Tanglewood is an affluent neighborhood in western Houston, Texas,Tutt, Bob. "Developer, nature lovers strike harmonious chord." Houston Chronicle. Monday July 21, 1997. A11. Retrieved October 13, 2012. located off San Felipe Road.Feser, Katherine. "." Houston Chronicle. Sunday October 2, 1994. Business 6. Retrieved October 13, 2012.

Tanglewood is located just outside the 610 Loop and inside Beltway 8 in the Uptown Houston area. Tanglewood was developed by the Tanglewood Corporation. Today the neighborhood is managed by the Tanglewood Homes Association. In 1997 Bob Tutt of the Houston Chronicle said that Tanglewood is "a leafy, upscale subdivision". Barbara and George H. W. Bush were longtime Tanglewood residents.

History William Giddings Farrington developed Tanglewood beginning in the 1930s. Tanglewood opened in 1949.Feser, Katherine. "Bigger houses transforming neighborhood." Houston Chronicle. Houston Chronicle. Sunday March 30, 2003. Business 8. Retrieved October 13, 2012. The Farrington family took the name Tanglewood from "Tanglewood Tales" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The book was a favorite of Farrington's daughter, Mary Catherine Farrington.Smith, Brenda Beust. "Just who was...Westheimer/A guide to the people whose names grace the street signs of Houston." Houston Chronicle. Sunday March 23, 1986. Lifestyle 1. Retrieved October 14, 2012. For the first six months, no houses were sold in Tanglewood. Mary Catherine, who later took the family name Miller, said that the lack of sales caused stress for the family. After several heavy rainstorms resulted in floods that affected other areas in Harris County, potential buyers began inquiring about buying houses in Tanglewood because they heard that the neighborhood had high water drainage capabilities.

Geography Tanglewood is within a several minute driving distance of Downtown Houston.Hickey, Elisabeth. "Bushes' lot: No room for real estate." The Washington Times. Thursday November 19, 1992. Part E Life E1. Accessed on LexisNexis. The area has around 5,000 trees. Before the subdivision was developed, Tanglewood was a coastal prairie that experienced regular grass fires, preventing the growth of trees. After Tanglewood was built, wildfires were suppressed. As of 1997, developers building area real estate projects negotiated with area tree preservationists to keep as many trees in their developments as possible.

Tanglewood Boulevard is lined with live oak trees that had been planted by the Tanglewood Garden Club. Tanglewood Boulevard had various benches that allow people along the path to relax, and it serves as a gathering point for residents. The boulevard also includes a bike path and walking trails. The Houston Business Journal said that the benches, bike path, and walking trails were "[t]hanks to the Tanglewood Foundation and the generosity of residents"."Houston's neighborhood parks offer change of pace in the city." Houston Business Journal. Sunday October 26, 2003. Retrieved October 13, 2012.

Cityscape In 1992 John Daugherty, a real estate agent, said that Tanglewood is "a very low-key, unassuming neighborhood. A lot of CEOs and top management officials would live there."

Tanglewood lots were large, and had many oak trees. As of 2003, larger Tanglewood lots each were large, while smaller ones are about by . As of that year Tanglewood lots had prices of $34 to $35 ($- in today's money) per square foot. In 2003 River Oaks lots were priced $65–$70 ($-$ in today's money) per square foot and West University Place lots were priced around $50 ($ in today's money) per square foot. Ellis said "The lots in Tanglewood are so much larger than the norm in West University or some of the sections of River Oaks. You can just get so much more for your money."

Houses

As of 2003 Tanglewood has 1,144 houses. The median house value was $632,750 ($ in current money), and the total median price per square foot was $194.15 ($ in current money). The median build year was 1960. On average houses had four bedrooms and 4.2 bathrooms. The median lot size was and the median house size was . Donna Ellis, an employee of Greenwood King Properties, said in 2003 that the prices of houses in Tanglewood ranged from $300,000 ($ in current money) to $3 million ($ in current money). As of 2003 the majority of houses are newer houses built beginning in the 1980s.

In 1992 the Tanglewood area had around 1,800 houses, including Rambling Ranches and some Tudor houses. In November 1992, 172 properties were for sale, and selling prices ranged from $400,000 ($ in today's money) to over $1 million ($ in today's money). Claudia Feldman of the Houston Chronicle said that by that year, "[p]rices in Tanglewood have zoomed heavenward" and that many people had begun tearing down older houses.Feldman, Claudia. "Moving back to the 'hood . . ./CITIZEN BUSH." Houston Chronicle. Sunday December 13, 1992. Lifestyle p. 1. Retrieved October 15, 2012. She said that of the newer houses, "[s]ome of the multistory structures going up seem to take up every inch of the enormous lots." As of December 1992 a house that was intended to be demolished so a new house could go up in its place, or a "tear-down," was priced at $350,000 ($ in current money).

As of 1994 most of the Tanglewood houses were still the older "rambling Ranch" houses, though larger numbers of newer houses were built. During that year Tanglewood had 1,157 houses. The median house value was $403,200 ($ in current money), and the total median price per square foot was $131.31 ($ in current money). The median build year was 1959. On average houses had 3.6 bedrooms and 3.4 bathrooms. The median lot size was and the median house size was .

Housing styles

Its original homes were "rambling Ranch" houses, spread-out one story houses placed on large lots. The houses were outfitted with central air conditioning. Tanglewood's first houses each had a price tag of around $25,000 ($ in current money); the houses were four times as expensive as the houses in Farrington's Southdale area in Bellaire. In 2003 the remaining original houses had been outfitted with expensive finishes. In 1994 an older house with no improvements was priced at around $350,000 ($ in current money).

Newer houses began replacing older houses in the 1980s, and as of 2003 newer houses make up a majority of the housing stock. Newer houses included two-story English-style brick and stone houses and Mediterranean stucco-style houses with clay roofs. Many newer houses have ceilings, three car garages, and wine cellars. Katherine Feser of the Houston Chronicle said that Tanglewood lots were "well-suited" for the newer types of houses that had been built. In 1994 there was one popular house style influenced by the Italian designer Andrea Palladio, which featured stucco, symmetrical design, tile roofs, and arched windows. During that year most newer houses had prices beginning at $800000 ($ in current money). Mary Catherine Miller, the daughter of Farrington, said that Tanglewood "offers all of the amenities of a well-planned community and it has really stood the test of time. This is obvious with the new homes that are being built."

Government The community used strict deed restrictions to prevent businesses from establishing themselves within the neighborhood; the City of Houston has no zoning.

In 1992 Cynthia Mayer of the Philadelphia Inquirer said that Tanglewood, along with Memorial and River Oaks, was one of three of "Houston's richest, most Republican neighborhoods".Mayer, Cynthia. "In Houston, Where Bush Still Drops In." Philadelphia Inquirer. August 18, 1992. . Retrieved October 13, 2012.

In 1992 The Dallas Morning News said "An upper-class, Houston Country Club-area neighborhood of 1200 homes, Tanglewood is the kind of place that has one to three off-duty Houston police officers[...]"Nichols, Bruce. "Realty check Barbara Bush creates stir among news media, prospective neighbors in Houston house hunt." The Dallas Morning News. November 18, 1992. Retrieved October 13, 2012. "An upper-class, Houston Country Club-area neighborhood of 1200 homes, Tanglewood is the kind of place that has one to three off-duty Houston police officers[...]" and "Sightings of Mrs. Bush's small black motorcade and that jaunty head of white hair were the talk of Tanglewood, where the Bushes have owned a series of houses[...]"

Tanglewood is in Texas's 7th congressional district."Congressional District 7 ." National Atlas of the United States.

Houston Fire Department operates Station 2 at 5880 Woodway at Chimney Rock, across from Tanglewood Park.

The neighborhood is served by the Houston Police Department Midwest Patrol Division."Beat Map." Houston Police Department. Retrieved October 14, 2012.

The neighborhood is also served by the Tanglewood Patrol. The patrol hires off-duty Houston Police officers, who drive marked Tanglewood Patrol cars and have full police powers.SECURITY PATROL." Tanglewood.

The Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated the Valbona Health Center (formerly the People's Health Center) for the ZIP code 77056. The designated public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. - See ZIP code 77056. See this map for relevant ZIP code.

Culture Claudia Feldman of the Houston Chronicle said that, in the 1960s, Tanglewood was "a white-bread community, devoid of the color and international cultural mix for which Houston was about to become famous" that had a "clubby atmosphere". Feldman explained that "Tanglewoodies seemed to patronize the same grocery store, pharmacy, hardware store and cleaners. They aspired to the same country club, supported the same conservative politicians, and attended a short list of predominantly white, politically correct churches." Feldman added that "irreverent, have-not types occasionally accused Tanglewoodies of being bland and boring" and characterized the houses as "overgrown tract houses."

Education

Public schools

Tanglewood's public schools are operated by the Houston Independent School District. The community is within Trustee District VII, represented by Harvin C. Moore as of 2008."Trustee Districts Map ." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved November 11, 2008.

Tanglewood is zoned to Briargrove Elementary School"Briargrove Elementary Attendance Zone ." Houston Independent School District. (in Briargrove) and Tanglewood Middle School (formerly Grady Middle School."Grady Middle Attendance Zone ." Houston Independent School District. The land that Tanglewood Middle School sits on was donated by a Tanglewood developer. High school students are zoned to Margaret Long Wisdom High School (formerly Robert E. Lee High School)"Lee High School Attendance Zone ." Houston Independent School District. and may choose to attend Lamar High School or Westside High Schools.Home Page as of May 9, 2005. Lee High School. Even though several wealthier neighborhoods such as Tanglewood and Briargrove are primarily zoned to Wisdom, parents there prefer to send their children to Lamar, Westside, private high schools, or charter high schools.

Residents of the Briargrove Elementary School attendance zone may apply for the Briarmeadow Charter School."Registration ." Briarmeadow Charter School.

The HISD board voted to rename Grady to Tanglewood in 2016.Wilson, Lea and Ryan Korsgard. "HISD Board of Education approves new names for 7 schools" (Archive). KPRC-TV. May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.

Mark White Elementary School is scheduled to open in August 2016. Residents of the Briargrove Elementary zone, along with those of the Pilgrim, Piney Point, and Emerson zones, will be allowed to apply to this school.Baird, Annette. "Planned HISD elementary to relieve crowding." Houston Chronicle. June 10, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2014.