The Woodlands at 52: villages, the Waterway and a new golf complex

A look at The Woodlands, Texas: George Mitchell's 1974 plan, nine villages, the Waterway, a new golf complex, the 2026 tax rate and HAR market data.

The Woodlands opened on October 19, 1974, with a single village, Grogan’s Mill, on former timberland north of Houston. Fifty-two years later it covers about 28,500 acres in Montgomery County, and its local government has just set a new tax rate and signed a lease for a public golf complex.

Here is how the place was planned, how it is laid out, what the township decided this fall, and what the home market looks like right now.

A plan built around the forest

Oilman George Mitchell assembled the land starting in 1964, buying timberland that became the core of the project. In 1972 the plan secured $50 million in federal HUD backing, and the first village opened two years later, according to a 50th anniversary retrospective published by the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation.

The organizing idea was to build inside the pine forest rather than clear it. The same retrospective notes that about 28% of the land is set aside as forest preserves and parks. As of the 50th anniversary, The Woodlands held roughly 49,000 residential units and 36.3 million square feet of non-residential space.

Two later milestones shaped Town Center: Lake Woodlands, about 200 acres, opened in 1985, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion opened in 1990 with capacity for 16,500 people.

Nine villages, laid out by the land

The Woodlands is divided into nine villages. Community Impact’s look back lists when each opened:

• Grogan’s Mill, 1974
• Panther Creek, 1977
• Cochran’s Crossing and Indian Springs, 1983
• Alden Bridge, 1994
• Sterling Ridge, 1999
• Carlton Woods, 2000
• College Park, 2001
• Creekside Park, 2007

Each village was designed around a grocery-anchored village center, with homes and services arranged around it. The main east-west roads (Research Forest, Lake Woodlands Drive and Woodlands Parkway) are spaced about two miles apart and follow the terrain to keep through traffic away from neighborhood streets.

Robert Heineman, a former planning executive for the developer, told Community Impact that village boundaries were set by “the natural boundaries of The Woodlands, the nature of thoroughfare or the floodplain.” Creekside Park, the newest village, added a village green, a feature Heineman said he would have liked in every village.

For anyone comparing homes here, the village matters. It shapes which village center, parks and main roads are closest, and how long the drive is to Town Center or the main roads south toward Houston.

Town Center and The Woodlands Waterway

The Woodlands Waterway is a 1.8-mile linear park running from Lake Woodlands to The Woodlands Mall. It began as a drainage channel in the original plan, and construction on the Waterway itself started in 1999, Community Impact reported on its 25th anniversary.

Town Green Park opened along it in 2006, followed by Waterway Square and the Riva Row boathouse in 2009. The original water taxis were retired in 2018 after Hurricane Harvey damage; water bikes, kayaks and swan boats are available today, and the Town Center Trolley connects the district. The township now owns the Waterway, which also hosts an April arts festival, the Ironman Texas finish line, a July Fourth festival and the holiday Lighting of the Doves.

This fall’s news: a tax rate and a golf complex

The 2026 tax rate. On September 3, The Woodlands Township board unanimously adopted its 2027 budget and set a 2026 property tax rate of $0.1694 per $100 of taxable value, down from $0.1714 in 2025, according to the township’s boardroom briefing. The maintenance and operations portion ($0.1594) passed 6-1, with Director Shelley Sekula-Gibbs opposed; the $0.0100 debt service rate passed unanimously.

In the budget review, the township projected $184.6 million in fiscal 2027 revenue, about $17 million less than fiscal 2026, mostly because grant-funded transportation projects wrapped up, Community Impact reported. Sales and use tax was projected at 46% of revenue and property tax at 29%. The projected median homestead township tax was $842.44. The township also expects its convention center bonds to be paid off in September 2027, freeing about $2.8 million a year.

Keep in mind that the township is one line on a property tax bill. County, school district, college district and any utility district taxes are separate.

A public short-course golf complex. On July 23, the board voted 5-0 to approve a ground lease with Forest Capital Partners for a golf complex on the 208-acre South Gosling tract in Creekside Park, with a direct connection to the Spring Creek Greenway, per Community Impact. Plans call for a lighted nine-hole short course, a driving range of 350-plus yards, a pitching area, a restaurant and bar, and pickleball courts.

The lease runs 15 years with two 10-year renewal options. Forest Capital Partners committed at least $12 million, and the township $2.5 million for infrastructure. Construction is estimated at 30 months, with opening anticipated in early 2029. Board Chair Brad Bailey called it “a first-of-its-kind golf facility” for the community.

Location and commute

The Woodlands sits north of Houston in Montgomery County. For commuters who would rather not drive, the township runs The Woodlands Express park and ride to downtown Houston, the Texas Medical Center, Greenway Plaza and the Energy Corridor.

In February the board approved a round-trip fare increase from $15 to $17, effective April 1, 2026, and added two midday runs, including a 3 p.m. return from downtown, Community Impact reported. Ridership rose 14% in 2025 compared with 2024.

What the market shows

Based on HAR.com (Houston Association of REALTORS) MLS data in our market report (updated October 5, 2026), The Woodlands recorded 1,179 closed home sales in the past 12 months, down from 1,241 in the prior 12-month period. The median sale price over that span was $635,000 (versus $640,000 a year earlier), at a median $234 per square foot, and homes closed at a median 100% of list price.

Homes are taking a little longer: median days on market was 17, up from 12. At the time of the update there were 355 active listings and 75 pending, about 3.6 months of inventory, with 149 new listings in the past 30 days.

Above $750,000, the report shows 469 sales in the past 12 months at a median 13 days on market. Monthly closings followed the usual seasonal pattern, peaking at 138 in May 2026 and easing to 80 in September.

Full charts, price bands and the $750K+ and $1.5M+ tiers are on our The Woodlands market report. All figures are area aggregates, not values for any individual home.

Next step

If The Woodlands is on your list, start by picking two or three villages and comparing them on drive times, nearby parks and the full tax bill. You can search homes across the Houston area, check the market report for current numbers, or talk with our Houston team about a specific village.