About Tomball
In the beginning Tomball was named Peck. In 1907 Peck was renamed Tomball in honor of the man responsible for routing the railroad and its operations through the small town. His name was Thomas Ball, a lawyer for the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railroad, a former congressman, practiced law in Houston, was three-time mayor of Huntsville, Texas and is known as the “Father of the Port of Houston”. In 1933 the Humble Oil Company struck oil southwest of town earning Tomball the nationally recognized nickname of “Oiltown USA”. Humble Oil Company, now known as Exxon, and more than 20 other energy companies worked the fields around the city for many years producing more than 100 million barrels of oil and 316 billion cubic feet of natural gas. In the decades to follow Tomball has continued to grow into an economically diverse and prosperous community near to the big city while retaining its small town history and hometown sensibilities.
State Highway 249, SH 249, the Tomball Parkway, Tomball Tollway or West Mount Houston Road is a generally north–south highway in Southeast Texas. The current northern terminus of the highway is in Pinehurst at the intersection of FM 1774 and FM 149. The Southern terminus is in North Houston at Interstate 45. The section of SH 249 north of its junction with Beltway 8 is referred to by area residents as the Tomball Parkway because it leads to and is the main road through Tomball. Along the east-west section between I-45 and West Montgomery, it is called West Mount Houston Road. West Mount Houston Road, however, actually extends east past the intersection of SH 249 at I-45.
City of Tomball
