Community

The City of Friendswood is located 3 miles west of Interstate Highway 45, midway between Houston and Galveston. The modern history of Friendswood, Texas goes back to a Quaker (Friends) colony established in northern Galveston County in 1895.

The colony was originally a farming community of fig orchards, Satsuma orange orchards, and rice fields. The people in the community were known for hard work, simple, clean living, and a deep respect for God, the family, and education. This heritage continues in the community today.

Vision 2020

The City has recently begun a long range strategic planning effort called Vision 2020 intended to develop a guide for the remaining development of the City. The City encompasses 21 square miles and is approximately 50% developed. The current estimate is that the City will reach build out by the year 2020 with a population of 55,000. Because of the influence of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facility, the population of Friendswood is highly educated and has very high expectations for the level of service being provided by the City.

Best Places to Live

July 13, 2009, Money magazine and CNN/Money recently named Friendswood, TX as one of the country’s "Best Places to Live." Friendswood is the only community in the greater Houston area and one of only six Texas cities to make the list. The 2009 list, which ranks Friendswood as Number 32 out of 100 cities across the United States, focuses on smaller places that offer the best combination of:

  • Economic opportunity
  • Good schools
  • Safe streets
  • Things to do
  • A real sense of community

Second Time

This marks the second time in three years that Friendswood has made CNN/Money’s "Best Places to Live" list. In 2007, Friendswood ranked Number 51 out of 100 cities in the U.S. and was the only community in the greater Houston area to make the list at that time as well.

Factors Considered

The winning cities were chosen from a list with populations between 8,500 and 50,000. Factors being considered when finding America’s best places to live include:

  • Arts and leisure options
  • Cost of living
  • Diversity
  • Education
  • Health care
  • Housing prices
  • Job growth
  • Safety

For the complete list, visit the CNN Business page. For more information on the city of Friendswood, have a look at the pages found in our Community  header.