Editing West University Place, Texas (section)

==History==
The city was developed in 1917 by [[Ben Hooper]], a former [[Tennessee]] governor. The name "West University Place" originated from its proximity to Rice Institute, now known as [[Rice University]].<ref name="Handbook"/> The first lots in the community were sold in 1917.<!--Print version exclusively has the information cited; the information is ''not'' included in the online edition--><ref name="Annexbitter">Lee, Renée C. "[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4243441.html Annexed Kingwood split on effects]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Sunday October 8, 2006. A21. Retrieved on July 6, 2011. "Some of the area communities that incorporated as cities and escaped annexation by Houston:" Print version exclusively has the information cited; the information is ''not'' included in the online edition. To obtain a print version, you may get a microfilm copy from the [[Houston Public Library]] Jones Building or the [[University of Houston]] Main Library.</ref> Portions of West University were previously within the [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]] [[Poor farm]], which extended from an area between [[Bellaire Boulevard]] and Bissonnet Street, eastward to an area near the "poor farm ditch."<ref name=Lakeditch>Lake, Deborah Mann. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/2001_3299180/ditch-in-west-u-once-served-county-farm.html Ditch in West U. once served county farm]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Wednesday April 18, 2001. ThisWeek 4. Retrieved on October 17, 2012.</ref>

In the 1920s, Lillian "Lilly" Nicholson, a Rice University English major, lived with a friend whose father was a [[urban planner|city planner]]. The city planner asked Nicholson and her friend to name the streets of West University Place. Nicholson took names from her English literature book and gave them to the streets in West University Place. As a result, many West University streets are named after authors. Cydney Mackey, a family friend of Nicholson, said in a ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' article, "Aunt Lilly had always said she wanted to be an [[architect]], unknown for women in that era, and this was her way of making a small but lasting mark on our city's landscape."<ref name="Rust">Rust, Carol. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120617072801/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1997_1407015 Houston has street sense (and nonsense as well)]" (). ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Wednesday April 16, 1997. Houston 1. Retrieved on October 26, 2011.</ref> One street, Weslayan Road, is a misspelling of "[[Wesleyan (disambiguation)|Wesleyan]]."<ref name="Rust"/>

The City of West University Place was declared incorporated by the County Judge of Harris County on January 2, 1924. The city incorporated because Houston was reluctant to extend [[electric power transmission|power line]]s that far from the city center. West University Place, unlike [[Houston Heights]], did not consolidate into the City of Houston.<ref name="Handbook"/> Because of the 1923 incorporation, Houston did not incorporate West University Place's territory into its city limits, while Houston annexed surrounding areas that were [[unincorporated area|unincorporated]].<!--Print version exclusively has the information cited; the information is ''not'' included in the online edition--><ref name="Annexbitter"/> In 1939, the municipality refused to consolidate, later adopting a formal city charter the following year. The city had around 15,000 residents in the 1960s and the 1970s. The city had 12,714 people in 1990.<ref name="Handbook"/>

Prior to 1992 West University Place liberalized its development rules. This allowed developers to build new houses within the city. Don Stowers of the ''[[Houston Post]]'' said that West University Place changed from an "aging middle-class neighborhood" consisting of mid-20th century [[bungalow]]s and cottages to an increasingly wealthy community of "dare we say, young urban professionals in their austere red-brick [[Georgian architecture|Georgians]]."<ref name="StowersSmallBig">Stowers, Don. "Bellaire small-town flavor, big-city convenience." ''[[Houston Post]]''. April 26, 1992. L section. Available from the microfilm desk at the Jesse H. Jones Building of the [[Houston Public Library]] Central Library.</ref> As new houses appeared, property values increased and the city began to get more tax revenue. Eventually, West University Place ran out of available lots, and its construction peaked. Area home buyers began to consider nearby [[Bellaire, Texas|Bellaire]] because it had more inexpensive and larger lots, and amenities described by Stowers as "comparable" to West University Place's amenities.<ref name="StowersSmallBig"/>On October 22, 2018 24/7 Wall Street, which collaborates with ''[[USA Today]]'', ranked West University Place the "best city to live in".<ref>{{cite web|author=Hazen, Rebecca|url=https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bellaire/news/article/West-University-Place-named-best-city-to-live-in-13336703.php|title=West University Place named best city to live in USA Today article|agency=[[West U Examiner]]|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|date=2018-10-30|access-date=2020-05-04}}</ref>