Spring Branch is a neighborhood in the northwest area of Houston, Texas. It is near Interstate 10, Highway 290 and the 610 Loop and is in close proximity to the Galleria, Memorial Park and the Memorial City District. One of Houston’s largest neighborhoods, Spring Branch is generally divided into Spring Branch West, East, Central and North.
The Spring Branch neighborhood was established as a rural German American community in the 1800s. It now includes significant Hispanic American and Korean American communities.
Named one of the “25 Hottest Neighborhoods” by Houstonia magazine, Spring Branch has a wide variety of options for recreation, shopping and entertainment, as well as top-rated schools. Some amazing shopping destinations include Memorial City Mall and Blalock Shopping Center. Entertainment for kids and adults can be found at Marq-E Entertainment Center and Roundup Outdoor Music Venue. Guadalupe River Park and Bear Creek Pioneers Park are great destinations for hiking, picnicking, horseback riding or swimming.
Many of the residents of Spring Branch are immigrants. The type of work residents do varies, depending on where they live in Spring Branch. For example, most Spring Branch East residents are blue collar workers. In Spring Branch West, most are young, white collar professionals.
Because of its many options for dining, shopping and recreation, Spring Branch is one of the most popular places to live outside the Houston city center. The area offers its residents access to several cultural institutions such as Houston City Ballet, Uptown Dance Center and Newspring Art Studio. Nearby parks, which include hiking, biking and horseback riding, are popular recreational destinations for Spring Branch residents.
The public schools that serve Spring Branch are part of either the Spring Branch Independent School District or Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District. Elementary schools attended by Spring Branch students are Bane Elementary in Houston, Kirk Elementary in unincorporated Harris County and Lee Elementary School in unincorporated Harris County. Middle school students attend Dean Middle School in Houston and Truitt Middle School in unincorporated Harris County. Most high school students in Spring Branch go to Spring Woods High School and Northbrook High School, although some attend Memorial High School in Hedwig Village or Cypress Ridge High School in unincorporated Harris County.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston oversees two kindergarten through 8th grade schools and one high school in Spring Branch. These are The Regis School of the Sacred Heart, St. Jerome School and Saint John XXIII High School. Other private schools in Spring Branch include Houston Christian School, The Monarch School, The Parish School and Western Academy.
Spring Branch is one of the largest neighborhoods in Houston, and housing options in the area are greatly diversified. Depending on the area of Spring Branch, there are very dated single family homes and a large number of new constructions at affordable prices. This is a neighborhood in Houston where housing can regularly be found under $150,000 and over $2 million. Lot sizes are, on average, larger than in other areas of Houston.
On the whole, however, Spring Branch housing is comprised largely of newly constructed single-family homes and condominiums. There are also apartment complexes and high rise residential buildings in the neighborhood.
Types of housing vary from area to area throughout Spring Branch. Spring Branch West has many 1960s era ranch-style houses. Spring Branch Central has more modern, more expensive, newly constructed homes. The eastern area of Spring Branch includes many lower cost bungalow style houses with wood siding.
Many homes for sale in Spring Branch are 1960s era ranch style houses. Some are older, bungalow style buildings. Many older homes in Spring Branch can be purchased for under $150,000. The preponderance of the real estate market in Spring Branch, however, includes modern homes and brand new construction.
As of February 2019, there were at least 660 properties for sale in Spring Branch. During the first half of February 2019, twenty homes sold in Spring Branch for between $160,000 and $482,000. Four of these were either condominiums or townhouses.
The greatest concentrations of homes for sale at this time were in Spring Branch West. Spring Branch East had the second greatest number of homes listed. Spring Branch Central and Spring Branch North had relatively few homes for sale, compared to Spring Branch West and East.
From 2016 to 2019, around 3,519 homes sold in Spring Branch. The greatest concentration of homes sold was in Spring Branch East.
The Spring Branch neighborhood offers a plethora of things to do. There’s an abundance of shopping available at the many shopping centers that dot the neighborhood. Performing arts and live music venues can also be found in the area. The neighborhood also offers beautiful parks and natural areas, as well as family-oriented entertainment venues.
A hot shopping destination in the Spring Branch area is the Memorial City Mall, which is home to over 100 stores and restaurants and an ice skating rink. The Centre at Bunker Hill and Blalock Shopping Center offer a wide range of services and retail stores.
Kids can enjoy hours of exercise and fun at Marq-E Entertainment Center. Area residents can view hundreds of dinosaur tracks at the Heritage Museum, perform in a play at Stage Theatre or go for a float on the Guadalupe River. The Roundup Outdoor Music Venue is a live entertainment venue both adults and kids can enjoy.