Cinco Ranch is a census-designated place and master-planned community located in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the city of Houston within Fort Bend and Harris counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 18,274 at the 2010 census. It lies about 25 miles (40Â km) west of the Harris County seat of Houston and 10 miles (16Â km) north of the Fort Bend County seat of Richmond. Cinco Ranch is considered to be part of the Greater Katy area and is roughly 10 miles southeast of the city of Katy.
History
The Cinco Ranch community goes back to before Texas became a republic. In the 1820s, pioneer Moses Austin was granted by the Spanish government the authority to settle 300 families in the valleys of the Brazos and Colorado rivers. He died before he was able to accomplish this, but his son Stephen F. Austin was able to complete his father's wishes, even under the newly established Mexican government. One of the men who moved into these 300 slots of land (each one over 4,000 acres/16Â km2) was Randolph Foster, whose land spread across Fort Bend and Waller counties and upon which wild horses, deer, Native Americans and buffalo lived.
Foster's daughter married Thomas Blakeley, cattleman and future sheriff of Fort Bend County. Their son, Bassett Blakeley, took after his father and grandfather and soon grew into a cowboy and cattleman. Bassett Blakeley owned 15,000 acres (61Â km2) of land and 14,000 head of Brahman cattle, along with his grandfather's land. The cowhands of his Blakeley Ranch annually drove 10,000 head of cattle to the railheads in Kansas.
In 1937, Blakeley sold the working ranch to William Wheless, who convinced four of his friends, J.S. Abercrombie, W.B. Pryon, H.G. Nelms and L.M. Joseyâ€"all, like him, wealthy from oilâ€"to become his partners at the ranch. In a nod to its Spanish roots perhaps, they called it Cinco Ranch (cinco means "five" in Spanish). Only the Wheless family lived on the ranch, but all of the families visited on many holidays and weekends, making use of a huge clubhouse complete with two bedroom wings. The ranch was not merely involved in cattleâ€"it also had several acres of riceâ€"for years, the main output of Katy, Texasâ€"and peanut production.
In February 1984, the largest raw land transaction in the history of Houston took place when Cinco Ranch Venture, consisting of U. S. Home, the Mischer Corporation, and American General Corporation, purchased Cinco Ranch for a 5,000-acre (20Â km2) master-planned development. American General eventually bought out the other partners. In 1997, Cinco Ranch and other American General land development assets were purchased by Terrabrook, a wholly owned subsidiary of real estate investor Westbrook Partners. In 2003, Cinco Ranch and other Terrabrook developments were purchased by San Diego-based Newland Communities. Also in 2003, Newland Communities purchased 1,828 acres (7.40Â km2) west of the Grand Parkway and contiguous to Cinco Ranch. This acquisition along with several smaller parcels that were subsequently purchased by Newland Communities ultimately increased the size of Cinco Ranch to approximately 7,600 acres (31Â km2). In 2010, Newland Communities purchased an additional 492 acres (1.99Â km2) for future Cinco Ranch expansion. This land is located at the intersection of FM 1463 and Corbitt Road, and is not contiguous with the rest of Cinco Ranch. Cinco Ranch now totals 8,092 acres (32.75Â km2) and is expected to have over 14,000 homes at build-out, which is currently projected to be around 2016.
Amenities
Cinco Ranch Pools
Cinco Ranch has 11 community pools:
- Water Park
- Beach Club
- Equestrian Village
- North Lake Village
- Greenway Village
- South Ranch
- Highland Park
- Ridgewood
- Springwood Lake House
- Rosewood
- Westridge Creek
Golf
The 167-acre (0.7Â km2) Golf Club, owned by Evergreen Alliance Golf Limited (EAGLE Golf), is an 18-hole, par-71 daily fee course, with numerous bunkers and water hazards. The Golf Academy at Cinco Ranch hosts junior golf instructional clinics throughout the year and in the summer.
Parks and greenbelts
The parks of Cinco Ranch range from neighborhood pocket parks to major neighborhood recreation centers containing things like swimming pools and tennis courts. Lakefront parks are located along 14-acre (57,000Â m2) South Lake, which offers fishing, sailing and paddle boating for residents. A 3-acre (12,000Â m2) recreation area is nestled along the shore of Park Lake, the second-largest lake.
Cinco Ranch has a growing network of greenbelt trails, making it possible to jog, bike or rollerblade between almost anywhere in Cinco Ranch, including recreational facilities and schools in the community. The multi-station Exer-Trail is for workouts. There is also the Bayou Nature Trail, extending nearly four miles and preserving almost 70 acres (280,000Â m2) of woodland and wetland habitat. Plans are currently underway to connect the Bayou Nature Trail to the Buffalo Bayou Hike And Bike Trail. This will allow residents of Cinco Ranch to ride their bikes from the Grand Parkway to Beltway 8 - a 26-mile (42Â km) bike trail.
YMCA
The Katy Family YMCA's 40,000-square-foot (4,000Â m2) building has 5,000 square feet (500Â m2) of cardio and free weight equipment, including treadmills, bikes, stairclimbers, EFX Cross Trainers and a Cybex strength training circuit. The group exercise program offers more than 75 classes in aerobics, kickboxing, pilates, yoga among others.
The YMCA offers free Child Watch and Kid Watch services for members. The YMCA also offers Before and After School programs for children ages 5â€"12 in most KISD elementary schools. Other activities include Spring Break and Winter Break camps.
The YMCA's youth sports programs include soccer, flag football, volleyball, basketball and baseball. Other youth activities include Taekwondo, Dance, Teen Fitness and Babysitting Certification.
The YMCA was originally named after Ken Lay; in the wake of the corruption scandal that led to the downfall of Enron Corporation, a major Houston-based energy company which Lay headed, he asked for his name to be removed from the YMCA in June 2006, shortly before his death.
Katy Amateur Radio Society
The Katy Amateur Radio Society (KARS) has about 45 amateur radio operators.[1] The KARS net operates every Tuesday at 8:00 PM on the KT5TX 147.20Â MHz repeater. KARS monthly meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of every month at the West I-10 Fire Station #4 on Franz just east of Grand Parkway.[2]
Geography
Cinco Ranch is located at 29°44′29″N 95°45′30″W (29.741522, -95.758343).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.8 km²). None of the area is covered with water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,196 people, 3,375 households, and 3,064 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,270.0 people per square mile (876.8/km²). There were 3,594 housing units at an average density of 728.7/sq mi (281.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.92% White, 2.85% African American, 0.23% Native American, 6.63% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.06% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.84% of the population.
14% of Cinco Ranch residents report German ancestry, another 14% report English ancestry, and 10% report Irish. These are the three most common reported ancestries. Fourth is Asian, at 7%.
There were 3,375 households out of which 63.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 84.9% were married couples living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 9.2% were non-families. 7.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.32 and the average family size was 3.52.
In the CDP, the population was spread out with 38.3% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 3.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $111,517, and the median income for a family was $114,550. Males had a median income of $90,117 versus $42,304 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $37,747. About 1.5% of families and 1.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.
Ethnic groups
As of 2013 the population of Cinco Ranch is predominately white, but a very broad spectrum of ethnic groups is represented in the area.
As of 2012 there is a large concentration of Venezuelans in Cinco Ranch. This group, along with others in Greater Katy, resulted in the nickname "Katyzuela".
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
Pupils in Cinco Ranch are zoned to schools of the Katy Independent School District in and around Cinco Ranch.
Elementary schools in Cinco Ranch:
- Betty Sue Creech Elementary School
- Edna Mae Fielder Elementary School
- Odessa Kilpatrick Elementary School
- James E. Williams Elementary School
- Jo Ella Exley Elementary School
- Stan Stanley Elementary School
- Tom Wilson Elementary School
- Fred & Patti Shafer Elementary School
- MayDell Jenks Elementary School
Other elementary schools serving Cinco Ranch:
- Michael L. Griffin Elementary School
Junior high schools in Cinco Ranch:
- Rodger & Ellen Beck Junior High School
- Beckendorff Junior High School
- Cinco Ranch Junior High School
- Seven Lakes Junior High School
Other junior high schools serving Cinco Ranch:
- WoodCreek Junior High School
- James & Sharon Tays Junior High School
- Garland McMeans Junior High School (Meadow Ridge, Park View, & Park Hollow neighborhoods)
High schools in Cinco Ranch
- Cinco Ranch High School (uninc. Fort Bend County)
- Seven Lakes High School (uninc. Fort Bend County)
- Obra Tompkins High School (uninc. Fort Bend County)
Other high schools serving Cinco Ranch
- James E. Taylor High School (Meadow Ridge, Park View, & Park Hollow neighborhoods)
Higher education
The Houston Community College System serves Cinco Ranch. The Northwest College's Katy Campus is in an unincorporated section of Harris County.
Public libraries
Cinco Ranch is served by the Cinco Ranch Branch Library of the Fort Bend County Libraries system, located across from Cinco Ranch High School and one block from Texas State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway). The library first opened as the Katy/Fort Bend Branch Library in a room on the campus of the University of Houston System at Cinco Ranch in June 1998. In 1999 the branch, which outgrew its first location, moved to the former Cinco Ranch development company sales office as a result of the efforts of the Katy/Fort Bend Friends. The community asked for a larger library, and Fort Bend County judge Jim Adolphus organized efforts to have a library established. Adolphus negotiated the donation of a library site from Terrabrook, a developer in Cinco Ranch, and secured a challenge grant. In addition, Adolphus and Fort Bend County judge candidate Bob Hebert co-hosted a fundraising gala for the challenge grant. The Cinco Ranch community, led by the Katy/Fort Bend Friends association, worked with Fort Bend County officials to find funds for the construction of a new library. The current 33,500 square feet (3,110Â m2) library opened on April 3, 2004.
Shopping
LaCenterra
LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch is an upscale 34-acre, 300,000 square foot Main Street style mixed-use development located at the Grand Parkway and Cinco Ranch Blvd. It includes restaurant, retail, office space and apartments.
References
External links
- Cinco Ranch developer site
