River Oaks, Houston, Texas

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"River Oaks" redirects here. For the city in Tarrant County, see River Oaks, Texas.

River Oaks is an affluent community located in the geographic center of Houston, Texas, United States.

River Oaks is inside the 610 Loop, halfway between Downtown and Uptown. River Oaks spans 1,100 acres (4.45 km²) in area. River Oaks is north of the Houston district of Upper Kirby and west of the nearby area of Neartown/Montrose.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Government 2.1 Local government 2.2 Federal and state representation 3 Schools and public libraries 3.1 Public schools 3.2 Private schools 3.3 Libraries 4 Emergency services 4.1 Fire service 4.2 Police service 5 Postal services 6 Businesses and organizations 7 Notable residents 8 History 9 Parks 10 Media 11 Community information 12 References 13 See also 14 External links

[edit] Overview

River Oaks consists of approximately 1,400 properties in a region bounded on the north by Buffalo Bayou, on the east by South Shepherd Drive, on the west by Willowick Road, and on the south by Westheimer Road. The area boasts of being the wealthiest community in Texas, and having one of the wealthiest zip codes in the country. Residents are predominantly successful professionals, and real estate values range in from $1 to $20 million U.S. dollars^[1]. River Oaks is in close proximity to Downtown Houston, Uptown Houston, and the Houston Medical Center. The community is in close proximity to every major Houston thoroughfare such as Westheimer Road, Richmond Avenue, San Felipe Street, U.S. Route 59 ("Southwest Freeway"), Interstate 10 ("Katy Freeway"), and Interstate 610.

The community has a country club, River Oaks Country Club^[2]. River Oaks operates its own private security force, River Oaks Patrol. The Texas Department of Public Safety classifies the force as a guard, alarm, and investigation company. ^[3]

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

River Oaks is a part of the Houston City Council District G ^[4].

[edit] Federal and state representation

River Oaks is in Texas's 7th congressional district ^[5].

[edit] Schools and public libraries

Two schools are located in River Oaks, River Oaks Baptist School^[6] (a K-8 private school) and River Oaks Elementary School (a K-5 elementary school). Two other schools, St. John's School (a K-12 private school) and Lamar High School (a 9-12 public school), are in the northern portion of the Upper Kirby district, adjacent to River Oaks.

[edit] Public schools

Public schooling is available under the Houston Independent School District and consists of River Oaks Elementary School ^[7], Lanier Middle School ^[8], and Lamar High School ^[9].

There is a joke in the River Oaks community that states that River Oaks Boulevard is the only street with a country club at both ends. One is the River Oaks Country Club, and the "other" is Lamar High School. ^{[10] [11]}

Between 1986 and 1996, River Oaks Elementary School only admitted magnet school students, and River Oaks itself was divided between the attendance zones of Wilson Elementary School and Will Rogers Elementary School, the latter of which closed in Spring 2006. In 1995, several River Oaks parents petitioned HISD to re-establish the neighborhood program at River Oaks Elementary School. In fall 1996, HISD added a neighborhood program to the school for grades Kindergarten through 2, with grades 3 through 5 phased in over a subsequent three-year period ^[12][13].

[edit] Private schools

Several independent (private) schools serve the community.

Catholic schools, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, include:

• St. Thomas High School (9-12, males only, north of River Oaks along the north edge of the Buffalo Bayou)
• St. Anne Catholic School (K-8, between River Oaks and Montrose)

Other private schools include:

• St. John's School (K-12, in Upper Kirby)
• Annunciation Orthodox School (K-8, in the Montrose district)
• River Oaks Baptist School (K-8, in River Oaks)

[edit] Libraries

The community is served by the Looscan Branch of Houston Public Library. The current Looscan Branch building opened in September 2007. The old non-Americans with Disabilities Act compliant library, which was established in 1956, closed on August 27, 2005 and was demolished in February 2006. ^[14].

[edit] Emergency services

[edit] Fire service

Houston Fire Department operates Station 3 River Oaks at 3735 West Alabama at Cummins ^[15].

[edit] Police service

The community is within the Houston Police Department's Central Patrol Division ^[16]. River Oaks has one of the lowest crime rates in Houston ^[17].

[edit] Postal services

The United States Post Office operates the River Oaks Post Office at 1900 West Gray Street, Houston, Texas, 77019-9998.

[edit] Businesses and organizations

River Oaks homes are within a couple miles of both River Oaks Shopping Center^[18] and the Highland Village Shopping Center^[19] and adjacent the business areas of Upper Kirby and Greenway Plaza.

As of 2008, Landmark Theatres operates the River Oaks Theatre, an "arthouse" theater, within a mile of River Oaks. The closest mainstream movie theater to River Oaks is the Edwards Theatres Grand Palace 24.

The training facilities for the Houston Ballet and its pre-professional school, the Ben Stevenson Academy, are located in River Oaks, on West Gray, east of the River Oaks Shopping Center.

[edit] Notable residents

• Joe Jamail
• Jeffrey Skilling
• Fayez Sarofim
• Robert McNair
• Dan Duncan
• Richard Kinder
• John O'Quinn
• Carolyn Farb
• Denton Cooley
• Robert Mosbacher
• Lynn Wyatt

[edit] History

Will and Mike Hogg, the sons of former Governor of Texas Jim Hogg, and Attorney James Potter established River Oaks in the 1920s^[20]. Potter obtained an option to purchase 200 acres around the River Oaks Country Club in 1923, and in the following year Hogg established the Country Club Estates in order to augment the development. The two brothers promoted lots in the subdivision for $2,200 apiece in 1928. ^[21]

Will, Mike, and Ima Hogg, oversaw the construction of a stately southern-style home, Bayou Bend[2], on a 14-acre plot sitting high above Buffalo Bayou on Lazy Lane.

Deed restrictions at the time prohibited home prices of less than $7,000 and required control in architecture, with a gentlemen's agreement excluding blacks, Jews, and other minorities^[20]. Homes along Kirby Drive were only allowed to be American Colonial or English Tudor styles. ^[21]

The usually peaceful community was the site of the 1972 murder of Dr. John Hill (of Blood and Money fame) and the 1997 murder of Doris Angleton.

River Oaks was the home of Jeff Skilling before he began serving his 25 year sentence in a prison in Minnesota for his involvement in the Enron scandal. ^[22]

[edit] Parks

The River Oaks Park and the River Oaks Community Center, operated by the City of Houston, is located at 3600 Locke Lane [3].

Memorial Park is in close proximity to River Oaks.

[edit] Media

The Houston Chronicle is the area regional newspaper. On Thursdays, residents receive the Bellaire/West U/River Oaks/Meyerland [4] local section.

The River Oaks Examiner is a local newspaper distributed in the community [5].

The Village News is a local newspaper distributed in the community.

[edit] Community information

The Upper Kirby YMCA is located in nearby Upper Kirby.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

• River Oaks Property Owners, Inc.
• River Oaks Garden Club
• River Oaks Country Club
• River Oaks from About.com

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