SPRING BRANCH Located north of Interstate-10 and south of Clay Road between Loop-610 and Bear Creek Pioneers Park, Houston’s culturally diverse Spring Branch is, strictly speaking, not one neighborhood but
a collection of neighborhoods. From large, two-story structures springing up on expansive lots, to gated enclaves of luxury patio homes, to renovated and updated one-story Mid-Century ranch homes, Spring Branch has something for everyone.
Spring Branch began as a farming district named for the meandering Spring Branch creek that crosses through the area. Founded in the 1830s by German settlers, Spring Branch’s heavily wooded tracts were
interspersed with farms, dairies, and sawmills. Many of those original settlers’ names live on in street names such as Conrad Sauer, Hillendahl, Nuens, Fries, Bauer, Gessner, Wirt, and Witte.
After World War II, long before Interstate-10 was built, Houston pushed west, annexing farmland, dairies, and sawmills for new subdivisions to house its fast-growing population. The six Memorial VillagesHedwig, Hunters Creek, Bunker Hill, Piney Point, Spring Valley, and Hedwig villages – were incorporated in the early 1950s to resist commercialization and
retain the semi-rural environment of the area. Spring Valley and Hilshire Village, located in Spring Branch, are zoned to SBISD and served by the Memorial Villages Police and Memorial Villages Fire departments.
The subdivisions of Spring Woods, Spring Shadows, Timber Oaks, Spring Branch Oaks, Long Point Acres, and smaller enclaves are also located in Spring Branch. Neighborhood restaurants offer a variety of international cuisines, and Spring Branch edges three of Houston’s major shopping,
dining, entertainment, business, and hospital centers: Memorial City Mall/Memorial Hermann Hospital; Town & Country Village; and CityCentre.
