Houston Northwest Chamber Seeks Help Naming Our Community

[rps324]

Hey, slick, kids that go to Westfield know plenty about "celebrating diversity."

And yes, slickette, we all know how eager people seem to be on sending their kids to Westfield because of it too....

[ChampionsAdam]

No it's not progressive, it likes its status quo up here. We love our Deed-Restricted communities, soccer moms and dads, our manicured lawns, kids riding their bikes, neighborhood barbeques, holiday parties and the high school football game. We care about our property values,our school system and the safety of our families, when these are threatened it does something psychologically to most suburbanites. Most of the people that choose to live up here do so to be away from the problems of the city. When the inner city problems present themselves in neighborhoods that sought to be away from them it does tend to create tension. But, that is not just in Houston that is everywhere. There is a neighborhood for everyone, some like the hustle and bustle of being where all the action is and some like to be left alone. Neither is right or wrong, it is simply about preference.

[RedScare]

Most of the people that choose to live up here do so to be away from the problems of the city. When the inner city problems present themselves in neighborhoods that sought to be away from them it does tend to create tension.

I SO love reading suburban code. It beats hip-hop slang any day.

[PureAuteur]

No it's not progressive, it likes its status quo up here. We love our Deed-Restricted communities, soccer moms and dads, our manicured lawns, kids riding their bikes, neighborhood barbeques, holiday parties and the high school football game. We care about our property values,our school system and the safety of our families, when these are threatened it does something psychologically to most suburbanites. Most of the people that choose to live up here do so to be away from the problems of the city. When the inner city problems present themselves in neighborhoods that sought to be away from them it does tend to create tension. But, that is not just in Houston that is everywhere. There is a neighborhood for everyone, some like the hustle and bustle of being where all the action is and some like to be left alone. Neither is right or wrong, it is simply about preference.

I am not seeing all this typical nw suburb culture that you describe nearly as much as I used to back in the 90s. I haven't seen a soccer mom with sports decals plastered all over her mini-van in years. Then again, I live at Beltway and West Rd. which they definers of the GNW have seemed to exclude from the boundaries.

I guess since all the "caucasians" moved out past 1960, the Beltway 8 area doesn't count anymore. So, in that sense, the definition of GNW is "thinly veiled" term for caucasian-land. Beyond 1960 = great! Between Beltway and 1960 = not so great!

[ChampionsAdam]

I am not seeing all this typical nw suburb culture that you describe nearly as much as I used to back in the 90s. I haven't seen a soccer mom with sports decals plastered all over her mini-van in years. Then again, I live at Beltway and West Rd. which they definers of the GNW have seemed to exclude from the boundaries.

I guess since all the "caucasians" moved out past 1960, the Beltway 8 area doesn't count anymore. So, in that sense, the definition of GNW is "thinly veiled" term for caucasian-land. Beyond 1960 = great! Between Beltway and 1960 = not so great!

They are on just about every car over here. Maybe I simply hang out in my neck of the woods too much.

[mrfootball]

Every car over here in 'caucasian-land'

[Nawfside119]

Honestly, I think most a the folks who have such a negative outlook about Westfield high and places between the beltway and FM 1960 are just ignorant about whats going on or just spend to much time listening to "hear-say" and not enough time thinking before they actually speak. I mean whats so bad about a place like Camden Park? Well, they say ignorance is bliss so hey... :closedeyes:

Now Im gone get back on topic folks...

I recently moved into Cranbrook and on the phone bill my location say "Greenspoint" so I guess that area goes up farther than I thought. Where exactly do it (the boundary) stop?

Also, I just say the best name is the same name as the chamber...Northwest Houston. Makes sense...

[CDeb]

Also, I just say the best name is the same name as the chamber...Northwest Houston. Makes sense...

Probably steps on the least toes.

I had a friend that lived in Cranbrook, always thought it was a nice neighborhood. Better watch out for all that gang activity from the thugs on Big Wheels!

[mrfootball]

Existing Monikers...

Northwest Houston

Far Northwest

Great Northwest

Northwest Harris County

Champions Area

1960 Area

Spring

Klein

Cypress

HP Area

Potential New Names:

The Area Formerly Wooded like the Woodlands

Nice area with 7 good highschools and 2 bad ones

First Ones Out During the next Evacuation

Suburban Tomball

Caucasian-land

Smileytown

[rps324]

No it's not progressive, it likes its status quo up here. We love our Deed-Restricted communities, soccer moms and dads, our manicured lawns, kids riding their bikes, neighborhood barbeques, holiday parties and the high school football game. We care about our property values,our school system and the safety of our families, when these are threatened it does something psychologically to most suburbanites. Most of the people that choose to live up here do so to be away from the problems of the city. When the inner city problems present themselves in neighborhoods that sought to be away from them it does tend to create tension. But, that is not just in Houston that is everywhere. There is a neighborhood for everyone, some like the hustle and bustle of being where all the action is and some like to be left alone. Neither is right or wrong, it is simply about preference.

And apparently nothing threatens that status quo like the prospect of anybody browner moving in.

[nmainguy]

Potential New Names:

Caucasian-land

You forgot f***-land.

I'm done with HAIF. I'm done with the skank some of you have foisted on my nephew-living here for the summer and told to f**k off on one of his first posts. It's simply not worth it.

[ChampionsAdam]

And apparently nothing threatens that status quo like the prospect of anybody browner moving in.

What a ridiculous thing to say. My neighbors are from all walks and from many different countries. As long as you maintain your home and are a good neighbor I don't think anyone has a problem.

[rps324]

What a ridiculous thing to say. My neighbors are from all walks and from many different countries. As long as you maintain your home and are a good neighbor I don't think anyone has a problem.

When presented with the prospect that your area is not progressive about diversity, your response was basically "well we like this and that about our area" as if diversity was a threat to those quality of life issues. I am sure I am not the only one who interpreted it that way, even if that was not your intention. Thank you for clearing that up.

[ChampionsAdam]

When presented with the prospect that your area is not progressive about diversity, your response was basically "well we like this and that about our area" as if diversity was a threat to those quality of life issues. I am sure I am not the only one who interpreted it that way, even if that was not your intention. Thank you for clearing that up.

We do like "this and that about our area". However, I made no such statement regarding race anywhere in my post. I think the stereotype of my area generally comes from those that don't live in my area and have their own notions. I thought my statement was clear. Again, you can be black, white, yellow or purple. You can be gay, straight, bi or whatever. We moved here because it was a nice area, deed restricted and offered a quality of life that cannot be found in some other areas of Houston. All that I think most people up here ask is that if you move in to our area, follow by example. Take pride in your home and your community. Some people prefer to live more urban and some choose to live suburban... I'm glad we have choice. I don't put down those that live "in the loop" it's not my area of choice. I don't go out to the bars or clubs or particularly care for homes that in my mind are very overpriced for what you get and offer no sense of protection from someone that may choose to paint their house purple, build a makeshift room addition or has 5 jaloppy cars in the drive. We each see value as different things.

[oldtimer]

We do like "this and that about our area". We moved here because it was a nice area, deed restricted and offered a quality of life that cannot be found in some other areas of Houston. All that I think most people up here ask is that if you move in to our area, follow by example. We each see value as different things.

this area used to be zip code 77040 and was called Satsuma.

[ChampionsAdam]

May I ask how you feel about the few old-timers that have held on to their property, who used to hunt in places where the mansions are now and were able to eat the fish caught in Cypress Creek? We have a few junk cars around and we paint our house any color we like. We like to call our property unrestricted. I just wonder, 30 years from now, whose property will be worth more. By the way, to keep on topic, this area used to be zip code 77040 and was called Satsuma.

I'm wondering if you are asking for a debate? If so I'm not going to entertain that. Many of the "oldtimers" sold out to developers in the 1970's, they were less interested in keeping their land and were more interested in looking out for the future of themselves and their families. There are many properties in the northwest side that are unrestricted and again it is about choice. If you like to have a welding shop, a Christmas tree farm or an old school bus parked next to your home that is your choice, neither good nor bad. I'm assuming Satsuma is a little more south from where I live, I have never heard the reference over here.

[CDeb]

I'm wondering if you are asking for a debate? If so I'm not going to entertain that. Many of the "oldtimers" sold out to developers in the 1970's, they were less interested in keeping their land and were more interested in looking out for the future of themselves and their families. There are many properties in the northwest side that are unrestricted and again it is about choice. If you like to have a welding shop, a Christmas tree farm or an old school bus parked next to your home that is your choice, neither good nor bad. I'm assuming Satsuma is a little more south from where I live, I have never heard the reference over here.

I've seen maps that reference 1960 as (Fill in the blank of various locales)-Satsuma Road.

[MidtownCoog]

Naming Our Community: The Land that Compaq Built

[ChampionsAdam]

I've seen maps that reference 1960 as (Fill in the blank of various locales)-Satsuma Road.

Interesting, I'm familiar with Jackrabbit and Bammel...but never heard the area or FM1960 referred to as Satsuma. Could this possibly be closer to 290?

[FilioScotia]

Interesting, I'm familiar with Jackrabbit and Bammel...but never heard the area or FM1960 referred to as Satsuma. Could this possibly be closer to 290?

Handbook of Texas to the rescue:

"...SATSUMA, TEXAS. Satsuma, also known as Ashford and as Thompson Switch, is on U.S. Highway 290 ten miles southeast of Cypress in the dairying and farming area of northwestern Harris County. In 1910 J. T. Thompson, president of the Satsuma Land Company, platted a townsite in the Charles Clarkson survey on the Houston and Texas Central Railway and named it Satsuma for the satsuma orange groves that were planned. C. W. Hahl, a developer, bought the site in 1913, replatted the town, and sold tracts over the next several years. A post office was established in 1909 but was discontinued in 1914, when the town had one general store. Satsuma became a shipping point on the railroad but never developed as a town, despite the fact that Stanolind Oil and Gas discovered oil in the area in 1936. In the 1980s the county highway map showed the townsite with the Satsuma Chapel, an abandoned section house, and a nearby pipeline pumping station."

Here's what the Handbook has to say about the Fairbanks community.

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FAIRBANKS, TEXAS. Fairbanks is on U.S. Highway 290 and the Southern Pacific Railroad, inside the western city limit of Houston in central western Harris County. The town was established in 1893 and named for its founder, who bought 106 acres at a site previously called Gum Island by the Southern Pacific trainmen because of the gum trees growing between White Oak Bayou and Willow Creek. Fairbanks has had a post office since 1895. In 1914 the community reported a population of seventy-five, a general store-saloon, and a grocery store. The number of inhabitants dropped to twenty-five in the 1920s and 1930s but by 1940 rose to 800. In 1942 Fairbanks reported a population of 800 and thirty-five businesses in the vicinity. A decline to 350 people in the 1950s was followed by a period of rapid expansion; in 1962 the community reported 1,050 people and forty-five businesses. This report, however, came after Fairbanks was annexed by Houston in 1956 and reflects members in surrounding communities. In 1980 and 1990 the population was still reported as 1,050, although considerably more people lived in the surrounding area."

And here's what the Handbook has to say about Cypress.

"CYPRESS, TEXAS (Harris County). Cypress is on U.S. Highway 290 twenty miles northwest of Houston in northwestern Harris County. Various Atakapan Indian tribes once inhabited the area, but they quickly died out when white settlers moved into the area. German immigrants began settling along Cypress Creek in the 1840s near where some Anglo-Americans were already ranching. In the 1980s many of the original settler families were remembered through streets and schools that bore their names, like Huffmeister Road and Matzke Elementary. In 1878 a dance hall was built on Huffmeister Road, but it burned a few years later. Settlers soon rebuilt it with the financial support of the Cypress Gun and Rifle Club, this time using corrugated tin. Tin Hall was still a popular dance hall more than a century after its construction. The first Cypress school was built in 1884. The original one-room school later developed into the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, which in the 1980s served the second largest area of the state's school districts, surpassed only by the Houston ISD. With the discovery of oil along the Gulf Coast in 1904, the Cypress area began to develop rapidly. A hot artesian well was discovered by surprised drillers only a mile from Cypress. This find resulted in the Houston Hotwells Sanitarium and Hotel; the well was frequently sought for the healing powers its mineral waters supposedly provided. In the 1980s the site was occupied by the Hot Wells Shooting Range. Rice and dairy farming were the main occupations of Cypress residents until the suburbanization of the area began in the 1950s. Because of the local interest in farming, the Cy-Fair Rodeo has been a favorite community event since its establishment in 1944 by Forrest Arnold. In the mid-1980s the community proper was unincorporated and had fewer than 100 residents, but the greater Cypress area was a suburb of Houston composed of many subdivisions and thousands of inhabitants. In 2000 the Cypress-Fairbanks area reported a population of 18,527."

[Montrose1100]

I can write myself a letter using "Spring, TX" and "Klein, TX"...

[mrfootball]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/spr...ws/4272929.html

I think this is a very good idea, as its one of the first things that needs to be done to organize this large portion of the Houston area that has many names (Champions, Spring, Klein, Cypress), but needs something to capture it under one umbrella.

They rec'd roughly 1/3 votes in favor of "Champions", another 1/3 in favor of "Cypress Creek" and another 1/3 in favor of "Other". Personally, I've always liked the "Champions" name. I also like "Cypress". So my suggestion was "Cypress Champions" or "Cy-Champs".

Regardless, I think its important to have the "Cypress" name in there as this area was originally named "Big Cypress" back in the 1800's when it was settled by German farmers.

This group, the Cypress Creek Cultural District, represents the infancy of this area's movement towards defining itself as an edge city and perhaps may lead to an improvement district or (if we're lucky) some sort of incorporation.

Regardless, it is a first step. I applaud them.

[TheNiche]

Personally, I've always liked the "Champions" name. I also like "Cypress". So my suggestion was "Cypress Champions" or "Cy-Champs".

Naming a suburban region is like naming a kid. You want to be careful not to make the name an easy target for schoolyard bullies. "Cy-Champs" is just inviting the use of "Cy-Chumps" from elitist urbanites.

[mrfootball]

I think the "Champions" name has stood fairly well on its own.

To think it all started with a golf course. One hell of a golf course.

[MidtownCoog]

We've always called it the "Champions Area".

Or the Land that Compaq Built.

[pineda]

another 1/3 in favor of "Other".

I like it!

"What part of town do you live in?"

"Other!"

[DaTrain]

What about annexing much of NW arris County and incorporating a city and call it Cypress Union? There is a street called Cypresswood running east and west, that can be the main street of Cypress Union. West Cypress Union would extend from 290 to between Hollister and 249, and from there East Cypress Union toward Bammel Road.

[Trae]

Good idea, but never going to happen.

[VicMan]

I would call the area in Cy-Fair ISD + Klein ISD - Houston city limits "Northwest Harris".

[mrfootball]

would call the area in Cy-Fair ISD + Klein ISD - Houston city limits "Northwest Harris".

That's pretty much how the local news identifies us.