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MB Houston is a longtime resident of Colonial Hills in Fort Worth. (Where I Live submission)
” data-medium-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/image0.jpeg?fit=300%2C293&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/image0.jpeg?fit=320,313&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button”>By MB HoustonOur little family moved into our house on a cloudy December day in 1995. The neighborhood was very different back then but still vibrant with Texas Christian University students, football games and the Colonial golf tournament. In the 29 years we’ve lived there, nearly every characteristic of the neighborhood has expanded and evolved. We were the only family with toddlers when we moved in. Most of our neighbors were empty nesters and enjoyed (or maybe laughed at) seeing me walk the neighborhood with a double stroller and two energetic dachshunds on leashes. Our family grew and so did TCU — we appreciated the plentiful supply of babysitters! There are many memories, like braving the rain to watch linebacker Tank Carder in his senior game, sweating in the heat to watch outfielder Brance Rivera, and of course, LaDainian Tomlinson for the Heisman. These are the “insider” memories, things that are not splashed in the recent national spotlight, and are sweeter because of that. Colonial Country Club has also evolved; we were young when we joined. Since that time, a generation has aged and regenerated. The tournament has also grown and the grounds have expanded, adding dimension and more popularity to the neighborhood. The physical structure of the neighborhood has changed dramatically. It makes me wistful to see the historic houses leveled and replaced. Perhaps with time, the new houses will develop character of their own as they weather the Texas heat and ice, scraped knees on the driveways, cozy holidays, and tearful farewells as families mature through the decades.In 2014, we did a major renovation on our house, which still had wiring and plumbing from the 1930s. Rather than raze the house, we added on and kept the facade and classic Colonial Hills look of the house: brick with triangular architectural trim. We would have sandblasted the red brick to keep the Colonial Hills authenticity, but the addition wouldn’t match the original brick, so we reluctantly painted. When the house was opened up, it was like stepping back in time. I touched the interior brick walls that had been covered in drywall; who knows how long ago those bricks had last been seen or touched? There was a pile of straight razor blades between the studs behind a bathroom wall where the old medicine cabinet must have been. I had to figure out what that was all about; turns out Gillette hasn’t always been the best a man could get. It was definitely a privileged, though often frustrating, experience to be immersed in the past that way. We did our best to gently bring the house into the present while honoring its past. We love our neighborhood, our neighbors, and our house; it’s like a sixth member of our family. I don’t plan on moving any time soon. Unless TCU decides they need more parking space.Mary Beth Houston, a longtime resident of Colonial Hills, is the mother of three daughters.Colonial Hills

Total population: 1,422Female: 41% | Male: 59%

Age0-9: 9%10-19: 23%20-29: 6%30-39: 13%40-49: 10%50-59: 10%60-69: 19%70-79: 8%80 and older: 2%

EducationHigh school: 11%Some college: 7%Bachelor’s degree: 39%Post-graduate: 43%

RaceWhite: 96% | Hispanic: 2% | Two or more: 2%

Click on the link to view the schools’ Texas Education Agency ratings:

Tanglewood Elementary

Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts

Arlington Heights High School

Paschal High School

South Hills High School

South Hills Elementary School

Rosemont Middle School

SS Dillow Elementary

Greenbriar Elementary

Hubbard Elementary

Bruce Shulkey Elementary

Westcreek Elementary

JT Stevens Elementary

Alice D Contreras Elementary

Seminary Hills Park Elementary

Overton Park Elementary

Woodway Elementary

Sycamore Elementary

Oakmont Elementary