Woodlands lures more Hispanics
Impact of growing population segment can be seen in schools and businesses
At the H-E-B in the Indian Springs Village Center, a tortilleria station churns out fresh tortillas for shoppers. Birthday girls are seen taking their quinceañera photos at The Woodlands Mall. Spanish is often heard spoken all around the Market Street complex.
The Woodlands may have a reputation for lacking in cultural diversity, but — as the community has grown to a population of nearly 110,000 — it has attracted a greater Hispanic presence.
Conroe Independent School District’s campuses in The Woodlands average a 22 percent Hispanic student population. Churches have added Spanish-language services. A Spanish-language magazine covering The Woodlands is celebrating its third anniversary. The Montgomery County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is growing, tourism from Latin America has increased exponentially and grocery stores are beginning to offer more Latin American food options.
The Hispanic population in The Woodlands nearly doubled from 6.6 percent in 2010 to 12.3 percent in 2013, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. More recent estimates by area business people and community members go as high as 30 percent.
“Everything is here ... that’s why a lot of people come,” said Julie Charros-Batancor, international sales manager for Lat-
in America for The Woodlands Resort and president of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce- The Woodlands- Gulf Coast chapter.
Charros-Batancor has observed an influx of affluent Latin Americans — many hailing from Mexico — in the eight years she has worked for The Woodlands Resort.
“People are coming here because it’s all about status,” she said. “The people that are here are the people that have money — affluent Mexicans that are able to afford a house here, a house in Mexico and maybe a beach house somewhere.” Attractive amenities
The magnets that draw them to The Woodlands are the same amenities that have brought the tens of thousands of new residents to the community in the past decade: business, shopping, dining, entertainment, schools, trees and safety.
“When someone moves here, they come in vacation mode. They want to shop, dine, go to sports games and concerts,” said Jorge Cadena, the publisher and founder of Viva! The Woodlands Magazine, an all-Spanish publication with a monthly circulation of 10,000.
Cadena started the magazine three years ago because he saw the market for a publication geared toward the wealthy, well-educated and worldly Latin Americans that were coming to The Woodlands.
“The great schools, beautiful trees, the shopping, the retail, entertainment amenities, it’s safe — that naturally attracts anyone to The Woodlands,” said Bruce Tough, chairman of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors. “(The Hispanic growth has ) had a very positive impact.” Vacation visits
It all started about a decade ago when affluent Hispanic families began coming to The Woodlands on vacation during Easter week. Tourism coming from Latin America to The Woodlands Resort alone increased by 3,500 percent in the eight years from 2006-14, Charros-Batancor said.
They shopped. They dined. They saw children riding their bikes around the neighborhoods.
“Any family that looks at that falls in love with it,” Cadena said. “You don’t see that anywhere in the world ... They said, ‘I want that life for my children.’”
After that, many bought houses here. One in four houses sold in The Woodlands is bought by a Latin American, Charros-Batancor said. Classroom impact
The new residents then enrolled their kids in school. For the 2013-14 school year, elementary and junior high campuses that feed into The Woodlands High School and The Woodlands College Park High School averaged a 22 percent Hispanic student population. This remains below the Conroe ISD average of 34.2 percent Hispanic and the state average of 51.8 percent Hispanic, but it’s more than double what CISD schools in The Woodlands had a decade ago. For the 2005-06 school year, The Woodlands averaged a 10.5 percent Hispanic student population.
Some schools have seen significant growth, with Glen Loch Elementary School jumping from 26 percent Hispanic in 200506 to 41.4 percent in 201314, Tough Elementary School growing from 8.4 percent Hispanic to 25.7 percent and Lamar Elementary School from 11.1 percent to 28.4 percent. Business growth
Once they bought houses and decided to raise their children here, many decided to bring their businesses to The Woodlands as well.
Roy Villarreal, chief executive officer of Villa Realty Group Inc. and a board member of the Montgomery County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, has worked in commercial real estate in The Woodlands for 35 years and has watched the community blossom. He estimates that at least 20 percent of the business sector in The Woodlands is made up of Latin American nationals. In fact, Villarreal recently moved his office from Spring to a building on Technology Forest Boulevard to be closer to that growing community.
Villarreal has also seen significant growth in the Hispanic Chamber, which is open to businesspeople of all ethnicities and has attracted an attendance of 75125 at its monthly luncheon meetings.
The Woodlands’ booming business market has made it attractive to many businesspeople, but it is particularly appealing to Mexican nationals because of its easy access to Bush Intercontinental Airport, which offers direct flights — often lasting less than two hours — to 25 of the wealthiest cities in Mexico, said Cadena, who — in addition to publishing Viva! The Woodlands Magazine — has business ventures headquartered in Mexico.
Villarreal added that he believes the push for Lone Star Executive Airport in Conroe to acquire a $2.4 milllion customs facility is influenced by the number of high-profile businesspeople who travel between The Woodlands and Latin America on their private aircraft.
“They’re young; they’re aggressive; they have money; they’re not scared to invest,” Villarreal said of the Latin American business leaders working in The Woodlands. “They’re good for the economy.” Home away from home
It’s not just the business sector that Latin Americans have embraced in The Woodlands — many have made it their home.
Villarreal’s niece brought her family to The Woodlands, planning to stay only a year.
“They’re on year four,” he said. “(Their kids) get to ride their bikes ... They get a fishing pond here; they saw their first soccer game in Houston ... You don’t do that in Mexico City.”
The Woodlands has been experiencing the meeting of cultures. Viva! The Woodlands Magazine fills its monthly publication with lifestyle, travel and business features written in Spanish by local contributors.
The magazine is meant to serve as the bridge between cultures — hoping to shatter stereotypes about the Hispanic community and to help the Latin Americans who are new to the United States understand the laws and customs that are different here, Cadena said.
“(We want) to help people understand how to be better neighbors.”