Where is Clear Lake?
Clear Lake City is a master-planned community in southeastern Harris County, in the Bay Area of Greater Houston. It borders NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Ellington Field and Baybrook Mall.
The City of Houston recognized Super Neighborhood 81, Clear Lake, on July 7, 2010. It runs from Genoa Red Bluff Road on the north to the city’s southern and eastern limits, and west to just past Interstate 45. It is in Houston City Council District E.
How did NASA shape Clear Lake City?
In 1938 James Marion West sold about 30,000 acres, including his family ranch, to Humble Oil and Refining Company. Most of the land stayed undeveloped until 1961. On September 19, 1961, NASA announced that its new Manned Spacecraft Center would be built near Clear Lake, on part of the former ranch. Ground was broken in April 1962, and employees were moving to the site by 1964. The center was renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in 1973.
In 1963 Humble Oil’s Friendswood Development Company planned a residential community to serve the space industry. Governor John Connally opened Clear Lake City on September 15, 1963.
When did Houston annex Clear Lake City?
Houston annexed Clear Lake City in 1977. Residents had run a grassroots campaign to stop the annexation.
Water and drainage
The Clear Lake City Water Authority was created on May 6, 1963, with 12,269 acres. It now covers about 15,837 acres, almost all in southeast Harris County. State Highway 3 forms its northwest-to-southeast boundary. It surrounds the Johnson Space Center on three sides, and Ellington Field lies just outside its northwest boundary. The authority describes itself as the largest water district in Texas. Its Exploration Green site is a stormwater detention facility.
Which school district serves Clear Lake?
Clear Creek ISD lists Clear Lake among the communities it serves, along with League City, Webster, Seabrook and others. The district covers about 100 square miles in Harris and Galveston counties and operates 45 campuses.