Willis, Texas
Willis is a city of 6,878 people in Montgomery County, Texas, founded in 1937.
Why visit Willis
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 6 parks and trails, 18 places to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Harkrider Park.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 94°F; January lows average 39°F.
Weather in Willis
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Willis
Willis is a city in Montgomery County, Texas, United States, located eight miles north of Conroe in north central Montgomery County. The city began to develop in 1870 after what is now the Union Pacific Railroad built track through the area. As a part of the Piney Woods, the Willis economy has historically been driven by lumber, agriculture, and the manufacture of lumber and agriculture equipment. From the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, it produced tobacco as a commodity crop.
From the Wikipedia article Willis, Texas (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks5
Parks, trails and playgrounds6
Restaurants and cafes18
Papa John's
Fast food · Pizza · 1.2 mi
9521 FM 1097 West, Willis
Mo-Th 09:30-23:00; Fr-Sa 09:30-24:00; Su 09:30-23:00
Sonic
Fast food · Burger · 0.9 mi
815 West Montgomery Street, Willis
Mo-Th 06:00-22:00; Fr 06:00-23:00; Sa 06:30-23:00; Su 07:00-22:00
6 more on the map.
Where to stay1
History
Before the founding of Willis, most residents in the area lived in a settlement known as Danville, formed in the 1830s four miles west of present-day New Waverly. A few Danville residents in the 1850s settled to the south, founding the new community of what is now Willis.
Several of these early Danville residents were large planters, who enslaved numerous African Americans to work the labor-intensive tobacco crops on their plantations. In the 1850s, enslaved African Americans outnumbered whites in Danville: there were 600 slaves and 400 whites. After the Civil War, many freedmen and their families moved away from the plantations to the Willis area. There in 1867 they established Thomas Chapel United Methodist Church, which is the oldest church in Willis.
In 1870, the Houston and Great Northern Railroad (now the Union Pacific Railroad) decided to build a railroad through Montgomery County. After residents of Danville refused to allow the railway through their town, Peter J. and Richard S. Willis donated a parcel of their landholdings in Montgomery County so the railroad and station stop could be built there. They founded the town of Willis in the process. Upon the railroad's completion in 1872, many residents of Danville, Old Waverly, and Montgomery moved to the new town of Willis.
From the History section of Willis, Texas on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship2
Shopping3
Gas and EV charging7
Schools, colleges and libraries20
Healthcare2
Map of Willis
64 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62°F | 39°F | 4.2 in |
| Feb | 66°F | 43°F | 2.9 in |
| Mar | 73°F | 49°F | 3.0 in |
| Apr | 79°F | 55°F | 3.1 in |
| May | 86°F | 64°F | 4.8 in |
| Jun | 91°F | 70°F | 4.4 in |
| Jul | 94°F | 72°F | 3.1 in |
| Aug | 94°F | 72°F | 3.9 in |
| Sep | 90°F | 66°F | 3.6 in |
| Oct | 82°F | 56°F | 5.5 in |
| Nov | 71°F | 47°F | 5.1 in |
| Dec | 64°F | 41°F | 3.9 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Conroe Montgomery Co Ap (7 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Montgomery County has had 28 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2025-03-20: Pauline Road Fire (Fire)
- 2024-07-09: Hurricane Beryl (Hurricane)
- 2024-05-17: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Flood)
- 2021-02-19: Severe Winter Storms (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2021-02-14: Severe Winter Storm (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2020-08-24: Tropical Storms Marco And Laura (Hurricane)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport (CXO) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- Panorama Village 4 mi south, about 6 min by car
- Conroe 7 mi south, about 12 min by car
- Montgomery 13 mi west, about 21 min by car
- Deerwood 14 mi southeast, about 22 min by car
- Shenandoah 17 mi south, about 28 min by car
- The Woodlands 18 mi south, about 29 min by car
- Huntsville 19 mi north, about 30 min by car
- Oak Ridge North 19 mi south, about 31 min by car
- Pinehurst 21 mi southwest, about 34 min by car
- Magnolia 22 mi southwest, about 35 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- City Hall of Willis, Texas, South View, HIM Nguyen, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Willis Cigar Factory Texas Historic Marker, N. Bell St., Willis, TX, HIM Nguyen, Public domain
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.