The Visionary: George P. Mitchell
Texas Oilman George P. Mitchell had a vision more than four decades ago that made the The Woodlands what it is today. He wanted to found a place to live, work, enjoy life, and learn. You might find that a common slogan around the world today, but Mr. Mitchell was one of the first to take action on it when planning a community. Today, we are happy to serve all of the Wildlife Removal needs of The Woodlands community.
George Mitchell was the lodestar of planning the Woodlands, and it would not be half the place it is today without his vision and influence as the founding developer. He was tenacious, compassionate, charitable, environmentally minded and took on great financial risk to develop one of the most beautiful and pleasant communities in the greater Houston metropolitan area.
“The man was true community builder,” according to Roger Galatas, the President of George’s Coffee Club, a non-profit that tells the tale of Geroge Mitchell’s leading vision when developing The Woodlands
“It’s easy for commercial property developers to only think about the bottom line. They like to talk about all the values Mitchell held as a developer, but few actually walk the walk. He understood the needs of the people and insisted on the quality of design to make a community where people could be themselves and raise their families.”
Forming The Woodlands from the forest
Mitchell originally took possession of 17,450 acres of forest to start The Woodlands, and eventually added an additional ten thousand acre timbre purchase to take his land holdings up to a total of twenty-nine thousand acres, just 30 miles north of the city center.
“His vision was to develop a real answer for Houston natives and immigrants to live comfortably outside the city. Rather than setting up all the homes along the interstate track, George wanted to set up delightful little communities connected by a wealth of wood lined and well landscaped streets.
“In the beginning, Montgomery county had a population of just over fifty thousand. But today The Woodlands houses more that one hundred thousand people and has in excess of fifty thousand jobs. Not a bad growth track for a suburb.”
A place for everyone
The Woodlands is abundant with churches and places of worship for all faiths, and has wonderful education options, hospitals, green spaces, and grocery stores. A resident of The Woodlands has everything they need just minutes from home. The villages are easily attached to The Woodlands Town Center. Combined with the nearby Research Forest, the area has become an economic center with a wealth of options for gainful employment and academic achievement at a high level.
There are over 130 parks, 8000 acres of woodlands and green spaces, a massive lake, several health clinics and hospitals, over twenty million square feet of commercial work space.
Mitchell unfortunately left us in 2013, but we here in the Woodlands hold his memory in high esteem. We honor his memory every year during our Founder’s Day celebration. Residents can enjoy good food, entertainment, and fun little train rides round the park.
The Woodlands also made a point of preserving Georg’s memory through the George Mitchel Nature Preserve, part of the Montgomery County Spring Creek Greenway. The Preserve features a boatload of hiking trails and bike loops.
