Northern portions of Houston, including the Houston Intercontinental area, form a large trade area in Harris County. The region’s main crossroad, Sam Houston Parkway at Interstate Highway 45, is located 14 miles north of downtown Houston. Part of the region is incorporated City of Houston territory. Containing a large resident population, this area has also developed into a substantial retail, office and light industrial district on the north side of Houston.

HISTORY

Prior to 1960, the far Houston Intercontinental area was largely undeveloped. Some farming activities existed, along with a few retail businesses that catered to travelers heading north from the Houston region to Dallas-Fort Worth areas, and to many other smaller communities.
During the 1960s, development of the nearby Champions subdivision, and the opening of the large Bush Intercontinental Airport brought this region to the public’s attention. Some subdivisions such as Imperial Valley, which featured affordable housing, were developed. In addition, Houston’s internal growth produced steady development to the north.
Houston’s unprecedented job and population growth boom started by the end of the 1960s. Subsequently, the fastest growing residential areas were located to the northeast, north and northwest in Kingwood, The Woodlands and the numerous FM 1960-area subdivisions. These conditions caused the Greenspoint area to be viewed as a centrally located commercial core with a huge growth potential. The main development catalyst came with the opening of Greenspoint Mall in 1976. Soon, extensive retail, office and light industrial development occurred along the major transportation arteries around Greenspoint. This robust pattern resulted in the creation of thousands of jobs within the local area. As a result, many new affordable subdivisions and apartment projects were developed nearby. Current population of the area’s zip codes is approaching 350,000 persons.

Centrally located to the entire, burgeoning north Houston region, the greater Greenspoint area emerged as an extremely well situated trade center. In this approximately 150 square miles, land was abundant and acreage prices were reasonable. These are the major factors that led to the popularity of the Greenspoint region.
In addition to the great economic base strength brought to the area by activities at Bush Intercontinental Airport, automobile transportation is facilitated by three major north-south highways: Interstate 45, Hardy Tollway and U.S. 59. These roads facilitate heavy commuting patterns from the northern suburbs. In addition, several METRO Park and Ride facilities provide attractive alternatives to commuters in the greater north Houston region.
Aldine and Spring Independent School Districts provide public education throughout much of the North Houston Greenspoint area. Houston and North Forest Independent School Districts serve portions of the area that are south and east of the Aldine territory. Houston Community College, North Harris College and the North Houston Institute of the University of Houston provide advanced education credit and continuing education courses in the north Houston Greenspoint area.

Numerous major lodging facilities add yet another local economic base attraction. The Crowne Plaza, DoubleTree Hotel Houston Intercontinental, Marriott North at Greenspoint, Hilton Houston North, Holiday Inn Intercontinental, Sheraton North Houston, and Houston Airport Marriott are among the larger operations. Many business meetings and conferences are held in these lodging facilities.