The Cypress Fairbanks region is located northwest of Houston. The two main crossroads, FM 1960 at U.S. Highway 290 and at State Highway 249, are 21 miles from Houston’s central business district. This largely unincorporated Harris County region gains a strong sense of community from association with territory found within Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District’s boundaries. Jersey Village is an incorporated city located within the area.
History
Farmers and ranchers settled the Cy-Fair area during the middle of the 19 th Century. Good soil, plentiful water, and some forested land attracted the early settlers. A one-room school was built in 1884 on the site of today’s Cy-Fair High School campus. The all-important school district was formed in 1939, when the communities of Cypress and Fairbanks consolidated their educational programs. Residential population increased moderately until the boom years of the past few decades suburbanized this formerly rural territory. Following the opening of Houston Intercontinental Airport and development of the Champions country club subdivision in the late-1960s, Cy-Fair was recognized as a desirable suburban residential location. Subsequently, Houston’s unprecedented job and population growth generated strong housing demand in this northwest community area. Residential developers responded with a wide variety of subdivisions, housing types and price ranges. As a result, custom homes, affordable production-builder homes and apartments were all added to the Cy-Fair area. With the addition of thousands of residents, new commercial demand was generated. Many of the new stores and services were developed along such major thoroughfares as FM 1960, State Highway 249, Jones Road, U.S. 290 and State Highway 6. Development of Willowbrook Mall established a strong local commercial focus. Population of the area’s zip codes is just over 200,000 persons.
Settings and Attractions
Including approximately 186 square miles within Cy-Fair ISD and additional land in some adjacent zip code areas, the Cy-Fair area contains both prairie and forested acreage. In addition to being within a reasonable commute of the huge job base in Houston, much of the land has been reasonably priced. These conditions formed the basis for the area’s strong growth. Both the Northwest Freeway (U.S. 290) and State Highway 249 form good commuting links with Houston. In addition, opening of the Sam Houston Tollway in recent years added excellent access to the south and to the east.
Cy-Fair Independent School District has been one of the area’s major attractions. With more than 55,000 students, this public school district is second only to Houston ISD in enrollment size within Harris County. Citizen commitment to education has permitted the District to provide the staff, facilities and programs that have produced a reputation for quality learning experiences. The five high schools graduate students who have test scores and college enrollment ratios that exceed state and national averages.
Special events in the Cy-Fair area are highlighted by the Sam Houston Race Park. Located near the intersection of Sam Houston Toll Road and State Highway 249, this 240-acre, Class 1 thoroughbred and quarterhorse racing complex hosts meets during much of the year. Other major local events are:
With a strong residential, commercial and recreational base, the Cy-Fair area provides a balanced lifestyle opportunity. To date, more than 200,000 people in 68,000 households have been attracted by this lifestyle. Continuing commercial development is producing thousands of new jobs every year in the Cy-Fair area. The business community, civic organizations and public officials are leading the area to quality growth and development.