Rice Village

{{Inappropriate tone|date=December 2007}} {{Unreferenced|date=June 2007}} '''Rice Village''' is a shopping district in [[Houston, Texas]], United States. Rice Village is a collection of shops, restaurants and pubs, situated about a half-mile west of the center of [[Rice University]]'s {{convert|300|acre|km2|sing=on}} campus. The core "Rice Village" extends over 10 city blocks, defined by University Boulevard, Kirby Drive, Rice Boulevard, and Morningside Drive, though spillover has expanded the retail area to a total of 16 blocks, including northward extensions along Kirby and into the present mixed-use blocks between Morningside and Greenbriar. ==History== Rice Village has been one of Houston's oldest shopping destinations since the 1930s. It is an unplanned, high density hodge-podge of old and new retail store. The first minutes of the 1994 film [[The Chase (1994 film)|The Chase]] were filmed in the Rice Village. ==Shopping== From its origins in the 1930s an ad hoc cluster of retail stores, the Rice Village has grown to become one of Houston's more interesting and variable shopping destinations. Host to over 300 shops in a 16-block area, Rice Village has something for everyone and is known for its multitudes of small and eclectic shops and boutiques. Recent expansion in the area has also brought in high-end clothing stores and the nation-wide retail venues. As Village retail became denser in the 1990s, limited parking finally led to the closure of Rice Food Market, the last surviving Rice Village grocery store. ==Food== The Village is host to dozens of restaurants. Along with traditional [[North American cuisine|North American]] eateries there are restaurants specializing in food from all over the world. Rice Village has three [[French cuisine|French]], two [[Japanese cuisine|Japanese]], two [[Chinese cuisine|Chinese]], two [[Italian cuisine|Italian]], two [[Turkish cuisine|Turkish]], one [[Mexican cuisine|Mexican]], two [[Spanish cuisine|Spanish]], one [[Mediterranean cuisine|Mediterranean]], one [[Vietnamese cuisine|Vietnamese]], two [[Indian cuisine|Indian]], and three [[Thai cuisine|Thai]] restaurants as well as sandwich shops, [[delicatessen]]s, and speciality food and beverage stores. It also used to contain Houston's only beer brewpub. === Federal, state and county representation === Rice Village is in [[Texas' 7th congressional district]] [http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/tx07_109.gif]. ==Police service== The neighborhood is within the [[Houston Police Department]]'s South Central Patrol Division [http://www.houstontx.gov/police/cs/beatpages/southcentral.htm]. ==Education== One group of apartments, the Village Apartments, is located in Rice Village. The complex is zoned to the following [[Houston ISD]] schools: * [[Poe Elementary School (Houston)|Poe Elementary School]] * [[Lanier Middle School (Houston)|Lanier Middle School]] * [[Lamar High School (Houston)|Lamar High School]] ==External links== {{Portal|Houston}} *[http://www.ricevillageonline.com RiceVillageOnline.com] {{Houston Shopping}} {{Houston, Texas}} {{coord missing|Texas}}