When we found we were going to be relocated to the Houston area several years ago we tried to get as much information as we could on Houston neighborhoods in general and Kingwood specifically. It was difficult as few area businesses had web sites and the handful of existing Kingwood information web sites had limited, and often out-of-date, information.
After we moved to Kingwood, the frustration continued as we tried had questions like: "What is a K sticker?" "Where do we get a greenbelt map?" and "Who do we contact about our deed restrictions?"
Luckily we had a great Realtor who was able to answer a lot of our questions. But our experience when we were new to Kingwood was the reason that I started the Kingwood Connection. I wanted to create a site that people who were new to the area could find the answers to these frequently asked questions.
Since that time a plethora of Kingwood sites have come online giving online visitors a taste of the Kingwood experience as well as giving residents online community information..
Kingwood Information Sites
kingwood.com - One of the original Kingwood sites, the domain was registered in 1996 and launched in 1997 (anyone remember the pine cones?). It was initially created and sponsored by a web development company in Kingwood. It had been a stagnant site and had not been updated in several years when the Kosmin Group, which publishes several other community sites (Tomball.com, OldTownSpring.com), took it over and completely revamped and revitalized the site.
kingwoodonline.com - The site is published by Friendswood Development, the developer of the Kingwood master planned community. Besides an overview of the community amenities, it is a great place to get information on the last few remaining new home developments in Kingwood.
kingwoodnow.com - Launching in early 2004, KingwoodNow is the creation of Mark Linabury. A transplant, like myself, Mark put down roots and became completely immersed in the Kingwood community. You'll see Mark around town emceeing for many of the community events. The mission of KingwoodNow is to be the "Daily Dose of Positive News" for Kingwood.
Kingwood Media
Kingwood Observer - A selection of articles from The Observer papers are available online.
KingwoodRadio.com - Another offering from Mark Linabury. Listen in to KingwoodRadio on your PC. Check the schedule for the talk sessions with Kingwood personalities
Kingwood Tribune - The new kid on the media block, but run by previous Observer editors, Tom Cook and Cynthia Calvert. The free weekly paper launched in March 2006 and its goal is to bring the spirit of Kingwood into its publishing.
Kingwood Community Sites
kingwoodunderground.com - This is the story of two brothers, Adam and Austin. Adam and Austin liked garage sales. They liked to hold them and they liked to find deals at them. But Adam and Austin lived in Kingwood and garage sales were against the rules. So being coding cowboys, they created a site for online yard sales called KingwoodYardSales.com.
They had a place to sell their stuff. Their friends (now numbering in the thousands) had a place to sell their stuff. But people weren't content to just post their items, they wanted to send messages to people they had bought and sold from and those messages were starting to get in the way of all the stuff.
So the brothers decided to give the messages a place to go and started the Kingwood Underground.
myKingwood.com - Kingwood's own answer to MySpace.com, this is Mark Linabury's way to help you get to know your neighbors. You can create a blog, share your photos, and make new friends with your free myKingwood account.
KingwoodKorner.com - A place to chat with other Kingwood friends. Posts are often irreverent; however, respect for your fellow boarders is demanded. No trolls allowed.
Getting the Picture
ExperienceKingwood.com - If you're looking for a photo tour of Kingwood, you have to visit this site. Published by RE/MAX Associates NE, the site has pictures of each village, schools and churches.
Kingwood Directory Sites
The following are sites that are primarily directory sites of Kingwood area businesses. Don't forget to visit the Kingwood Connection business directory and vote for your favorite businesses.
GoKingwood.com
Get to Know Kingwood, Not Just Kingwood Online
Residents and those interested in the Kingwood Texas area now have a wide array of online resources for Kingwood information. Kingwood is a great place to live and work and the number of sites devoted to the topic is a reflection of that.
But while the web is a great way to get acclimated to the area and to find out what is going on, don't let it keep you from meeting people face to face and getting involved in the community. If all you do is frequent the community web sites, at the end of the day you're still just sitting alone in front of your computer.
Join a church or club, volunteer for an organization or event, introduce yourself to a neighbor you haven't met before.
