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
-
- 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]
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 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]
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
-
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
-
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
-
- 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
-
- Further information: List of companies in Houston, List of foreign consulates in Houston
![Data from citydata.com[64]](http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/9/9a/180px-Houstonecon.jpg)
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
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
-
- 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
