Acres Homes (Houston)

From Towrs

Acres Homes is a wooded urban/inner-city community in NW Houston, Texas north of the 610 loop. The community is also referred to as The 44, because of the "Acres Homes Limited" METRO bus route #44. Acres Homes is a rarity among inner-city neighborhoods as it has consistently avoided gentrification, largely through its strong community identity. Acres Homes is known for having a high crime rate. Located in the northwest portion of the city, the area is loosely bound by Pinemont Road to the south, North Shepherd Drive to the East, Gulf Bank to the north, and the city limits to the west.

History

Acres Homes was established during World War I, when Houston landowners began selling homesites in the area that were large enough to contain small gardens and raise chickens or farm animals. These large areas were often divided by the acre and not by the plot, hence the name "Acres Homes". The farm capabilities of the home sites attracted many rural settlers, who dug their own wells, and built small, sanitary houses.

As time went on, the conditions began declining due to several decades of neglect. As the rural settlers moved out of their dilapidated homes, realtors began marketing the area, largely to African Americans, as a suburban area which was not far from the city. In reality, it was a heavily-wooded, sparsely-settled slum with out adequate transportation or educational facilities. The area did not even receive sewer lines until it was annexed by the city in the 1970s.

Before it was annexed by the city of Houston, Acres Homes was considered to be the largest unincorporated African American community in the Southern United States. The area's location close to Garden Oaks, Houston, Texas|Garden Oaks - a primarily working-class white neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s- birthed racial tensions in north Houston during the racial equality movement of the time. The community now includes a combination of large areas of pine forests with a scattering of homes: small tract homes built in standard suburban subdivisions, and large comfortable homes on well-maintained wooded lots. There is little commercial or industrial development.

Education

• The eastern part of the community is located in the Houston Independent School District and is served by Booker T. Washington High School.
• The western part is in the Aldine Independent School District and is served by Eisenhower High School.
• A small section of Super Neighborhood #5 - Greater Inwood and some areas outside of the city limits still considered to be part of the "Acres Homes" area are within the Klein Independent School District and are served by Klein Forest High School