By Williams H.R. No. 362 77R6969 MW-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, On March 6, 2001, many proud residents of Montgomery 1-2 County will travel to Austin to celebrate Montgomery County Day at 1-3 the State Capitol; and 1-4 WHEREAS, The Congress of the Republic of Texas established 1-5 Montgomery County in December 1837 from portions of Washington 1-6 County and named it for the city of Montgomery, which was the 1-7 area's largest settlement; and 1-8 WHEREAS, Many notable Texans resided in Montgomery County 1-9 during the days of the Republic and early statehood, including 1-10 Judge Nathaniel Hart Davis, I. L. G. Strickland, who was one of the 1-11 area's first ministers, and Charles Bellinger Tate Stewart, who was 1-12 a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the first Texas 1-13 secretary of state, and a representative of Montgomery County at 1-14 the 1845 Constitutional Convention; and 1-15 WHEREAS, The gently rolling terrain of Montgomery County lies 1-16 on the edge of the Big Thicket, and its fertile soil is ideal for 1-17 the production of a number of agricultural commodities and for 1-18 raising cattle and horses; and 1-19 WHEREAS, Montgomery County is abundant with a variety of 1-20 natural wonders, including the Sam Houston National Forest, Jones 1-21 State Forest, and beautiful Lake Conroe, a 24,000-surface-acre lake 1-22 the shores of which are home to some 30,000 people and a recreation 1-23 area for thousands of others from around the state and nation; Lake 1-24 Conroe has many beautiful resorts and marinas for those who enjoy 2-1 fishing, boating, hiking, and other water sports, as well as some 2-2 of the nicest and most well-known golf courses in Texas; the lake 2-3 area is also the home of two of the county's finest towns: 2-4 Montgomery, on the west side of Lake Conroe, and Willis, on the 2-5 northeast side of the lake; the county has many other small towns 2-6 and communities that contribute to its culture, such as 2-7 Cut-N-Shoot, Grangerland, Magnolia, New Caney, Oak Ridge North, 2-8 Porter, Shenandoah, and Splendora; and 2-9 WHEREAS, The county seat is the city of Conroe, a town of 2-10 nearly 40,000 residents and the site of the Heritage Museum of 2-11 Montgomery County and the historic and still-producing Conroe Oil 2-12 Field; and 2-13 WHEREAS, Home to over 60,000 residents, including Laura 2-14 Wilkinson, winner of the gold medal in platform diving at the 2-15 Sidney 2000 Summer Olympic Games, and 950 companies, The Woodlands 2-16 is located in south Montgomery County and is recognized as one of 2-17 the nation's most desirable communities; the site of the Houston 2-18 Advanced Research Center, which promotes scientific research and 2-19 technology development on issues relating to the environment, 2-20 energy, medicine, and information technology, as well as The 2-21 Research Forest and its leading-edge technology companies, The 2-22 Woodlands features a waterway linking offices, retail space, and 2-23 dining and entertainment venues to minimize automobile traffic, and 2-24 is the only golf facility in the U.S. with courses by Nicklaus, 2-25 Player, and Palmer, plus a Tournament Players Course, together 2-26 offering a total of 117 holes in one community; and 2-27 WHEREAS, A unique blend of urban and rural elements, 3-1 Montgomery County has been careful to preserve its rich cultural 3-2 heritage while keeping pace with the changing needs of its 3-3 citizens, providing excellent public and private schools, a 3-4 community college and university center, health care, and many 3-5 modern conveniences to those who call it home; and 3-6 WHEREAS, The East Montgomery County Improvement District 3-7 provides scholarship endowments of $1,000 to any graduate of New 3-8 Caney or Splendora High School who attends a college in the North 3-9 Harris Montgomery Community College District; and 3-10 WHEREAS, The residents of Montgomery County are justifiably 3-11 proud of the many positive qualities that make it an outstanding 3-12 place in which to live, work, and raise a family; in light of the 3-13 citizenry's many contributions to the State of Texas and its 3-14 significant place in our state's history as the official birthplace 3-15 of the Lone Star Flag, it is indeed appropriate that Montgomery 3-16 County be given special legislative recognition at this time; now, 3-17 therefore, be it 3-18 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas 3-19 Legislature hereby recognize March 6, 2001, as Montgomery County 3-20 Day at the State Capitol and join with the citizens of Montgomery 3-21 County in paying tribute to this fine county.