Mr. Clark W. Henry originally owned the land that now comprises Jersey Village. Mr. Henry owned 1,236 acres on which he operated the F&M Dairy. The ranch was stocked with Jersey dairy cattle and at one time the dairy had one of the largest and best herds of Jersey cattle in the world. Mr. Henry also had an interesting show place on the land that is now the public right-of-way between the east and west bound lanes of U.S. Highway 290. At this show place, the public was allowed to watch the milking of cows from behind glass doors and a short distance away, ice cream that was made from the milk of these cows, was sold. Mr. Henry also had free pony rides for the children and live country western entertainment for the adults who came to buy ice cream. This was a very popular attraction with the people who lived in Houston .
Because of poor health, Mr. Henry discontinued his dairy operation and shortly thereafter began to make plans for the City of Jersey Village.
Mr. Henry and Mr. Leroy Kennedy became acquainted with each other at the Garden Oaks Baptist Church in 1953. From their friendship grew a business partnership and the groundwork for the City of Jersey Village was begun in February of 1954. Because of Mr. Henry’s success with the Jersey cattle, the two decided to use “ Jersey Village ” as the name of the new community.
In the very beginning, only five miles of streets were put in along with drainage, water sewage, gas and lights. A few homes were built along Jersey Drive and the first family moved in the latter part of October 1954.
An election to incorporate Jersey Village into a city was held on April 16, 1956, and 58 votes were cast. All 58 votes were in favor of incorporating Jersey Village into a city and on that day the City of Jersey Village was officially born. Shortly thereafter, a city election was held and a major and five councilmen were elected.
The former City Hall was given to the City as a gift from Mr. Leonard Rauch on July 6, 1972. The building had previously been used as a real estate office. It is currently being used as the administrative offices of the City’s Fire Department. A bond issue passed in 1977 enabling the City to build a new City Hall, City Garage, Park Pavilion, and expand the then existing Fire Department Building.
In August 1986, due to the growth of Jersey Village , the voters approved the Home Rule Charter for the City. Many changes have come to this “small town community” within easy commute to the “big city amenities” of Houston. Recently built facilities include a new Police Station and a new Fire Station. In 2000, a well-established private golf course was sold to the City and renamed “Jersey Meadow Golf Course”. The Houston Chronicle sports writers described it as “the best kept secret in Houston”. Currently, over 7,500 people and a fast-growing number of businesses call the City of Jersey Village home.
Emergency Services
Jersey Village Volunteer Fire Department
Mark Bitz
Fire Chief
Jersey Village Emergency Services provides Fire, Emergency Medical, Rescue, Prevention and other related services to the citizens of this great community. When an emergency ensues, both volunteer and part time paid members provide professional care and protection to our citizens.
It is the mission of the department to protect lives and property through cost-effective, customer service oriented fire protection and emergency medical services and to assist in developing a fire safe community through education, inspection, and prevention.
As the new Fire Chief, I look forward to serving the citizens of Jersey Village and working with a team of outstanding volunteer and paid members.
Jersey Village Police Department
Charles N. Wedemeyer, Jr.
Chief of Police
The City of Jersey Village with its strong economy base of area service businesses and superb quality of life ranks among the best that America has to offer. To this end, the Police Department believes that one of its highest priorities is to do everything possible to maintain that quality of life while serving our customers in the most cost efficient manner. We at the JVPD recognize that in order to be successful we must engage the community in our efforts. In facilitation of this purpose we actively form partnerships with everyone who has an interest in making Jersey Village a great place to live and raise a family. We believe that working with all community stakeholders provides the formula for the success we enjoy today.
Of particular interest to most citizens are crime statistics. That we may provide the best possible service we have devoted a particular space for this feature. These statistics will give the citizen an idea of the level of crime in Jersey Village and what trends we are experiencing. Equally import it conclusively demonstrates with first hand knowledge that Jersey Village remains a very safe place to live. We are proud of the fact our crime rate is one of the lowest in the nation, especially for cities our size. We are equally proud of our community’s efforts in this regard as the largest measure of our success may be directly correlated to citizen efforts.
Mission Statement
The Jersey Village Police Department is dedicated to providing efficient quality services by working in partnership with individual citizens and Jersey Village businesses to enhance the quality of life and to create a healthy, vibrant community in which to live, work, and visit.
To accomplish our Mission we will:
- Respect our customers.
- Support our employees.
- Engage residents through partnerships to resolve issues.
- Accept accountability for our actions and decisions.
- Communicate effectively both internally and externally.
- Generate new ideas to solve problems.
- Encourage actions which are linked to strategic planning initiatives.
- Embrace these philosophies on a daily basis
