Katy

History

The City of Katy sits on Karankawa tribal lands. European colonists' first record of contact with a tribe is in 1528. Over the next 250 years the area was trafficked by French and Spanish European colonists seeking land and trade opportunities. By 1779, the Karakawa were at war with Spanish settlers. In 1790 the war ended and shortly after settlement begins. In the early 1800s Katy came be to be known as "Cane Island", Freed slaves and their families including Thomas (Mary) Robinson and Milto McGinnis, along with Mr. Crawford, Peter Black, and John Sills were the only recorded residents of Cane Island in 1875. In 1895, James Oliver Thomas laid out a town, and in January 1896 the town of Katy was named through Thomas's post office application. The name "Katy" was derived from the MKT Railroad Company, which was commonly referred to as "the K-T" (also its stock exchange symbol). This common designation soon evolved into "the Katy", and since the railroad company and its trains held a key depot station located today's city, the general location came to be known as Katy. The anticipations of prosperity would bring growth to the new town which was developed around the original train stop and railroad tracks. By the early 1900s many families had come by train and wagon to establish Katy. Cotton and peanuts and corn were the first successful crops, but rice soon became the primary commodity crop. Katy later became known for rice farming; the first concrete rice driers in the state of Texas were built here in 1944 and still stand as landmarks. The farming community well supported local businesses as several hotels, stores, livery stables and saloons were prospering. On September 8, 1900, the town's early efforts were swept clean by the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900,…

Geography

The City of Katy is located at the three-border junction of Harris, Fort Bend, and Waller counties, along Interstate 10, west of downtown Houston and east of Sealy. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The City of Katy's government has also placed a large focus on the downtown redevelopment plan which included the new city hall building and an upcoming downtown green space. Further projects included Typhoon Texas Water Park, Katy Independent School District's Legacy Football Stadium, Katy Independent School District's Rhodes Stadium, Momentum Indoor Climbing Center, REI Climb Store and the YMCA at Katy Main Street. The City of Houston's extraterritorial jurisdiction stretches well west of Katy. This means that a few unincorporated lands in the Katy area could be annexed by the City of Houston at some time in the future, though it is unlikely since Houston is unable to provide basic services to these isolated areas. The city of Katy's extraterritorial jurisdiction, meanwhile, is limited to parcels of land west and north of the city itself. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Katy has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The area is located in the Western Gulf Coastal Grasslands, or the coastal prairie.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,507
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,188
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,678
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  17,593
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  13,783
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  13,097
• White-winged Dove

  Zenaida asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,722
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,425

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2024-04-02
  4 km SSW of Round Top, Texas