Game-changing, $18.7 million new park debuts in Houston's Westchase District

Houston's Westchase District has a new and thoroughly modern greenspace for families to enjoy. After two years of design and construction, Camden Park is now officially open.

“This is a destination park experience unlike any other in west Houston,” says Irma Sanchez, president and CEO of Westchase District. “And as a fully programmed space with year-round activities, Camden Park offers something for everyone—whether it’s fitness, arts and culture, or simply a refreshing outdoor escape.”

Camden is much more than a standard park, and serves a community purpose closer to a space like Discovery Green. It does have ample playground aspects, including a water feature children can interact with, swings, tunnels, and a giant climbable hummingbird. A dozen mature Bald Cypress and Southern Live Oak trees were relocated from a nearby space on the Beltway after they were due to be destroyed in a construction project. Now, they shade the dog park.

Camden also includes multi-purpose pavilions and a 30,000-square-foot lawn space that can host gatherings and events. Outdoor reading chairs are situated near a complimentary lending library for those who just want to enjoy a good book on a nice day. Nearby is Sunday Press, an on-site cafe with indoor or outdoor seating as well as a roofed terrace to leisurely survey the park from.

Westchase District already has several park programs in place for Camden. There will be weekly fitness events including Zumba, Tai Chi, Samba, a running club, and a Sunday boot camp. When Halloween and Christmas roll around, events that were previously held at Woodcase Park will now be held at Camden. A complete calendar of events is available at this link.

The park is located at 2951 Wilcrest Drive just north of Richmond and sits on 3.4 acres of land. It was conceived and designed by Westchase District with construction by D.L. Meacham and landscaping by the Office of James Burnett (OJB). The total cost of the project was $18.7 million, funded by donations from Camden Property Trust, BGE, Inc., CenterPoint Energy, Cullen Foundation, Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, H-E-B, LAN, Park Eight, Perry Homes, Phillips 66, Stedman West Foundation, Sunderland Foundation, Texas Parks & Wildlife, The Brown Foundation, and The Elkins Foundation. Initial plans for a multi-purpose outdoor space began when the City of Houston purchased the land in 2016.

Courtesy of Camden Park

The entrance to Camden Park

high income households

Houston suburb has top-20 highest rate of new wealthy residents in U.S.

Photo courtesy of Visit Houston

Conroe is a really desirable place to live for renters.

A new income study has revealed Houston's wealthiest aren't settling down in Pearland anymore — they've set their sights on Conroe, instead.

Conroe had one of the highest growth rates of new wealthy residents nationwide in SmartAsset's new analysis, "Cities Adding the Most High-Income Households – 2026 Study."

Based on U.S. Census income data, SmartAsset's experts ranked 357 U.S. cities with at least 100,000 residents based on the growth in high-income households as a percentage of total households between 2023 and 2024. The report defines high-income households as those earning an income of at least $200,000.

Conroe had the fifth-highest growth in wealthy households in Texas from 2023-2024, and it ranked No. 20 nationwide.

The report's findings show Conroe had 3,034 high-income households in 2023. By the following year, the suburb had a near 60-percent growth rate in wealthy earners, bringing the total number of high-income households to 5,220.

A total 11.5 percent of all Conroe households made at least $200,000 in income in 2024. For added context, the median household income for a Conroe household during that same year was $80,411.

The rise in wealthy newcomers might not be as much of a surprise to locals: Conroe was among the most desirable suburbs to move to in 2025, and it was ranked in a top-25 best city for renters in America.

According to the report, an influx of affluent households can have a significant impact on a city's local economy, most commonly through contributing "more dollars to the local and state tax bases, and to surrounding businesses."

"At the same time, this relative economic strength may sway entities to cater more to the preferences of these households to earn their patronage," the report said. "Quick growth in high income households may accelerate tax collection and business prosperity, just as their departure may cause some concern for local politicians, business owners, and neighbors."

In SmartAsset's 2025 report, Pearland was the Houston-area city that added the most wealthy new residents, but that figure has since plummeted. Pearland ranked No. 236 in this year's rankings with a mere 4.2 percent growth rate in high-income households from 2023-2024.

Texas cities with the biggest growth in high-income households
The East Texas city of Beaumont, located about 90 miles from Houston, had the biggest growth rate of high-earners in Texas from 2023-2024, and it ranked No. 6 nationally.

Two more Houston-area cities ranked in the top 100: Atascocita (No. 66) and League City (No. 77). Atascocita had a 30.4 percent growth rate in high earners from 2023-2024, adding up to 6,512 wealthy households. League City had 11,404 high-income households in 2024, an increase of 27.2 percent from the year before.

Other Texas cities that ranked among the national top 100 include:

No. 8 – Odessa
No. 14 – Laredo
No. 18 – College Station
No. 28 – Waco
No. 31 – Mesquite
No. 56 – Arlington
No. 59 – Amarillo
No. 69 – McKinney
No. 72 – McAllen
No. 90 – Irving
No. 94 – Brownsville

houston suburbs conroe smartasset wealthy suburbs affluent households

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high income households

Houston suburb has top-20 highest rate of new wealthy residents in U.S.