Tomball is a city in Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas, a part of the Houston metropolitan area. The population was 9,089 at the 2000 census. In 1907, the community of Peck was renamed Tomball. The city (and the local school district) are named for local congressman Thomas Henry Ball, who had a major role in the development of the Port of Houston. Tomball incorporated in 1933. Because of the 1933 incorporation, Houston did not incorporate Tomball's territory into its city limits. Settlement began in the Tomball area in the Early 19th century, where immigrants found an open, fertile land that received adequate rainfallperfect conditions for farming and raising cattle. However, it was not until 1906 that the area began to boom. Railroad line engineers noticed that the Tomball area was on the boundary between the low hills of Texas and the flat coastal plains of the Gulf, making it an ideal location for a train stop.