Live in Memorial
Wooded 1950s and 1960s subdivisions strung along Buffalo Bayou between the Memorial Villages and Barker Reservoir, inside the City of Houston but in Spring Branch ISD, where the question is what the two federal reservoirs upstream do in a storm like Harvey.
Memorial takes its name from Memorial Drive, which runs through it, and it filled in from the mid-1950s, when Memorial Bend was first laid out, as Houston annexed the old estates and farmland piece by piece between the 1950s and the 1980s. This guide covers the City of Houston's Memorial super neighborhood, about 6,328 acres where the 2020 census counted 53,459 residents, and almost nine in ten of them, 47,763, are in Spring Branch ISD rather than Houston ISD. Houston has no zoning, so what a lot here can become is set by each subdivision's deed restrictions, and no City historic district reaches the area. Zillow put the typical home in ZIP code 77079, which holds about two thirds of the residents and is not the same shape as Memorial, at $745,679 in August 2026.
Houston's city services, Spring Branch's schools, and a bayou fed by two reservoirs
The City of Houston's Memorial super neighborhood (POLYID 16 on the City's Super Neighborhoods layer), one of 88 the City drew in 1999, about 6,328 acres. Traced against the City's major thoroughfare layer, its northern line runs along Interstate 10, the Katy Freeway, from Bunker Hill Road west past the Sam Houston Tollway, Kirkwood Road and State Highway 6 to the edge of the Barker Reservoir land; its southern line follows Buffalo Bayou, dipping south of the bayou to Briar Forest Drive between Gessner Road and the Bunker Hill Village line; and on the east it stops at the Memorial Villages, which are separate cities and are not in it. Wikipedia describes the same super neighborhood as bounded by Buffalo Bayou, Barker Reservoir, Westview and the Villages; the City's polygon follows the freeway rather than Westview. Every block is inside the City's full-purpose limits and in Harris County.
Memorial takes its name from Memorial Drive, and it was estates and farmland until Memorial Bend was laid out in 1955; Nottingham Forest, Westchester and Fonn Villas followed in the 1960s, and Houston annexed the ground piece by piece into the 1980s. This guide covers the City's Memorial super neighborhood: about 6,328 acres between the Katy Freeway and Buffalo Bayou, from the Memorial Villages, which are separate cities, west past State Highway 6. It had 53,459 residents in 2020, 18% more than in 2010.
The schools are Spring Branch ISD's, not Houston ISD's. 47,763 residents live in Spring Branch ISD, 5,013 at the western end in Katy ISD and 683 in Houston ISD. At the guide's reference point, near Memorial Drive and Wilcrest, the zones are Wilchester Elementary, Memorial Middle and Stratford High, all rated A for 2026, but eight Spring Branch elementary zones share the area and the western middle school, Spring Forest, was rated C. The district changes the tax bill too: Spring Branch ISD's 1.0231 per $100 replaces Houston ISD's, and there is no college district, because Spring Branch voters rejected Houston Community College's in 2009. The seven units add to 2.171218 per $100 on the 2025 rates. On Zillow's August 2026 figure for ZIP code 77079, $745,679, up 6.7% on the year, a homestead owes about $11,520 a year and a house without the exemption about $16,190. The ZIP is larger than Memorial, and 77024, which takes in the Villages, sits at about twice the price. The Houston ISD stack is on the Houston page.
Two federal reservoirs sit upstream, and they decide the flood question. Addicks and Barker hold back Buffalo Bayou above Houston, and Memorial's stretch of the bayou begins just below their gates near Highway 6. After the Tax Day storm of April 2016 both pools reached records and the Corps released the water down the bayou; in Harvey the releases were larger still, and the Flood Control District says they flooded neighborhoods along the bayou. FEMA's map puts 10.0% of the super neighborhood in the 1% annual chance zone and 16.0% more in the 0.2% zone. The reference point is outside both, but the District says flooding reaches beyond the mapped floodplain, which estimates a bayou's overflow, not a reservoir release.
Deed restrictions, not zoning, set what a lot can become. Houston has no zoning, so each subdivision's recorded restrictions govern use, setbacks and lot size, and the City Attorney can sue to enforce them. No City historic district reaches Memorial. Owners lived in 53% of the 21,898 occupied homes in 2020. Blocks with about 3,900 residents lie in the Energy Corridor's management district and about 2,100 in Memorial City's, so check the appraisal record for an assessment.
Daily life runs on the Katy Freeway. Memorial City Mall and Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center sit together at Gessner Road. The nearest METRORail station is about 19 km away; Route 70 runs along Memorial Drive every 60 minutes and the 162 Memorial Express every 30.
- Enter the address in Spring Branch ISD's SchoolSearch, or Katy ISD's at the western end
- Pull the FEMA panel for the lot and ask whether water came in during April 2016 or Harvey
- Read the subdivision's recorded deed restrictions before planning a rebuild
- Work the tax out on your own price: the seller's capped value ends with the sale
- Check the appraisal record for a management district line near the freeway
How Memorial got here
- 1938Congress authorizes Addicks and Barker reservoirs under the Rivers and Harbors Act of 20 June 1938, to hold back floodwater from Buffalo Bayou above Houston.
- 1948The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completes Addicks Dam and its outlet. The same project creates Barker Reservoir on Memorial's western edge and channelizes Buffalo Bayou from State Highway 6 to where the Beltway now runs.
- 1955Memorial Bend is first developed, the start of the mid-century modern subdivisions along the bayou. Houston annexes the Memorial area gradually between the 1950s and the 1980s.
- 1960sNottingham Forest, Westchester and Fonn Villas are built as U.S. 90 is rebuilt as Interstate 10. In the mid-1960s the conservationist Terry Hershey campaigns to keep the banks of Buffalo Bayou from being paved.
- 1966Memorial City Shopping Center is dedicated on 25 August, around a Sears that opened in 1964.
- 1969The Houston Public Library's first Kendall location opens; its current 28,600-square-foot building on Eldridge Parkway follows in 2010.
- 1983Town & Country Mall opens at Interstate 10 and the Beltway; it closes in 2004 and CityCentre replaces it.
- 1980sAfter Memorial Bend residents fought the route in the early 1960s, the Sam Houston Tollway is finally built through Memorial in the late 1980s.
- 2009On 3 November Spring Branch voters reject joining the Houston Community College taxing district by almost four to one, so a Spring Branch ISD address still pays no college district tax.
- 2015Spring Branch ISD's board turns down Thornwood residents in the Katy ISD part of Memorial who asked to move into Spring Branch ISD, citing the long trip to Katy schools.
- 2016The Tax Day storm of 16 and 17 April puts 13 to 17 inches of rain on the Addicks and Barker watersheds in 12 hours; both reservoir pools reach record levels and the Corps then releases the water into Buffalo Bayou.
- 2017During Hurricane Harvey the Corps begins controlled releases on 28 August and Addicks peaks on 30 August at its highest level on record. The record releases flood neighborhoods along Buffalo Bayou, and the Kendall Library takes four and a half to five feet of water.
- 2020The census counts 53,459 residents and 24,730 homes inside the super neighborhood, 18% more people than on the same ground in 2010.
- 2026Harris County Precinct 4 repairs two wooden bridges in Terry Hershey Park this autumn, one from 16 September and one from 7 October.
Terry Hershey Park on the bayou, and 7,800 acres inside Barker Reservoir
Terry Hershey Park runs along about six miles of Buffalo Bayou on Memorial's southern edge: 496 acres and 11.05 miles of trail, open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., named for the conservationist who kept the bayou's banks from being paved. West of Highway 6, George Bush Park fills 7,800 acres inside Barker Reservoir. The woodland pictured is the Houston Arboretum in Memorial Park, a different place about 18 km east.
What the map does not show: that George Bush Park is a flood pool. It lies inside Barker Reservoir, whose pool reached a record in April 2016. Precinct 4 is also repairing two Terry Hershey bridges this autumn.
Elsewhere in Houston, not Memorial
24 places, with real drive times
Road-adjusted distance and drive time from the centre of the community to each destination, nearest first. Filter by category.
Showing 1–12 of 24 places, nearest first.
Method: distances and drive times are computed from the population-weighted center of the super neighborhood's 2020 census blocks, near Memorial Drive and Wilcrest Drive, using straight-line distance multiplied by a road factor and a tiered speed model: honest ranges, not routed times.
Every gym within reach
The City's Kendall Community Center shares a site with the Kendall library on Eldridge Parkway, inside the super neighborhood. None of the YMCA's Houston branches is inside the line; the Brenda and John Duncan YMCA on Clay Road, north of the Katy Freeway, has an indoor pool, a gymnasium and pickleball.
- Kendall Community Center, 609 North Eldridge Parkway: about 4.7 km; call Parks and Recreation for programs
- Brenda and John Duncan YMCA, 10655 Clay Road: about 8.9 km, from 5 a.m. on weekdays
- Terry Hershey Park: about 2.6 km, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day
| Facility | What it is | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Kendall Community Center open | The City of Houston's community center at 609 North Eldridge Parkway, on the same site as the Kendall library and inside the super neighborhood. The City's community center layer lists it with its address and no hours; call the Parks and Recreation Department for programs. | 7–11 min |
| Brenda and John Duncan YMCA open | A YMCA of Greater Houston branch at 10655 Clay Road, north of the Katy Freeway: an indoor pool, a gymnasium, a whirlpool and sauna and pickleball. Open 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, to 8 p.m. Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. | 11–16 min |
| Terry Hershey Park open | The free option: 11.05 miles of trail along Buffalo Bayou with exercise stations, open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Harris County Precinct 4 is replacing parts of two wooden bridges in autumn 2026. | 9–13 min |
| George Bush Park open | Harris County's 7,800 acres inside Barker Reservoir, with soccer fields, a softball complex, equestrian and hike and bike trails; open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 15–23 min |
The free option is Terry Hershey Park's trail along the bayou, with exercise stations.
Spring Branch ISD for most addresses, Katy ISD at the western end
Most of Memorial is in the Spring Branch Independent School District. At the reference point the 2026-27 zones are Wilchester Elementary, A, 96, Memorial Middle, A, 95, and Stratford High, A, 92. Across the area Memorial Middle takes about 26,800 residents and Spring Forest Middle, C, 79, about 20,500; Stratford takes about 32,400 and Memorial High about 15,300.
| School | Board | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Wilchester Elementary School | Spring Branch Independent School District | 13618 Saint Marys Lane. On Spring Branch ISD's 2026-27 SchoolSearch map it is the elementary zone the guide's reference point falls in, and it holds about 6,900 of the super neighborhood's residents; seven other Spring Branch elementaries share the rest, the largest Nottingham, Frostwood and Bunker Hill. The Texas Education Agency rated Wilchester A, 96, for 2026 and A, 95, for 2025, with 8.7% of its students economically disadvantaged. |
| Memorial Middle School | Spring Branch Independent School District | 12550 Vindon Drive: the zoned middle school at the reference point and for about 26,800 residents, mostly in the east. Rated A, 95, for 2026 and A, 94, for 2025, with 9.2% economically disadvantaged. Spring Forest Middle School, 14240 Memorial Drive, serves about 20,500 residents in the west and was rated C, 79, for 2026, with 46.5% economically disadvantaged. |
| Stratford High School | Spring Branch Independent School District | 14555 Fern Street: the zoned high school at the reference point and for about 32,400 residents. Rated A, 92, for 2026 after B, 88, for 2025, with a 96.1 graduation rate component. Memorial High School in Hedwig Village takes about 15,300 residents in the east and was rated A, 91, for 2026. About 5,000 residents at the western end are in Katy ISD, whose zones this guide did not read. |
Check the exact address in Spring Branch ISD's SchoolSearch before you commit. About 5,000 residents at the western end are in Katy ISD, whose zones this guide did not read. In 2015 Spring Branch ISD refused the Katy ISD part of Thornwood a switch of districts.
Month by month, what living here looks like
Not a highlights reel: the actual annual rhythm, including the dates residents have to remember.
- The Harris Central Appraisal District values every house as it stands on 1 January, and last year's bill is due by 31 January
- The City's first MLK Unity Parade is on 18 January 2027
- Highs near 18 °C and lows near 7 °C at Bush Intercontinental, with about four nights at or below freezing on the 1991 to 2020 normal
- 75 mm of rain on the normal, the least of any month
- The World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest opens the rodeo season at NRG Park; it ran from 26 to 28 February in 2026
- Highs near 20 °C and about two frosty nights
- The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo runs from 2 to 21 March 2027 at NRG Park
- Terry Hershey Park's trail is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day
- Highs near 23 °C and 88 mm of rain
- The Tax Day storm of 16 and 17 April 2016 put 13 to 17 inches of rain on the Addicks and Barker watersheds in 12 hours and sent both reservoirs to what were then records
- The City's Tour de Houston bike ride, with three distances, is on 4 April 2027
- Highs near 27 °C and 100 mm of rain
- 15 May is the deadline to protest the appraisal district's value, or 30 days after the notice is mailed if that is later
- 127 mm of rain and nine or ten days reaching 32 °C (90 °F) on the normal
- The Atlantic hurricane season opens on 1 June and runs to 30 November
- 152 mm of rain, the wettest month on the normal, and about 23 days reaching 32 °C
- The appraisal review board holds Saturday protest hearings in June and July
- The City's Freedom Over Texas celebration is on Buffalo Bayou at Eleanor Tinsley and Sam Houston parks on 4 July, downstream of Memorial
- Highs near 35 °C, with about 27 days reaching 32 °C
- The Corps began releasing Harvey's water from Addicks and Barker on 28 August 2017, and Addicks peaked on 30 August
- School starts at Wilchester, Memorial Middle and Stratford, the zones at the reference point
- Highs near 35 °C and 123 mm of rain
- The Atlantic hurricane season peaks around 10 September
- Precinct 4 began replacing the southeast wooden bridge in Terry Hershey Park on 16 September 2026, a job of about two weeks
- The taxing units adopt their 2026 rates; Spring Branch ISD's 2025 rate was 1.0231 per $100
- The second Terry Hershey bridge, between Interstate 10 and Memorial Drive, closes for a safety upgrade from 7 October 2026 for about three weeks
- 139 mm of rain, the second wettest month on the normal
- Highs fall to about 28 °C and days over 32 °C drop to about five
- The year's tax bills are due by 31 January; penalty and interest begin on 1 February
- The 77th H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade is downtown at 9 a.m. on 26 November 2026, and the City's Veterans Day celebration is on 11 November
- Hurricane season closes on 30 November; highs near 23 °C
- Deck the Hall opens the holiday season at City Hall on 5 December 2026
- Highs near 19 °C and about three nights at or below freezing on the normal
7 more photographs of Houston and the region
Drawn from the site's shared, freely licensed Houston photo library, not photographs of Memorial itself. Filter by category.
Showing 1–7 of 7 photographs.
About these photographs. Openly licensed images from the site's shared Houston library, found on Wikimedia Commons and served from there with full attribution. None of them is presented as a photograph of Memorial.