KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
August 15, 2022
By Natalie Cook Clark
Katy keeps growing and it’s to the point that saying you live in Katy isn’t specific enough. To live in Katy can mean many things or places. From three counties, more police agencies than you can count on your hand, and a school district of over 90,000 students you need to know where in Katy you live.
Photo credit: City of Katy
Katy Keeps Growing
The Katy area keeps growing, yet the city manages to keep its known charm and traditional family feel. We now have 10 exits off of I-10! You can live anywhere in Katy and experience hometown traditions like the Katy Rice Festival, “Friday Night Lights” at a Katy Tiger Football game, a breakfast at Snappy’s, and more many moments that make you feel home in this growing city.
The U.S. census says the population of Katy has over 20,000 people, but that number is inaccurate because the Katy area actually encompasses many surrounding neighborhoods that all feed into Katy ISD. The Katy area population is about the size of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with 300,000+ residents.
Know Where You Live
It’s always important to know and understand where you live as, in many cases it can impact what laws apply to you. For example, fireworks have always been strictly forbidden in the City of Katy proper, yet many unincorporated residential communities go all out on New Year Eve and Fourth of July.
If you just moved to Katy, you need to determine if you live within the City of Katy limits and/or which county you live in -- we have three -- Harris, Fort Bend, and Waller. If you reside in the City of Katy, you are eligible for city services. If you live outside of the City of Katy limits (which most of us do), you use county services, and the Katy council members and mayor do not represent you.
Because of Katy's multiple counties versus city issue, the police department that protects your area may not be the closest one to you. The Katy Police Department only covers residents within the City of Katy boundaries. Fort Bend County Police only cover Fort Bend County residents, and so forth. The good news is your 911 dispatcher will know who to send in case of an emergency.
Residents not living in the actual City of Katy can still register for emergency alerts. These alerts proved helpful to many during Hurricane Harvey. Sign up for KTAlert here.
Police Agencies that cover the Katy area include:
Katy Police Department- 281-391-4848
Harris County Constable's Office Precinct 5- 281-463-6666
Harris County Sheriff's Office- 713-755-6044
Fort Bend County Constable's Office Precinct 1- 281-238-1430
Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office- 281-341-4665
Waller County County Precinct 1- 281-375-5233
Fulshear Police Department- 281-346-2202
Katy ISD also has its own police department of licensed officers that patrol the schools and areas that the District resides in.
High Education Standards with Immense Growth
Katy’s early settlers set a precedent for high educational standards. That tradition of excellence remains a high priority today. The first school was located at Avenue D and 6th Street, and the first school teacher was Edna James. Katy ISD was organized in 1918 and has become a nationally-recognized school district. People move here, not for our beaches and mountains, but for our school district.
"Families are moving to the District in droves, leading to a projected enrollment of more than 100,000 students by 2028,” says Maria DiPetta, Katy ISD Manager of Media Relations & Multimedia/Spokesperson. “Despite this growth, Katy ISD remains a leader in educational excellence.”
By 2024, Katy ISD will have 74 schools. See how saying your student attends a Katy ISD school doesn’t really answer the question of where you live?
Katy is really growing to the northwest, where the District is building their new schools already approved by the 2021 bond. Large master planned communities such as Cane Island, Elyson, Sunterra and more contribute a big part to the city’s population growth.
Connect with Your City
There are many great ways to connect to Katy’s history and make this city that so many love your own.
For 42 years the Katy Heritage Society has been dedicated to the educational and cultural development of the community by preserving, restoring, and displaying historical landmarks, and other objects distinctive of Katy and adjacent areas.
The Katy Heritage Society hosts their historic Katy homes tours the first weekend of the month from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can read more about these amazing free tours here.
The town site of Katy was laid out in 1895 and a year later a post office was built, one has to wonder if the founders had any idea then what their town would become. The City of Katy was incorporated in 1945 and keeps growing.