West University Place

A city, not a neighborhood

West U, as nearly everyone calls it, is not part of Houston. It is a city, with a council, a city manager and a city hall on University Boulevard. The first lots were sold in 1917 by A. D. Foreman, who named the development for its proximity to Rice Institute, now Rice University. The town incorporated in 1925 and adopted a home-rule charter with a council-manager government in 1940. By 1948 Houston had grown all the way around West U, and at the end of that same year Houston annexed the land surrounding Bellaire. The two towns are something like siblings, small enclaves that kept their own names while the big city grew around them.

West U still runs its own police, fire, water and waste services, while its schoolchildren attend Houston ISD. It is a smaller town than it used to be, at least by head count: the population was about 17,000 in the 1950s, and 14,955 at the 2020 census.

Houses and parks

The early model for building here was Braewood, a 1920s garden suburb laid out on curving streets, and ranch houses from the 1940s and 1950s later filled the northwest quadrant. Since the 1980s many of the original bungalows have given way to large custom two-story homes.

The two towns are something like siblings, small enclaves that kept their own names while the big city grew around them.

For a city of about two square miles, West U keeps a generous list of parks, among them Colonial, Friends, Huffington, Jennie Elizabeth Hughes, Judson, Whitt Johnson and Wier. Colonial Park, at 4130 Byron, is the busy one, with open lawn, a playground, a pavilion, a little free library, a walking and jogging track, and Colonial Park Pool, the city's municipal pool. Friends Park, at 3771 Rice, is the quiet one, a landscaped park with seating, an arbor, a paved walkway and a signature clock tower.

For a meal without leaving the city limits, there is Maximo, a modern Mexican restaurant from Local Foods Group at 6119 Edloe Street, which reopened in January 2025 after revamping its menu, as Community Impact reported.

Next door

Bellaire shares city limits with both West U and Southside Place, and Bellaire Boulevard connects all three towns. West U's Parks and Recreation office sits right on it, at 4210 Bellaire Boulevard.

Schools are where the neighbors part ways. West U students are generally zoned to West University Elementary, Pershing Middle and Lamar High rather than Bellaire High, and HISD's online Select a School tool, or its Student Transfer Department, confirms zoning for any address.

West University Place City Hall is at 3800 University Boulevard, and the city's site is westutx.gov.

Sources

• Handbook of Texas Online, "West University Place, TX": https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/west-university-place-tx
• Handbook of Texas Online, "Bellaire, TX": https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/bellaire-tx
• City of West University Place, Comprehensive Plan (2017): https://www.westutx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2630/West-University-Place-Comprehensive-Plan-Adopted-May-22-2017
• City of West University Place, Parks: https://www.westutx.gov/301/Parks
• City of West University Place, Colonial Park Pool: https://westutx.gov/290/Colonial-Park-Pool
• City of West University Place, Parks and Recreation: https://westutx.gov/1629/Parks-Recreation
• City of West University Place, home page (City Hall contact): https://www.westutx.gov/
• Wikipedia, "West University Place, Texas" (area, neighboring cities): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_University_Place,_Texas
• Wikipedia, "Bellaire, Texas" (borders): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellaire,_Texas
• Wikipedia, "Bellaire Boulevard": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellaire_Boulevard
• Wikipedia, "Bellaire High School (Texas)" (zoning): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellaire_High_School_(Texas)
• HISD, Bellaire High attendance boundary: https://bellaire.houstonisd.org/our-school/attendance-boundary-map
• Maximo: https://www.maximo-htx.com/
• Community Impact, Maximo reopens in West University: https://communityimpact.com/bellaire-meyerland-west-university/dining/maximo-reopens-in-west-university-after-revamping-menu/

En español

West University Place, o West U, es una ciudad independiente, no un barrio de Houston. Se incorporó en 1925 y desde 1948 está completamente rodeada por Houston, igual que Bellaire. Tiene su propia policía, bomberos, agua y recolección de basura, y sus niños asisten a escuelas de HISD, generalmente West University Elementary, Pershing Middle y Lamar High, no Bellaire High. En 2020 tenía 14,955 habitantes. Sus calles de la Second Addition llevan nombres de universidades. Tiene varios parques; Colonial Park, en 4130 Byron, tiene la piscina municipal, y Friends Park, en 3771 Rice, tiene una torre con reloj. Bellaire Boulevard cruza las dos ciudades, y la oficina de Parques está en 4210 Bellaire Blvd. El ayuntamiento está en 3800 University Blvd; su sitio es westutx.gov.