The Woodlands

The Woodlands was dedicated by George P. Mitchell in 1974, managed by The Woodlands Corporation as an extension of Mitchell Energy & Development. Mitchell, an oil businessman, planned to establish a conference center, hotels, office parks, retail malls, schools, large distribution centers, and golf courses. The house offerings would range from affordable to expensive and large. Bill Schadewald of the Houston Business Journal said that Mitchell wanted the development to “entice city slickers looking for far-flung suburban quality of life.” Schadewald said that local sources stated that the New Town program, a federally funded program, had a “low survival rate” and questioned whether The Woodlands would succeed.