Atascocita, Texas: Difference between revisions

Atascocita, Texas
CDP
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Harris
Area
• Total	27.6 sq mi (71.5 km2)
• Land	27.6 sq mi (71.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	72 ft (22 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	35,757
• Density	1,296.3/sq mi (500.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	77346
Area code	281
FIPS code	48-04462Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1877179Template:GR

The "Big A", with Lake Houston in the background

Atascocita High School

Atascocita is a census-designated place (CDP) in Harris County, Texas, United States.

Atascocita is a large development located north and south of Farm Road 1960 about six miles east of Humble and eighteen miles northeast of downtown Houston in northeastern Harris County. Construction in the area began in the 1970s, and the community was named after the historic Atascocita Road that followed the route of present-day FM 1960.

In the 1990s Atascocita was one of the fastest growing developments in the Houston area and encompassed more than fifteen neighborhoods. At the 2000 census, the community had a population of 35,757, and it supported numerous retail and service businesses, churches, a library, and a volunteer fire department. Harris County provides police and emergency protection. Bordered on the east by Lake Houston, the community contains several parks, country clubs, and golf courses, including Atascocita country club and Tour 18, a recreation of some of America's most celebrated golf holes.

Atascocita (Spanish for "obstruction" or "boggy") was once a stronghold owned by the Spanish government used against the French.

A 2,200-bed state prison and a 450-bed residential probation program were formerly located in Atascocita [1].

Geography

Atascocita is located at 29°59′36″N 95°10′55″W (29.993365, -95.182054)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 27.6 square miles (71.5 km²), of which, 27.6 square miles (71.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04% is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 35,757 people, 11,006 households, and 9,432 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,296.3 people per square mile (500.6/km²). There were 11,342 housing units at an average density of 411.2/sq mi (158.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 77.96% White, 13.00% African American, 0.32% Native American, 2.44% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.04% from other races, and 2.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.02% of the population.

There were 11,006 households out of which 50.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.8% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.3% were non-families. 11.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 30.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 3.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 111.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.5 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $73,032, and the median income for a family was $76,821. Males had a median income of $51,750 versus $34,036 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,962. About 2.2% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Fire service

The Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department serves the Atascocita area.

In the Latter part of the 1970's, Atascocita was just starting to grow as a community. FM 1960 was still a two lane road, and trees still outnumbered houses. There were few restaurants. There was no Wal-Mart, no McDonalds, no Kroger or HEB Pantry. There was also no local fire department. The Residents of Atascocita had to rely on the city of Humble, TX to provide fire & ambulance services to them, which often took a long time especially considering that a life could have been at stake. Realizing this, a number of forward-thinking Atascocita residents decided that the time had come for Atascocita to form its own volunteer fire department. After submitting all of the proper legal paperwork to the appropriate state and county agencies, these individuals proceeded to raise money from the community to fund this endeavor. Through such fundraising activities as collecting newspapers and aluminum cans for recycling, as well as requesting donations on the monthly water bill, eventually enough money was raised, and the first AVFD fire engine, a 1976 Ford Firefox pumper, was purchased.

The new fire truck was housed for a while at the Humble Fire Department's Station 2 on Wilson Road while Atascocita's new station was being constructed on the corner of Farmingham Road and Walden Forest Drive, where it still stands today, and in 1978, the Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department was incorporated in the State of Texas.

Throughout the years the AVFD has grown considerably. New fire trucks and ambulances have been bought and sold, and a second station was built and placed in service in the Atascocita Forest subdivision. The membership grew and training of members in firefighting techniques, rescue practices, and Emergency Medical Services grew exponentially. Station 1 has had two major additions to the building, a new Station 2 was built to replace the old Station 2. A third station is under construction near the intersection of FM 1960 and Oak Timbers Drive, and is slated to open in 2008.

File:Hist L-1Station2.jpgFile:Hist thrmlbob.gif

Today the AVFD is an exceptionally professional organization that boasts some of the most modern apparatus, state of the art equipment and most highly trained individuals that you could find in a suburban combination Volunteer/Paid Fire Department. The apparatus list consists of a 75 foot Custom Cab ladder/pumper, several late model custom cab pumpers, a brush truck, and three late model Ambulances. The department also has a beautiful antique American LaFrance fire truck which is used as a parade and public relations vehicle.

Personnel wise, the department has around 100 volunteers, many of whom are cross trained in both Fire and EMS. There are a dozen paramedics, and even more Emergency Medical Technicians, as well as numerous state certified firefighters. We currently contract with Harris County Emergency Communications, who provide dispatch communications 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we employ numerous paramedics to staff our ambulances during daytime hours, and paid firefighter/medics to staff our Fire trucks during the day in answer to the ever growing needs of our community.

The AVFD apparatus are all equipped with some of the most up-to-date equipment that is available today. State of the art Heart Monitors, Mechanical CPR Equipment, Vehicle Extrication Tools, Ventilation Equipment, and the latest in personal protective equipment are just a few of the items that the AVFD has purchased throughout the years. Atascocita was one of the first fire departments in the area to purchase a Thermal Imaging camera - a true lifesaving device that allows firefighters to "see" through smoke.

All of these things cost money, of course. Understanding that in order to keep up with the tremendous growth of our community, the fire department would have to grow with it, and so a newer more dependable source of income would have to be found. So, in January of 2001, the AVFD campaigned successfully to the residents of the community to approve the creation of Rural Fire Prevention District 46, which was eventually converted to Harris County Emergency Services District 46, a taxing district, so that the department would have a reliable source of income to be able to keep up with that tremendous growth. With annual budgets growing to over 1 million dollars a year, the AVFD will now be able to look strongly at adding additional personnel and apparatus, such as staffing multiple Stations, a full time Department Chief, all to better serve the needs of the community.

The AVFD runs over 1700 calls in a calendar year, with the run ratio falling at about 70 percent EMS and 30 percent Fire. Most Firefighters attend a minimum of 100 hours of training prior to being released to fight fires, and Most EMS personnel begin with more than 100 hours of training prior to attending our ambulances. We have weekly fire training, as well as ongoing training for our Medics.

The AVFD would not be complete without a Fire Prevention Division. Our Fire Prevention Division is very active in our community, providing teaching for Fire Prevention in local Pre-Schools, Elementary Schools, and in Local Middle Schools. We also set up Fire Prevention booths at local events, and business establishments throughout the year, and we offer Fire Pre-Planning assistance to both local businesses as well as residents. Proudly we have had very few fires which have been started by children in our area.

The Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department is also one of the very first departments in the nation to realize the power of the Internet, establishing it's Internet Web Presence in early 1995. Our Internet Website is very active, and we even have a section which allows our department members to check on department news, departmental electronic mail, and other membership related items.

Our department leaders, and our senior officers are constantly seeking out new learning opportunities for themselves, as well as for our membership, always striving to make the AVFD the very best that it can be. The citizens and the community of Atascocita deserve just that.

However the more things change in Atascocita, the more some things stay the same. We are still operating out of our original Station, and yes we even still recycle aluminum cans.

Education

Atascocita students attend school in the Humble Independent School District.

Humble High School served the area until the opening of Atascocita High School in 2006. This school will serve part of the community, while the remainder will remain at Humble High School so that Fall Creek may attend the new school. All students attending the Humble Independent School District have the option to attend Quest High School, a magnet high school in Atascocita.

Elementary schools include:

• Pine Forest
• Oaks
• Oak Forest
• Whispering Pines
• Timbers.

Middle Schools:

• Atascocita
• Timberwood
• Humble

Atascocita High School serves most of the area considered to be Atascocita as well as Summerwood, and Fall Creek. The remainder of the areas considered to be Atascocita is bussed to Humble High School.

Atascocita is served by the Atascocita Branch of Harris County Public Library.

External links

• www.Atascocita.com
• www.AtascocitaTexas.com
• www.AVFD.com
• Atascocita Police Speed Traps