Cut and Shoot is a city in eastern Montgomery County, Texas, United States, about east of Conroe and north of Houston. Until 2006, Cut and Shoot was considered and called a town. Then, the town council elected for it to be considered and referred to as a city. The population was 1,087 at the 2020 census.

Name

According to one local legend, Cut and Shoot was named after a 1912 community confrontation that almost led to violence. According to differing versions of the story, the dispute was over:

  • The design of a new steeple for the town's only church,
  • The issue of who should be allowed to preach there, or
  • The conflicting land claims among church members.

Whatever the circumstances were, a small boy at the scene reportedly said he was scared and declared, "I'm going to cut around the corner and shoot through the bushes in a minute!" This statement apparently stayed in the residents' minds and was eventually adopted as the town's name. "Cut and Shoot" has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.

History

The town of Cut and Shoot gained fame when local boxer Roy Harris, a heavyweight contender, fought Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight title in 1958. Harris appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and was featured in LIFE. So much mail was addressed to "Roy Harris, Cut and Shoot, Texas" that the U. S. Postal Service granted a franchise post office to the town.

Population statistics were not reported for the community until the mid-1970s, when the number of residents was 50. By 1980, the incorporated community reported a population of 809, had a new town hall, and supported a school and several businesses.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Cut and Shoot had a population of 1,087. The median age was 41.0 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.9 males age 18 and over.

7.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 92.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 389 households in Cut and Shoot, of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 55.5% were married-couple households, 16.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

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| White || 813 || 74.8%

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| Black or African American || 9 || 0.8%

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| American Indian and Alaska Native || 21 || 1.9%

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| Asian || 1 || 0.1%

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| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 91 || 8.4%

|-

| Two or more races || 151 || 13.9%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 258 || 23.7%

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2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census,

In Congress, Cut and Shoot is represented in the Senate by Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and in the House of Representatives, Cut and Shoot is in District 8, represented by Morgan Luttrell.

Cut and Shoot includes Groceville, an unincorporated populated place.

The previously abandoned Cut and Shoot Airfield owned by the Schank family was redeveloped into Chennault Airfield - 25TX, a privately owned flight training airstrip operated by General Chennault Flying Tiger Academy and opened in November 2023.

Education

Cut and Shoot is within the Conroe Independent School District and the Lone Star College System (formerly North Harris Montgomery Community College District).

Schools serving Cut and Shoot include Austin Elementary School, Veterans Memorial Intermediate School, Moorhead Junior High School, and Caney Creek High School. Previously the intermediate school zoned was Grangerland Intermediate School.<!--Means that the red portion of the Austin ES zone goes to Conroe HS feeder schools-->

Residents of Conroe ISD (and therefore Cut and Shoot) are served by the Lone Star College System (formerly North Harris Montgomery Community College).

Notable people

  • Roy Harris, a heavyweight boxer
  • Debra Maffett, named Miss America 1983, hailed from Cut and Shoot
  • Michael Mayes, opera performer

References

  • City of Cut And Shoot
  • Robin N. Montgomery, "CUT AND SHOOT, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed October 29, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.