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is a census-designated place (CDP) and large master-planned community of Montgomery County in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The population was 55,649 at the 2000 census, 90.5% increase over 1990 population. As of 2006, the estimated population had reached approximately 84,418. Much of the development is located in the city of Houston's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), but small portions of The Woodlands extends into the ETJ of Shenandoah and Conroe. Plans for annexation of both the Houston and Conroe portions were once in discussion, but regional agreements have been set in place to allow The Woodlands to incorporate itself.
The Woodlands is located 28 miles north of Downtown Houston along Interstate 45. Though it began as a suburban development and a bedroom community, it also has attracted corporations to the area. As a result, the area features several corporate campuses, most notably Chevron Phillips, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Baker Hughes, CB&I, and Hewitt Associates. The development won a Special Award for Excellence in 1994 from the Urban Land Institute.
In addition to residential and corporate housing, The Woodlands features a shopping mall, seven golf courses and The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, a regional concert venue, and the 4 star rated The Woodlands Resort. Over the past decade, The Woodlands has seen tremendous growth in terms of commercial/office space in Town Center. Many high-rise office and residential buildings have recently been built. Just completed is 24 Waterway Avenue, a 13 story class A office/retail building. Recently announced for The Woodlands are several new class A office structures and a 20-story condominium tower that will sit on the waterway next to 24 Waterway Ave. A new satellite location for the Houston Museum of Natural Science is housed in the The Woodlands Mall.
On September 13, 2008, The Woodlands sustained extensive damage because of Hurricane Ike. Sustained winds of 85 mph brought down thousands of trees, powerlines, and billboards in the area and severely damaged the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Many of the native pine trees in the area fell or snapped on homes and cars. Power in the The Woodlands was knocked out for up to two weeks. Ike was the first hurricane to directly affect the area since Hurricane Alicia in 1983.
The Woodlands was founded by George P. Mitchell in 1974, managed by The Woodlands Corporation as an extension of Mitchell Energy & Development. The Woodlands Corporation was acquired on July 31, 1997 by a joint partnership between Morgan Stanley and Crescent Real Estate Equities. In December 2003, the Rouse Company acquired Crescent's interest in The Woodlands, Rouse was itself sold to General Growth Properties Inc. on November 12, 2004.
The tract of land where The Woodlands is situated was previously occupied by the Grogan-Cochran Lumber Mill and are the namesakes for the Grogan's Mill and Cochran's Crossing neighborhoods. The original planning of The Woodlands utilized many of the planning concepts and design consultants employed in other well regarded new communities of that era such as Columbia, Maryland, Irvine Ranch, California and Reston, Virginia. The original development plan included environmental design principals espoused by Ian McHarg, a distinguished landscape architect, teacher and author of the seminal work "Design With Nature."
The Woodlands continues to grow residentially and commercially as many companies are moving to The Woodlands. In addition to Chevron Phillips, Huntsman, Anadarko, Hewitt Associates, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Mærsk Sealand, Chicago Bridge & Iron, and Woodforest National Bank have set up operations in the development. The Woodlands Town Center area includes shopping and eating facilities, plus a waterway resembling the San Antonio River Walk.