|
Oak Forest is a large residential community in northwest Houston, Texas, United States. Oak Forest is the third largest group of subdivisions in Harris County (behind Kingwood and Sharpstown).〔"(Home )." Oak Forest Homeowners Association. Retrieved on November 5, 2011.〕 ==History== Oak Forest was established in 1947 by Oak Forest Realty Corporation, owned by Frank Sharp, a developer who would later establish Sharpstown. Oak Forest Realty Corporation built houses only in Section 1 (Golf Dr to Oak Forest Dr, and Du Barry Ln to W 43rd St). Sharp would later develop the neighborhood for 17 additional sections by building streets and installing utility lines, but left the home construction to other contractors. The first house, which served as a sales office, was built at the corner of Golf and Fisher Dr. Almost all of the first houses were sold to World War II veterans for $8,000-$10,000. One of the original homeowners, Ruth Metzger, bought her house in April 1947, when it was only a slab and still lived there through 2008. Many of the original settlers moved from rural areas west of Houston and were of Polish Texan and Czech Texan origins.〔Lomax, John Nova. "(Is Oak Forest the Friendliest Neighborhood in Houston? )" ''Houstonia''. April 7, 2014. Retrieved on June 2, 2014.〕 Originally, there was no telephone service. If a homeowner needed to place a call, they had to use one in the construction shack on the corner of Wakefield and Kinley Lane or one in the house of Frank Sharp’s niece on Wakefield. Telephone service finally arrived in the middle of 1948. Sufficient acreage in Oak Forest was set aside for churches, parks and schools. Areas were also reserved for commercial development and this accounts for the many grocery stores, cleaners, service stations, etc., which are located along W. 43rd St. between Ella Blvd. and Oak Forest Dr. When it was first established, Oak Forest was a golf course and a part of the Aldine Independent School District. The land was ceded to Houston ISD. The original Oak Forest Elementary was built in 1951, followed by Black Junior High School in 1958 and construction on Waltrip High School began in 1959 with the first classes held in the fall of 1960. Stevens Elementary was added as the area grew beyond the capacity of one elementary school. Oak Forest was originally an unincorporated area in Harris County. It was annexed by the City of Houston about 1949. Sixty years later, there are 5,523 homes in Oak Forest with a population of over 23,000. Oak Forest is the third largest area after the annexation of Kingwood. ''Houstonia'' magazine stated that beginning in 2000 Oak Forest began attracting "creative types" who wanted to establish families or who could not afford the Houston Heights or Montrose.〔Holley, Peter, John Lomax, and Todd Spoth. "(25 Hottest Neighborhoods )" ((Archive )). ''Houstonia''. June 1, 2013. Retrieved on November 2, 2015.〕 From 2005 to 2011 the number of house sales in Oak Forest increased by an annual average of 5.8%.〔 In February 2009 some Oak Forest residents reported increased burglaries and thefts.〔Dobbyn, Christine. "(Oak Forest neighborhood on crime alert )." ''KTRK-TV''. Wednesday February 11, 2009. Retrieved on March 6, 2009.〕 In 2010 the ''Houston Press'' ranked Oak Forest one of the "The Five Most Underrated Neighborhoods In Houston."〔Connelly, Richard. "(The Five Most Underrated Neighborhoods In Houston )." ''Houston Press''. Friday August 13, 2010. Retrieved on November 3, 2012.〕 226 house sales occurred during that year.〔 In 2011 Jason Light, the owner of the real estate firm Light Group, was quoted in the ''Houston Chronicle'' referring to Oak Forest as the "new West University".〔Kaplan, David. "(Oak Forest: 'The new West University' )." ''Houston Chronicle''. April 11, 2011. Retrieved on March 28, 2013.〕 Marlene Casares, a woman quoted in the same article, called Oak Forest as "like a little mini Bellaire, but with better prices."〔 By 2013 many families were moving into Oak Forest and nearby Garden Oaks.〔Shilcutt, Katharine. "Eat, Play, Love." ''Houston Press''. February 7, 2013. (3 ). Retrieved on March 28, 2013.〕 In 2013 ''Houstonia'' magazine stated that Oak Forest, which was "starting to resemble a baby Bellaire or West University," was one of the "25 Hottest Neighborhoods" in Houston.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Oak Forest, Houston」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|