(Redirected from Houston)
'Houston' (pronounced //) is the
largest city in the state of
Texas and has the
fourth-largest population among cities in the
United States. As of
July 1 2006, the
U.S. Census Bureau estimates the Houston population at 2,144,491, in an area covering more than 600 square miles (1,600 km²). Houston is the
county seat of
Harris County and part 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. The city 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 Houston's population. In the 20th century, Houston became the home of the
Texas Medical Center, the world's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions, and
NASA's
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.
Houston's economy has a broad industrial base in the energy,
aeronautics, and technology industries; 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] Houston is also home to
Rice University, one of the United States' leading teaching and research universities, and the
University of Houston, Texas' third-largest public research university, with more than 36,000 students from 130 countries.
Houston is a multicultural city, with a large and growing international community. The
Museum District is home to many cultural institutions and exhibits, attracting more than 7 million visitors a year. Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene and is one of five U.S. cities that offer year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.
[5]
History
Main articles: History 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.
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.
[ Harris County, 1822–1845, , Adele B., Looscan, Southwestern Historical Quarterly, ] 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.
[8]
By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of
cotton.
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.
[9] 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.
[10]
The following year, oil discovered at
Spindletop, an oil field near Beaumont, prompted the development of the U.S.
petroleum industry.
[11] 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.
[12]
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.
[13] Ellington Field, initially built during
World War I, was revitalized as an advanced training center for bombardiers and navigators.
[14] 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.
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.
[16][17]
The increased production of the local shipbuilding industry during World War II spurred Houston's growth,
[18] 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,"
[19] 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.
[20] 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.
[21]
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.
[22] 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.
[23] 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.
[24][25]
Geography
Main articles: Geography of Houston
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.
[26] Downtown stands about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level,
[27] and the highest point in far northwest Houston is about 125 feet (38 m) in elevation.
[28][29] 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.
[30]
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.
[31][32]
Despite over 150 active surface
faults (estimated to be 300 active faults)
[33] with an aggregate length of up to 310 miles (500 km)
[34][35] 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.
[36] These faults also tend to move at a smooth rate in what is termed "
fault creep,"
30 which further reduces the risk of an earthquake.
Climate
Main articles: Climate of Houston
Houston's climate is classified as
humid subtropical (''Cfa'' in ). 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).
[37][38] 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.
[39] Winds are often light in the summer and offer little relief, except near the immediate coast,
[40] 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".
[41] Scattered afternoon thunderstorms are common in the summer. The hottest
temperature ever recorded in Houston was 109 °F (43 °C) on
September 4,
2000.
[42]
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.
[43]
Houston has excessive
ozone levels and is ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States.
[44] 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.
[45] The industries located along the ship channel are a major cause of the city's air pollution.
[46]
Cityscape
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.
[47][48][49] 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 articles: Politics of Houston
The city of Houston has a
strong mayoral form of
municipal government.
[50] Houston is a
home rule city and all municipal elections in the state of Texas are
nonpartisan.
The City's elected officials are the
mayor, city
controller and 14 members of the
city council.
[52] As of 2007, the mayor of Houston is
William "Bill" White, a
Democrat elected on a
nonpartisan ballot
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.
[53] 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
[54] At-large council members represent the entire city.
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.
[55]
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.
[56] Despite the rise in
homicides of 23.5 percent, nonviolent crime in the city dropped by 2 percent in 2005 compared to 2004.
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.
[ Homicide rate on track to be worst in a decade - Evacuees play large role in the rise, police say Jennifer Leahy ] 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,
[57] compared to 272 in 2004.
[58]
Houston's homicide rate per 100,000 residents increased from 16.33 in 2005 to 17.24 in 2006.
[59] The number of murders in the city increased to 379 in 2006, although this increase was smaller than in 2005;
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.
[60]
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Houston
Data from citydata.com
[61]
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 the world's leading center for building
oilfield equipment. Much of Houston's success as a
petrochemical complex is due to its busy man-made ship channel, the
Port of Houston.
[62] The port ranks first in the United States in international commerce, and is the tenth-largest port in the world.
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.
[64]
The Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA's Gross Area Product (GAP) in 2006 was $325.5 billion,
[65] 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.
[65] 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.
[67]
Houston ranks second in employment growth rate and fourth in nominal employment growth among the 10 most populous metro areas in the U.S.
[67] 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.
[69] Forty foreign governments maintain
trade and commercial offices here and the city has 23 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations.
[67] Twenty foreign banks representing 10 nations operate in Houston, providing financial assistance to the international community.
Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of Houston
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.
[71] Houston has among the youngest populations in the nation,
[72][73][74] partly due to an influx of immigrants into Texas.
[75] The city has the third-largest Hispanic and third-largest Mexican population in the United States.
[76] An estimated 400,000 illegal immigrants reside in Houston.
[77]
As of the
census 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.
[78][79] 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.
[80][81] The city has a
Little Saigon in
Midtown and Vietnamese businesses located in the southwest Houston Chinatown.
[82]
Houston has a large
gay community concentrated primarily in the
Montrose area. The city has the third largest gay community in the United States.
[83]
Culture
Main articles: Culture of Houston
Houston is a multicultural city with a large and growing international community.
[84] The city is home to the nation’s third largest concentration of consular offices representing 86 nations.
[85] Houston is designated as a
world-class city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network.
[86] Houston received the official nickname of "Space City" in 1967 because it is home to NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.
[87] Other nicknames include "H-Town," "Screwston," "The Big Heart," "Bayou City," "Clutch City," "Hustletown," and "Magnolia City."
Arts and theatre
Houston has an active
visual and
performing arts scene. The
Theater District is located downtown and is home to nine major performing arts organizations and six performance halls. It is the second largest concentration of theater seats in a downtown area in the United States.
[88][89][90] Houston is one of only five United States cities with permanent, professional, resident companies in all major performing arts disciplines: opera (
Houston Grand Opera), ballet (
Houston Ballet), music (
Houston Symphony Orchestra), and theater (
The Alley Theatre).
[5][92] Houston is also home to many local
folk artists,
art groups and various smaller progressive arts organizations.
[93] Houston attracts many touring Broadway acts, concerts, shows, and exhibitions for a variety of interests.
[94]
Houston is home to the
Bayou City Art Festival, which is considered to be one of the top five art festivals in the United States.
[ The 2004 Top 25 Fairs & Festivals ][ AmericanStyle Magazine Readers Name 2005 Top 10 Art Fairs and Festivals ]
The
Museum District is home to many popular cultural institutions and exhibits, attracting more than 7 million visitors a year.
[95][96] Notable facilities located in the district include
The Museum of Fine Arts,
Houston Museum of Natural Science, the
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston,
Holocaust Museum Houston, and the
Houston Zoo.
[97][98][99] Located in the nearby
Montrose area are
The Menil Collection and
Rothko Chapel.
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
Many venues scattered across Houston regularly host local and touring
rock,
blues,
country,
hip hop and
Tejano musical acts. Unfortunately, there has never been a widely renowned music scene in Houston. Artists seem to relocate to other parts of the United States once attaining some level of success.
[100] A notable exception to the rule is
Houston hip-hop, which celebrates the unique southern flavor and attitude of its roots. This has given rise to a strong, independent
hip-hop music scene, influencing and influenced by the larger Southern
hip hop and
gangsta rap communities.
[101] Many Houstonian hip-hop artists have attained commercial success, including
Geto Boys,
Bun B,
Chamillionaire,
Mike Jones,
Lil' Flip, and
Beyoncé. Another exception would be the world renowned
ZZ Top and the reverse migration of
King's X.
Events
Many annual events celebrate the diverse cultures of Houston. The largest and longest running is the annual
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, held over 20 days from late February to early March. Another large celebration is the annual night-time
Houston Pride Parade, held at the end of June.
[102] Other annual events include the
Greek Festival,
[103] Art Car Parade, the Houston Auto Show and the Houston International Festival.
[104]
Tourism and recreation
Downtown Aquarium
is the official visitors’ center of
NASA's
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Here one will find many interactive exhibits including
moon rocks, a shuttle simulator, and presentations about the history of NASA's manned space flight program.
The
Theater District is a 17-block area in the center of downtown Houston that is home to the
Bayou Place entertainment complex, restaurants, movies, plazas, and parks. Bayou Place is a large multilevel building containing full-service restaurants, bars, live music,
billiards, and art house films. The Houston Verizon Wireless Theater stages live
concerts, stage plays, and stand-up comedy; and the Angelika Film Center presents the latest in art and foreign and
independent films.
[105]
Houston is home to many parks including
Hermann Park, which houses the
Houston Zoo and the
Houston Museum of Natural Science, Lake Houston Park,
Memorial Park,
Tranquility Park, and
Sam Houston Park which contains restored and reconstructed homes which were originally built between 1823 and 1905).
[106] The city has 337 city parks and over 200 green spaces—totaling over that are managed by the city—including the
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. The Houston Civic Center was replaced by the
George R. Brown Convention Center—one of the nation's largest—and the
Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, home of the
Houston Symphony Orchestra and Society for the Performing Arts. The
Sam Houston Coliseum and Music Hall have been replaced by the
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.
Other
tourist attractions include
the Galleria (Texas's
largest shopping mall located in the Uptown District), Old Market Square, the Downtown Aquarium,
SplashTown and
Sam Houston Race Park. The
San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site where the decisive battle of the
Texas Revolution was fought is located on the Houston Ship channel east of the city; the park is also the location of the museum battleship
USS Texas (BB-35).
Sports
Main articles: Sports in Houston
Houston has teams for nearly every major professional sport. The
Houston Astros (
MLB),
Houston Texans (
NFL),
Houston Rockets (
NBA),
Houston Comets (
WNBA),
Houston Aeros (
AHL),
Houston Wranglers (
WTT),
Houston Takers (
ABA) and
Houston Dynamo (
MLS) all call Houston home.
Minute Maid Park (home of the Astros) and
Toyota Center (home of the Rockets, Comets, and Aeros) are located in a revived area of downtown. The city has the
Reliant Astrodome, the first domed stadium in the world; it also holds the NFL's first retractable-roof stadium,
Reliant Stadium. Other sports facilities in Houston include
Hofheinz Pavilion and
Robertson Stadium (both used for
University of Houston collegiate sports), and
Rice Stadium (home of the
Rice University Owls football team). The infrequently used Reliant Astrodome hosted
World Wrestling Entertainment's
WrestleMania X-Seven on
April 1 2001, where an attendance record of 67,925 was set.
[107]
On
October 19 2005, the Astros advanced to the
World Series for the first time in the team's history, subsequently losing to the
Chicago White Sox. In 2006, the Dynamo won the
MLS Cup in their first year after moving from
San Jose, California. The Aeros have won four championships: in the WHA (1973, 1974), the
IHL (1999), and the AHL (2003). The Rockets won back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. The city's former professional football team, the
Houston Oilers, also provided the city with 2
AFL championships in 1960 and 1961, before the merger with the NFL.
[108]
Houston has hosted major recent sporting events, including the 2004
Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the 2000 IHL
All-Star Game, the
2005 World Series, the 2005
Big 12 Conference football championship game, the
2006 NBA All-Star Game, the
U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships from 2001–2006, and the
Tennis Masters Cup in 2003 and 2004, as well as the annual
Shell Houston Open golf tournament. The city hosts the annual NCAA College Baseball Minute Maid Classic every February and NCAA football's
Texas Bowl in December. Houston has hosted the
Super Bowl championship game twice.
Super Bowl VIII was played at
Rice Stadium in 1974 and
Super Bowl XXXVIII was played at
Reliant Stadium in 2004. In early 2006, the
Champ Car auto racing series returned to Houston for a
yearly race, held on the streets of the
Reliant Park complex.
Media
Houston is served by the ''
Houston Chronicle'', its only major daily newspaper with wide distribution. The
Hearst Corporation, which owns and operates ''The Chronicle'', bought the assets of the ''
Houston Post''—its long-time rival and main competition—when ''The Post'' ceased operations in 1995. ''The Post'' was owned by the family of former
Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby of Houston. The only other major publication to serve the city is the ''
Houston Press'', a free
alternative weekly with a weekly readership of more than 300,000.
[109]
Houston Community Newspapers (owned and operated by ASP Westward, L.P.) is a news source for smaller localized communities in and around the city. Houston Community Newspapers publishes 35 suburban newspapers, including 2 daily papers and 33 weekly papers. These "community" papers include, among several others, the ''1960 Sun'', the ''Deer Park Progress'', the ''Fort Bend/Southwest Sun'', the ''Humble Observer'', the ''Katy Sun'', the ''Kingwood Observer'', the ''River Oaks Examiner'', and the ''Villager''.
[110]
Architecture
Main articles: Architecture of Houston
Houston's skyline has been ranked third-most impressive in the United States when judged primarily by height;
[111] it is the country's third-tallest skyline (after
Chicago and
New York City) and one of the top 10 in the world.
[112] Houston has a seven-mile (11 km)
system of tunnels and skywalks linking buildings in downtown which contain shops, restaurants, and convenience stores. This system enables pedestrians to avoid the intense summer heat and heavy rain showers while walking from one building to another.
In the 1960s,
Downtown Houston comprised of a modest collection of mid-rise office structures, but has since grown into one of the largest
skylines in the United States. Downtown was on the threshold of a boom in 1970 with huge projects being launched by
real estate developers with the energy industry boom. A succession of skyscrapers were built throughout the 1970s—many by real estate developer
Gerald D. Hines—culminating with Houston's tallest skyscraper, the 75-floor, -tall
JPMorgan Chase Tower (formerly the Texas Commerce Tower), which was completed in 1982. It is the tallest structure in Texas,
10th-tallest building in the United States and the
30th-tallest skyscraper in the world based on height to roof. In 1983, the 71-floor, -tall
Wells Fargo Bank Plaza was completed, which became the second-tallest building in Houston and Texas. Based on height to roof, it is the 13th-tallest in the United States and the 36th-tallest in the world. As of 2006, downtown Houston had about 43 million square feet (4,000,000 m²) of office space.
[113]
Centered on Post Oak Boulevard and
the Galleria, the
Uptown district boomed during the 1970s and early 1980s when a collection of mid-rise office buildings, hotels, and retail developments appeared along
Interstate 610 west. Uptown became one of the most impressive instances of an
edge city. The highest achievement of Uptown was the construction of the 64-floor, -tall,
Philip Johnson and
John Burgee designed landmark
Williams Tower (known as the Transco Tower until 1999). At the time, it was believed to the be the world's tallest skyscraper outside of a central business district. The Uptown District is also home to other buildings designed by noted architects such as
I. M. Pei,
César Pelli, and
Philip Johnson. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was a mini-boom of mid-rise and
High-rise residential tower construction, with several over 30 stories tall.
[114][115][116] In 2002, Uptown had more than 23 million square feet (2,100,000 m²) of office space with 16 million square feet (1,500,000 m²) of
Class A office space.
[117]
Transportation
Main articles: Transportation in Houston
I-10 and I-45 near Downtown
system is made up of of freeways and expressways in a 10-county metro area.
[5] Its highway system uses a
hub-and-spoke freeway structure serviced by multiple loops. The innermost loop is
Interstate 610, which encircles downtown, the medical center, and many core neighborhoods with around a diameter.
Beltway 8 and its freeway core, the Sam Houston Tollway, form the middle loop at a diameter of roughly . A proposed highway project,
State Highway 99 (The Grand Parkway), would form a third loop outside of Houston. Currently, the completed portion of State Highway 99 runs from just north of
Interstate 10, west of Houston, to
U.S. Highway 59 in
Sugar Land, southwest of Houston, and was completed in 1994.
Houston also lies along the route of the proposed
Interstate 69 NAFTA superhighway that would link
Canada, the U.S. industrial
Midwest, Texas, and Mexico. Other spoke freeways either planned or under construction include the
Fort Bend Parkway,
Hardy Toll Road,
Crosby Freeway, and the future
Alvin Freeway.
METRORail along the Main Street Corridor in Downtown
The
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, or METRO, provides public transportation in the form of buses, light rail, and lift vans. METRO's various forms of public transportation still do not connect many of the suburbs to the greater city, causing Houstonians to rely on the automobile as a primary source of transportation.
METRO began light rail service (
METRORail) on
January 1,
2004. The inaugural track runs about 8 miles (13 km) from northern Downtown at
UH–Downtown to the
Texas Medical Center and
Reliant Park. METRO is currently in the design phase of a 10-year expansion plan that will add five more lines to the existing system.
[119]
Amtrak, the national rail passenger system, provides service to Houston via the (Los Angeles–New Orleans), which stops at a
train station on the north side of the downtown area. The station saw 10,855 boardings and alightings in fiscal year 2006.
[120]
Houston is served by two commercial airports. The larger is
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), the ninth-busiest in the United States for total passengers, and seventeenth-busiest worldwide.
[121] Bush Intercontinental currently ranks third in the United States for non-stop domestic and international service with 182 destinations.
[122] In 2006, the
United States Department of Transportation named
George Bush Intercontinental Airport the fastest-growing of the top ten airports in the United States.
[78] Houston is the headquarters of
Continental Airlines and Bush Intercontinental is Continental Airlines' largest
hub. The airline offers more than 700 daily departures from Houston.
[124] In early 2007, Bush Intercontinental Airport was named a model "port of entry" for international travelers by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
[125]
The second-largest commercial airport in Houston is
William P. Hobby Airport (named Houston International Airport until 1967). The airport operates primarily small to medium-haul flights and is the only airport in Houston served by
Southwest Airlines and
JetBlue Airways. Houston's aviation history is showcased in the
1940 Air Terminal Museum located in the old terminal building on the west side of Hobby Airport.
The third-largest airport is
Ellington Field, a former
U.S. Air Force base, used by military, commercial, government and general aviation sectors.
The
Federal Aviation Administration and the state of Texas selected the "Houston Airport System as Airport of the Year" for 2005,
[78] largely because of its multi-year, $3.1 billion airport improvement program for both major airports in Houston.
Healthcare and medicine
Main articles: Texas Medical Center
Houston is the seat of the internationally-renowned Texas Medical Center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and
healthcare institutions.
[127] All 45 member institutions of the Texas Medical Center are
non-profit organizations. They provide patient and preventive care, research, education, and local, national, and international community well-being. These institutions include 13 renowned
hospitals and two specialty institutions, two
medical schools, four
nursing schools, and schools of
dentistry, public health,
pharmacy, and virtually all health-related careers. It is where one of the first—and still the largest—air emergency service,
Life Flight, was created, and a very successful inter-institutional transplant program was developed. More
heart surgeries are performed at the Texas Medical Center than anywhere else in the world.
[128]
Some of the academic and research health institutions in the center include
Baylor College of Medicine,
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston,
The Methodist Hospital,
Texas Children's Hospital and
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has consistently ranked as one of the top two U.S. hospitals specializing in cancer care by ''U.S. News & World Report'' since 1990.
[129]
Houston is the home of the
Menninger Clinic, a renowned psychiatric treatment center affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital.
Education
Main articles: Education in Houston
There are more than 55 colleges and universities and dozens of institutions engaged in research and development in Houston. The city is the home to
Rice University, one of the leading teaching and research universities of the United States and ranked the nation's 17th-best overall university by ''
U.S. News & World Report''.
[130] The
University of Houston (UH) is Texas's third-largest public research university with more than 36,000 students from 130 countries, making it one of the most diverse campuses in the country.
[131] UH is a doctoral degree granting comprehensive research institution with more than 40 research centers and institutes.
South Texas College of Law, Houston's oldest law school founded in 1923, has one of the nation's top programs for trial advocacy.
[132][133]
Other institutions of higher learning in the city include
University of St. Thomas,
Houston Baptist University, and
Texas Southern University, a
historically black doctoral degree granting institution with a college of law.
[134] The
Houston Community College System serves most of Houston and is the fourth-largest community college system in the United States.
[135]
There are
16 school districts serving the city. The
Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the seventh-largest in the United States.
[136] HISD has 112 campuses that serve as magnet or vanguard schools—specializing in such disciplines as health professions, visual and performing arts, and the sciences. There are also many
charter schools that are run separately from school districts. In addition, some public school districts also have their own charter schools.
The Houston area is home to more than 300 private schools,
[137][138][139] many of which are accredited by Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC) recognized agencies. The
Houston Area Independent Schools, or HAIS, offer education from a variety of different religious as well as secular viewpoints.
[140] The Houston area
Catholic schools are operated by the
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
Notes
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6. Brief history of Houston Juliana Coutinho
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8. Born on the Bayou: city's murky start. John Perry, City Savvy Online Edition. Published Summer 2006. Retrieved on 2007-02-06
9. Sabine Pass: The Confederacy's Thermopylae, , Edward T., Cotham, University of Texas Press, 2004, ISBN 0-292-70594-8
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64. Houston is Feeling Energized Miguel Bustillo
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76. Census 2000 Paints Statistical Portrait of the Nation's Hispanic Population
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78.
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80. History of Houston's Chinatown Edward C.M. Chen
81. Houston Chinatown Area Map
82. City Adopts "Little Saigon"
83. Liberal and Conservative Place: Houston, Texas
84. International Community
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101. A Place In the Sun - Houston Hip-Hop Takes Over Sasha Frere-Jones
102. Pride Houston
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104. The Houston International Festival. 2007. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
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