Montgomery County, Texas
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 455,746. A 2019 estimate places the population at 607,391. The county seat is Conroe. The county was created by an act of the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 14, 1837 and is named for the town of Montgomery. Between 2000 and 2010, its population grew by 55%, the 24th-fastest rate of growth of any county in the United States.
Montgomery County is part of the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are land and are covered by water.Adjacent counties
- Walker County
- San Jacinto County
- Liberty County
- Harris County
- Waller County
- Grimes County
National protected area
- Sam Houston National Forest
Demographics
There were 162,530 households out of which 36.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.70% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.30% were non-families. 20.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the county, 27.60% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 26.60% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.29 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.94 males.
As of the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $50,864, and the median income for a family was $58,983. Males had a median income of $42,400 versus $28,270 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,544. About 7.10% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.90% of those under age 18 and 10.10% of those age 65 or over.
From 2010-2016, 54% of all vehicle-related fatalities in the county were related to the use of controlled substances, including alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine and synthetic drugs. According to Tyler Dunman, Montgomery County assistant district attorney, approximately 60-70% of all crime in the county is connected to substance abuse.
Politics
Montgomery County is one of the most heavily Republican counties in Texas, giving 78.1 percent of its vote to George W. Bush in 2004 and 75.8% of its vote to John McCain in 2008. The county has not been won by a Democratic presidential candidate since native Texan Lyndon Johnson won 60.9% of the county's vote in 1964. In 1968, George Wallace, running as a third-party candidate, won the county, whilst in 1948, “States’ Rights” candidate Strom Thurmond had previously won over 29 percent of the vote to make Montgomery his fourth-strongest county in Texas, and in 1992, Ross Perot, another third-party candidate received more votes than Democratic candidate Bill Clinton. In 2016, it was the only county in the United States which Republican nominee Donald Trump won against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by a margin of greater than 100,000 votes.United States Congress
Texas Legislature
Texas Senate
Texas House of Representatives
Education
Public schools
Several school districts operate public schools in the county:- Conroe ISD
- Magnolia ISD
- Montgomery ISD
- New Caney ISD
- Richards ISD
- Splendora ISD
- Tomball ISD
- Willis ISD
Private schools
Pre-K to 12
- Covenant Christian School
- Christ Community School
- Esprit International School
- The Woodlands Christian Academy
- The John Cooper School
- St. Anthony Of Padua Catholic School
- The Woodlands Preparatory School
- Porter Christian Academy
- Cunae International School
- Legacy Preparatory Christian Academy
- Willis Classical Academy The county also is home to two campuses of the Lone Star College System: Montgomery and The University Center. The county operates the Montgomery County Memorial Library System.
Transportation
Airports
, a general-aviation airport, is located in Conroe.The Houston Airport System stated that Montgomery County is within the primary service area of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, an international airport in Houston in Harris County. William P. Hobby Airport in Houston in Harris County also operates regular commercial service.
Major highways
- Interstate 45
- Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59
- State Highway 75
- State Highway 99 - Grand Parkway Toll Road
- State Highway 105
- State Highway 242
- State Highway 249
Toll Roads
There are two "true" toll roads within Montgomery County. One includes a section of mainlanes of State Highway 249 between the Harris County line at Spring Creek to FM 1774 in Pinehurst is signed as MCTRA 249 Tollway and is currently the only toll road maintained by the Montgomery County Toll Road Authority. The only other toll road within Montgomery County is TxDOT maintained Grand Parkway between Spring Creek to I-69/US 59 near New Caney.
Communities
Cities
- Conroe
- Cut and Shoot
- Magnolia
- Montgomery
- Oak Ridge North
- Panorama Village
- Patton Village
- Shenandoah
- Splendora
- Willis
- Woodbranch
Towns
- Roman Forest
- Stagecoach
- Woodloch
Census-designated places
- Pinehurst
- Porter Heights
- The Woodlands
- Spring
Unincorporated communities
- Decker Prairie
- Dobbin
- Egypt
- Grangerland
- Imperial Oaks
- New Caney
- Porter
- River Plantation
- Tamina