Katy TX

About Katy TX

Top 10 Things About Katy TX:

1. Highly-rated schools
2. Lots of fun things to do
3. Many affordable homes in all price ranges
4. Low-risk of flooding in most areas (except those near the Addicks-Barker reservoirs on far east side)
5. Not in Windstorm Insurance area (such as Pearland or Friendswood)
6. Easy access to downtown Houston (during off-peak travel times)
7. Multiple hospitals to choose from
8. Multiple private schools available
9. Close to the Energy Corridor
10. Plenty of shopping malls and centers available

Katy TX is a very large area on the west side of Houston TX…where the counties of Fort Bend, Harris, and Waller converge. It is hard to explain to people because, technically, the incorporated “City of Katy” is only a small area of about 15,000 people. However, the “Katy Area” or “Greater Katy Area” usually refers to the entire area covered by the Katy Independent School District and various sources quote the population to be somewhere around 300,000-340,000.

According to Wikipedia, “Many people confuse Greater Katy with the City of Katy, however there is no city representation or services provided to people outside of the actual city limits of Katy. Some of this area is actually within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston the city of Katy cannot annex this area without express permission from the City of Houston. This has occurred on several occasions in regards to relatively small tracts of land. Most recently this came into play with development of the Katy Mills Mall, which sat mostly within the City of Katy but about half was in the Houston ETJ. The developer and city of Katy threatened to build just parking lot on the Houston area depriving Houston of any real property tax value. For 1 million dollars Katy bought the right to annex the area desired.”

City of Katy (incorporated)

Greater Katy Area (Katy ISD)

Since it is such a large area, I like to divide Katy into three major sections:

• North of Interstate 10 (not covered in this guide)
• South of Interstate 10 but East of Grand Parkway
• South of Interstate 10 but West of Grand Parkway

NOTE

My terms “North Katy,” “East Katy,” and “West Katy” are not official terms. They are just how I separate and explain the different parts of Katy to clients.

These three areas are very different in regards to the scores of the schools and the age and price of the homes. Generally speaking, the area north of I10 has lower scoring schools and, therefore, less expensive homes. The areas south of I10 both have high scoring schools, but some parts still have better schools than other parts. The east side of Grand Parkway is older, and has more mature trees (therefore “prettier” than the west side) but also has older homes that may need to be updated. These homes are closer to Houston and, therefore, have shorter commute times than the west side of Grand Parkway.

The area west of Grand Parkway is newer and so there are lots of newer, modern homes zoned to high-scoring schools. However, if you live far-west you will have a longer commute than the far-east side of Katy (to downtown or Galleria).

We could probably separate another area out: the Energy Corridor which, for now, I include in east Katy.

The area of Katy is so large that it crosses two counties (Harris and Fort Bend) and multiple ZIP Codes (see below).

PROs and CONs

The following summarizes the PROs and CONs about Katy:

PROs High performing schools Affordable prices Nearby shopping Plenty of fun things to do New construction homes available Energy-efficient homes available Beautiful neighborhoods available with lakes and mature trees Most areas are not prone to flooding

CONs Commute to downtown Houston during peak drive times may be more than 45 mins Higher property taxes (to pay for top schools) East side has older homes that may need remodeling East side, close to reservoirs, flooded during Hurricane Harvey

Location

Katy is located on the far west side of Houston TX. The following map shows the location of Katy in relation to Houston.

Katy Top Employers

According to the Katy Area Economic Development Council’s Website (www.katyedc.org): “The economy in the Katy area is thriving and growing rapidly. Due to its growth across various business sectors, it has been recognized as one of the most recession-resistant economies in the United States. Multiple office and light industrial buildings are under construction to support the expansion in employment growth. The Katy area also has a rapidly growing employment base in both the healthcare and technology industries.”

Top 25 Leading Employers in the Katy Area – 2016
Name	Size	NAICS	Product & Service
Katy ISD	8,000+	61111	Education / Public Schools
BP North America	5,000+	21311	HQ, Oil & Gas
WoodGroup Subsidiaries	4,000+	54133	HQ, Engineering, Oil & Gas
Shell Exploration and Production	4,000+	21211	HQ, Oil & Gas
ConocoPhillips	3,000+	21211	HQ, Oil & Gas
Katy Mills – Simon Group	3,000+	44211	Retail Stores & Offices
Academy Sports & Outdoors	2,900+	42391	HQ, Distribution Center
LaCenterra – Cinco Ranch	1,700+	44211	Retail Stores & Offices
Houston Methodist West	1,650+	62211	Hospital
Walmart / Sam’s	1,400+	45211	Retail Stores
Amec Foster Wheeler	1,000+	54133	HQ, Engineering, Oil & Gas
Igloo Products Corp.	1,000+	32614	HQ, Distributions & Manufacturing
Worley Parsons Group	1,000	54133	Engineering, Oil & Gas
Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus	1,000	62111	Hospital
Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital	1,000	62111	Hospital
Kroger	800	45211	Retail
Transocean	750	21311	Drilling, Oil & Gas
HEB	650	45211	Retail
GEICO	610	52421	Insurance Agencies & Brokerages
DNV-GL	565	54138	Testing Laboratories
Expro Americas	500	21311	Oil & Gas Field Services
Sercel, Inc.	500	33451	Manufacturing, Instrumentation for Electricity
Gulf Interstate Engineering	400+	21311	Engineering, Oil & Gas
Schlumberger – Technology Center	350+	35301	HQ, Manufacturing of Oil & Gas Equipment

Source: http://katyedc.org/Data-Demographics/Leading-Employers.aspx on April 24, 2018.

Katy Hospitals

There are at least four award-winning hospitals in the Katy Area:

Houston Methodist West Hospital
18500 Katy Fwy, Houston, TX 77094
Phone: (832) 522-5522

Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital
23900 Katy Fwy, Katy, TX 77494
Phone: (281) 644-7000

MD Anderson Cancer Center
19770 Kingsland Blvd, Houston, TX 77094
Phone:(713) 563-9600

Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus
18200 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77094
Phone:(832) 227-1000

Katy Commute Times and Traffic

Katy is so large that commute times may vary drastically depending on where you live in Katy…and where you are commuting. You can use Google Maps to estimate drive times from various locations.

Katy has two park and ride locations if you are commuting to Houston:

21669 Kingsland Blvd

1030 W Grand Parkway

Visit www.ridemetro.org for more information about other options such as ride matching, ride sharing, METRO lift, and the HOV system.

Highway Nicknames

• Katy Freeway = I-10
• Grand Parkway = Hwy 99
• Westpark Tollway = FM 1093
• The Loop = I-610
• Southwest Frwy = I-59/I-69
• Northwest Frwy = Hwy 290

Commute Times

The following tables shows the estimated commute times from Katy to important places of interest. Times vary depending on route, traffic, wrecks, etc.

Place	Miles Away	Peak Travel Time*	Off-Peak Travel Time
George Bush Intercontinental Airport	44	55 mins	44 mins
Hobby Airport	38	54 mins	43 mins
Texas Medical Center	28	46 mins	35 mins
Downtown Houston	30	42 mins	32 mins
Galleria	23	38 mins	26 mins
Energy Corridor	13	22 mins	17 mins
Kemah	61	1 hr	55 mins
NASA	55	62 mins	50 mins
Galveston	79	1 hr 30 mins	1 hr 20 mins

*Peak Travel Time is general 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. Travel routes vary. LaCenterra address was used as the starting point.

The best way to estimate your commute time is to use Google Maps at the time you commute. Simply enter your work address and the address of the house you are interested in, and Google Maps will estimate your commute time. This time is based on the actual time you perform the search, so use it during your expected commute times.

Katy Demographics

It is extremely challenging to get accurate population statistics and demographics for the Katy Area…since it is not all incorporated. According to the Katy Area Economic Development Council’s Website (www.katyedc.org):

“Powered by one of the most acclaimed school districts in the state of Texas, Katy area’s growth is fueled by an abundant and talented population, which is growing at of rate of roughly 5% annually.

Approximately 340,000 people reside in the Katy area and are drawn here by the Katy Independent School District (Katy ISD), which now has over 77,000 students. The Katy area is larger in population than the City of Pittsburgh, PA. Katy’s past growth between the years 2000 and 2010 increased by 84%. This phenomenal growth is projected to continue, fueled by Katy ISD, energy companies and corporations, businesses and entrepreneurs. By the year 2022, projections show that over 391,000 people will call the area home.

Employment in the Katy area continues to grow at similar pace. The civilian employed population is 180,758 persons with growth projected to 217,652 persons by the year 2022 (20.4% increase). The Katy area has a low unemployment rate at 4.6%.

The demographics of the Katy area are grounded in a strong income base with exceptional educational attainment. The average household income is $127,335 in the Katy area and projected to increase to $147,821 by the year 2022. The strong income base translates to strong educational attainment above the national average, with over 44% of the population having bachelor’s or graduate degrees.”

Take a look at the demographics of the schools zoned to the area you are looking at if you want a more accurate picture of the area.

>> See Katy Demographics

Katy Parks and Recreation

Katy has multiple parks and recreation spots including:

• Dog Park
• Mary Jo Peckham Park
• Mary Jo Peckham Aquatic & Fitness Center
• Harvest Plaza
• Katy City Park
• Katy Arboretum
• Katy Heritage Park
• Thomas Park
• Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Park
• Woodsland Park and Community Center

These facilities are described in detail on the Things to Do in Cross Creek Ranch.

>> Online Reservations

 

Katy Schools

One thing that is very challenging for people to understand about the Houston-metro area is that some schools districts are very large and can have BOTH high-rated AND low-rated schools within the SAME school district. Katy ISD has over 65 schools and Fort Bend ISD (for Sugar Land TX) has over 73 schools! Naturally, with that many schools, some schools are going to be excellent and some may be low-performing. Of course, some school districts are better than others, but a home can be zoned to low-rated schools even if it is in a highly rated school district like Katy ISD. This means that you can’t focus on just a school district in your home search….you need to focus on the individual schools.

Also know that school ratings can and will fluctuate from year to year…generally moving up or down one point each year. For example, Seven Lakes HS was rated a 9 in 2017 but moved up to a 10 (on greatschools.org) in 2018. Some schools stay the same rating from year to year, but some may move up or down.

Source: https://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/districtrank.aspx

Another thing to know…a neighborhood may be zoned to multiple elementary, middle, and high schools. So you may want to live in large neighborhood like Cinco Ranch, but just know that your home may be zoned to one of eight elementary schools, six middle schools, and four high schools…depending on which part of Cinco Ranch you live. Or if you live in Cross Creek Ranch, the east side is zoned to Katy ISD but the west side is zoned to Lamar Consolidated ISD. So within the same neighborhood, you could be zoned to two different school districts!

Also know that school zones can and will change over time….especially in new home developments. For example, when Tamarron first opened, it was zoned to Katy ISD schools but quickly got rezoned to Lamar Consolidated ISD, due to over-crowding. And if a new neighborhood builds out quicker than schools are added, then you could be rezoned multiple times…and maybe to lower-performing schools than originally expected. So be very careful about choosing homes based on their current school zones! (This is why you need a local area real estate expert, like Sheila Cox, to find the right home.)

>> See Katy Schools

Katy ISD

» See Katy ISD Info

» See Katy ISD information for newcomers

Many people move to Katy because of Katy schools and the award-winning and acclaimed school district: Katy ISD (Independent School District). Katy ISD serves over 70,000 students spread over a 180+ square mile area containing 60+ schools. As one of the largest employers in the Katy area, this school district employees over 9,000 people, including 4500+ teachers. The average teacher salary is $55,000/yr and the average student-teacher ratio is 15:1.

The ACT (American College Test) and SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) scores in Katy schools are above the state and national averages. In addition, most of the high schools in Katy have a 95-98 percent graduation rate. Two Katy high schools are among the top 100 high schools in the state: Cinco Ranch and Seven Lakes.

People often move to Katy for the excellent schools here. The above average schools (8-10) are mostly in East and West Katy…south of Interstate 10. The schools in North Katy are mostly average (4-7) according to GreatSchools.org.

Good To Know

• When you register for school you will need the following items:
• Proof of residence (sales contract, lease contract, utility bill)
• Official birth certificate or passport
• Proof of immunizations
• Report card or transcript from most recent school

Things To Do in Katy

There are many fun things to do in Katy, including:

• Meadowbrook Farms, Cinco Ranch, WillowFork, Falcon Point golf courses
• La Centera shopping and dining center
• Wholefoods Grocery Store
• Katy Monty Ballard YMCA
• Katy Mills Outlet Mall
• Typhoon Texas Waterpark
• George Bush Park with bike trails
• Great Southwest Equestrain Park
• Live music and dancing at: Baker St Pub, Mo’s Place, Katy Vibes, and Wildcatter Saloon
• Momentum Indoor Climbing
• TopGolf
• Exploration Park
• Dewberry Farm
• No Label Brewing
• Time Square Entertainment
• Katy Main Event
• Movie Theatres: Xscape, Alamo Drafthouse, Star Cinema, Regal Cinema, Katy Mills
• Soon-to-be-built Katy Boardwalk District

Plus Houston area has:

• Houston Zoo
• Museums
• Theatre and Fine Arts
• Aquarium
• NASA
• Kemah Boardwalk
• Galveston – Moody Gardens
• Galveston – Pleasure Pier
• Houston Texans
• Houston Astros
• Toyota Center (Concerts)
• Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (Concerts)
• Smart Financial Center (Concerts)
• The Big Easy (Live Blues music)

Helpful Katy Phone Numbers

The following is a list of helpful phone numbers and websites.

The following departments can be contacted directly:

DEPARTMENT	PHONE	EMAIL
Administration	281-391-4800	info@cityofkaty.com
Animal Control	281-391-4740	animalcontrol@katypd.com
City Council	281-391-4800	councilmembers@cityofkaty.com
City Engineer	281-391-4800	planning@cityofkaty.com
City Secretary	281-391-4800	citysecretary@cityofkaty.com
Code Enforcement	281-391-4830	katypermits@cityofkaty.com
Emergency Management	281-391-3500	oem@cityofkaty.com
Fire	281-391-3500	fireinfo@cityofkaty.com
Fire Marshal	281-381-4080	katyfiremarshal@cityofkaty.com
Fussel Senior Citizen Center	281-391-4837	seniorcenter@cityofkaty.com
Human Resources	281-391-4800	humanresources@cityofkaty.com
Johnny Nelson Katy Heritage Museum	281-391-4884	travelkaty@cityofkaty.com
Keep Katy Beautiful	281-391-4717	kkb@cityofkaty.com
Mayor’s Office	281-391-4800	mayor@cityofkaty.com
Municipal Courts	281-391-4810	court@cityofkaty.com
Parks & Recreation	281-391-4840	katyparks@cityofkaty.com
Permits & Building	281-391-4830	katypermits@cityofkaty.com
Planning	281-391-4800	planning@cityofkaty.com
Police	281-391-4848	kpd@katypd.com
Public Works	281-391-4820	publicworksinfo@cityofkaty.com
Tourism & Marketing	281-391-4800	marketing@cityofkaty.com
Utility Billing/Trash & Recycle	281-391-4801	ub@cityofkaty.com
Visitors Center/Depot	281-391-8400	travelkaty@cityofkaty.com

County Phone Numbers

Fort Bend County Services Animal Control 281.342.1512 Drivers License 713.465.8462      Household Hazardous Waste Collection Sites 200 Blume Road, Rosenberg TX 281.633.7527 Tax Assessor 281.344.8623 Vehicle Registration 22333 Grand Corner Drive, Katy 281.238.1490 Voter Registration 281.341.8670

Harris County Services Animal Control 281.999.3191 Drivers License 713.465.8462      Handicap Placard 713.368.2000 Harris County Clerk 713.755.6405 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Sites 6900 Hahl Rd 281.560.6200 Tax Assessor 713.224.1919 Vehicle Registration. 16715 Clay Road, Houston 713.368.2000 Voter Registration 713.368.7655

Waller County Services Animal Control 979.826.8033 Drivers License 713.465.8462   Tax Assessor 281.344.8623 Vehicle Registration 730 9th Street, Hempstead 979.826.7620 Waller County Appraisal District 281.396.6100     6301 S. Stadium Drive www.waller-cad.org Waller County Courthouse, Hempstead 281.391.5565 Voter Registration 979.826.3357

Katy Crime Statistics

Crime is a neighborhood, rather than city-wide issue. Crime in one part of town may be completely different than crime in another part of town. According to Sperling’s Best Places, “Katy, Texas, violent crime, on a scale from 1 (low crime) to 100, is 20. Violent crime is composed of four offenses: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The US average is 31.1.

Katy, Texas, property crime, on a scale from 1 (low) to 100, is 53. Property crime includes the offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The object of the theft-type offenses is the taking of money or property, but there is no force or threat of force against the victims. The US average is 38.1.”

Source: https://www.bestplaces.net/crime/city/texas/katy

NOTE: Purple icons are registered sex offenders.

BEWARE! Most online data for crime reports in the Katy area is not accurate. Katy is divided into three counties (Harris, Fort Bend, and Waller). Some crime report sites report only on Harris county (making the side that is in Fort Bend county look virtually crime free) and other sites report only on Fort Bend county (making the Harris county side look crime free).

Being a local area expert, I think you can get a better idea of our higher crime areas by looking at sex offender map locations. Generally speaking, the more sex offenders in the area, the higher the crime rate.

See these articles for more information about how sex offenders effect real estate:

• Sex offender data threatening home values
• There Goes the Neighborhood

Flooding in Houston Area

NOTE: Cross Creek Ranch did not have flooding issues during Hurricane Harvey and I am not aware of any known flooding issues within this neighborhood.

People moving to the Katy area are often concerned about Katy flood zones. The good news is that, for the most part and with few exceptions, Katy neighborhoods are located in a 500-year floodplain which means that they have 0.2 percent risk for flooding each year…less than 1/2 percent!

0.2 percent (500-year) floodplain – A 0.2 percent (500-year) floodplain is an area at risk for flooding from a bayou, creek or other waterway overflowing during a 0.2 percent (500-year) flood. Structures located in a 0.2 percent (500-year) floodplain have a minimum of a 0.2 percent chance of flooding in any given year.

Less than 8 percent of Katy homes and businesses (approximately 7,209) were flooded during Hurricane Harvey…so don’t let what you see on TV give you the wrong impression…most of the homes in Katy TX do not flood on a regular basis and did not flood even during this HISTORIC hurricane. The water got high and some of the roads were flooded for a few days (mostly around Fry Rd, east of Grand Parkway), but this was an unprecedented weather event which may never occur again. 

I’m not a flood expert, weather expert, engineer, surveyor, etc…I’ve just lived on the Texas Gulf Coast for over 40 years and experienced many floods, hurricanes and tropical storms. Here’s my opinion based on what I have experienced…

Pretty much all areas of the United States (and the world) have to deal with natural disasters. In California it’s earthquakes, mudslides, and wild fires. In the Midwest it’s tornadoes. In the Northeast it’s winter storms and blizzards. Many parts of the country deal with flooding…especially near rivers. Other parts deal with severe droughts. The fact is, you can’t completely avoid natural disasters anywhere…so you need to minimize your risk and prepare for them as best you can.

If you want to live anywhere on the Gulf Coast (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida) or anywhere in the Houston region, then you will need to be prepared for hurricanes and flash flooding. One thing history has shown us regarding flooding…history means nothing! Each time we experience a major flood, you will see many flooded home owners on the news saying something like, “We’ve lived here over 30 years and never flooded before.” Last year (2019) there was a major flash flood and the new thing we heard afterwards was, “We didn’t flood in Harvey, but we flooded this time.”

So just because a home has never flooded before, does NOT guarantee it will not flood in the future. It just means it has a lower risk for flooding. Likewise, just because a home flooded during Hurricane Harvey, does NOT mean it will ever flood again. That was a historical storm that, most experts believe, is unlikely to occur in Katy again in our lifetime.

So, if you are buying a home in most parts of Katy Texas, then your risk for your home flooding is relatively low, especially compared to the rest of the Houston area. 

NOTE: In my definition of “flooding” I am referring to your home being infiltrated with flood/surface water. 

>> See Katy Flood Zones for maps, graphs, and more detailed information.