PACS 4250

Community Asset Assessment

Kingwood, TX

Taylor Metelits

4/2/2015

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Table of Contents

Description and History of Kingwood, TX

Community-Based Organizations as an Asset

Human Capital as an Asset

Social Capital as an Asset

Physical Capital as an Asset

Financial Capital as an Asset

Environment as an Asset

Political Capital as an Asset

Cultural Capital as an Asset

Summary and Conclusion

Appendix with Census Data

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Description and History of Kingwood, TX

Located north east of Houston, TX is a fast-growing community called Kingwood, TX.

The land that is now Kingwood was sold to the joint venture between Friendswood and King

Ranch by Foster Lumber Company on December 28th, 1967 according to Kingwood.com.

Additionally, the website explains, “The historic King Ranch was one of the original developers

of the Kingwood community, and was part of a joint venture with the Friendswood Development

Company to develop the (then empty) tract of land that is now Kingwood.”

Kingwood is technically a part of Houston, TX- annexed by Houston in 1996.

Commenting on the event, Renee C. Lee of The Houston Chronicle wrote, “Residents fought an

uphill battle for two years before the city officially took over… Residents tried offering the city

$4 million in exchange for the community's independence and filed a federal lawsuit, charging

taxation without representation. Both efforts failed.” The annexation of Kingwood still rests an

uneasy topic among those in the community.

Other facts about Kingwood include its nickname, “The Livable Forest”, due the large

amount of trees in the area. Formerly belonging to Foster Lumber Company, Kingwood used to

be rich in trees and other forest inhabiting creatures. From 1971, the year the first neighborhood

was built in Kingwood, to 2015 there have been many changes- good and bad- made to the

community which will be discussed in subsequent parts of the assessment.

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Community Based Organizations as an Asset

Kingwood has many community based organizations, commonly referred to as “CBOs”.

Online, The University of Michigan provides a great definition for a CBO, “[a CBO] is one that

is driven by community residents in all aspects of its existence”. Additionally, the University

also provides five criteria to be able to identify a CBO within a community:

“The majority of the governing body and staff consists of local residents, the main

operating offices are in the community, priority issue areas are identified and defined by

residents, solutions to address priority issues are developed with residents, and program

design, implementation, and evaluation components have residents intimately involved,

in leadership positions.”

Some examples of the CBOs that exist in Kingwood, TX are: Volunteers for Animal

Protection (VWAP), Second Chance Mentoring Program, as well as Love in Abundance. These

organizations cover the needs of animals, moms in rehabilitation, and ladies in distress

(specifically those in single parent housing), respectively.

To elaborate on one particular CBO, Volunteers for Animal Protection, its mission

statement, provided by Volunteermatch.org, is: “Volunteers for Animal Protection, Inc. is a non-

profit no-kill animal welfare organization that rescues and places abandoned, abused, and

neglected cats and dogs into permanent loving homes.” This organization focuses specifically on

cats and dogs in the community.

As an asset, these CBOs ensure that proper care is brought to animals in Kingwood and

that women- whether young or pregnant, are provided with adequate resources to overcome their

statistical outcomes. This allows the community to be able to provide a better quality of life to

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the population of cats and dogs that are mistreat as well as the population of women who are

currently facing adverse situations.

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Human Capital as an Asset

Dictionary.com defines human capital as “the collective skills, knowledge, or other

intangible assets of individuals that can be used to create economic value for the individuals,

their employers, or their community”.

Human capital exists in Kingwood, TX in the following forms: average levels of obtained

education and ratios of male and female occupations compared against the Texas averages.

According to citydata.com, the most common category of educational attainment in

Kingwood is a bachelor’s degree compared to Texas overall which is high school

diploma/equivalent. This information illustrates a higher level of skills and knowledge possessed

by the residents living in Kingwood. Also, the large gap between the most common highest

education obtained between Kingwood and the state of Texas overall demonstrates that the

community should be found to be more affluent than the rest of the state- this is a tremendous

asset. The graph provided by citydata.com can be found in Appendix A, see Figure 1.

Additionally, the highest reported rates for various occupations is as follows. For men: 1)

sales and office 2) management and 3) business and financial operations. For women: 1) sales

and office 2) education, training, and library and 3) management. With the exclusion of women

in sales and office, every aforementioned statistic is higher than reported for the overall state of

Texas. The data comparisons provided by citydata.com can found in Appendix A, see Figure 2

and Figure 3, respectively.

These reported data sets contribute as assets to Kingwood because it provided invaluable

resources that can be found only among its residents- such as skills and knowledge that

contribute economically to the community.

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Social Capital as an Asset

The demographics of Kingwood, TX are heavy in mid- to late- 30s married couples with

approximately a third of those couples having children. Additionally, the median household

income was reported as $87,150 in 2011. With those two sources of data, relationships can be

drawn to the trends of types of social capital. See data sets provided by citydata.com in Appendix

A, Figure 4 and Figure 5, respectively.

This relates directly to social capital, which is defined as “the network of social

connections that exist between people, and their shared values and norms of behavior, which

enable and encourage mutually advantageous social cooperation” by dictionary.com. More

specifically, this pertains to the particular brand of social capital that is found in Kingwood-

largely through groups/connections/smaller organizations that feed off of family involvement.

Activities such as the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Homeowner Associations

(HOAs), Kingwood Yard Sales, and country clubs are very common in Kingwood. Of the

fourteen elementary schools in Kingwood, PTAs exist in every one. HOAs are found for

approximately every neighborhood. There are two country clubs, Forest Cove Country Club and

Kingwood Country Club, which are extremely popular with the residents. Also, Kingwood Yard

Sales is a resident owned and operated online garage sale page for residents to buy and sell

items, and sometimes find free items, within the community.

All of the aforementioned groups require their participants to come together and discuss

various topics as can be seen with the varying nature of the groups. PTAs are unique to the

families- most often the moms, HOAs are very inclusive- everyone within the particular

neighborhood, or village, is involved, and the country clubs are especially unique- and speak to-

those that meet or exceed the median household income for the area.

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PTAs, HOAs, Kingwood Yard Sales, and the country clubs are all examples of how these

particular social organizations bring strengths- or act as assets- to Kingwood due to the level of

social interaction, cooperation, and involvement that happens within each group.

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Physical Capital as an Asset

Kingwood has grown to be a community rich in shopping centers, medical offices, and

foremost- access to computers. These aforementioned resources are categorized as physical

capital. This is defined by study.com as, “In any economy, the production of goods and services

happens every day. Physical capital is part of the production process, what economists call a

factor of production. It includes things like buildings, machinery, equipment and computers.”

Another helpful definition is given by investordictionary.com as, “Physical capital refers to any

manufactured asset that is applied production, such as machinery, buildings, or vehicles, which is

one of the three primary factors of production (the other two are land and labor/workforce).”

There are approximately three major plazas in Kingwood- one is located off of Kingwood

Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway and is referred to as “Town Center”. This is by far the

largest congregation of buildings in Kingwood. Most other buildings are found along Kingwood

Drive, West Lake Houston Parkway, Northpark Drive, and Woodland Hills Drive.

Compared to other assets, physical capital isn’t screaming in Kingwood- most of the land

has already had its time to be developed, and it remains a suburban area- tractors and cranes are

usually found outside of Kingwood. However, with the physical capital Kingwood does have, it

provides an abundant source of computers for residents- whether provided by the public library

or privately owned as well as the buildings which create economic opportunities for the

community as well.

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Financial Capital as an Asset

Financial capital, as an asset, is an abstract topic. What does it mean for a community to

have strengths, opportunities, assets- in finance? Cheryl Jacobs of the South Dakota Cooperative

Extension Service writes:

“Financial capital is typically the most easily converted capital of the seven community

capitals, and, for some, the easiest to measure, because spending dollars and cents is a

tangible measurement that people understand. Financial capital is not always in the form

of money. It can also include things like stocks, bonds, lines of credit, and real estate.”

Among the many financial institutions in Kingwood there are Wells Fargo, Chase Bank,

Green Bank, and Smart Credit Union. These act as places where residents are able to draw lines

of credit, which according to Cheryl, is considered an example of financial capital.

Additionally, extracurricular activities are extremely popular among Kingwood families-

it is unusual for parents not to be heavily involved in the extracurricular activities of their

children. For example, after-school activities such as sports, musical ensembles, National Charity

League (NCL) and after-school dance are trending to take up large amounts of students’ time.

This ties into financial capital- as an asset- because of things like the local high school’s sports

booster club, the annual feels for NCL, as well as the dues for orchestra or band. Every year,

parents collectively write hundreds of checks essentially donating to the after school activity of

their child’s choice. So, the flow of money goes from working families and right back into the

community- via children’s after school activities. This is a huge asset because it contributes

directly into the lives of children.

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Environment as an Asset

As explored in the aforementioned history of Kingwood, the land the community now sits

on was originally owned by Foster Lumber Company, who once planned to reap the land of its

trees. Kingwood, which is nicknamed “The Livable Forest” is rich in pine trees and other foliage

native to forests. To understand the way in which these environmental resources bring additional

assets to the community, The Environmental Institute of Houston provides a clear picture of

what environmental capital means, “environmental capital includes only the non-constructed

factors such as climate (temperature and humidity), water availability, and geology.”

Although such a large portion of Kingwood is developed into physical capital-

infrastructure such as buildings and houses- there do still exist reserves of the environment that

enrich the quality of the community. With six large parks and over seventy-five miles of trails

for hiking and biking Kingwood is still appears very green. Additionally, each Kingwood village,

of which there are twenty-five, has its own village swimming pool and smaller park and/or

playground.

This brings enrichment to the community because it aides to combat the potent Houston

pollution- as well as providing activities for community involvement for residents. Walking the

greenbelts, hiking at East End Park, and taking the family to a picnic are all great options for

enjoying the nature of Kingwood. Compared to other communities that acres of plowed out land

and planted baby trees, Kingwood’s vegetation is hundreds of years old. It creates not only an

aesthetic feel, but a historic one.

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Cultural Capital

There is a rich culture in Kingwood- themes such as the family-living suburban

community, heavy involvement in children’s sports and activities, as well as recognition and

celebration of typical Anglo-American holidays (Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, etc.) are all

very common practices within the neighborhood.

To define cultural capital, Pierre Bourdieu gives a straightforward explanation in Cultural

Reproduction and Social Reproduction as:

“Capital acts as a social relation within a system of exchange, and the term is extended

‘to all the goods material and symbolic, without distinction, that present themselves as

rare and worthy of being sought after in a particular social and cultural capital acts as a

social relation within a system of exchange that includes the accumulated cultural

knowledge that confers power and status”.

So, as this appears and applies to Kingwood, there exists a deep rooted culture in the

following ways: church involvement, “American dream living” (i.e. suburban neighborhood,

white picket fence, well-pruned lawn), as well as very heavy illicit alcohol and drug use by

minors.

Church involvement is most seen in the top three denominations: Catholicism, Baptism,

and Non-Denominational church goers as seen in Appendix A Figures 6 and 7, respectively,

provided by homefacts.com. This can also be seen as social capital due to the heavy social

interaction, but more so as a culture as most families see church as ‘something you just do’ rather

than truly abide by a certain religion. In other words, a certain church-going conservative culture.

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Additionally, usdrugtrends.com provides statistics on substance use in Kingwood: “788

individuals drink alcohol and abuse some other drug, 753 use marijuana, 633 abuse or are

dependent upon Heroin, 444 snort or smoke cocaine (crack), and 384 abuse stimulants”.

Although this isn’t nearly an asset, it is indicative of a lacking of an asset in this regard.

Furthermore, with the heavy church involvement and illicit substance use, Kingwood also

has an overwhelming large amount of “cookie cutter families”- those with the husband working,

the wife staying at home, two nice cars, at least a two-story four bedroom house, a large lawn,

and a family pet. Walking down the streets of various neighborhoods illustrates the culture of the

“American dream” that still lives on in Kingwood, TX. This particular cultural aspect brings an

asset to Kingwood in regards to the increase in property value because the entire community is

so extremely well-kept and beautiful glancing from house to house.

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Summary and Conclusion

In summation of the process of analyzing the community of Kingwood, Texas- its assets,

opportunities, and history, the following things can be concluded: Kingwood maintains several

assets- that is strengths that continuously allowing it to grow as well as having many

opportunities in areas that are just as wholesome as its strengths to grow as well.

Specifically, the money that resides in Kingwood from the annexation into Houston and

Kingwood’s residents and their average annual income makes the community a very financially

well off place. To add to this, the schools have excellent ratings and reports comparatively to the

State of Texas as well as the strict nature of the home owner associations (HOAs) makes the

appearance of owning a home in Kingwood a very aesthetically flattering notion.

Opportunities that the community has going forward include protecting the environment

that is left in the area- trees, ponds, and forest-inhabiting animals- it would be wise to consider a

balance between residential development, shopping-center development, and preserving the

remaining wildlife and nature areas. An additional opportunity that is much more

human/resident-centered is that of creating more wholesome resources for its residents-

specifically its younger residents. While Kingwood is heavy in extra-curricular involvement, the

activities such as sports and band ensembles aren’t free and are usually only during the school

year. Other resources for minors to congregate and spend their time are usually local fast food

restaurants or a friend’s parent’s garage where a party with illicit substances is taking place.

Ideas for this problem include capitalizing on the existing physical capital such as the

numerous spaces for lease- typically for businesses- that could include ideas for leisure time for

students.

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Appendix A

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 3

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Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

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Figure 7

Figure 8*

*Census data not specifically found for Kingwood, Texas as it is annexed by Houston, Texas which the only true census data was found. See city-data.com for similar statistics seen in census reports.

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People QuickFacts Harris County TexasPopulation, 2014 estimate 4,441,370 26,956,958Population, 2013 estimate 4,352,752 26,505,637Population, 2010 (April 1) estimates base 4,093,011 25,146,104Population, percent change - April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014 8.5% 7.2%Population, percent change - April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013 6.3% 5.4%Population, 2010 4,092,459 25,145,561Persons under 5 years, percent, 2013 7.9% 7.3%Persons under 18 years, percent, 2013 27.4% 26.6%Persons 65 years and over, percent, 2013 9.0% 11.2%Female persons, percent, 2013 50.1% 50.3%

White alone, percent, 2013 (a) 70.7% 80.3%Black or African American alone, percent, 2013 (a) 19.5% 12.4%American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent, 2013 (a) 1.1% 1.0%Asian alone, percent, 2013 (a) 6.8% 4.3%Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent, 2013 (a) 0.1% 0.1%Two or More Races, percent, 2013 1.7% 1.8%Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2013 (b) 41.6% 38.4%White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2013 31.9% 44.0%

Living in same house 1 year & over, percent, 2009-2013 82.1% 82.8%Foreign born persons, percent, 2009-2013 25.0% 16.3%Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2009-2013 42.5% 34.7%High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25+, 2009-2013 78.7% 81.2%Bachelor's degree or higher, percent of persons age 25+, 2009-2013 28.4% 26.7%Veterans, 2009-2013 181,514 1,583,272Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2009-2013 27.4 25Housing units, 2013 1,651,305 10,255,642Homeownership rate, 2009-2013 56.5% 63.3%Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2009-2013 35.8% 24.2%Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2009-2013 $131,400 $128,900Households, 2009-2013 1,434,694 8,886,471Persons per household, 2009-2013 2.89 2.82Per capita money income in past 12 months (2013 dollars), 2009-2013 $27,899 $26,019Median household income, 2009-2013 $53,137 $51,900Persons below poverty level, percent, 2009-2013 18.5% 17.6%

Business QuickFacts Harris County TexasPrivate nonfarm establishments, 2012 93,718 537,839Private nonfarm employment, 2012 1,882,521 9,350,829Private nonfarm employment, percent change, 2011-2012 5.7% 4.0%Nonemployer establishments, 2012 362,606 2,014,124

Total number of firms, 2007 370,841 2,164,852Black-owned firms, percent, 2007 12.7% 7.1%American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned firms, percent, 2007 0.9% 0.9%Asian-owned firms, percent, 2007 9.9% 5.3%Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander-owned firms, percent, 2007 0.1% 0.1%Hispanic-owned firms, percent, 2007 23.0% 20.7%Women-owned firms, percent, 2007 29.2% 28.2%

Manufacturers shipments, 2007 ($1000) 169,275,136 593,541,502Merchant wholesaler sales, 2007 ($1000) 205,478,751 424,238,194Retail sales, 2007 ($1000) 51,899,053 311,334,781Retail sales per capita, 2007 $13,276 $13,061Accommodation and food services sales, 2007 ($1000) 7,874,724 42,054,592Building permits, 2013 30,998 147,460

Geography QuickFacts Harris County TexasLand area in square miles, 2010 1,703.48 261,231.71Persons per square mile, 2010 2,402.4 96.3FIPS Code 201 48Metropolitan or Micropolitan Statistical Area Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metro Area  

(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.FN: Footnote on this item for this area in place of dataNA: Not availableD: Suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential informationX: Not applicableS: Suppressed; does not meet publication standardsZ: Value greater than zero but less than half unit of measure shownF: Fewer than 100 firmsSource: US Census Bureau State & County QuickFacts

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Resources

1. Cleveland, Theodore, and Jeffrey Davis. "Defining and Measuring Environmental Capital

in Urban Environments." Defining and Measuring Environmental Capital in Urban

Environments. University of Houston- Clear Lake, 1 Jan. 1999. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.

<http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/EIH/publications/annual_reports/ar_1999/99-

cleveland>.

2. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.

<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/human capital>.

3. “Harris County, TX Religion Statistics." Harris County, TX Religions. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.

<http://www.homefacts.com/religions/Texas/Harris-County.html#>.

4. Jacobs, Cheryl. "Community Capitals: Financial Capital." Extension Extra (2011).

Extension Extra. South Dakota State University. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.

<http://pubstorage.sdstate.edu/AgBio_Publications/articles/ExEx16012.pdf>.

5. Lee, Renee. "Annexed Kingwood Split on Effects." Houston Chronicle. Hearst

Newspapers, 8 Oct. 2006. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.

<http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/humble-news/article/Annexed-Kingwood-split-

on-effects-1868661.php>.

6. "Kingwood History." Kingwood. Kingwood.com. Web. 3 Apr. 2015.

<http://www.kingwood.com/community/history.php>.

7. "Kingwood Neighborhood in Kingwood, Texas (TX), 77339, 77345, 77346, 77365

Detailed Profile." Kingwood Neighborhood in Kingwood, Texas (TX), 77339, 77345,

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77346, 77365 Subdivision Profile. City-data.com. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. <http://www.city-

data.com/neighborhood/Kingwood-Kingwood-TX.html>.

8. VolunteerMatch - Organizations within 20.0 miles of Kingwood, TX, USA. (n.d.).

Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/orgs.jsp?

r=20.0&aff=&l=Kingwood, TX, USA&k=Community&o=distance&s=11

9. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. <http://www.usdrugtrends.com/Texas/Kingwood-alcohol-

rehabilitation-and-drug-rehab-programs.htm>.

10. What is a Community–Based Organization (CBO)? (2011, January 1). Retrieved April 5,

2015, from http://www.sph.umich.edu/ncbon/whatis.html