Katy, Texas

Katy (Harris County) is located about 25 miles west of downtown Houston on the Interstate 10 Energy Corridor. Katy is the hub of three counties: Harris County, Fort Bend County and Waller County. The highly educated workforce, large labor pool, and abundant utilities make the Katy area prime for business growth. The area is serviced by two major transportation thoroughfares (I-10 and the Grand Parkway). These major North/South and East/West arteries combined with proximity to Houston MSA, nearby port access, and two major air transportation facilities provide outstanding national and international connectivity for the Katy area.

History

In the beginning it was only a wide open prairie, the hunting ground of the Karankawa Indian tribes, the winter feeding grounds of great herds of buffalo and large flocks of wild ducks, geese, sandhill and whooping cranes, and numerous other game birds, and home to longhorn cattle, deer, and wolves.Earliest settlement of the community known as Cane Island, for Cane Island Creek that runs through it, was in 1872. The town site of Katy was laid out and platted by J. O. Thomas, L. C. Luckel, and R. M. Cash in 1895, supposedly named for the M-K-T Railroad that runs through it. The City of Katy was formally incorporated in 1945. Katy has always been a traditional family style community; however, it also played a major role as a rail hub, a rice farming and agricultural center, and one of the largest gas fields in this part of Texas.

Community Overview

Since its founding in the 1890’s, Katy has been a community dedicated to a quality of life unsurpassed in southeast Texas. Katy has an excellent school district, many different denominations of churches, parks, recreational facilities, and commercial development. With wide spread residential development, you have a large selection throughout the community to live in a safe and secure neighborhood. Access to the Interstate 10 corridor, Grand Parkway and the Beltway 8 are easily accessible and only minutes from any part in which you may choose to work, shop or play.

Population

The Greater Katy (KISD) area encompasses 180 square miles with area population in excess of 164,000. Population within “old” Katy city limits is also on the increase at about 12,500. The Katy Area embraces the Katy Independent School District that encompasses 181 square miles. Its eastern boundaries stretch to Houston’s energy corridor approximately 16 miles west of downtown Houston and extend along Interstate 10 to a few miles west of the city of Katy.

Education

The Katy Independent School District is considered to be among the top academic systems in the state.