Did you mean: Houston (city, Texas), Houston Astros (baseball team), Whitney Houston (Singer/Actor), Sam Houston (Military Leader / Political Figure), Houston (Central African Rep) More...

Results for Houston
On this page:
 
US City Guide:

Houston,

Texas
Today's Weather

M/CLEAR
Temp: 78°F / 25°C
Full forecast below

During the late 1970s Houston epitomized opulence, glitter, and opportunity. The city's major industry, petrochemicals, rode the crest of a boom "in the oilpatch," as Houstonians say. Get-rich-quick growth became a predominant feature across the sprawling landscape of the city. By 1982, however, a national recession, coupled with a wildly fluctuating oil market and devaluation of the Mexican peso, changed Houston's outlook from boom to bust. Unemployment and the local economy reached depression levels by 1985, prompting a painful retrenchment. Houston's recovery and subsequent expansion are the result of the growth of energy independent industry and diversification. Optimism is back in Houston as the city looks to new opportunities in high-technology and service industries. As a result of the boom, and despite the bust, Houston's consolidated metropolitan area now exceeds 8,700 square miles and the population has more than doubled from the 1960 level. Now the nation's fourth largest metropolitan area, with nearly 4.2 million people, Houston is looking up again and approaching the future with confidence.

The City in Brief

Founded: 1836 (incorporated 1837)
Head Official: Mayor Bill White (since 2004)
City Population
1980: 1,595,138
1990: 1,654,348
2000: 1,953,631
2003 estimate: 2,009,690
Percent change, 1990–2000: 18.0%
U.S. rank in 1980: 5th
U.S. rank in 1990: 4th (State rank: 1st)
U.S. rank in 2000: 6th (State rank: 1st)
Metropolitan Area Population
1980: 2,753,000
1990: 3,321,926
2000: 4,177,646
Percent change, 1990–2000: 25.8%
U.S. rank in 1980: 9th (CMSA)
U.S. rank in 1990: 10th (CMSA)
U.S. rank in 2000: 10th (CMSA)
Area: 601.69 square miles (2000)
Elevation: Ranges from sea level to about 50 feet above sea level
Average Annual Temperature: 68.8° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 47.84 inches
Major Economic Sectors: services, finance/insurance/real estate, trade, government
Unemployment rate: 5.5% (December 2004)
Per Capita Income: $20,101 (1999)
2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 149,247
Major Colleges and Universities: Rice University, University of Houston, Texas Southern University
Daily Newspaper:Houston Chronicle
 
 
Dictionary: Hous·ton  (hyū'stən) pronunciation

A city of southeast Texas northwest of Galveston. Founded in 1836 and named for Sam Houston, it is a major industrial, commercial, and financial hub, the center of the U.S. aerospace industry, and a deep-water port connected with Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico by the Houston Ship Channel. Houston is also the largest city in Texas. Population: 2,140,000.

Houstonian Hous·to'ni·an (hyū-stō'nē-ən) n.

 

 

City (pop., 2000: 1,953,631), southern Texas, U.S. An inland port, it is linked by the Houston Ship Channel to the Gulf of Mexico and to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at Galveston. Founded in 1836, it was named for Sam Houston; it was the capital of the Republic of Texas (1837 – 39). The state's largest city and leading port, it is a centre for oil, petrochemical, and aerospace research and development (see also NASA). The area is also important for rice, cotton, and cattle. It has several institutions for higher learning, including Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine. Houston is home to a symphony orchestra and ballet, an opera, and various theatre companies.

For more information on Houston, visit Britannica.com.

 

The city of Houston, Texas—fourth largest city in the United States, world petroleum and petrochemical capital, national corporate center, and major international port—has long been noted for its aggressive business leadership and impressive record of economic growth. Houston's phenomenal development ranks as one of the most astonishing examples of urban growth in United States history.

In 1836, only John and Augustus Allen, the visionary New Yorkers who founded the city on the coastal prairies of southeast Texas, fifty miles inland from Galveston Island, glimpsed Houston's potential. Hampered by its location on Buffalo Bayou, a scarcely navigable, sluggish little stream, Houston was overshadowed in importance by the seaport of Galveston. Southeast Texas itself was only a peripheral area of the Deep South whose long-dominant urban entrepôt was New Orleans.

Named after Sam Houston, hero of the fight for Texas independence, the city served briefly as capital of the Texas Republic (1837–1839), but its future did not lie in becoming a seat of government. Like other southern inland cities Houston specialized in rail development, serving as a railhead for Galveston and as a collection and shipment point for cotton and other agricultural goods produced in the region. Before the Civil War, Houston became a regional railroad center with five rail lines fanning out in all directions. Postbellum expansion linked the city to the national rail network in 1873.

After the Civil War, Houston businessmen determined to make Houston a major port city. Buffalo Bayou was difficult to navigate even for small boats, so Houston boosters began a drive to dredge a navigable channel toward the Gulf of Mexico. Charles Morgan, a Gulf Coast shipowner, headed the project, which resulted in the opening of a twelve-foot-deep waterway to Clinton. Houston entrepreneurs enlisted federal assistance to resume the ship channel project in 1881 until the waterway cut through Galveston Bay and Buffalo Bayou to a turning basin above Harrisburg in 1914. The Houston Ship Channel, subsequently widened and deepened, made Houston a major inland port.

Houston was spared the fate of Galveston, which was completely destroyed by a hurricane in 1900. With the elimination of its rival to the south, the path was clear for Houston to develop into the dominant urban center in southeast Texas. The cornerstone of the city's bid for regional dominance and national prominence was set with the advent of the Texas oil boom that followed the discovery of oil at nearby Spindletop in 1901. The oil boom led to the formation of three of the world's major oil companies: Texaco (originally the Texas Company), Gulf, and Exxon (originally Humble). Houston became the national capital of an integrated industry consisting of energy business headquarters, drilling operations, producing wells, pipelines, refineries, and port facilities. The Houston Ship Channel developed into a major world petrochemical industry corridor.

The city's extraordinary growth, interrupted by the Great Depression of the 1930s, resurged with the onset of World War II. As wartime industrial production expanded into the South, Houston shared in the largesse by acquiring numerous new defense plants and contracts in the petroleum, petrochemical, and shipbuilding industries. These new and expanded industries acted as a catalyst for postwar growth. Postwar Houston experienced rapid urban population and spatial growth. The city, having incorporated several surrounding suburbs in the late 1940s, surpassed New Orleans in population in 1950. The Bayou City was on its way to becoming a major national metropolis. By 1984, it had surpassed Philadelphia as the nation's fourth largest city behind New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

In the 1960s, the emergence of the economic phenomenon known as the Sunbelt witnessed enhanced economic diversification and growth. Houston's private and public leaders could boast of many accomplishments. Securing the Manned Spaceflight Center (later the Johnson Space Center) in 1960 was a defining achievement of the period.

The oil boom of the 1970s brought even greater prosperity, but collapsing oil prices in the 1980s produced Houston's most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression. A return to former prosperity in the 1990s meant greater population, spatial and economic growth, and also created a movement toward greater economic diversification that included such fields as business services, medical research, health services, international banking, and tourism.

Houston was still the fourth most populous city in the United States in 2000. With 1,953,631 people, it is part of the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area, the nation's tenth most populous CMSA, with 4,669,571 people in 2000.

The only major American city to eschew zoning as a planning tool, Houston is generally regarded as one of the best examples of a private enterprise city in a nation where the public sector receives its cues from business leadership. Nevertheless, it has managed to adapt well to new political trends. In 1981, the city's voters elected Houston's first woman mayor, Kathryn J. Whitmire; in 1997 they chose its first African American mayor, Lee P. Brown.

Bibliography

Angel, William D., Jr. "To Make A City: Entrepreneurship on the Sunbelt Frontier." In The Rise of the Sunbelt Cities. Edited by David C. Perry and Alfred J. Watkins. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1977.

Johnston, Margurite. Houston, The Unknown City, 1836–1946. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1991.

Kaplan, Barry J. "Houston: The Golden Buckle of the Sunbelt." In Sunbelt Cities, Politics and Growth Since World War II. Edited by Richard M. Bernard and Bradley R. Rice. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1983.

McComb, David G. Houston, The Bayou City. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1969.

Parker, Robert E. and Joe R. Feagin. "Military Spending in Free Enterprise Cities: The Military-Industrial Complex in Houston and Las Vegas." In The Pentagon and the Cities. Edited by Andrew Kirby. London: Sage Publications, 1992.

 
city (1990 pop. 1,630,553), seat of Harris co., SE Tex., a deepwater port on the Houston Ship Channel; inc. 1837.

Economy

The fourth largest city in the nation and the largest in the entire South and Southwest, Houston is a port of entry; a great industrial, commercial, and financial hub; one of the world's major oil centers; and the second busiest tonnage-handling port in the United States (after New York). Houston has numerous space and science research firms; electronics plants; giant oil refineries; high-tech and computer-technology industries; one of the world's greatest concentrations of petrochemical works; steel and paper mills; shipyards; breweries; meatpacking houses; and factories manufacturing oil-drilling equipment, clothing, glass, and seismic instruments. More recently, Houston has become a major center of finance with a large number of banks, many of them foreign. The Texas Medical Center is the world's largest hospital complex and a leading medical research facility. Houston is served by two international airports and Ellington Field, a joint use civil and military airport. Cruise ships began sailing from the port in 1997.

Points of Interest

The city is the seat of Rice Univ., Texas Southern Univ., the Univ. of Houston, the Univ. of St. Thomas, Dominican College, Houston Baptist Univ., Baylor College of Medicine, and the Univ. of Texas Health Science Center. Its many parks include the large Hermann Park, which has a zoo, a museum of natural science, and a planetarium. Houston has several notable art museums, the Space Center Houston museum, and a children's museum. The Wortham Theater Center houses the opera and ballet companies; the city is also home to the Alley Theatre, one of the country's foremost repertory companies. The civic center includes the Sam Houston Coliseum and Music Hall; the massive George R. Brown Convention Center, one of the nation's largest; and the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, home of the symphony orchestra. The city is also home to the Astros (baseball), Texans (football), and Rockets (basketball) professional sports teams.

Other tourist attractions include the Galleria, a huge enclosed mall noted for its luxury stores; Old Market Square; Sam Houston Historical Park, which contains restored homes (built 1824–68) and reconstructed buildings; and the Astrodome (opened 1965) and its adjacent Astroworld, an amusement center. The San Jacinto battlefield is in nearby Pasadena.

History

Harrisburg (now part of Houston) was settled in 1823, and Houston itself, founded in 1836 by J. K. and A. C. Allen and named for Sam Houston, was promoted as a rival to Harrisburg and soon served (1837–39) as capital of the Texas republic. In the course of the 19th cent. Houston grew from a muddy town on Buffalo Bayou to a prosperous railroad center. However, its phenomenal expansion came after the digging (1912–14) of a ship channel on Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay, linking it to the Gulf and making it a deepwater port. The development of the coastal oil fields poured quick wealth into the city; the natural gas, sulfur, salt, and limestone deposits also in the area laid the basis for its great chemical production.

Shipbuilding during World War II spurred further growth; and the establishment (1961) nearby of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Manned Spacecraft Center (renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in 1973) brought the aerospace industry. In 1948 several suburbs were incorporated into the city, and it spreads wide across the prairie. In 1981, Kathryn J. Whitmire became the city's first woman mayor. Its first African-American mayor, Lee P. Brown, was elected in 1997. Houston benefited from high oil prices in the 1970s but suffered in the 1980s as oil prices collapsed. Since the early 1980s, Houston has made efforts to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on oil. Houston hosted the 1992 Republican national convention.

Bibliography

See J. E. Buchanan, Houston (1975); D. G. McComb, Houston: A History (1981); J. R. Feagin, Free Enterprise City: Houston in Political and Economic Perspective (1988).


 
Geography: Houston
(hyooh-stuhn)

Largest city in Texas.


 
Weather: Houston, TX
AccuWeather® Current Conditions for



M/CLEAR
Temperature: 78°F / 25°C
RealFeel Temperature™: 88°F / 31°C
Humidity: 81%
Winds: CLM 0 mph / 0 kmh
Pressure: 30.03"
Visibility: 9 mi. / 14 km

5-Day Forecast

Saturday HI:  96°F / 35°C
LO: 74°F / 23°C
Sunday HI:  96°F / 35°C
LO: 73°F / 22°C
Monday HI:  95°F / 35°C
LO: 74°F / 23°C
Tuesday HI:  95°F / 35°C
LO: 74°F / 23°C
Wednesday HI:  93°F / 33°C
LO: 74°F / 23°C
Last updated July 20, 2008 06:49 (EST)

 
Local Time: Houston, United States

Local Time: Jul 20, 5:52 AM

 
Maps: Houston

 
Wikipedia: Houston, Texas
City of Houston
Houstontexas1danielarizpe.jpg
Official flag of City of Houston
Flag
Official seal of City of Houston
Seal
Nickname: Space City
Location in the state of Texas
Location in the state of Texas
Coordinates: 29°45′46″N 95°22′59″W / 29.76278, -95.38306
Country United States of America
State Texas
Counties Harris
Fort Bend
Montgomery
Incorporated June 5, 1837
Government
 - Mayor Bill White
Area
 - City   sq mi (km²)
 - Land   sq mi ( km²)
 - Water   sq mi ( km²)
Elevation   ft ( m)
Population (2006)[1][2]
 - City
 - Density /sq mi (/km²)
 - Metro
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
FIPS code 48-350002
GNIS feature ID 13809483
Website: www.houstontx.gov

Houston (pronounced /'hjuːstən/) is the largest city in the state of Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States of America. As of the 2006 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.14 million within an area of 600 square miles (1,600 km²). Houston is the seat of Harris County and an economic center of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area—the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of more than 5.5 million.[3]

Houston was founded on August 30, 1836 by brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen on land near the banks of Buffalo Bayou. Houston was incorporated on June 5, 1837 and named after then-President of the Republic of Texas—former General Sam Houston—who had commanded at the Battle of San Jacinto, which took place 25 miles (40 km) east of where the city was established. The burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the city's population. In the mid-twentieth century, Houston became the home of the Texas Medical Center—the world's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions—and NASA's Johnson Space Center, where Mission Control Center is located.

Houston's economy has a broad industrial base in the energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and technology; only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled.[4] The city has a multicultural population with a large and growing international community. As a gamma world city, it is home to many cultural institutions and exhibits—attracting more than 7 million visitors a year to the Houston Museum District. Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District and is one of five U.S. cities that offer year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.[5]

History

Main article: History of Houston
See also: Historical events of Houston

In August 1836, John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen, two real estate entrepreneurs from New York City, purchased 6,642 acres (27 km²) of land along Buffalo Bayou with the intent of founding a city.[6] The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the popular general of the Texans at the Battle of San Jacinto,[6] who was elected President in Semptember 1836.

Houston was granted incorporation on June 5 1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor.[7] In the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County (now Harris County) and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas.[8] In 1840, the community established a Chamber of Commerce in part to promote shipping and waterborne business at the newly created port on Buffalo Bayou.[9]

Houston, circa 1873
Enlarge
Houston, circa 1873

By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of cotton.[8] Railroad spurs from the Texas inland converged in Houston, where they met rail lines to the ports of Galveston and Beaumont. During the Civil War, Houston served as a headquarters for General John Bankhead Magruder, who used the city as an organization point for the Battle of Galveston.[10] After the Civil War, Houston businessmen initiated efforts to widen the city's extensive system of bayous so the city could accept more commerce between downtown and the nearby port of Galveston.

In 1900, after Galveston was struck by a devastating hurricane, efforts to make Houston into a viable deepwater port were accelerated.[11] The following year, oil discovered at Spindletop, an oil field near Beaumont, prompted the development of the Texas petroleum industry.[12] In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt approved a $1 million improvement project for the Houston Ship Channel. President Woodrow Wilson opened the Port of Houston in 1914, seven years after digging began. By 1930, Houston had become Texas' most populous city.[13]

When World War II started, tonnage levels at the port decreased and shipping activities were suspended; however, the war did provide economic benefits for the city. Petrochemical refineries and manufacturing plants were constructed along the ship channel because of the demand for petroleum and synthetic rubber products during the war.[14] Ellington Field, initially built during World War I, was revitalized as an advanced training center for bombardiers and navigators.[15] The M. D. Anderson Foundation formed the Texas Medical Center in 1945. After the war, Houston's economy reverted to being primarily port-driven. In 1948, several unincorporated areas were annexed into the city limits, which more than doubled the city's size, and Houston proper began to spread across the region.[7][16]

In 1950, the availability of air conditioning provided impetus for many companies to relocate to Houston, including Continental Oil, Prudential Insurance, Mobil Oil, Gulf Oil, Texaco Oil, Tidewater Associated and Sunray MidContinent, resulting in an economic boom and producing a key shift in the city's economy toward the energy sector.[17][18]

The space shuttle, atop its Boeing 747 SCA, flying over Johnson Space Center
Enlarge
The space shuttle, atop its Boeing 747 SCA, flying over Johnson Space Center

The increased production of the local shipbuilding industry during World War II spurred Houston's growth,[19] as did the establishment in 1961 of NASA's "Manned Spacecraft Center" (renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in 1973), which created the city's aerospace industry. The Astrodome, nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World,"[20] opened in 1965 as the world's first indoor domed sports stadium.

During the late 1970s, Houston experienced a population boom as people from Rust Belt states moved to Texas in large numbers.[21] The new residents came for the numerous employment opportunities in the petroleum industry, created as a result of the Arab Oil Embargo.

The population boom ended abruptly in the mid-1980s, as oil prices fell precipitously. The space industry also suffered in 1986 after the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch. The late 1980s saw a recession affect the city's economy.

Since the 1990s, as a result of the recession, Houston has made efforts to diversify its economy by focusing on aerospace and biotechnology and by reducing its dependence on the petroleum industry. In 1997, Houstonians elected Lee P. Brown as the city's first African American mayor.[22]

Hurricane Rita evacuation
Enlarge
Hurricane Rita evacuation

In June 2001, Tropical Storm Allison dumped up to 37 inches of rain on parts of Houston, causing the worst flooding in the city's history; the storm cost billions of dollars in damage and killed 20 people in Texas.[23] Many neighborhoods and communities have changed since the storm. By December of that same year, Houston-based energy company Enron collapsed into the second-largest ever U.S. bankruptcy during an investigation surrounding fabricated partnerships that were allegedly used to hide debt and inflate profits.

In August 2005, Houston became a shelter to more than 150,000 people from New Orleans who evacuated from Hurricane Katrina.[24] One month later, approximately 2.5 million Houston area residents evacuated when Hurricane Rita approached the Gulf Coast, leaving little damage to the Houston area. This event marked the largest urban evacuation in the history of the United States.[25][26]

Geography

Main article: Geography of Houston
A simulated-color image of Houston
Enlarge
A simulated-color image of Houston

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 601.7 square miles (1,558.4 km²); this comprises 579.4 square miles (1,500.7 km²) of land and 22.3 square miles (57.7 km²) of water.

Most of Houston is located on the gulf coastal plain, and its vegetation is classified as temperate grassland and forest. Much of the city was built on forested land, marshes, swamp, or prairie, which are all still visible in surrounding areas. Flatness of the local terrain, when combined with urban sprawl, has made flooding a recurring problem for the city.[27] Downtown stands about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level,[28] and the highest point in far northwest Houston is about 125 feet (38 m) in elevation.[29][30] The city once relied on groundwater for its needs, but land subsidence forced the city to turn to ground-level water sources such as Lake Houston and Lake Conroe.[31][7]

Houston has four major bayous passing through the city. Buffalo Bayou runs through downtown and the Houston Ship Channel, and has three tributaries: White Oak Bayou, which runs through the Heights neighborhood and towards downtown; Braes Bayou, which runs along the Texas Medical Center; and Sims Bayou, which runs through the south of Houston and downtown Houston The ship channel continues past Galveston and then into the Gulf of Mexico.

Geology

Underpinning Houston's land surface are unconsolidated clays, clay shales, and poorly-cemented sands up to several miles deep. The region's geology developed from river deposits formed from the erosion of the Rocky Mountains. These sediments consist of a series of sands and clays deposited on decaying organic matter that, over time, transformed into oil and natural gas. Beneath the layers of sediment is a water-deposited layer of halite, a rock salt. The porous layers were compressed over time and forced upward. As it pushed upward, the salt dragged surrounding sediments into salt dome formations, often trapping oil and gas that seeped from the surrounding porous sands. The thick, rich, sometimes black, surface soil is suitable for rice farming in suburban outskirts where the city continues to grow.[32][33]

Despite over 150 active surface faults (estimated to be 300 active faults)[34] with an aggregate length of up to 310 miles (500 km)[35][36] within the city of Houston alone, the region is generally earthquake-free. Land in some communities southeast of Houston is sinking because water has been pumped out from the ground for many years and may be associated with slip along faults. However, the slippage is slow and not considered an earthquake where stationary faults must slip suddenly enough to create seismic waves.[37] These faults also tend to move at a smooth rate in what is termed "fault creep,"[31] which further reduces the risk of an earthquake.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Houston

Houston's climate is classified as humid subtropical (Cfa in Köppen climate classification system). Spring supercell thunderstorms sometimes bring tornadoes to the area. Prevailing winds are from the south and southwest during most of the year, bringing heat across the continent from the deserts of Mexico and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.

During the summer months, it is common for the temperature to reach over 90 °F (32 °C), with an average of 99 days per year above 90 °F (32 °C).[38][39] However, the humidity results in a heat index higher than the actual temperature. Summer mornings average over 90 percent relative humidity and approximately 60 percent in the afternoon.[40] Winds are often light in the summer and offer little relief, except near the immediate coast,[41] To cope with the heat, people use air conditioning in nearly every vehicle and building in the city; in fact, in 1980 Houston was described as the "most air-conditioned place on earth".[42] Scattered afternoon thunderstorms are common in the summer. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 109 °F (43 °C) on September 4, 2000.[43]

Winters in Houston are fairly temperate. The average high in January, the coldest month, is 63 °F (17 °C), while the average low is 45 °F (7 °C). Snowfall is generally rare. The last snowstorm to hit Houston was on December 24, 2004. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 5 °F (−15 °C) on January 23, 1940.[44]

Houston has excessive ozone levels and is ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States.[45] Ground-level ozone, or smog, is Houston’s predominate air pollution problem, with the American Lung Association rating the metropolitan area's ozone level as the 6th worst in the United States in 2006.[46] The industries located along the ship channel are a major cause of the city's air pollution.[47]

Weather averages for Houston
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 85 (29) 87 (31) 96 (36) 94 (34) 98 (37) 101 (38) 104 (40) 106 (41) 101 (38) 96 (36) 90 (32) 84 (29) ()
Average high °F (°C) 63 (17) 67 (19) 74 (23) 79 (26) 86 (30) 91 (33) 94 (34) 93 (34) 89 (32) 82 (28) 73 (23) 65 (18) ()
Average low °F (°C) 45 (7) 48 (9) 55 (13) 61 (16) 68 (20) 74 (23) 75 (24) 75 (24) 72 (22) 62 (17) 53 (12) 47 (8) ()
Record low °F (°C) 10 (-12) 14 (-10) 22 (-6) 22 (-6) 44 (7) 56 (13) 45 (7) 64 (18) 50 (10) 33 (1) 25 (-4) 9 (-13) ()
Precipitation inch (cm) 4.3 (10.8) 3.0 (7.6) 3.2 (8.1) 3.5 (8.8) 5.1 (13.0) 6.8 (17.4) 4.4 (11.1) 4.5 (11.5) 5.6 (14.3) 5.3 (13.4) 4.5 (11.5) 3.8 (9.6) ()
Source: weather.com[48] Aug 2007

Cityscape

Further information: Geographic areas of Houston

Houston was incorporated in 1837 under the ward system of representation. The ward designation is the progenitor of the nine current-day Houston City Council districts. Locations in Houston are generally classified as either being inside or outside the Interstate 610 Loop. The inside encompasses the central business district and many residential neighborhoods that predate World War II. More recently, high-density residential areas have been developed within the loop. The city's outlying areas, suburbs and enclaves are located outside of the loop. Beltway 8 encircles the city another 5 miles (8 km) farther out.

Houston, the largest city in the United States without zoning regulations, has expanded without land use planning.[49][50][51] Voters rejected efforts to have separate residential and commercial land-use districts in 1948, 1962, and 1993.

Rather than a single central business district as the center of the city's employment, multiple districts have grown throughout the city in addition to downtown which include Uptown, Texas Medical Center, Midtown, the Energy Corridor, Greenway Plaza, Westchase, and Greenspoint.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Houston
See also: Sister cities of Houston

The city of Houston has a strong mayoral form of municipal government.[52] Houston is a home rule city and all municipal elections in the state of Texas are nonpartisan.[52][53] The City's elected officials are the mayor, city controller and 14 members of the city council.[54] As of 2007, the mayor of Houston is William "Bill" White, a Democrat elected on a nonpartisan ballot[55] who is serving his second term. Houston's mayor serves as the city's chief administrator, executive officer, and official representative. He is responsible for the general management of the city and for seeing that all laws and ordinances are enforced.[55] As the result of a 1991 referendum in Houston, a mayor is elected for a two-year term, and can be elected to as many as three consecutive terms.

The current city council line-up of nine district based and five at large positions was based on a U.S. Justice Department mandate which took effect in 1979[56] At-large council members represent the entire city.[54] Under the current city charter, if the population in the city limits goes past 2.1 million residents, the current nine-member city council districts will be expanded with the addition of two city council districts.[57]

Criminal Law is enforced by the Houston Police Department. Houston's murder rate ranked 18th of U.S. cities with a population over 250,000 in 2005.[58] Despite the rise in homicides of 23.5 percent, nonviolent crime in the city dropped by 2 percent in 2005 compared to 2004.[59] Since 2005, Houston has been experiencing a spike in crime, which is due in part to an influx of people from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.[60] After Katrina, Houston's murder rate increased 70 percent in November and December 2005 compared to levels in 2004. The city recorded 336 murders in 2005,[59] compared to 272 in 2004.[61]

Houston's homicide rate per 100,000 residents increased from 16.33 in 2005 to 17.24 in 2006.[62] The number of murders in the city increased to 379 in 2006, although this increase was smaller than in 2005;[59] Houston, like other cities, faces crime related to gang activities: in 1996, there were about 380 gangs with 8,000 members, of which 2,500 were juveniles.[63]

Economy

Main article: Economy of Houston
Further information: List of companies in Houston, List of foreign consulates in Houston
Data from citydata.com[64]
Enlarge
Data from citydata.com[64]

Houston's energy industry is recognized worldwide—particularly for oil—and biomedical research, aeronautics, and the ship channel are also large parts of its economic base. The area is a leading center for building oilfield equipment.[65] Much of Houston's success as a petrochemical complex is due to its busy man-made ship channel, the Port of Houston.[66] The port ranks first in the United States in international commerce, and is the tenth-largest port in the world.[4][67] Unlike most places, where high oil and gasoline prices are seen as harmful to the economy, they are generally seen as beneficial for Houston as many are employed in the energy industry.[68]

The Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA's Gross Area Product (GAP) in 2006 was $325.5 billion,[69] slightly larger than Austria’s, Poland’s or Saudi Arabia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). When comparing Houston's economy to a national economy, only 21 countries other than the United States have a gross domestic product exceeding Houston's regional gross area product.[70] Mining, which in Houston is almost entirely exploration and production of oil and gas, accounts for 11% of Houston's GAP; this is down from 21% in 1985. The reduced role of oil and gas in Houston's GAP reflects the rapid growth of other sectors, such as engineering services, health services, and manufacturing.[71]

Houston ranks second in employment growth rate and fourth in nominal employment growth among the 10 most populous metro areas in the U.S.[72] In 2006, the Houston metropolitan area ranked first in Texas and third in the U.S. within the category of "Best Places for Business and Careers" by Forbes magazine.[73] Forty foreign governments maintain trade and commercial offices here and the city has 23 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations.[74] Twenty foreign banks representing 10 nations operate in Houston, providing financial assistance to the international community.

Demographics

The annual Houston International Festival spotlights a different culture each year
Enlarge
The annual Houston International Festival spotlights a different culture each year

Houston is a diverse and international city, in part because of its many academic institutions and strong industries. Over 90 languages are spoken in the city.[75] Houston has among the youngest populations in the nation,[76][77][78] partly due to an influx of immigrants into Texas.[79] The city has the third-largest Hispanic and third-largest Mexican population in the United States.[80] An estimated 400,000 illegal immigrants reside in Houston.[81]

As of the census2 of 2000, there were 1,953,631 people and the population density was 3,371.7 people per square mile (1,301.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.27 percent White, 25.31 percent Black, 0.44 percent Native American, 5.31 percent Asian American, 0.06 percent Pacific Islander, 16.46 percent from other races, and 3.15 percent from two or more races. Persons of Hispanic origin, regardless of race, accounted for 37 percent of the population in 2000.

Houston has a large population of immigrants from Asia, including the largest Vietnamese American population in Texas and third-largest in the United States.[82][83] Some parts of the city with high populations of Vietnamese and Chinese residents have Chinese and Vietnamese street signs, in addition to English ones. Houston has two Chinatowns: the original located in Downtown, and the more recent one north of Bellaire Boulevard in the southwest area of the city.[84][85] The city has a Little Saigon in Midtown and Vietnamese businesses located in the southwest Houston Chinatown.[86]

Houston has a large gay community concentrated primarily in the Montrose area. It is estimated that the Houston MSA has the twelfth largest number of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals in the United States. [87]

Culture

Main article: Culture of Houston
See also: List of people raised in Houston and Nicknames of Houston

Houston is a multicultural city with a large and growing international community.[88] The Houston MSA is home to an estimated 1.1 million (21.4 percent) residents that were born outside the United States, with nearly two-thirds of the Houston MSA foreign-born population are from south of the US-Mexico border. [89] More than one in five foreign born Houstonians are from Asia. [90] The city is home to the nation’s third largest concentration of consular offices representing 86 nations.[91] Houston is designated as a gamma world city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network.[92] Houston received the official nickname of "Space City" in 1967 because it is home to NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.[93] Other nicknames incl