Acres Homes is a neighborhood located in northwest Houston, Texas. The area is loosely bounded by the city limits and West Gulf Bank Road to the north; Pinemont Drive to the south; North Shepherd Drive to the east; and Alabonson Drive to the west. Historically, it has been predominantly African American. Unincorporated for decades, it was annexed to Houston in 1967.
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. Kristen Mack of the Houston Chronicle said that Acres Homes was originally marketed as "a bit of genteel country with quick and easy access to the city." The community was also touted as a place where African Americans could own houses and land instead of being in more dense urban areas.Mack, Kristen. "Living in Neglect / Decades of Disappointment / ORIGINALLY MARKETED AS A BIT OF GENTEEL COUNTRY WITH QUICK AND EASY ACCESS TO THE CITY, ACRES HOMES IS AS IMPOVERISHED TODAY AS IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO, RESIDENTS SAY." Houston Chronicle. Sunday November 17, 2002. A20. Retrieved on February 19, 2010. At one time, it was the largest unincorporated African-American community in the Southern United States.Longoria, Rafael and Susan Rogers. "The Rurban Horseshoe ." Cite 73. The Rice Design Alliance, (Northern Hemisphere) Winter 2008. Page 19. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.
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 without adequate transportation or educational facilities. The City of Houston annexed about of land in the Acres Homes area in 1967. In 1974 the city annexed another of Acres Homes territory.Lee, Renée C. "Annexed Kingwood split on effects." Houston Chronicle. Sunday October 8, 2006. A21. Retrieved on July 6, 2011. Print version exclusively has the information cited; the information is not included in the online edition. Mack said that the appeal of Acres Homes ended around 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 — 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. Annexation began in 1971.
In 1988, the Acres Homes War on Drugs Committee made anti-drug dealing campaigns focused on Andrew Winzer Park. In 1989, President of the United States George H. W. Bush made a speech praising the group. He made the speech with Mayor of Houston Kathy Whitmire while at one of the rallies from the group.
As black populations in predominately African-American neighborhoods in the Houston area declined between 1990 and 2000, Lori Rodriguez of the Houston Chronicle wrote that Acres Homes, along with the MacGregor-Riverside Terrace area, "barely held on to their historical population base."
On August 30, 2007, the Houston Chronicle published an article about a syphilis outbreak in Houston. Marlene McNeese-Ward, the Houston Health Department chief of HIV/STD and Viral Hepatitis Prevention, stated "We're really looking at Acres Homes especially, and Sunnyside, but there's not too many ZIP codes... where we're not seeing any (cases)."Grant, Alexis. "Houston targets syphilis increase," Houston Chronicle, August 29, 2007. B1 MetFront.
A gated community in the area opened on of land in 2008. La Sierra, a development on the same size of acreage and adjacent to the original one, was being developed as of 2017. Contempo Builders, operated by David Bohorquez, a Venezuelan American, developed both properties.
In 2016, the Highland Heights Annex Action Committee wrote a letter to their Houston City Council member, Jerry Davis, stating opposition to developments of new industrial facilities and townhouses. Acres Homes is still a predominantly African-American neighborhood.
Cityscape The community has of land, much of it in a pine forest. Not much of the land, as of 2002, is used for commercial or industrial purposes. Acres Homes had 8,548 housing units in 2002; 31% were rental units. Housing includes mostly smaller tract-style houses, many with wooden frames, with a smaller number of larger houses on lots with trees. Kristen Mack of the Houston Chronicle stated in 2002 that the lots of the "comfortable" larger houses were "well-maintained" while the smaller houses, among them many shotgun houses were "ramshackle". Absentee landlords owned many of the smaller houses.
Rafael Longoria and Susan Rogers of the Rice Design Alliance said that the layout of Acres Homes could be described as "rurban," a word coined in 1918 which describes an area with a mix of urban and rural characteristics.Longoria, Rafael and Susan Rogers. "The Rurban Horseshoe ." Cite 73. The Rice Design Alliance, (Northern Hemisphere) Winter 2008. Pages 18-19. Retrieved on February 24, 2010. Undeveloped land permeates Acres Homes in a checkerboard-like pattern.Longoria, Rafael and Susan Rogers. "The Rurban Horseshoe ." Cite 73. The Rice Design Alliance, (Northern Hemisphere) Winter 2008. Pages 21. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.
In 2002 Mack stated "Fairly or not, Acres Homes has become synonymous with "urban blight" in Houston" and that Acres Homes "can best be described as a bit schizophrenic." Many acres of land in the community are empty. In 2002, many of the formerly large properties had been sectioned off, and horses were commonplace in the neighborhood. Most areas in Acres Homes had no curbs, no sidewalks, and no storm drains. Deep ditches lined many of the streets. As of 2008 Acres Homes has the largest concentration of closed landfills in Houston, including permitted and unpermitted ones.Longoria, Rafael and Susan Rogers. "The Rurban Horseshoe ." Cite 73. The Rice Design Alliance, (Northern Hemisphere) Winter 2008. Page 20. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.
Culture According to Sammie Mae Ford, a resident of Acres Homes quoted in the Houston Chronicle, in the 1920s most of the residents had gardens in their yards and raised chickens and hogs. Ford described Acres Homes as "like it was the country" and "a place where people had to help each other."
In rap media Acres Homes is nicknamed the "44," pronounced "fo-fo." The name originates from the #44 METRO bus route that goes through Acres Homes.Lomax, John Nova. "On Da Lingo, Part II." Houston Press. November 17, 2005. 1. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.
Many residents own horses as well, and it is a common sight to see residents riding on horseback on major streets.
Government and infrastructure
Local government
Acres Homes is in Houston City Council District B.City of Houston, Council District Maps, District B ." City of Houston. Retrieved on November 5, 2011.
The area is served by the Houston Police Department's North Division . The department previously operated the Acres Homes Storefront.
The Houston Fire Department operates Station 67 Acres Homes, a part of Fire District 4."Fire Stations." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 8, 2010. The station was built in 1971."Fire Station 67 ." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 8, 2010.
The city operates the Acres Homes Multi-Service Center at 6719 West Montgomery Road."Acres Homes Multi-Service Center." City of Houston. Accessed October 27, 2008. The city multi-service centers provide several services such as child care, programs for elderly residents, and rental space."Multi-Service Centers." City of Houston. Accessed October 27, 2008.
Acres Homes is served by many METRO bus routes, most notably bus route #44 ("Acres Homes Limited").
After the city annexed portions of Acres Homes beginning in 1971, it began installing sewer and water lines. Some sparsely developed areas and some surrounding areas remained without city services; private companies install services in the surrounding areas.
In February 2000 the Acres Homes Super Neighborhood was officially recognized. The boundaries of the Acres Homes Super Neighborhood are Texas State Highway 249, Pinemont, North Shepherd, and the White Oak Bayou. Because the Acres Homes Citizens Council already existed, much of the groundwork for the Acres Homes Super Neighborhood had already been established before its formation. In 2000 Michael Thibodeaux, the president of the super neighborhood, said that the citizens council "is pretty much almost the super neighborhood."Sendejas, Jesse. "Planning for the future / Super neighborhood councils try to boost community services." Houston Chronicle. Wednesday September 27, 2000. ThisWeek 1. Retrieved on February 20, 2010.
Beulah Shephard, described by Kristen Mack of the Houston Chronicle as the "matriarch" of Acres Homes, said in 2002 that the Harris County, which provided services to residents before the Houston annexation, provided better services than the city.
As of 2002 Acres Homes has 16 civic associations that serve portions of the community.
County representation The Harris County Hospital District operates the Acres Home Health Center and the Acres Home Eligibility Center in Acres Homes."Acres Home Health Center ." Harris County Hospital District. Retrieved on March 6, 2010."Eligibility Centers ." Harris County Hospital District. Retrieved on March 6, 2010. The health center opened on May 17, 1971."A Proud History of Caring for More Than 45 Years ." Harris County Hospital District. Retrieved on February 9, 2012. The designated public hospital is Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital in Northeast Houston. - See ZIP code 77088. See this map for relevant ZIP codes.
Demographics
According to the 2000 census, the current population of Acres Homes Super Neighborhood #6 is 23,512.Super Neighborhood #6 Demographics ." City of Houston. Retrieved on February 20, 2010. Race and Hispanic origin Acres Homes Data % of Area Pop. Houston City Data American Indian (non-Hispanic) 14 -% 3,234 Asian (non-Hispanic) 74 0.3% 102,706 Black (non-Hispanic) 20,312 86.4% 487,851 Hispanic (of any race) 2,432 10.3% 730,865 Native Hawaiian (non-Hispanic) - -% 680 White (non-Hispanic) 523 2.2% 601,851 Two or More (non-Hispanic) 146 0.6% 23,830 Other (non-Hispanic) 10 -% 2,614 Age Group Acres Homes Data % of Area Pop. Houston City Data Under 5 Years 1,794 7.6% 160,797 5 - 17 Years 5,337 22.7% 375,861 18 - 65 Years 13,318 56.6% 1,252,908 65 and Over 3,023 12.8% 164,065
In 1997 37% of the residents had an average annual household income below $15,000.
Media The Houston Chronicle is the citywide newspaper.
The African-American News and Issues was established in 1996 as a community newspaper for Acres Homes."AANI Media Kit" (Archive). African-American News and Issues. p. 2/7. Retrieved on March 17, 2014.
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Houston Independent School District