A Brief History of Montgomery County
In 1881, Houston lumberman Isaac Conroe established a sawmill on Stewart’s Creek. A lumber boom beginning in the late nineteenth century in the Piney Woods of eastern and central Montgomery County attracted scores of settlers to Conroe. By 1892 the community had become a shipping center for lumber, cotton, livestock and bricks. It had five steam-powered saw and planing mills, several brickyards, a cotton gin, a gristmill, and several hotels and general stores. The community’s fortunes improved on December 13, 1931, when George W. Strake discovered oil seven miles southeast of town, thus marking the opening of the Conroe Oilfield and triggering an oil boom in the county. It briefly claimed more millionaires per capita than any other town in the United States. During the early 1930s, the streets were paved for the first time and US Highway 75 was extended through the town. The ornate Crighton Theatre was erected on the courthouse square in 1935 and in 1936 a new courthouse was constructed. These structures still stand today as a testament to the town’s early history
Lake Conroe is on the west fork of the San Jacinto River. It was built as a joint project of the City of Houston, the Texas Water Development Board, and the San Jacinto River Authority in 1973 as an alternate water source for the City of Houston. The lake has over 22,000 acres of surface water, is 26 miles long and 6 miles wide at the widest point. The average depth of the lake is 20 feet deep; the deepest spot is 70 feet in the river channel. There are 157 miles of shoreline along Lake Conroe. The lake is bordered on the north by Sam Houston National Forest, which provides an abundance of wildlife such as deer, several species of birds, even alligators. The lake has some of the best fishing around with species such as blue, channel and flathead catfish; striped, white and large-mouth bass ; crappie and smallmouth buffalo.
One of the oldest towns in Texas, Montgomery began as a trading post in 1826 and was chartered in 1837. Montgomery was the first county seat of Montgomery County and was the third county formed under the Republic of Texas. It is also recognized as the birthplace of the Texas Lone Star 
Flag. Montgomery offers guests a memorable visit with its preserved 19th Century Historic Downtown District, as well as its many fine retail shops, restaurants and local attractions. Located at the junction of Texas 105 and FM 149, Montgomery is located near the southwestern edge of Sam Houston National Forest in western Montgomery County. The center of town is 15 miles west of Conroe and 50 miles northwest of Houston
Located just 27 miles north of Houston, South Montgomery County includes The Woodlands, a nationally-renowned master-planned community, as well as the cities of Oak Ridge North and Shenandoah and the Town Center Improvement District.  The Woodlands’ Research Forest is Texas’ premier business park for scientific, research and technology companies. South Montgomery County is one of the fastest growing areas of the greater Houston metropolis. Over one million people live within a 20-mile radius of South Montgomery County.
 Magnolia's history also revolves around the railroad, a necessity for sawmills in the early days. The Magnolia Depot, as a result of the efforts of many community volunteers, guided by life long resident Celeste Gayle Graves, whose father was the first stationmaster, has been placed in its original location for all to see. The old depot, once a hub of activity, saw passenger and freight cars, filled with people, lumber, groceries, supplies, daily newspapers and just about any other necessity of the day roll in and out of Magnolia. Now retired to a much more simple pace, the depot rests beside the tracks, with many trains passing through but never stopping for cargo or passengers. Once a tiny town with the primary industry being sawmills, Magnolia has grown to an area of 30,000 to 40,000 residents with the number of new businesses increasing steadily. Though still, primarily a bedroom community of Houston, several types of businesses are finding Magnolia a comfortable spot in which to establish working relationships, especially smaller offshoots of larger corporations.
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