Construction of one of the suburb's most prominent features, The Waterway, began in 1999. It debuted in 2002, and was followed by the opening of retail center Market Street in 2004.
The expansion of retail and residential enclaves attracted families, especially with custom home developers flocking north.
Corporations, too, were drawn to the area. In 2011, ExxonMobil declared that it would be opening a north campus there. Now, Baker Hughes, Chevron Phillips and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. all have campuses in The Woodlands.