Cypress is an unincorporated area of Harris County, Texas located completely inside the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston. The Cypress area is located along U.S. Highway 290, twenty miles northwest of Houston.

As of 2006, new housing and business development is rapidly transforming the formerly rural area into an affluent suburban area of Houston. Recently, concern for rapid growth has led area residents to try and preserve the natural charm and character of the area, urging developers to ensure its long-term vitality.

The area around which Cypress sits now was populated by Atakapan Indian tribes, but they soon disappeared after the appearance of German settlers in the 1840s; their heritage is most notably reflected in the names of some of the major thoroughfares of the area, such as Huffmeister and Telge Roads.^[1] General Sam Houston and his Texas Army visited the area on March 22, 1836 on the way to Harrisburg, which is now known as Houston, just days before the Battle of San Jacinto.^[2] The area was mostly rural until the 1980s, when developers began to develop the area as an alternative suburb to Katy.

Cypress is located at 29°59′40″N 95°40′3″W / 29.99444°N 95.66750°W / 29.99444; -95.66750, near the intersection of US Highway 290 and Spring-Cypress Road. Cypress is located within the Cypress Creek and Little Cypress Creek watershed.

Cypress has two distinct geographic profiles separated by Highway 290. The area north of US 290 is forested and thickly wooded, while the area south of 290 is predominately ranchland and grassy prairie.

Cypress falls under the jurisdiction of Harris County Precincts 3 and 4 (separated by Cypress Creek).

Major arteries include Highway 290 to the South and Texas State Highway 249 to the North. Both have planned expansion projects which may include new tollways and commuter rail. However, the planned timetable has not kept up with the immense growth of the area over the past 10 years.

As of the 2000 US Census, there were approximately 46,025 people, 15,207 households, and 12,914 families living in the zip codes labeled as Cypress. There were 15,207 housing units at an average density of 190.9/km² (494.6/mi²). ^[3][4] Most households are single-family residences with an average of 3 members per family. (note: it is estimated that the Cypress population has grown some 75%-100% since the 2000 census).

The 77429 Zip Code is one of the most affluent zip codes in Harris County; nearly 77% of the population has an income over US $50,000 and 42.65% earning over $100,000. ^[5] The Cypress urban cluster ranks 50th in the top 100 highest-income urban areas in the United States.

Cypress is home to a number of master-planned communities such as Longwood, Coles Crossing, Rock Creek, Lakewood Forest/Lakewood Forest Estates, Lakewood Oaks Estates, Blackhorse Ranch, Bridgeland, Villages of Cypress Mill, Cypress Creek Lakes, Fairfield, Northlake Forest, and numerous other single home family residential developments.

• Cypress is home to Tin Hall, one of the oldest continually operating Dance Halls in Texas, in operation since 1889.
• Cypress is home to The Berry Center. A $75 million multi-use complex owned by CFISD, featuring a football stadium, basketball arena, conference center, auditorium, multimedia production, and catering facility.
• Cypress is home to Northwest Forest Conference Center, an 80-acre resort and conference center with a life-size replica of the Alamo.
• Cypress is home to the trailhead of the planned Cypress Creek Greenway Project, a major parks project which will link major anchor parks along the entirety of Cypress Creek via a Greenbelt complete with Hike & Bike Trails, Horseback Riding, Canoeing and other attractions for outdoors/nature enthusiasts. It will link up with the planned Spring Creek Greenway northeast of Interstate 45.
• Cypress has numerous Golf Courses, including:
  • Longwood Golf Club,
  • Blackhorse,
  • Houston National,
  • Cypress Lakes, and
  • Cypress Golf Club.
  • Hearthstone Country Club.

Cypress is served by Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, the third largest school district in the State of Texas and one of the fastest growing in the United States. The area served by CFISD has an estimated population of nearly 700,000 as of 2005.^[6]

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD high school students attend Cy-Fair High School, Jersey Village High School, Cypress Creek High School, Cypress Falls High School, Cypress Woods High School, Cypress Springs High School, Langham Creek High School, and Cypress Ridge High School.

Two more high schools are currently being constructed, to open in 2008. They are Cypress Ranch High School and Cypress Lakes High School.

Cy-Fair ISD also includes 15 middle schools and 47 elementary schools. Two additional elementary schools are scheduled to open in 2008.

Cypress is home of Cy-Fair College of the North Harris Montgomery Community College District.

The area of Cypress is served by two volunteer fire departments, Cy-Fair VFD and Cypress Creek VFD. Cy-Fair VFD is one of the largest volunteer fire departments in the United States with 11 stations.

• Sam Adams - Defensive Tackle with the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals. Played HS football at Cypress Creek HS and Texas A&M University.
• Fred Caldwell, co-founder of Houston real estate group Caldwell Watson.
• Martha Madison - Actress on NBC's "Days of our Lives". Attended HS at Cypress Creek HS.
• Dan Neil - Offensive Guard with the NFL's Denver Broncos. Played HS football at Cypress Creek HS and the University of Texas.
• B.J. Symons - Former Chicago Bears and Houston Texans quarterback. Set the NCAA Division I-A record for most passing yards in a single season with 5,833 in 2003 while at Texas Tech. Attended Cypress Creek HS.
• Chuck Watson, founder of Dynegy (formerly NGC), minority owner of the Houston Texans and the Houston Aeros. Principal of Houston Real Estate group Caldwell Watson.
• Fred Whitfield, seven-time calf-roping world champion.
• Josh Williams - Former Defensive Tackle for the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. Played HS Football at Cypress Creek HS and the University of Michigan.
• Woody Williams, RHP for the Houston Astros. Attended Cy-Fair HS and the University of Houston.

• The Cypress Tree - A Cy-Fair Community Website

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