Called "America's Hometown" by its proud residents, The Woodlands is the number one community in home sales in the Houston area and the State of Texas, and has been since 1990.

The Woodlands Corp., a subsidiary of Mitchell Energy and Development Corporation, opened The Woodlands in 1974. The 27,000 acre master-planned community has all the elements of a complete city, with full commercial, industrial and residential development supported by a highly acclaimed school district. Its diversified employment base supports its residential community.

The driving philosophy behind The Woodlands was and is to preserve the natural forest, while carving out places to live, work, play and learn. Neighborhoods are tucked just behind the thick walls of trees lining major roads, where the medians are sown with wildflowers, signage is unobtrusive and builders are required to leave significant native vegetation surrounding home sites.

The Woodlands has four zones of business development: Town Center, Research Forest, Trade Center and College Park. Similar to a downtown, Town Center is host to more than 500 businesses, shops, restaurants and entertainment, and includes the 1.1 million square foot Woodlands Mall, a 17-screen Cinemark Tinseltown theatre, Pinecroft Center and a variety of restaurants. The Trade Center is home to light manufacturing; and the 1,000-acre Research Forest is for academic and non-profit research institutes and industry such as product development laboratories and centers for medical and biotechnology research.

The Woodlands offers its 65,000 residents the widest selection of homes in any Houston area as well as excellent schools, neighborhood pools, forested parks, the 200-acre Lake Woodlands, two private country clubs with four championship golf courses, the PGA-approved tournament players course, the Olympic-class Woodlands Athletic Center, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, office and research buildings, hospitals, a four-star resort and the fitness advantage of over 100 miles of hike and bike trails.

The Woodlands is divided into seven villages - Grogan's Mill, Panther Creek, Cochran's Crossing, Indian Springs, Alden Bridge, College Park and Sterling Ridge. Each has a variety of home styles and pricing structures, from the upper $90,000s to $1 million and more, and from patio homes to estate properties.

Just 27 miles north of downtown Houston and 16 miles from Houston Intercontinental Airport with accessibility to Interstate 45 and the Hardy Toll Road, The Woodlands provides commuters with easy access to the Houston metropolis. Corporate relocations account for a majority of home sales in The Woodlands. Sales to current Woodlands residents, as well as buyers from other parts of Houston, comprise the remaining community sales.

A growing segment of the market is the retiree community. Several townhomes and one-story patio homes, many offering a full range of recreational facilities, have been built in the past several years to accommodate the demand. Assisted-living and retirement apartments are also available.