Webster, Texas

Webster is a city in the U.S. state of Texas located in Harris County, within the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. Its population was 12,499 at the 2020 U.S. census.

History

thumb|left|Hauling rice in South Texas (postcard, )

The community was founded in 1879 by James W. Webster under the name "Gardentown". It was established initially as a colony for settlers from England. It began as a stopover for travelers between Houston/Harrisburg, Galveston, Kemah, and Seabrook. Eventually, railroads, such as the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, were built through the area. Farmers in the area raised pears and other produce.

In 1903, the Houston Chamber of Commerce invited Seito Saibara, a former Japanese member of parliament and a Christian theologian, to come to Texas to teach rice farming. Rice at that time was emerging as an important cash crop. Saibara settled in Webster and established a small farming community of Japanese Christians. Saibara and his son Kiyoaki established the foundations of what became the rice industry of the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Dairies and livestock ranches developed in the town, as well, in the early 1900s. Petroleum was discovered at the Webster (Friendswood) Oil Field in 1937, but the population remained small. The community was incorporated in 1958. It is bordered to the north by the city of Houston and to the northeast by Nassau Bay. Clear Creek forms the southeastern border of Webster and is the Harris County / Galveston County line. League City borders Webster to the south and southwest, in both counties.

Interstate 45 runs through the western side of Webster, with access from exits 23 through 25. Downtown Houston is to the northwest, and Galveston is to the southeast.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 3.24%, is covered by water.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Webster city, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|5,046

|4,762

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,997

|55.55%

|45.79%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |39.98%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|803

|1,366

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,937

|8.84%

|13.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |15.50%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|30

|35

|style='background: #ffffe6; |35

|0.33%

|0.34%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.28%

|Asian alone (NH)

|517

|466

|style='background: #ffffe6; |893

|5.69%

|4.48%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.14%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|14

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5

|0.15%

|0.06%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%

|Other race alone (NH)

|13

|36

|style='background: #ffffe6; |86

|0.14%

|0.35%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.69%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|186

|188

|style='background: #ffffe6; |452

|2.05%

|1.81%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.62%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|2,474

|3,541

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,094

|27.24%

|34.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |32.75%

|Total

|9,083

|10,400

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,499

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Webster had a population of 12,499 and 2,530 families residing in the city. The median age was 31.8 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.8 males age 18 and over.

The 2020 census determined 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,701 households in Webster, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 27.1% were married-couple households, 29.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 42.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 5,948 || 47.6%

| Black or African American || 2,022 || 16.2%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 130 || 1.0%

| Asian || 909 || 7.3%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 5 || 0.0%

| Some other race || 1,618 || 12.9%

| Two or more races || 1,867 || 14.9%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 4,094 || 32.8%

2019 American Community Survey

The 2019 American Community Survey determined 11,451 people lived within the city limits. The city has its own police department.

Harris County Housing Authority operates Baybrook Park, a public-housing complex for seniors, in the Webster city limits. It has 100 units.

The Texas Department of Public Safety operates its Webster Field Investigator Office and Driver's License Office in a nearby area in Houston.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Webster District Parole Office in a nearby area in Houston.

The United States Postal Service Webster Post Office is located at 17077 North Texas Avenue. Some locations in the City of Houston have Webster mailing addresses.

Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated Strawberry Health Center in Pasadena for ZIP code 77598. The nearest public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

Economy

230px|thumb|Edgewater Estates entrance Webster, Texas

The Baybrook Mall is located in the City of Houston, near Webster.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Pupils in Webster attend schools in Clear Creek Independent School District. The community is divided between the Board of Trustees District 2 and the Board of Trustees District 4. They are represented by Win Weber and Stuart J. Stromeyer, respectively, as of 2008. CCISD was established in 1948, partly from the former Webster school district, which served up to high school and took high-school students from Kemah and Seabrook.

Most residents within the city limits are zoned to Margaret S. McWhirter Elementary School in Webster. The school occupies a building. The current McWhirter campus held its groundbreaking in 2014, and opened in 2016. The re-dedication was held in March of that year. That year the Texas Education Agency gave the school a grant allowing it to re-establish a full day Prekindergarten program.

Some residential sections of the city are served by Armand Bayou (Houston), Falcon Pass (Houston), League City (League City), and Whitcomb (Houston) elementary schools. Most residents are zoned to Clear Creek Intermediate School (League City). Some residents are zoned to Clear Lake, and Space Center intermediate schools, both in Clear Lake City and in Houston. Most residents are zoned to Clear Creek High School in League City, while Clear Lake High School in Clear Lake City, Houston, serves a small section.

P.H. Greene Elementary School, in an unincorporated area, serves areas outside of the city with Webster addresses.

History of schools

Webster Intermediate School formerly served the city, but moved to an unincorporated area near Friendswood and was renamed Westbrook Intermediate School in spring 2005; Westbrook does not serve Webster.

Private schools

Iman Academy Southeast Secondary School is in southeast Houston, northeast of Webster, off of Highway 3.

Colleges and universities

The portion of Clear Creek ISD in Harris County (and therefore Webster) is assigned to San Jacinto College.

Parks and recreation

The Edgar A. Smith Family YMCA is located in Houston; it has a Webster mailing address.

Notable people

Stephanie Beatriz, actress
Josh Huestis, basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder
Dennis Paul, a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 129, formerly resided in Webster.
Steve Stockman, Republican former member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas's 36th congressional district
Ryan Trecartin, multimedia artist

References

External links

City of Webster official website
Handbook of Texas Online article on Webster
McWhirter Elementary School