Although The Woodlands began as a small community founded by George Mitchell in 1974, it has grown to attract residents from across the globe.

From multiple foreign-based businesses to international schools for children in the area—as well as Conroe ISD, where 85 languages are spoken—the presence of different cultures and diversity in The Woodlands has been growing over the years.

While the populations of both The Woodlands and CISD are composed of predominantly white residents, the Hispanic population in the area continues to grow and is the second largest ethnic group. In 2014, Hispanic residents made up 17.7 percent of The Woodlands’ population, according to The Woodlands Township. By contrast, the Hispanic population made up 6.7 percent of the population in 2000.

David Matos, treasurer of the Montgomery County Hispanic Chamber, said he believes Hispanics and other people of different backgrounds emigrate to The Woodlands because of the reputation of its economy.

“From a Woodlands standpoint, people know this is a fairly secure place,” Matos said. “There’s a joke where people say, ‘The Woodlands is the most secure city in Mexico.’ That comes from there being so many people from Mexico moving here.”

People of other ethnic backgrounds have also made their way to The Woodlands to take advantage of the region’s economy and available jobs in the area.

Michelle Flory, a Realtor with RE/MAX The Woodlands and Spring, said she has observed new residents from many other countries as well, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, India, Pakistan and Madagascar. Most moved to The Woodlands to work in the medical or oil industries.

“I would guess a lot of new residents come here for work-related agendas,” Flory said. “And not too much has changed; people are still coming.”

International business

The trend of more people moving to The Woodlands has brought both big and smallbusiness owners to the area to take advantage of The Woodlands’ customer base and economy.

Gil Staley, chief executive officer of The Woodlands Economic Development Partnership, said the township is home to a number of companies that identify as major employers in the area and have international ties. Repsol’s corporate headquarters is in Madrid, Spain, Maersk Line is a Danish company that has its customer resource center located in The Woodlands and Rigaku Americas is a Japanese-based company that has been in The Woodlands area for many years.

“We have so many companies here that do business overseas,” Staley said. “From big businesses like Anadarko to smaller businesses like Newpark Resources, which works with China. The ExxonMobil corporation just south of The Woodlands has 98 languages spoken there.”

Staley said The Woodlands is also familiar with the EB-5 program as well, which is a program for foreign investors that was established by Congress in 1992 in an effort to stimulate job creation.

“The program is still active, and we’ve seen people primarily from Mexico come in,” he said. “It continues to be popular but not as frequently seen as before.”

Staley said Woodlands officials have also recently met with groups from Malaysia, Japan and Belarus to discuss business opportunities.

“We are a truly diverse community in a sense of foreign nationalities that are here— simply because of the jobs here,” he said.

In addition to large multinational corporations making a home in The Woodlands, smaller businesses with international backgrounds have also made their way to the area.

Coffeeshop Company, which opened in The Woodlands in July, is the first U.S. location of the Austrian-based company.

The franchise began in Vienna, Austria, in 1999 and has been expanding ever since. General Manager Sean Minor said the owner of The Woodlands location is a Woodlands resident who decided to invest in the company after traveling throughout Europe and noticing the company abroad.

“I think we have such an international base in [The Woodlands],” Minor said. “People like to try different things, and it’s possible in this area.”    

Another business that has made its debut in the U.S. by adding its first location in The Woodlands area is Central Taco, located in the Portofino Shopping Center in Shenandoah.

The Mexico City-based chain opened in The Woodlands in September 2014.  Manager Patricia Pintos said the owners of the restaurant are planning on opening more locations in the Houston and The Woodlands areas and have noticed the large Hispanic population as well.

“There are a lot of Mexican people in the area, and we serve authentic Mexican food from Mexico City,” she said. “Here in Central Taco, we see so many people come in from different places.”

Diversity in education

Although many people move to The Woodlands for work-related reasons or to start new business ventures, they also bring their families and children.

Officials from both private and public schools in the area have programs to help integrate these students into the community.

However, sometimes integration can prove to be difficult, especially with children who speak English as a second language, said Rodrigo Chaves, CISD director of community outreach, dropout prevention and health services.

“We do have a newcomers center where families can get information on our education system, and some are English speakers but others aren’t,” Chaves said. “Hispanics have always been the majority, but we’ve also seen some Australians and Europeans who have been here. There’s over 85 languages spoken in the school district.”

A second newcomers center in CISD recently had to be added after a number of families from Mexico settled in The Woodlands. Many of the children are attending McCullough Junior High School.  Chaves said CISD’s goal is to provide a curriculum for these students that narrows the gaps between subgroups in the school district and the majority of the students who are white.

Other private schools in The Woodlands echo CISD’s commitment to providing international students a good education.

Espirit International School offers students the International Baccalaureate Primary Years program that is based on a worldview teaching system.

Head of School Rosemary Brumbelow said the curriculum offers an international perspective to students. With a diverse student population, students are able to learn about different cultures.

“It’s about the diversity of different nations,” Brumbelow said. “We have a 45 percent international community here at Esprit. It enriches the students’ lives to hear so many different languages.”

Brumbelow said she believes the international community in The Woodlands area is growing, and the elements taught at Esprit give children the ability to go back to a country they are from and succeed.

Cunae International School in The Woodlands teaches a similar curriculum to Esprit International School. Executive Director Anji Price said it is important new residents in the community feel accepted in their new home.

“It’s important right now in The Woodlands for international people to be accepted while getting used to the local culture,” Price said. “At the end of the day, there are a lot of good schools in The Woodlands—you just have to find the one that is best for your child. You can make friends with people from all over the world.”