Kingwood is located about 30 minutes northeast of Houston's central core, and has long had its own identity as a "Livable Forest" in contrast to the more typically urban landscape that defines most of Houston. Kingwood is technically part of Houston, but its beginning as a separate community is very evident to anyone driving through the heavily wooded area today.

Houston experienced an enormous growth spurt that began after World War II, resulting in many new developments that expanded ever further outside of the big city. Suburban living was in full swing and very popular with people who were lured by the promise of newer and safer neighborhoods that were outside of town but close enough to commute in for work or other necessary activities in Houston. As weird as it seems in hindsight now that the Inner Loop area is becoming ever more expensive, in the decades following the war, downtown and many of its surrounding neighborhoods were considered run-down and dangerous, and people who had the option were increasingly looking further out, to the edges of town, toward modern, master-planned communities such as Sharpstown. By the late '60s, there were even newer subdivisions being developed further out.

Originally, the land where Kingwood is located was a heavily wooded area owned by the Foster Lumber Company. The Foster family held onto that land from the late 1880s until they sold it to a joint venture consisting of the Friendswood Development Company and King Ranch, who intended on developing it into a unique kind of wooded neighborhood outside of Houston. The plan for Kingwood utilized the forested land in ways that would allow its residents to enjoy the natural amenities of the area, and included many riding and hiking trails to go along with the other normal features of a planned community, such as retail space, schools and churches.

Kingwood was founded in 1970, its name formed from the "King" Ranch and Friends"Wood" Partnership, and its first homes were being sold the following year. It is divided into villages, which are individual neighborhoods within the overall community, and homes are still being constructed in some of the newer ones.