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Like so many great ideas, it started with a drawing on a napkin. And, in this case, a view from a low-flying helicopter. Where others saw a drainage ditch, a waterway took shape. Where some saw a traditional community, a new downtown was envisioned. Now, more than 30 years later, The Woodlands Town Center has become a model of new urbanism — a pedestrian-friendly enterprise hub brimming with business and everyday activity and events.

Central to the sense of place in Town Center is The Woodlands Waterway®, a 1.4-mile linear park that invites visitors to hop aboard a water taxi and travel to offices, restaurants, urban residences, shopping centers, hotels, parks and landmarks along the way. More transportation options include a landscaped network of paths for pedestrian travel and a trolley system.   

Town Center has become one of the hottest commercial building markets in Greater Houston, with the lowest vacancy rate in the area. The growth is ongoing, with new buildings, such as the completed 13-story 24 Waterway Avenue with its restaurants, retail and offices, and 4 Waterway Square now leasing.The Woodlands Mall, a 1.3 million square-foot shopping center, boasts a 150,000 square-foot retail and restaurant courtyard that anchors The Waterway. Market Street, a 34-acre, “Main Street”, features a continually growing collection of upscale shops and restaurants clustered around a central park.

Along with proximity to the workplace, Town Center offers lifestyle amenities. Parks dot
The Waterway. Sports facilities, including 135 holes of championship golf, are close at hand. New recreational areas include the four-acre Town Green Park and Waterway Square, a one-acre civic plaza with unique multiple water features. One of the region’s most popular entertainment venues, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, consistently ranks among the top amphitheaters in the world based on ticket sales by Pollstar magazine, the concert industry’s leading trade publication. The 16,500-seat outdoor amphitheater is within walking distance and accessible via The Waterway.

Since the genesis of The Woodlands Town Center more than 30 years ago, plans have evolved and been refined by some of the top designers and architects in the country. But through it all, the vision of Town Center has stayed the course, resulting in the vibrant urban downtown it is today — a thriving downtown in a forest that is home to high profile companies and a popular destination for families and shoppers.