning for a limited distance into adjacent unincorporated areas, often as a precursor (and sometimes as

470-585: A local services board in Ontario. In New Brunswick, where a significant population lives in a local service district , taxation and services may come directly from the province. The entire area of the Czech Republic is divided into municipalities ; the only exceptions are four military training areas . These are parts of the regions and do not form self-governing municipalities, but are rather governed by military offices ( újezdní úřad ), which are subordinate to

564-710: A "door" is formed on the map surrounding Southside Place. (See map) The Poor Farm Ditch is a ditch that drains into the Brays Bayou that formerly belonged to the Harris County poor farm. In 1928, the ditch was dredged after significant flooding had occurred in the area. On occasions, the ditch still flooded. The commissioners of the City of West University adjourned their meeting so they could dam streets in December 1935. The Harris County Flood Control District, in 1954, widened and deepened

658-456: A "place or area with clustered or scattered buildings, and a permanent human population (city, settlement, town, village)." No legal boundaries exist, although a corresponding "civil" record may occur, the boundaries of which may or may not match the perceived populated place. Some nations have some exceptional unincorporated areas: Many countries, especially those with many centuries of history with multiple tiers of local government, do not use

752-746: A 15-year period ending in 2002, around half of the existing houses in West University Place were torn down and replaced with newer houses. There are a total of 26 subdivisions within West University: West University Place (First and Second), Belle Court, Bissonnet Place, Cambridge Place, College Court (part), College View (1st through 4th), Colonial Terrace, Cunningham Terrace, Evanston, Fairview, Kent Place, Krenzler Court, Matthews Place, Monticello, Pemberton, Pershing Place, Preston Place, Quenby Court, Rice Court, Sunset Terrace (part), Tangley Place, and Virginia Court. Rice Court

846-402: A ban prohibiting drivers around West University Elementary School from talking on mobile phones during school zone hours. AT&T tried and failed to persuade the city to not apply the ban. The West University City Council voted 5–0 to establish the ban; a person who violates the ban gets a $ 500 fine. In 2008 the Houston Press rated this ban as the "Best New Ordinance". In December 2009

940-622: A council of their own, usually an Ortsvorsteher or Ortsvorsteherin (village chairman / chairwoman) is appointed by the municipal council, except in the very smallest villages. In 2000, the number of unincorporated areas in Germany, called gemeindefreie Gebiete (municipality-free areas) or singular gemeindefreies Gebiet , was 295 with a total area of 4,890 km (1,890 sq mi) and around 1.4% of its territory. However, these are mostly unpopulated areas such as forests, lakes and their surroundings, military training areas, and

1034-492: A descriptive name, followed by the designation "unorganized territory". Unorganized territories were first used for statistical purposes in conjunction with the 1960 census. At the 2000 census there were 305 of these territories within the United States. Their total land area was 85,392 square miles (221,165 km ) and they had a total population of 247,331. South Dakota had the most unorganized territories, 102, as well as

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1128-453: A few other unique cases, almost all of Australia is part of an LGA. Unincorporated areas are often in remote locations, cover vast areas, or have very small populations. Postal addresses in unincorporated areas, as in other parts of Australia, normally use the suburb or locality names gazetted by the relevant state or territorial government. Thus, any ambiguity regarding addresses rarely exists in unincorporated areas. In Canada, depending on

1222-463: A form of direct democracy, such as the open town meeting or representative town meeting . Larger towns in New England may be incorporated as cities, with some form of mayor-council government. In New Jersey, multiple types exist, as well, such as city , township , town , borough , or village , but these differences are in the structure of the legislative branches, not in the powers or functions of

1316-462: A legal requirement) to later annexation of those areas. This is especially useful in rural counties that have no zoning at all, or only spot zoning for unincorporated communities. In California, all counties except the City and County of San Francisco have unincorporated areas. Even in highly populated counties, the unincorporated portions may contain a large number of inhabitants. In Los Angeles County ,

1410-472: A location in Harris County, Texas is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . West University, Texas West University Place , often called West University or West U for short, is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land metropolitan area and southwestern Harris County . At the 2020 U.S. census , the population of the city was 14,955. It

1504-455: A non-partisan basis, is elected during the first Saturday in the May of every odd-numbered year. Each member serves a term of two years. Members may serve for not more than two successive terms in each office. The council enacts legislation, adopts budgets, establishes policies and appoints the city manager, city secretary, city municipal court judges, prosecutors, and clerks. The City Council appoints

1598-450: A part of an incorporated place, changes to another incorporated place, or disincorporates. For example, places in Kingwood, Texas , previously unincorporated, retained "Kingwood, TX" mailing addresses after the 1996 annexation of Kingwood into the city of Houston . The Houston city government stated on its website, "The U.S. Postal Service establishes ZIP codes and mailing addresses to maximize

1692-511: A place name is "acceptable" in a mailing address or not, as is the case with Lithia Springs, Georgia . ZIP Code boundaries often ignore political boundaries, so the appearance of a place name in a mailing address alone does not indicate whether the place is incorporated or unincorporated. Unincorporated areas with permanent populations in the United States are defined by the United States Geological Survey as "populated places",

1786-403: A playground, a gazebo, a picnic area, and a lighted basketball court. Judson Park, at 4242 South Judson Street, has a playground, a picnic area, a lighted tennis court, and a concrete walking path. Wier Park, at 3012 Nottingham Street, has a playground, picnic tables, two lighted tennis courts, and a basketball court. In 2002 West University's little league team was placed in the same league as

1880-478: A playground, a picnic area, two tennis courts, a parkour course, a concrete walking path, and a pavilion. By 2003 Colonial Park had been enlarged and several facilities, such as a playground, pool, and tennis courts, had been added, due to efforts from the Friends of West University Place Parks and its allies. On May 11, 2009, the West University Place city council approved the design of the new Colonial Park pool, which

1974-473: A population between 100 and 1,000 residents may have the status of designated place in Canadian census data. In some provinces, large tracts of undeveloped wilderness or rural country are unorganized areas that fall directly under the provincial jurisdiction. Some unincorporated settlements in such unorganized areas may have some types of municipal services provided to them by a quasigovernmental agency such as

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2068-578: A rural road running parallel to the railroad that linked West University, Texas to Stella. Today Stella Link Road is a busy urban street that still makes that link to the locale formerly known as Stella. See also: List of companies in Houston See: List of colleges and universities in Houston [REDACTED] Category [REDACTED] Texas portal 29°40′11″N 95°23′59″W  /  29.669795°N 95.399716°W  / 29.669795; -95.399716 This article about

2162-620: A swimming pool, a weight room, a cardiovascular room, and racquetball courts. Additionally, classes such as yoga, jazzercize, and dance are offered for a fee. Russ Schulze, the chairperson of the Parks and Recreation department of West University Place, said that the city wants to construct a recreation center "for our residents, not something that will compete with nearby fitness centers or the Weekley YMCA, or to merely attract what residents outside West University want." Current policy denies admission to

2256-577: Is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center . In 2018 Swartz stated that the area recreational facilities had "secure, nontoxic equipment." From 1988 to 2003 the Friends of West University Place Parks Fund Inc., a volunteer board, and several West University-area businesses and residents raised $ 1.5 million to improve West University parks. The funds were collected to acquire additional green spaces and redevelop existing parks. The first West University Place Recreation Center, formerly

2350-426: Is 6 miles (9.7 km) from Downtown Houston . The city's boundaries are Kirby Drive to the east, Union Pacific St. Louis Southwestern Railway railroad track to the west, Bellaire Boulevard/West Holcombe Boulevard to the south, and Bissonnet and Law Streets to the north. Viewed on a map, the city shape resembles a little house, with a "chimney" to the west side, and since it surrounds the city of Southside Place,

2444-683: Is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation . There are many unincorporated communities and areas in the United States and Canada. In Argentina, the provinces of Chubut , Córdoba , Entre Ríos , Formosa , Neuquén , Río Negro , San Luis , Santa Cruz , Santiago del Estero , Tierra del Fuego , and Tucumán have areas that are outside any municipality or commune. Unlike many other countries, Australia has only one level of local government immediately beneath state and territorial governments. A local government area (LGA) often contains several towns and even entire metropolitan areas. Thus, aside from very sparsely populated areas and

2538-422: Is a small group of islands that forms the easternmost part of Denmark. This small archipelago lies 20 kilometers northeast of Bornholm and is the only part of metropolitan Denmark which is not part of a municipality. The islands have been under military jurisdiction since 1685 when Denmark turned Christiansø into a naval base to in response to Sweden creating Karlskrona naval base a few years earlier. In 1926,

2632-486: Is also now headquartered at 3800 University Boulevard following a large two-story addition completed in the summer of 2011. The old police department building was torn down and replaced with a large parking lot. In 2018 Swartz stated that "The police department is famous Houston-wide for enforcing speed limits with a vengeance." There was a plan to sell the West University maintenance facility, but city council suspended

2726-472: Is headquartered at 3800 University Boulevard. Adam Ohler, a firefighter at the department, said in a 2009 Texas Monthly article that the pace of work in the department is "a lot slower than in other city stations—certainly slower than the Provo Fire Department , where I moved from, or some of Houston's units , whose guys run twenty to thirty calls a day." The West University Place Police Department

2820-611: Is in close proximity to The Rice School , a kindergarten through 8th grade magnet school in Houston. The Rice School opened in August 1994 to relieve West University Elementary School and several nearby campuses. Gabriela Mistral Early Childhood Center is the closest public early childhood center to the city of West University Place. Students who are eligible for HISD's preschools may attend any Early Childhood Center in Houston ISD. Unincorporated area An unincorporated area

2914-504: Is in the city limits. In 2004 there were fewer than 600 members, and Sarah Williams of the West U Examiner described it as being "midsize". St. George Orthodox Church moved to West University Place in September 1954. In 2012 it received mosaics made by a British artist, Aidan Hart. The area Catholic church, St. Vincent de Paul, is in the Houston city limits. It was established in 1939 with

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3008-655: Is located in District 134 of the Texas House of Representatives . As of 2021 Ann Johnson (D) represents the district. West University Place is within District 17 of the Texas Senate , represented by Joan Huffman . West University Place is in Texas's 7th congressional district ; as of 2019 Lizzie Pannill Fletcher is the representative. The closest United States Postal Service office

3102-438: Is located north of University Boulevard and east of Buffalo Speedway. Pemberton is an area south of University Drive and east of Wakeforest Street. People living in the area were fond of restoration of older houses, and it includes some of West U's more expensive homes. Colonial Terrace is west of Weslayan Street and is near the railroad tracks. Originally, it was the least developed part of West University Place. By 2000, this area

3196-543: Is nicknamed "The Neighborhood City" and is mainly a bedroom community for upper-class families. West University Place is surrounded by the cities of Bellaire , Houston , and Southside Place . As of 2011 , West University Place has the state's fifth highest concentration of households with incomes $ 150,000 or greater. The city was developed in 1917 by Ben Hooper , a former Tennessee governor. The name "West University Place" originated from its proximity to Rice Institute, now known as Rice University . The first lots in

3290-501: Is one of the most populated places in Georgia but is served by a branch of the Atlanta post office. Only after the city was incorporated in 2005 was "Sandy Springs" approved for use in mailing addresses, though "Atlanta" remains the default name. Accordingly, "Atlanta" is the only accepted place name for mailing addresses in the nearby unincorporated town of Vinings , also served by a branch of

3384-581: Is subdivided into 393 municipalities which are further classified, normally by population, as city , local council , or regional council . All three types of municipality provide services including zoning and planning. However, a few unincorporated areas exist, whether because of omissions and ambiguities left in official maps dating from the British Mandate for Palestine , or due to deliberate policy of ensuring facilities of national importance, such as Ben Gurion Airport , Mikveh Israel boarding school, or

3478-529: Is the Longyearbyen Community Council in Svalbard, which since 2004 in reality acts partly like a Norwegian municipality. Svalbard has a governor appointed by the government of Norway, ruling the area. Jan Mayen has no population, only radio and weather stations with staff, whose manager has the responsibility for the activities. Bouvet Island has only occasional visitors. In local government in

3572-585: Is the Weslayan Post Office at 5340 Weslayan Street, Houston, Texas, 77005-1048. The United States Postal Service uses "Houston" as the city designation for all West University Place addresses, although the actual name of "West University Place" is also acceptable. Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated Martin Luther King Health Center in southeast Houston for ZIP code 77005. The nearest public hospital

3666-627: The Houston Chronicle described West University Place as a "wealthy city inside a city" and "a tidy, orderly community, one where furniture matches, bills get paid and accomplished parents raise accomplished children." John Nova Lomax, a journalist, stated in a 2008 Houston Press article that, due to the growth and dominance of Houston, municipal enclaves with their own services, including West University Place, "are little more than glorified neighborhoods." As of 2011, 85% of adults living in West University Place had bachelor's degrees , making it

3760-531: The BAZAN Group oil refineries, would not have their operation affected by local considerations. The largest unincorporated area in Israel is the so-called "Reservation area", a triangular region whose vertexes are Beersheba , Dimona and Arad , in which all Negev Bedouins were concentrated in the 1950s. As no municipal services are provided within unincorporated areas, this effectively makes all Bedouin settlements in

3854-628: The Bellaire team. Previously they played in separate leagues. The city is within the Houston Independent School District (HISD). In 2018 Swartz described the area schools as "well funded and well appointed." Pupils who live in West University Place are zoned to West University Elementary School in West University Place, Pershing Middle School in the Braeswood Place neighborhood of Houston , and Lamar High School , in

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3948-590: The Ministry of Defence . Note: The Brdy Military Area was abandoned by the Army in 2015 and converted into a protected landscape area , with its area being incorporated either into existing municipalities or into newly established municipalities based on the existing settlements. The other four military training areas were reduced in size in 2015 too. The decisions on whether the settlements joined existing municipalities or formed new ones were made by plebiscites. Ertholmene ,

4042-716: The Openbaar Lichaam Zuidelijke IJsselmeerpolders (Southern IJsselmeerpolders Public Body). In 1984, the Landdrost became the first mayor of the new city Almere. Since that date, the Netherlands does not have any unincorporated land areas. The Openbaar Lichaam remained, however, only governing the water body of the Markermeer . After the municipal division of the Wadden Sea (1985), the territorial waters in

4136-646: The United States Postal Service (USPS) (indeed, some have their own post offices), and the Census Bureau uses the names of some widely recognized unincorporated communities for its CDPs for which it tabulates census data. In some instances, unincorporated areas have a mailing address indicating the name of an incorporated city, as well as those where residents of one incorporated city have mailing addresses indicating another incorporated city. Mailing addresses do not necessarily change whether an area becomes

4230-629: The Upper Kirby district of Houston. All pupils zoned to Pershing may attend Pin Oak Middle School (in the city of Bellaire ) instead. Pin Oak was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2008. West University Elementary opened in 1925, although its permanent facility was not yet complete at the time; Platte School initially took its non-kindergarten students while the sales office of Southside Place housed kindergarten students. The permanent facility has

4324-637: The northeastern states . All of the land in New Jersey , Connecticut , Massachusetts , New York , and Rhode Island , and nearly all of the land in New Hampshire , Pennsylvania , and Vermont , is part of an incorporated area of some type. In these areas, types (and official names) of local government entities can vary. In New England (which includes five of those eight states, plus the less fully incorporated state of Maine ), local municipalities are known as towns or cities, and most towns are administered by

4418-530: The "best city to live in". West University Place is located at 29°42′57″N 95°25′59″W  /  29.71583°N 95.43306°W  / 29.71583; -95.43306 (29.715929, −95.432992). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km ), all land. The city of Houston surrounds much of West University Place. The boundaries are roughly Bellaire Boulevard /Holcombe Boulevard, Kirby Drive, Bissonnet Road, and Community Drive. West University Place

4512-660: The Atlanta post office, even though Vinings is in Cobb County and Atlanta is in Fulton and DeKalb counties. In contrast, neighboring Mableton has not been incorporated in nearly a century, but has its own post office and thus "Mableton" is the only acceptable place name for mailing addresses in the town. The areas of Dulah and Faria , California, which are unincorporated areas in Ventura County between Ventura and Carpinteria , have

4606-542: The City of Houston. Because of the 1923 incorporation, Houston did not incorporate West University Place's territory into its city limits, while Houston annexed surrounding areas that were unincorporated . In 1939, the municipality refused to consolidate, later adopting a formal city charter the following year. The city had around 15,000 residents in the 1960s and the 1970s. The city had 12,714 people in 1990. Prior to 1992 West University Place liberalized its development rules. This allowed developers to build new houses within

4700-486: The City of West University Place liberalized its development rules, allowing for new houses to be built in the city. As lot sizes were typically approximately 50 feet (15 m) by 120 feet (37 m), the houses constructed were Georgian houses described by Don Stowers of the Houston Post as "lot hugging." Because nearby Bellaire had larger, more inexpensive lots, many area home seekers began to consider Bellaire. In

4794-567: The North Sea (1991) and the IJsselmeer (1994), all water bodies are now also part of a municipality and no unincorporated areas exist in the Netherlands anymore. The Openbaar Lichaam Zuidelijke IJsselmeerpolders was dissolved in 1996. The New Zealand outlying islands are offshore island groups that are part of New Zealand. The Chatham Islands is the only island group among these that are populated and it has its own territorial authority . Most of

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4888-527: The Southwest YMCA , included a gymnasium, a swimming pool, and lighted sports fields. The City of West University had purchased the Southwest YMCA property around 2003. In 2008 residents approved a bond to build a new $ 8.8 million recreation center at a plot of land bounded by Bellaire Boulevard , Community, and Westpoint. The new recreation center does not have basketball courts; however, the center has

4982-482: The U.S. Census Bureau where portions of counties are not included in any legally established minor civil division (MCD) or independent incorporated place. These occur in 10 MCD states: Arkansas , Indiana , Iowa , Louisiana , Maine , Minnesota , North Carolina , North Dakota , Ohio , and South Dakota . The census recognizes such separate pieces of territory as one or more separate county subdivisions for statistical purposes. It assigns each unorganized territory

5076-496: The United States , an unincorporated area generally refers to the part of a county that is outside any municipality. An unincorporated community is one general term for a geographic area having a common social identity without municipal organization or official political designation (i.e., incorporation as a city or town). The two main types of unincorporated communities are: Most states have granted some form of home rule , so that county commissions (or boards or councils) have

5170-559: The United States by Congress. Currently, the five major unincorporated U.S. insular areas are American Samoa , Guam , the Northern Mariana Islands , Puerto Rico , and the U.S. Virgin Islands . Unincorporated insular areas can be ceded to another nation or be granted independence. The U.S. has one incorporated insular area, Palmyra Atoll . Incorporation is regarded as perpetual by the U.S. federal government; once incorporated,

5264-638: The ZIP Code of 93001, which is assigned to the post office at 675 E. Santa Clara St. in Ventura; thus, all mail to those two areas is addressed to Ventura. If an unincorporated area becomes incorporated, it may be split among ZIP Codes, and its new name may be recognized as acceptable for use with some or all of them in mailing addresses, as has been the case in Johns Creek and Milton, Georgia . If an incorporated area disincorporates, though, this has no effect on whether

5358-417: The age of 18 living with them, 74.1% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.17. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.6% under

5452-409: The age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 34.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 202,132, and the median income for a family was $ 227,425. Males had a median income of $ 168,056 versus $ 71,910 for females. About 1.4% of families and 2.0% of

5546-524: The area unrecognized , with the sole exception of those that were included from 2003 within the Abu Basma Regional Council . On 5 November 2012 that council was split into two new councils, Neve Midbar Regional Council and al-Kasom Regional Council . The Netherlands has had regular periods with unincorporated land when newly reclaimed land polders fall dry. Unincorporated land is since medieval times administered by an appointed officer with

5640-417: The city manager to carry out the operations of the city. The city secretary maintains ordinances, resolutions, meeting minutes, and legally required publications. The city attorney gives the city council general counsel, litigation, contract review, and ordinance review. West University Place's sewage treatment plant and animal pound are located on a lot in Houston. The West University Place Fire Department

5734-441: The city voted to ban texting while driving . Bans of texting while driving were passed in West University Place and Bellaire within hours of one another. In 2019 there was a proposal to reduce the number of hours in which landscapers were allowed to work, as a way of reducing noise, but it failed three to two. Harris County Precinct One, headed by Allen Rosen as of 2019, serves West University Place. West University Place

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5828-552: The city. In 2010, the racial makeup of the city was 90.6% White , 0.80% African American , 0.2% Native American , 8.4% Asian , 0.90% from other races , and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.9% of the population. In 2020, 71.94% of the population was non-Hispanic white, 0.8% African American, 0.15% Native American, 12.63% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.33% some other race, 4.67% multiracial, and 9.45% Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 5,260 households, out of which 44.0% had children under

5922-550: The city. The California Government Code allows cities to call themselves towns, if they wish, although the designation is purely cosmetic. In the context of the insular areas of the United States, the word "unincorporated" refers to territories in which the United States Congress has determined that only selected parts of the Constitution of the United States apply and which have not been formally incorporated into

6016-786: The city. Don Stowers of the Houston Post said that West University Place changed from an "aging middle-class neighborhood" consisting of mid-20th century bungalows and cottages to an increasingly wealthy community of "dare we say, young urban professionals in their austere red-brick Georgians ." As new houses appeared, property values increased and the city began to get more tax revenue. Eventually, West University Place ran out of available lots, and its construction peaked. Area home buyers began to consider nearby Bellaire because it had more inexpensive and larger lots, and amenities described by Stowers as "comparable" to West University Place's amenities. On October 22, 2018 24/7 Wall Street, which collaborates with USA Today , ranked West University Place

6110-492: The community were sold in 1917. Portions of West University were previously within the Harris County Poor farm , which extended from an area between Bellaire Boulevard and Bissonnet Street, eastward to an area near the "poor farm ditch." In the 1920s, Lillian "Lilly" Nicholson, a Rice University English major, lived with a friend whose father was a city planner . The city planner asked Nicholson and her friend to name

6204-534: The community with the highest percentage of adults with bachelor's degrees in the Southern United States . West University Baptist Church was established in 1928 by Nannie David; at the time the charter indicated 18 members. Beginning circa 2007 there was an attempt to swap land with the city government, but some residents protested as they feared eminent domain . In 2015 the attempt ended in failure after political rancor. St. Andrews Presbyterian Church

6298-667: The council of Municipal District or Specialized Municipality within their boundaries, or by the Minister of Municipal Affairs within the boundaries of an Improvement District. For example, were they incorporated, the urban service areas of Fort McMurray in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and Sherwood Park in Strathcona County would be the fifth- and sixth-largest cities in Alberta. Unincorporated settlements with

6392-487: The county government estimates the population of its unincorporated areas to exceed one million people. Despite having 88 incorporated cities and towns, including the state's most populous, 65% of the land in Los Angeles County is unincorporated, this mostly consisting of Angeles National Forest and sparsely populated regions to its north. In California, the state constitution recognizes only one kind of municipality,

6486-609: The county level. In mid-Atlantic states such as New York and Pennsylvania, a hybrid model that tries to balance the two approaches is prevalent, with differing allocations of power between municipalities and counties existing. Throughout the U.S., some large cities have annexed all surrounding unincorporated areas within their counties, creating what are known as consolidated city–county forms of government (e.g., Jacksonville, Florida , and Nashville, Tennessee ). In these cases, unincorporated areas continue to exist in other counties of their respective metropolitan areas. Conversely,

6580-472: The ditch and added a concrete bottom and siding. During that year the district installed a chain link fence. To make the ditch more attractive, the Sunset Terrace Garden Club planted oleanders around the ditch; the oleanders obscure the view of the ditch from Edloe Street to the east. The West University Garden Club maintained the flowers. A 2001 Edloe Greenbelt proposal called for the removal of

6674-428: The efficiency of their system, not to recognize jurisdictional boundaries." The USPS is very conservative about recognizing new place names for use in mailing addresses and typically only does so when a place incorporates. The original place name associated with a ZIP Code is still maintained as the default place name, even though the name of the newly incorporated place is more accurate. As an example, Sandy Springs

6768-557: The entire area was declared protected cultural heritage. Population of less than 100. Statistics Denmark groups it with Bornholm in Landsdel Bornholm . Since Germany has no administrative level comparable to the townships of other countries, the vast majority of the country, close to 99%, is organized in municipalities ( German : Gemeinde , plural Gemeinden ), often consisting of multiple settlements that are not considered to be unincorporated. Because these settlements lack

6862-481: The entities themselves. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Virginia "strong county" model. Virginia and other states with this model, such as Alabama , Maryland , and Tennessee , set strict requirements on incorporation or grant counties broad powers that in other states are carried out by cities, creating a disincentive to incorporate, and thus have large urbanized areas which have no municipal government below

6956-459: The fifth grade." West University Elementary School, by the 1990s, became what Fleck described as "the prototype of how the increasingly minority district could maintain the allegiance of affluent whites " and "a selling point for parents moving into the area." In 1996 37% of West University Elementary students had transferred there from other schools. In 2015 West U Elementary had 1,274 students, making it HISD's largest elementary school, with 96% of

7050-408: The first years, the soil is equivalent to quicksand . During the initial period of inhabitation, a special, government-appointed officer was installed, the landdrost . During the administrative office of a Landdrost , no municipal council forms. In 1975, the first homes in what is now the city of Almere were built, and from 1976 to 1984, the area was governed by the Landdrost as the executive of

7144-430: The flowers. In 2018, Mimi Swartz of Texas Monthly described it as "an orderly quarter where older brick bungalows and modest two-story colonials reside in peace alongside grand—but not too grand—new construction." The typical lot size in West University Place is 5,000 square feet (460 m ). The original housing stock of West University Place consisted of mid-20th century bungalows and cottages. Prior to 1992,

7238-521: The largest amount of land under that status: 39,785 square miles (103,042 km ), or 52.4% of the state's land area. North Dakota followed with 86 territories, 20,358 square miles (52,728 km ), or 29.5% of its land area. Maine was next with 36 territories, 14,052 square miles (36,396 km ), or 45.5% of its land area. Minnesota had 71 territories, 10,552 square miles (27,330 km ), or 13% of its land area. Several other states had small amounts of unorganized territory. The unorganized territory with

7332-445: The largest population was Camp Lejeune, North Carolina , a United States Marine Corps base with a census population of 34,452 inhabitants. In the 2010 census , unorganized territory areas were identified in nine U.S. states: Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Many unincorporated communities are also recognized as acceptable place names for use in mailing addresses by

7426-427: The largest unincorporated areas in Germany (including all inhabited areas, but excluding lakes) with an area of more than 50 km (19 sq mi): In Bavaria, there are other contiguous unincorporated areas covering an area of more than 50 km (19 sq mi) which are however composed of several adjacent unincorporated areas, each one of which is under 50 km in area. In Israel, almost all land

7520-778: The like. As of 31 December 2007 , Germany had 248 uninhabited unincorporated areas (of which 214 are located in Bavaria ), not belonging to any municipality, consisting mostly of forested areas, lakes, and larger rivers. Also, three inhabited unincorporated areas exist, all of which served as military training areas : Osterheide and Lohheide in Lower Saxony, and Gutsbezirk Münsingen in Baden-Württemberg . They have fewer than 2,000 inhabitants in total. Gutsbezirk Münsingen has become uninhabited after losing its inhabited parts to adjacent municipalities on 1 January 2011. The following shows

7614-458: The name Landdrost or Drossaart . Also, Elten and Tudderen , both annexed from Germany after World War II , were governed by a Landdrost until they were ceded back to Germany in 1963. The most recent period with unincorporated land started in 1967, when the dyke around Southern Flevoland was closed, but several years are required before the polder is genuinely accessible for cultivation, and construction of roads and homes can start, as in

7708-400: The other island groups are not part of any administrative region or district , but are instead each designated as an Area Outside Territorial Authority . In Norway, the outlying islands of Bouvet Island , Jan Mayen , and Svalbard are outside of all of the country's counties and municipalities . They are ruled directly by national authorities without any local democracy. An exception

7802-533: The parish church being built from the following year. The Catholic church is a part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston . AT&T operates a telephone exchange center at 4068 Bellaire Boulevard. The city of West University Place operates under the Council-Manager form of government. The council contains the mayor and four city council members. The city council, elected on

7896-426: The pool or other facilities to non-residents unless physically accompanied by a resident at all times [1] . The Weekley YMCA in Houston, the current YMCA facility, includes West University Place in its service area. It opened in 1951 as the Southwest YMCA. The current facility in Braeswood Place , Houston broke ground in 2001. Colonial Park, at 4130 Byron Street, has a park and a recreational center. The park has

7990-438: The population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over. As of 2018 many residents include lawyers and employees of the nearby institutions Rice University and the Texas Medical Center ; that year Swartz described the community as "a prosperous place" that nevertheless is not "as flashy as wealthy neighborhoods like River Oaks or Memorial ". In 2009 Claudia Feldman of

8084-536: The proposed sale in 2014. In 2001 Kathleen "Kathy" Ballanfant, the publisher and editor of the Village News and Southwest News , stated that "There's a long tradition in West University of not letting your partisan affiliation influence what happens. If you have committed your volunteer time in Little League and the city and various other things, it doesn't matter what political party you're in." The city enforces

8178-454: The province, an unincorporated settlement is one that does not have a municipal council that governs solely over the settlement. It is usually, but not always, part of a larger municipal government. These range from small hamlets to large urbanized areas similar in size to a town or city. In Alberta , unincorporated communities can be classified as Hamlet, Locality or townsite. A Hamlet is an unincorporated community that can be designated by

8272-484: The same powers in these areas as city councils or town councils have in their respective incorporated areas. Some states instead put these powers in the hands of townships, which are minor civil divisions of each county and are called "towns" in some states. Differences in state laws regarding the incorporation of communities leads to a great variation in the distribution and nature of unincorporated areas. Unincorporated regions are essentially nonexistent in eight of

8366-400: The streets of West University Place. Nicholson took names from her English literature book and gave them to the streets in West University Place. As a result, many West University streets are named after authors. Cydney Mackey, a family friend of Nicholson, said in a Houston Chronicle article, "Aunt Lilly had always said she wanted to be an architect , unknown for women in that era, and this

8460-507: The students living inside the attendance zone. As of 2010 about 600 students who were zoned to West University Elementary School were enrolled in Pin Oak Middle School or Lanier Middle School , opting for those schools instead of Pershing, their zoned school. In 2010 two parents, Adrienne Vanderbloemen and Christi Young, started a blog that supported the idea of sending one's child to Pershing Middle School. West University Place

8554-560: The territory cannot be disincorporated . The United States Minor Outlying Islands without a permanent civilian population are "unorganized" in the sense that they do not have a local government, and they are administered by the Office of Insular Affairs directly. The populated American Samoa is "unorganized" in the sense that Congress has not passed an organic act , but it does have a constitution and locally elected territorial legislature and executive. An unincorporated community may be part of

8648-475: Was as built up and popular as other areas within West University Place. At the 2010 U.S. census , there were 14,787 people, 5,260 households, and 4,264 families residing in the city. The population density was 7,393.5 inhabitants per square mile (2,854.6/km ). There were 5,543 housing units at an average density of 2,771.5 per square mile (1,070.1/km ). As of the 2020 United States census , there were 14,955 people, 5,460 households, and 4,654 families residing in

8742-494: Was completed in 2011. Colonial Park Pool is open May through September, while the recreational center is open year-round. Friends Park, formerly the Rice Pocket Park, is located at 3771 Rice Boulevard. The park, the newest in the city, opened on December 11, 2007. Huffington Park, located at 3901 Milton Street, has a playground, a shaded arbor, picnic tables, and game tables. Whitt Johnson Park, at 6540 Wakeforest Street, has

8836-490: Was her way of making a small but lasting mark on our city's landscape." One street, Weslayan Road, is a misspelling of " Wesleyan ." The City of West University Place was declared incorporated by the County Judge of Harris County on January 2, 1924. The city incorporated because Houston was reluctant to extend power lines that far from the city center. West University Place, unlike Houston Heights , did not consolidate into

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