Wendy Cawthon
Editor
[email protected][/caption] What does it mean to live in an unincorporated area? Longtime residents of the Greater Houston area have likely heard the term “unincorporated area” at some point, due in part to the fact that large portions of what is considered Houston is actually outside the city limits. Moving outside the 610 Loop, the spaces in between downtown Houston and surrounding cities, such as Tomball fall into Harris County’s jurisdiction, meaning basic services, such as water, sewer, police and road maintenance are handled at the county level. While it may not seem like much of a difference for most residents to not live in a city, there are some key differences for residents to consider should they decide to move from a city to an unincorporated area, or vice versa. For example, a homeowner living in unincorporated Harris County would not pay city taxes, but he or she will likely pay money to an emergency services district, and/or a hospital district to ensure residents in the area will still have access to police, fire and ambulance services.