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Seven Wonders of Katy
  
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From staff reports
Forget the Great Pyramids of Giza. The Great Wall of China can move over. When it comes to amazing destinations, Katy residents don’t have to look further than their own backyards.
While endless lists cataloguing the Seven Wonders of the World detail exotic locales through ancient to modern times, the seven wonders of Katy takes a more local approach.
After some serious consideration, The Katy Sun staff picked what we consider some of the greatest local phenomena unique to the community.
Narrowing down a list to only seven was a tough task, because The Sun knows all the people, institutions and businesses make Katy great. But only seven could make the cut, so in no particular order, the seven wonders of Katy.
Residents do not have to travel far to get a history lesson. At the Katy Heritage Park, residents can visit historic buildings and get a glimpse of their community’s past.
Moved to help preserve the structures in 2003, the Katy Heritage Park boasts the Old Katy Post Office as well as several historic homes belonging to Katy settlers: the Featherston, Wright and Stockdick families.
The Katy Heritage Society has been the driving force behind the park’s acquisitions and purchases and the park keeps on growing. Many of the historic homes were donated for preservation.
The most recent addition to Heritage Park is the Humble Mess Hall, used by Humble Oil in the 1940s. The heritage society is currently working on plans to renovate the old chow hall into a museum.
Few suburbs have it as good as the greater Katy community when it comes to shopping your favorite stores in your own neighborhood. While other communities may have to track into Houston or venture outside of the beltway, Katy residents have two retail centers, Katy Mills Mall and LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch with five miles between them.
Katy Mills Mall, which opened in October 1999, offers 1.3 million square feet of shopping and entertainment.
With outlet and retail stores, Katy Mills has been touted as a tourist destination for bargain hunters.
LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch is one the newest addition to major retail shopping in the Katy area.
Opened in March 2007, LaCenterra offers retail, office and residential space with a unique main-street appeal.
As the area grows so do the retails; LaCenterra plans to have the second phase of construction with new stores opening through fall 2009.
Built more than 200 years ago, the depot on First Street is near where the historic office of the station agent once stood.
The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was vital for farmers in the area getting their crops to market. In 1919, the demand grew so much the depot had to be renovated because it was too small.
By 1979, the depot was so dilapidated it was ready to be torn down, but the Katy Heritage Society was formed to help keep the depot from being destroyed.
Today, the building houses the Katy Heritage Society Museum of local railroad history and the City of Katy’s Visitors Center open during the week, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The caboose is also the handiwork of the historic society, who purchased it in the 1980s.
While the caboose isn’t an MKT railroad original, it worked for many years on the Copper Range before being retired in Michigan.
The Katy Historic Society painted the caboose to resemble those used by the MKT.
Opened in time to hold graduation ceremonies for the class of 2005, Katy Independent School District’s Merrell Center plays host to a diverse group of events throughout the year.
The 145,000-square-foot arena has sports seating for 5,600 spectators but also hosts trade shows, conventions, concerts and banquets.
The Merrell Center was built without using additional residential property tax money. Instead, a tax increment reinvestment zone was created and commercial property tax revenue generated by the Katy Mills Mall is used to pay for the arena’s construction and its operations.
Houston may be a vibrant metropolitan area covered with acres of asphalt, but just west of the interstates and beltways, is a quiet lush ecosystem full of nature’s beauty.
The Katy Prairie Conservancy is a nonprofit organization working to make sure the Katy Prairie wildlife and native plants are preserved.
Formed in 1992, the group’s mission is to protect between 30,000 acres to 60,000 acres of prairie that is being lost to changing economic and social forces.
But the Katy Prairie Conservancy goes beyond preservation, as the prairie is open for tours and educational outreach.
In the last year, the prairie partnered with the Houston Audubon Society to save native prairie plants Saums Road Prairie.
The land slated for the extension of Greenhouse Road housed rare Black-Eyed Susan, Kansas Blazing Star and Rattlesnake Master. The rescued plants were transplanted at the Texas Coastal Prairie Native Seed Nursery for future use.
The conservancy is also working on raising money to pay for a mortgage on Warren Ranch, one of the last working cattle ranches in the greater Houston area.
Covering 40 acres and 2,000 years of Chinese history, the Forbidden Gardens transports visitors to the Forbidden City of Beijing, The Temple of Heaven, The Calming of the Heart Lodge and the canal city of Suzhou recreated on a smaller scale.
Visitors travel back to the third century BC and can examine the 6,000-piece terra-cotta army, a replica of the terra-cotta army found in 1974 near the tomb of Emperor Qin, the first emperor of China.
The miniature clay soldiers are in the same formation as the original soldiers were found in China.
With its own curriculum and 35 acres of wilderness to call its own, the Kenneth D. Welch Outdoor Learning Center gets Katy students out of the classroom and in a hands-on learning environment.
With lessons adapted for the seasons and across grade levels, students can experience life as the early Texans lived or follow the nature trails to a pond stocked with fish.
But the outdoor classroom goes beyond academics.
Each spring, the annual Katy Folk Life Festival uses the learning center to reenactment of life in Texas in the early 1800s. Additionally, outdoor education programs are offered during the summer months.
What/Where
These are just a few of the destinations that make the Katy area an amazing place to live and visit.
Katy Heritage Park: 5990 George Bush Drive
Katy Mills Mall: 5000 Katy Mills Circle
MKT Depot and Caboose: 5615 1st Street
La Centerra: 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd.
Merrell Center: 6301 South Stadium Lane
Katy Prairie Conservancy Prairie preserves: Multiple locations, check www.katyprairie.org for details
Forbidden Gardens: 23500 Franz Road
While endless lists cataloguing the Seven Wonders of the World detail exotic locales through ancient to modern times, the seven wonders of Katy takes a more local approach.
After some serious consideration, The Katy Sun staff picked what we consider some of the greatest local phenomena unique to the community.
Narrowing down a list to only seven was a tough task, because The Sun knows all the people, institutions and businesses make Katy great. But only seven could make the cut, so in no particular order, the seven wonders of Katy.
Residents do not have to travel far to get a history lesson. At the Katy Heritage Park, residents can visit historic buildings and get a glimpse of their community’s past.
Moved to help preserve the structures in 2003, the Katy Heritage Park boasts the Old Katy Post Office as well as several historic homes belonging to Katy settlers: the Featherston, Wright and Stockdick families.
The Katy Heritage Society has been the driving force behind the park’s acquisitions and purchases and the park keeps on growing. Many of the historic homes were donated for preservation.
The most recent addition to Heritage Park is the Humble Mess Hall, used by Humble Oil in the 1940s. The heritage society is currently working on plans to renovate the old chow hall into a museum.
Few suburbs have it as good as the greater Katy community when it comes to shopping your favorite stores in your own neighborhood. While other communities may have to track into Houston or venture outside of the beltway, Katy residents have two retail centers, Katy Mills Mall and LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch with five miles between them.
Katy Mills Mall, which opened in October 1999, offers 1.3 million square feet of shopping and entertainment.
With outlet and retail stores, Katy Mills has been touted as a tourist destination for bargain hunters.
LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch is one the newest addition to major retail shopping in the Katy area.
Opened in March 2007, LaCenterra offers retail, office and residential space with a unique main-street appeal.
As the area grows so do the retails; LaCenterra plans to have the second phase of construction with new stores opening through fall 2009.
Built more than 200 years ago, the depot on First Street is near where the historic office of the station agent once stood.
The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was vital for farmers in the area getting their crops to market. In 1919, the demand grew so much the depot had to be renovated because it was too small.
By 1979, the depot was so dilapidated it was ready to be torn down, but the Katy Heritage Society was formed to help keep the depot from being destroyed.
Today, the building houses the Katy Heritage Society Museum of local railroad history and the City of Katy’s Visitors Center open during the week, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The caboose is also the handiwork of the historic society, who purchased it in the 1980s.
While the caboose isn’t an MKT railroad original, it worked for many years on the Copper Range before being retired in Michigan.
The Katy Historic Society painted the caboose to resemble those used by the MKT.
Opened in time to hold graduation ceremonies for the class of 2005, Katy Independent School District’s Merrell Center plays host to a diverse group of events throughout the year.
The 145,000-square-foot arena has sports seating for 5,600 spectators but also hosts trade shows, conventions, concerts and banquets.
The Merrell Center was built without using additional residential property tax money. Instead, a tax increment reinvestment zone was created and commercial property tax revenue generated by the Katy Mills Mall is used to pay for the arena’s construction and its operations.
Houston may be a vibrant metropolitan area covered with acres of asphalt, but just west of the interstates and beltways, is a quiet lush ecosystem full of nature’s beauty.
The Katy Prairie Conservancy is a nonprofit organization working to make sure the Katy Prairie wildlife and native plants are preserved.
Formed in 1992, the group’s mission is to protect between 30,000 acres to 60,000 acres of prairie that is being lost to changing economic and social forces.
But the Katy Prairie Conservancy goes beyond preservation, as the prairie is open for tours and educational outreach.
In the last year, the prairie partnered with the Houston Audubon Society to save native prairie plants Saums Road Prairie.
The land slated for the extension of Greenhouse Road housed rare Black-Eyed Susan, Kansas Blazing Star and Rattlesnake Master. The rescued plants were transplanted at the Texas Coastal Prairie Native Seed Nursery for future use.
The conservancy is also working on raising money to pay for a mortgage on Warren Ranch, one of the last working cattle ranches in the greater Houston area.
Covering 40 acres and 2,000 years of Chinese history, the Forbidden Gardens transports visitors to the Forbidden City of Beijing, The Temple of Heaven, The Calming of the Heart Lodge and the canal city of Suzhou recreated on a smaller scale.
Visitors travel back to the third century BC and can examine the 6,000-piece terra-cotta army, a replica of the terra-cotta army found in 1974 near the tomb of Emperor Qin, the first emperor of China.
The miniature clay soldiers are in the same formation as the original soldiers were found in China.
With its own curriculum and 35 acres of wilderness to call its own, the Kenneth D. Welch Outdoor Learning Center gets Katy students out of the classroom and in a hands-on learning environment.
With lessons adapted for the seasons and across grade levels, students can experience life as the early Texans lived or follow the nature trails to a pond stocked with fish.
But the outdoor classroom goes beyond academics.
Each spring, the annual Katy Folk Life Festival uses the learning center to reenactment of life in Texas in the early 1800s. Additionally, outdoor education programs are offered during the summer months.
What/Where
These are just a few of the destinations that make the Katy area an amazing place to live and visit.
Katy Heritage Park: 5990 George Bush Drive
Katy Mills Mall: 5000 Katy Mills Circle
MKT Depot and Caboose: 5615 1st Street
La Centerra: 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd.
Merrell Center: 6301 South Stadium Lane
Katy Prairie Conservancy Prairie preserves: Multiple locations, check www.katyprairie.org for details
Forbidden Gardens: 23500 Franz Road
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concernedforkaty wrote on Jan 11, 2009 1:41 PM:
I am just a bit set back by the recent article about the Seven Wonders of Katy.
I have for years wondered,...... where is the leadership of the Katy Civic Organizations when it comes to development? I see communities like The Woodlands, Sugarland and yes, even Pearland that are light years ahead of Katy in development. It is sad to see the amenities that are available to the residents of those communities, such as restaurant rows, real places for families to take their children to relax and be with friends, waterways and shopping centers that have recognized names of stores and restaurants.
We do have some very restautrants here in Katy. However, many of the restaurants that we have in Katy have names that most people have never heard of and usually don't last.
Where are the nationally known, state-wide and even Houston-based successful restaurants (not fast -food) when it comes to Katy?
Why is it that the so called leadership of Katy can't organize a development plan like we see happening in Pearland and that has already happened in Sugarland and The Woodlands?
The group that put together La Centerra should be commended for what they have acomplished. The City of Katy should be grateful to them for their efforts and should do all they can to help them to continue their growth and development. They should be asked to assist and to consult with the City of Katy to master plan something that rivals other communities that surround us.
If the La Centera group is not interested, then someone that reads this that has the resources, time and love for our community, please step forward. Our commiunity needs you.
Katy is a wonderful community, we just need some vision and leadership in our growth, and future planning.
It is unfortunate that a family has to travel 45 minutes to the north or 25 minutes to the south to find a good selection of restaurants and a nice walk afterwards.
Again, please understand that I love Katy and I plan to be here for some time. I think the historical symbols are very important and should be preserved.
I just think that the Seven Wonders of Katy have yet to be built.
Thanks,
A concerned Katy resident. "