In 1961, a wealthy European family seeking a haven for their investments purchased 2,000 heavily forested acres north of Houston, part of a three-decade-long buying spree in this country. The project would generate billions of dollars in development opportunities, both for the corporate campus and an adjacent residential neighborhood called Springwoods Village. [...] its parklike Exxon Chemical campus, set between Memorial Drive and the Katy Freeway near Terry Hershey Park, helped established west Houston's Energy Corridor when it opened in 1979. [...] order, the company purchased 385 acres on the northern edge of the property near Interstate 45 and the Hardy Toll Road to create a state-of-the-art campus to house 10,000 employees. For the first time, people from various offices across the Houston area, as well as divisions in Fairfax, Va., and Akron, Ohio, from research, chemical, exploration and production, support and other areas work together in an environment designed not only to foster collaboration but also to increase efficiency. Employees have several dining options, a child development center, a pharmacy, dry cleaning, a nail salon, banking, shopping and a 100,000-square-foot Wellness Center including a basketball court and personal trainers on site. Springwoods Village landed another publicly traded company, Southwestern Energy, and is building a headquarters for the American Bureau of Shipping in the CityPlace mixed-use development across from Exxon Mobil. Jonathan White, Houston division president for Taylor Morrison Homes, one of several residential builders that have become active in the area since the campus was announced, said having a neighborhood anchored by a major company that's put down roots as deep as Exxon Mobil has provided stability.