Kashmere Gardens, Houston
Kashmere Gardens is a historically African-American neighborhood in the northern 610 Loop area in Houston, Texas, United States. A group of single-family houses, many of which have large lots, Kashmere Gardens is between an industrial area and a rail corridor.[1]
As of 2015 the Kashmere Gardens Super Neighborhood #52 had about 10,005 people.
History
The City of Houston annexed it in the 1940s.[2]
Between 1990 and 2000 the Hispanic population of Kashmere Gardens increased from around 19% of the population to around 31% as Hispanics in the Houston area moved into majority black neighborhoods.[3] In the same period, the black population of the Kashmere area declined by 1,711 as majority African-American neighborhoods in Houston had declines in their black populations.[4]
A study by the Evert Crawford of Crawford Realty Advisors, in conjunction with the Institute for Regional Forecasting, stated that Kashmere Gardens' population increased by 10.5% each year from 2000 to 2005.[1]
In 2007 Kashmere Gardens was one of several Houston neighborhoods with a high concentration of felons.[5]
By 2010 the Harris County Flood Control District began buying houses in the district to reduce the effects of potential floods.[6]
The community received severe damage from Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The president of the Kashmere Gardens Super Neighborhood Association, Keith Downey, stated that residents felt helpless in the face of institutional failures in local governments. Danny Vinik of Politico wrote that "Nearly every street [in Kashmere Gardens] has gutted homes."[7]
In 2019 the Texas Department of State Health Services published a report indicating the neighborhood had higher than average cancer rates.[8]
Demographics
In 2000 the Kashmere Gardens Super Neighborhood #52 had about 11,286 people, with 2,800 people per square mile. As of 2015 the Kashmere Gardens Super Neighborhood #52 had about 10,005 people, with 2,493 people per square mile.[9] As of 2018 the median income was $23,000.[7]
Government and infrastructure
Kashmere Gardens is in Houston City Council District B.[10]
The Houston Fire Department operates Fire Station 39 at 5810 Pickfair Street. It is within Fire District 34.[11]
Education
The Houston Independent School District operates local public schools. Kashmere Gardens is within and Trustee District II, represented by Carol Mims Galloway as of 2009.[12]
Residents are zoned to:[13]
- Kashmere Gardens Elementary School (most),[14] and Isaacs Elementary School (some)[15]
- Key Middle School (most),[16] and Fleming Middle School (some)[17]
- Kashmere High School (most),[18] and Wheatley High School (some)[19]
In 2008 criminals systematically burglarized several area schools.[20]
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston operated St.Francis of Assisi Catholic School in Kashmere Gardens.[21] It was established in 1955,[22] and closed in 2020.[23] Parent Sharita Palmer Mayo, as paraphrased by Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio of The New York Times, stated that the school "had been severely damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, but community members had worked hard to support rebuilding efforts and [reopen]"; the archdiocese attributed the closure to COVID-19.[24]
Houston Public Library operated the McCrane-Kashmere Gardens Neighborhood Library at 5411 Pardee Street.[25] The library closed after Hurricane Harvey damaged it in 2017. In 2018, city library officials were reportedly unsure whether they would reopen the library.[26] By 2020, plans were underway to renovate the facility, though the COVID-19 pandemic had slowed this process.[27]
Notable residents
- Harold Dutton - member of the Texas House of Representatives[28]
- Johnny Bush - country music singer
See also
References
- Madere, M. "Kashmere Gardens enjoys resurgence in home values." Houston Chronicle. May 9, 2006. Retrieved on January 29, 2009.
- "Annexations in Houston Or How we grew to 667 square miles in 175 years." City of Houston Planning and Development Department. p. 26 of 62. Retrieved on February 21, 2017.
- Rodriguez, Lori. "SHIFTING DEMOGRAPHICS / Latinos bringing change to black neighborhoods / Newcomers are finding acceptance comes gradually." Houston Chronicle. Monday May 2, 2005. A1. Retrieved on February 4, 2009. Available from NewsBank, Record Number 3866881. Available from the Houston Public Library website with a library card.
- Rodriguez, Lori (2001-07-15). "Some fear historic black neighborhoods are losing identity". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
- Fehling, Dave. "The ex-cons next door Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine." KHOU-TV. Retrieved on January 29, 2009.
- Moran, Chris. "Caught in the path of expansion." Houston Chronicle. May 2, 2010. Retrieved on May 3, 2010.
- Vinik, Danny (2018-05-29). "'People just give up': Low-income hurricane victims slam federal relief programs". Politico. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
- https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/health-science/2019/12/17/354331/its-tragic-kashmere-gardens-health-survey-planned-as-state-confirms-cancer-cluster/
- "No. 52 Kashmere Gardens." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 30, 2018.
- City of Houston, Council District Maps, District B Archived 2012-06-25 at the Wayback Machine." City of Houston. Retrieved on November 5, 2011.
- "Fire Stations." City of Houston. Retrieved on January 29, 2009.
- "Trustee Districts Map Archived 2012-07-11 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on January 29, 2009.
- Original section: https://books.tax.hctx.net/v065/AE1997_65-2_0053.jpg, Extension 1: https://books.tax.hctx.net/v065/AE1997_65-2_0060.jpg, Extension 2: https://books.tax.hctx.net/v065/AE1997_65-2_0061.jpg
- "Kashmere Gardens Elementary School Attendance Zone" (PDF). Houston Independent School District. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
- "Isaacs Elementary School Attendance Zone" (PDF). Houston Independent School District. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
- "Key Middle School Attendance Zone" (PDF). Houston Independent School District. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
- "Fleming Middle School Attendance Zone" (PDF). Houston Independent School District. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
- "Kashmere High School Attendance Zone" (PDF). Houston Independent School District. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
- "Wheatley High School Attendance Zone" (PDF). Houston Independent School District. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
- Connelly, Richard. "Someone Hates Kashmere Gardens Schools." Houston Press. Monday July 21, 2008. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.
- "St. Francis of Assisi parish returns to renovated sanctuary". Texas Catholic Herald. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
The vibrant parish in Houston’s Kashmere Gardens neighborhood [...] school[...]
- "Contact". St. Francis of Asisi Catholic School. Retrieved 2020-05-30. - See logo, which has date of establishment.
- "4 Houston-area Catholic schools forced to close due to 'cataclysmic' pandemic". KPRC. 2020-04-22. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- Nieto del Rio, Giulia McDonnell (2020-09-05). "A Growing Number of Catholic Schools Are Shutting Down Forever". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
- "McCrane-Kashmere Gardens Neighborhood Library Archived 2009-04-16 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Public Library. Retrieved on January 29, 2009.
- Ward, Alyson (2018-07-19). "Nearly a year after Harvey's floods, six Houston libraries remain shuttered — some indefinitely". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
- https://houstonlibrary.org/sites/default/files/april_2020_project_update_-_kashmere.pdf
- Radcliffe, Jennifer. "Critics: In HISD, too many don't go where zoned / Black leaders argue bond has no fix to get kids back to schools in their neighborhoods" (). Houston Chronicle. Sunday October 14, 2007. B1 MetFront.
External links
- Harris County block book map: PDF format, JPG format
- Complete Communities Kashmere Gardens - City of Houston