The Woodlands, Texas

The Woodlands, Texas
CDP and SPD
Top to bottom, left to right: The Woodlands Town Center, The Woodlands Waterway, Town Center, The Woodlands College Park High School, Waste Connections
The Woodlands in Montgomery and Harris counties
The Woodlands
Location in Texas
The Woodlands
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 30°10′39″N 95°30′14″W / 30.17750°N 95.50389°W / 30.17750; -95.50389
Country United States
State Texas
CountiesMontgomery, Harris
Established1974
Government
  Board of DirectorsBrad Bailey (Chairman)
Craig Eissler (Vice Chairman)
Linda Nelson (Secretary)
Richard Franks (Treasurer)
Ann Snyder
Shelley Sekula-Gibbs
Cindy Heiser
  General ManagerMonique Sharp
Area
  CDP and SPD
43.9 sq mi (113.6 km2)
  Land43.3 sq mi (112.1 km2)
  Water0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)
Elevation
160 ft (50 m)
Population
 (2020)
  CDP and SPD
114,436
  Estimate 
(2021)
119,000
  Density2,644/sq mi (1,020.8/km2)
  Urban
402,454 (US: 103rd)
  Urban density1,836.5/sq mi (709.1/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code281/346/621/713/832/936
FIPS code48-72656
GNIS feature ID1867568
Websitethewoodlandstownship-tx.gov

The Woodlands is a special-purpose district and census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Texas in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area. The Woodlands is primarily located in Montgomery County, with portions extending into Harris County. The Woodlands is governed by The Woodlands Township, an organization that provides municipal services and is administered by an elected board of directors. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the township had a population of 114,436 people.

In 2021, The Howard Hughes Corporation estimated the population of The Woodlands was 119,000. The United States Census Bureau defines an urban area separate from the Houston urban area with The Woodlands as a principal city: The Woodlands–Conroe, TX urban area had a 2020 population of 402,454, making it the 103rd largest in the United States.

The Woodlands is located 28 miles (45 km) north of Houston along Interstate 45. Though it began as an exurban development and a bedroom community, it has also attracted corporations and has several corporate campuses, most notably Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Chevron Phillips Chemical, Huntsman Corporation, Woodforest National Bank, Baker Hughes, McKesson Specialty Health, and Halliburton. The community won a Special Award for Excellence in 1994 from the Urban Land Institute.