Pecan Grove, TX

In Pecan Grove, a municipal utility district does far more than send water bills. Pecan Grove MUD supplies water, wastewater, and drainage service within its boundaries, maintains a levee and pumping system, operates parks and trails, and owns major recreation facilities. Created in 1975 and confirmed in 1977, the district lies in Richmond's extraterritorial jurisdiction; five elected resident directors hold open monthly meetings. The CDP had 22,782 residents in the 2020 census. From 2020 through 2024, 93 percent of occupied homes were owner-occupied, the median owner-occupied value was $383,500, monthly costs for owners with a mortgage were $2,746, and median gross rent was $1,507. About 25 percent of residents age five or older spoke a language other than English at home, and workers' mean travel time was 36 minutes. District facilities turn flood-control and utility land into part of local recreation. The perimeter levee carries a daylight-hours hike-and-bike trail, and only foot traffic and nonmotorized vehicles are allowed on the levee, drainage channels, and parks.

Pecan Grove Park has fields for several sports, disc golf, an orienteering course, exercise equipment, playgrounds, a pavilion, and a roughly three-quarter-mile walking trail. Plantation Memorial Park preserves a five-acre wooded site with a quarter-mile granite path, while Windmill Park adds a playground, half basketball court, volleyball, and a gazebo. These district parks are reserved for MUD residents and their guests. The district also purchased the Pecan Grove Plantation Country Club property, leased the golf course and clubhouse to a club operator, and retained the pool, tennis courts, and workout facility under its own access program. A May 2026 board update reported that the pool had opened for the season and 995 recreation key cards were active. Utility governance, flood protection, and neighborhood recreation are therefore unusually intertwined in residents' routines.