Difference between revisions of "Houston, Texas" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{about|a U.S. city}}
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{{Images OK}}{{Submitted}}{{Approved}}{{Copyedited}}
 
{{Infobox Settlement
 
{{Infobox Settlement
 +
|name                    = Houston
 
|official_name            = City of Houston
 
|official_name            = City of Houston
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
+
|settlement_type          = City
|nickname                = <!--DO NOT CHANGE!!! —>Space City <!--Please see discussion on talk page before adding nicknames to this chart. Thank you. —>
+
|nickname                = Space City (official)
|image_skyline            = Houstonmontage2.jpg
+
|image_skyline            = Buildings-city-houston-skyline-1870617.jpg
|imagesize                =  
+
|imagesize                =
|image_caption            = From left to right, top to bottom: [[Downtown Houston| Downtown Houston Skyline]], [[Texas Medical Center|Medical Center Skyline]], [[Astrodome|The Astrodome]], [[METRORail|The METRORail]], [[Apollo Mission Control Center|Mission Control]], and [[Houston City Hall|City Hall]]
+
|image_caption            = Downtown Houston skyline
 
|image_flag              = Flag of Houston, Texas.svg
 
|image_flag              = Flag of Houston, Texas.svg
|image_seal              = {{#ifeq:Houston, Texas|Houston, Texas|Seal of Houston, Texas.png|}}
+
|image_seal              = Seal of Houston, Texas.png
 
|image_map                = Harris County Houston.svg
 
|image_map                = Harris County Houston.svg
 
|mapsize                  = 250px
 
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]],[[Texas]]
+
|map_caption              = Houston's location and city limits in [[Harris County, Texas]]
 
|image_map1              =
 
|image_map1              =
|map_caption1            =  
+
|map_caption1            =
|subdivision_type        = [[List of countries|Country]]
+
|pushpin_map=
|subdivision_type1        = [[Political divisions of the United States|State]]
+
|pushpin_map_caption=
 +
|coordinates_region      = US-TX
 +
|subdivision_type        = Country
 +
|subdivision_type1        = State
 
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Texas|Counties]]
 
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Texas|Counties]]
|subdivision_name        = United States of America
+
|subdivision_name        = [[United States|United States of America]]
 
|subdivision_name1        = [[Texas]]
 
|subdivision_name1        = [[Texas]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Harris County, Texas|Harris]]<br>[[Fort Bend County, Texas|Fort Bend]]<br>[[Montgomery County, Texas|Montgomery]]
+
|subdivision_name2        = [[Harris County, Texas|Harris]], [[Fort Bend County, Texas|Fort Bend]], and [[Montgomery County, Texas|Montgomery]]</small>
|government_type          =  
+
|government_type          = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]]
 
|leader_title            = [[List of mayors of Houston|Mayor]]
 
|leader_title            = [[List of mayors of Houston|Mayor]]
|leader_name              = [[Bill White (mayor)|Bill White]]
+
|leader_name              = [[Annise Parker]]
 
|area_magnitude          = 1 E8
 
|area_magnitude          = 1 E8
|area_total_sq_mi        = 601.7
+
|area_total_sq_mi        = 656.3
|area_total_km2          = 1558
+
|area_total_km2          = 1699.81
|area_land_sq_mi          = 579.4
+
|area_land_sq_mi          = 634.0
|area_land_km2            = 1501
+
|area_land_km2            = 1,642.05
 
|area_water_sq_mi        = 22.3
 
|area_water_sq_mi        = 22.3
 
|area_water_km2          = 57.7
 
|area_water_km2          = 57.7
|population_as_of July 1, 2007 (http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2007-01.xls)
+
|population_as_of        = 2010 US Census
|population_as_of        = 2007
+
|population_footnotes    =<ref name="2008Estimate">{{cite web | title = Houston city, Texas, US Census |work=US Census | accessdate = January 2, 2010 | url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=16000US4835000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US48%7C16000US4835000&_street=&_county=Houston%2C+Tx&_cityTown=Houston2C+Tx&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=link}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Texas by Place - GCT-T1-R. Census | work=US Census | accessdate = January 3, 2010 | url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?-ds_name=PEP_2008_EST&-mt_name=PEP_2008_EST_GCTT1R_ST9S&-geo_id=04000US48&-format=ST-9&-tree_id=806&-context=gct}}</ref>
|population_footnotes    = <ref>{{cite web | url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=16000US4835000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US48%7C16000US4835000&_street=&_county=Houston%2C+Tx&_cityTown=Houston2C+Tx&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=link| title=US Census Bureau Population Finder: Houston city, TX | publisher=factfinder.census.gov | accessdate=2006-02-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2007/cb07-91table1.pdf | title= Population Estimates for the 25 Largest U.S. Cities based on July 1, 2006 Population Estimates | publisher=www.census.gov | accessdate=2007-06-28|format=PDF}}</ref>|population_total        = 2,208,180 ([[List of United States cities by population|4th]])
+
|population_total        = 2099451<small>([[List of United States cities by population|4th U.S.]])</small>
|population_urban        = 3,822,509
+
|population_urban        = 3822509 <small>([[List of United States urban areas|10th U.S.]])</small>
|population_metro        = 5,628,101 ([[United States metropolitan area|6th Largest]])
+
|population_metro        = 5946800 <small>([[Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas|5th U.S.]])</small>
|population_density_sq_mi = 3,828
+
|population_note          =
|population_density_km2  = 1,471
+
|population_density_sq_mi = 3,623
 +
|population_density_km2  = 1,505
 
|population_blank1_title = [[Demonym]]
 
|population_blank1_title = [[Demonym]]
 
|population_blank1 = Houstonian
 
|population_blank1 = Houstonian
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|timezone_DST            = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
 
|timezone_DST            = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
 
|utc_offset_DST          = -5
 
|utc_offset_DST          = -5
|postal_code_type        =  
+
|postal_code_type        =
|postal_code              =  
+
|postal_code              =
 
|area_code                = [[Area code 713|713]], [[Area code 281|281]], [[Area code 832|832]]
 
|area_code                = [[Area code 713|713]], [[Area code 281|281]], [[Area code 832|832]]
|latd = 29 |latm = 45 |lats = 46 |latNS = N
+
|latd = 29 |latm = 46 |latNS = N
|longd = 95 |longm = 22 |longs = 59 |longEW = W
+
|longd = 95 |longm = 23 |longEW =W|coordinates_display=0
 
|elevation_m              = 13
 
|elevation_m              = 13
 
|elevation_ft            = 43
 
|elevation_ft            = 43
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|blank1_info              = 1380948{{GR|3}}
 
|blank1_info              = 1380948{{GR|3}}
 
|website                  = [http://www.houstontx.gov/ houstontx.gov]
 
|website                  = [http://www.houstontx.gov/ houstontx.gov]
|footnotes                =  
+
|footnotes                =
 
}}
 
}}
'''Houston''' ({{pron-en|ˈhjuːstən}}) is the fourth-largest city in the United States of America and the largest city within the state of [[Texas]]. As of the 2006 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2&nbsp;million within an area of 600&nbsp;square miles (1,600&nbsp;km²). Houston is the [[county seat|seat]] of [[Harris County, Texas|Harris&nbsp;County]] and the economic center of the {{nowrap|[[Greater Houston|Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown]]}} metropolitan area—the {{nowrap|sixth-largest}} [[United States metropolitan area|metropolitan&nbsp;area]] in the U.S. with a population of 5.6&nbsp;million.
 
  
Houston was founded on August 30, 1836 by brothers [[Augustus Chapman Allen]] and [[John Kirby Allen]]<ref name=HouHTO>{{cite web|accessdate=2008-06-01
+
'''Houston''' is the fourth-largest city in the [[United States of America]] and the largest city in the state of [[Texas]]. [[U.S. Census Bureau]] tabulations placed the city with an estimated population of nearly 2.2 million inhabitants within the city's area. Houston is composed of 600&nbsp;square miles (1,600&nbsp;km²). It is the [[county seat|seat]] of [[Harris County, Texas|Harris&nbsp;County]] and the economic center of the {{nowrap|[[Greater Houston|Houston, Sugar Land, Baytown]]}} metropolitan area, the {{nowrap|sixth-largest}} in the United States with a population of 5.6 million.  
|url= http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/HH/hdh3.html
 
|title="Houston, Texas"
 
|date=January 19, 2008
 
|author=McComb, David G.
 
|work=Handbook of Texas Online
 
}}</ref> on land near the banks of {{nowrap|[[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|Battle of San&nbsp;Jacinto]], which took place 25&nbsp;miles (40&nbsp;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 [[Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center|Johnson Space Center]], where the [[Mission Control Center]] is located.  
 
  
Houston's economy has a broad industrial base in the energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, transportation, and health care sectors; only New York City is home to more [[Fortune 500]] headquarters in the city limits.<ref name="Fortune 500" />  Commercially, Houston is ranked as a [[global city|gamma world city]], and the area is a leading center for building oilfield equipment. The [[Port of Houston]] ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled.<ref name="port ranking">[http://www.aapa-ports.org/files/Statistics/2004%5FUS%5FPORT%5FCARGO%5FTONNAGE%5FRANKINGS.xls U.S. Port Ranking by Cargo Volume 2004]. Port Industry Information, ''American Association of Port Authorities''. 2004. Retrieved on [[2007-01-15]].</ref>  The city has a multicultural population with a large and growing international community. It is home to many cultural institutions and exhibits—attracting more than 7&nbsp;million visitors a year to the [[Houston Museum District]]. Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene in the [[Houston Theater District|Theater&nbsp;District]] and is one of few U.S. cities that offer year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.<ref name = "ikvngd">"{{PDFlink|[http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/20AW005.pdf Museums and Cultural Arts]|31.8&nbsp;KB}}", ''Greater Houston Partnership''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-16]].</ref>
+
Houston was founded on August 30, 1836 by brothers [[Augustus Chapman Allen]] and [[John Kirby Allen]] on land near the banks of {{nowrap|[[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 with the [[Texas Militia]] had avenged the [[Battle of the Alamo|Alamo]] and routed the Mexican Army under [[Santa Anna]] at the [[Battle of San Jacinto|Battle of San&nbsp;Jacinto]]. The battle took place 25&nbsp;miles (40&nbsp;km) east of where the city was established.  
  
==History==
+
The city is a burgeoning [[port]] and [[railroad]] industry. Combined with the discovery of [[Petroleum|oil]] in 1901, industry 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 health-care and research institutions, and the [[Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center|Johnson Space Center]], where the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration|NASA]]'s Mission Control Center is located.  
{{main|History of Houston}}
 
{{see also|Historical events of Houston}}
 
[[Image:samuel houston.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Sam Houston]]]]
 
In August 1836, [[John Kirby Allen]] and [[Augustus Chapman Allen]], two real estate entrepreneurs from New York City, purchased 6,642&nbsp;acres (27&nbsp;km²) of land along [[Buffalo Bayou]] with the intent of founding a city.<ref name="Coutinho">{{cite news|title=Brief history of Houston|last=Coutinho|first=Juliana|url=http://www.stp.uh.edu/vol66/13/news/news-index.html|work=[[The Daily Cougar]]|date=2000-09-13|accessdate=2007-02-06}}</ref> The Allen brothers decided to name the city after [[Sam Houston]], the popular general at the [[Battle of San Jacinto]],<ref name="Coutinho"/> who was elected [[President of Texas]] in September 1836.
 
 
 
Houston was granted incorporation on June 5, 1837, with [[James Sanders Holman|James S. Holman]] becoming its first mayor.<ref name="Handbook of TX-HOU">[http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/HH/hdh3.html Houston, Texas]. ''[[Handbook of Texas]] Online''. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.</ref> In the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County (now Harris County) and the temporary capital of the [[Republic of Texas]].<ref name = "SHQa4">{{cite journal
 
| last = Looscan
 
| first = Adele B.
 
| title = Harris County, 1822–1845
 
| journal = Southwestern Historical Quarterly
 
| volume = 19
 
| pages = 37–64
 
| year= 1916
 
| url = http://dev.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v019/n1/article_4.html
 
| accessdate = 2007-02-07}}</ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.houstontx.gov/hr/savvypages/sum06/sum06_heritage.htm Born on the Bayou: city's murky start]. John Perry, City Savvy Online Edition. Published Summer 2006. Retrieved on 2007-02-06</ref>
 
[[Image:Old map-Houston-1873.jpg|thumb|left|Houston, circa 1873]]
 
By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of cotton.<ref name="SHQa4" /> Railroad spurs from the Texas inland converged in Houston, where they met rail lines to the ports of [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]] and [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]]. During the [[American Civil War]], Houston served as a headquarters for General [[John B. Magruder|John Bankhead Magruder]], who used the city as an organization point for the [[Battle of Galveston]].<ref name="Sabine">{{cite book|last=Cotham|first=Edward T.|title=Sabine Pass: The Confederacy's Thermopylae|year=2004|publisher=[[University of Texas Press]]|location=Austin, Texas|id=ISBN 0-292-70594-8}}</ref> 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. By 1890 Houston was the railroad center of Texas.
 
 
 
In 1900, after Galveston was struck by a devastating [[Galveston Hurricane of 1900|hurricane]], efforts to make Houston into a viable deepwater port were accelerated.<ref>[http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/governors/rising/sayers-galv.html J.H.W. Stele to Sayers, September 11-12, 1900]. ''Texas State Library & Archives Commission'', Retrieved on August 31, 2007</ref> The following year, oil discovered at the [[Spindletop]] [[oil field]] near Beaumont prompted the development of the Texas petroleum industry.<ref>{{cite book|title=Oil in Texas: The Gusher Age, 1895–1945|last=Olien|first=Diana Davids|coauthors=Olien, Roger M.|year=2002|publisher=University of Texas Press|location=Austin, Texas|id=ISBN 0-292-76056-6}}</ref> In 1902, President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] approved a $1&nbsp;million improvement project for the Houston Ship Channel. By 1910 the city's population had reached 78,800, almost doubling from a decade before. An integral part of the city were African Americans, who numbered 23,929 or nearly one-third of the residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.houstonhistory.com/decades/history5h.htm|title=Marvin Hurley, 1910-1920, Houston History|accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> They were developing a strong professional class based then in the Fourth Ward.
 
  
President [[Woodrow Wilson]] opened the deepwater Port of Houston in 1914, seven years after digging began. By 1930, Houston had become Texas's most populous city and Harris the most populous county.<ref>{{cite journal
+
Its economy has a broad industrial base in the [[energy]], [[manufacturing]], [[aeronautics]], [[transportation]], and health-care sectors. Only [[New York City]] is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters inside the city limits. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled.
| last = Gibson
+
{{toc}}
| first = Campbell
+
The Houston Metroplex and 24 surrounding counties possess striking natural beauty, unique [[biodiversity]], and globally important [[ecology|ecological]] resources. The [[Armand Bayou Nature Center]], for example, preserves [[wetlands prairie]], [[forest]], and [[marsh]] habitats of the [[Texas]] [[Gulf of Mexico|Gulf Coast]].
| title = Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990
 
| journal = Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau
 
| publisher = U.S. Census Bureau
 
| month= June | year= 1998
 
| url = http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027.html
 
| accessdate = 2007-02-06}}</ref>
 
[[Image:Houston Ship Channel Barbours Cut.jpg|thumb|right|[[Houston Ship Channel]]]]
 
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.<ref>{{cite web
 
| title = Houston Ship Channel
 
| work = TSHA Handbook of Texas
 
| url = http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/HH/rhh11.html
 
| accessdate = 2007-02-18}}</ref> [[Ellington Field]], initially built during [[World War I]], was revitalized as an advanced training center for bombardiers and navigators.<ref>{{cite web
 
| last = Carlson
 
| first = Erik
 
| title = Ellington Field: A Short History, 1917–1963
 
| work = National Aeronautics and Space Administration
 
| month= February | year= 1999
 
| url = http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/ellington/Ellington.pdf
 
| accessdate = 2007-02-18|format=PDF}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Handbook of TX-HOU"/><ref>{{cite web
 
| last = Streetman
 
| first = Ashley
 
| title = Houston Timeline
 
| work = Houston Institute for Culture
 
| url = http://www.houstonculture.org/resources/houstontime.html
 
| accessdate = 2007-02-06}}</ref>
 
  
In 1950, the availability of air conditioning provided impetus for many companies to relocate to Houston resulting in an economic boom and producing a key shift in the city's economy toward the energy sector.<ref>[http://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/Detailed/725.shtml How Air Conditioning Changed America]. ''The Old House Web'', Retrieved on April 4, 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.hgs.org/en/articles/printview.asp?26 A Short History]. ''Houston Geological Auxiliary'', Retrieved on April 4, 2007</ref>
+
==Geography and cityscape==
 +
The city of Houston has a total area of 601.7 square miles (1,558.4 km²). Most of Houston is located on the [[Gulf of Mexico|Gulf]] coastal plain, and its vegetation is classified as temperate [[grass|grassland]] and [[forest]]. Much of the city was built on forested land, [[marsh]]es, [[swamp]], or [[prairie]], which are all still visible in surrounding areas. The flatness of the local terrain, when combined with urban sprawl, has made flooding a recurring problem for the city. Downtown stands about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level, and the highest point in far northwest Houston is about 125 feet (38 m) in elevation. 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.
  
[[Image:Challenger Ferry Flight Flyover of Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.jpg|thumb|left|The space shuttle, atop its Boeing 747 [[Shuttle Carrier Aircraft|SCA]], flying over [[Johnson Space Center]]]]
+
Houston has four major [[bayou]]s 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 into the [[Gulf of Mexico]].  
The increased production of the local shipbuilding industry during World War II spurred Houston's growth,<ref>{{cite web
 
| title = Shipbuilding
 
| work = TSHA Handbook of Texas
 
| url = http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/ets3.html
 
| accessdate = 2007-02-18}}</ref> 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 [[Reliant Astrodome|Astrodome]], nicknamed the "[[Eighth Wonder of the World]],"<ref>{{cite news
 
| last = Barks
 
| first = Joseph V.
 
| title = Powering the (New and Improved) "Eighth Wonder of the World"
 
| work = Electrical Apparatus
 
| date= November 2001
 
| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3726/is_200111/ai_n9011574
 
| accessdate = 2007-01-16 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.texasalmanac.com/culture/groups/polish.html | title=Polish-Texans | work=Texas Almanac 2004-2005 | accessdate=2007-02-06}}</ref> The new residents came for the numerous employment opportunities in the petroleum industry, created as a result of the [[1973 oil crisis|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 disaster|Space Shuttle Challenger]] exploded shortly after launch. The late 1980s saw a recession adversely 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 health care/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.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=937&category=politicalMakers | title=Lee P. Brown - Biography | work=TheHistoryMakers.com | accessdate=2007-01-22}}</ref>
 
 
 
[[Image:RitaHoustonEvacuation.jpg|thumb|right|[[Hurricane Rita]] evacuation. (With [[contraflow lane reversal]].)]]
 
In June 2001, [[Tropical Storm Allison]] dumped up to {{convert|37|in|mm}} 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Allison's Death Toll Hits 43|last=Ward|first=Christina|url=http://www.redcross.org/news/ds/floods/010618houston.html|work=RedCross.org|date=2001-06-18|accessdate=2007-01-01}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite news
 
| title = Katrina's Human Legacy
 
| work = Houston Chronicle
 
| date= 2006-08-27
 
| url = http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2006_4178618
 
| accessdate = 2007-08-29}}</ref> One month later, approximately 2.5&nbsp;million Houston area residents evacuated when [[Hurricane Rita]] approached the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]], leaving little damage to the Houston area. This event marked the largest urban evacuation in the history of the United States.<ref>{{cite news
 
| last = Flakus
 
| first = Greg
 
| title = Recovery Beginning in Areas Affected by Hurricane Rita
 
| work = Voice of America News
 
| date= 2005-09-25
 
| url = http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-09/2005-09-25-voa33.cfm
 
| accessdate = 2007-01-10}}</ref><ref>[http://www.house.gov/brady/2007_appropriations.shtml 8th Congressional District of Texas 2007 Appropriations Project Requests]. Congressman Kevin Brady, 8th District of Texas. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.</ref>
 
 
 
==Geography==
 
{{main|Geography of Houston}}
 
[[Image:Large Houston Landsat.jpg|thumb|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&nbsp;km²); this comprises 579.4 square miles (1,500.7&nbsp;km²) of land and 22.3 square miles (57.7&nbsp;km²) of water.
 
Most of Houston is located on the [[Western Gulf coastal grasslands|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.<ref>[http://www.crwr.utexas.edu/gis/gishyd98/class/trmproj/ahrens/prepro.htm Flood Forecasting for the Buffalo Bayou Using CRWR-PrePro and HEC-HMS]. ''Center for Research in Water Resources, The University of Texas at Austin'' Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref> Downtown stands about 50&nbsp;feet (15&nbsp;m) above sea level,<ref>[http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?lat=29.75737&lon=-95.36387&size=m&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG&s=100 Downtown Houston, Texas]. ''TopoQuest.com'' Retrieved on [[2008-07-05]].</ref> and the highest point in far northwest Houston is about 125&nbsp;feet (38&nbsp;m) in elevation.<ref>[http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?lat=29.96645&lon=-95.56326&size=l&datum=nad83&layer=DRG&s=100 USGS Satsuma (TX) Topo Map]. ''TopoQuest.com''. 2008. Retrieved on [[2008-07-05]]. '''''Note:''''' ''The boundaries of the City of Houston are shown as "HOUSTON CORP BDY" along the dotted line.''</ref><ref>[http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/suprnbhds/landuse/sn1lu.html Super Neighborhood# 1-Willowbrook]. ''City of Houston''. Retrieved on [[2007-01-11]].</ref> 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|Lake&nbsp;Houston]] and [[Lake Conroe]].<ref name="USGS_Subsidence_Fault_Creep">{{PDFlink|[http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1182/pdf/07Houston.pdf HOUSTON-GALVESTON, TEXAS Managing Coastal Subsidence]|5.89&nbsp;MB}}. ''[[United States Geological Survey]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-01-11]].</ref><ref name="Handbook of TX-HOU"/>
 
 
 
Houston has four major [[bayou]]s 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 [[Houston Heights|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, Texas|Galveston]] and then into the [[Gulf of Mexico]].
 
 
 
===Geology===
 
Underpinning Houston's land surface are [[Consolidation (geology)|unconsolidated]] [[clay]]s, clay [[shale]]s, and poorly-cemented [[sand]]s up to several miles deep. The region's [[geology]] developed from river deposits formed from the erosion of the [[Rocky Mountains]]. These [[sediment]]s 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.<ref>[http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/HH/hch7.html Harris County]. ''[[Handbook of Texas]] Online.'' Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref><ref>[http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/RR/afr1.html RICE CULTURE]. ''[[Handbook of Texas]] Online.'' Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref>
 
 
 
The Houston area has over 150 active [[geologic fault|faults]] (estimated to be 300 active faults)<ref>Richard Engelkeimer, Shuhab Khan, Carl Norman. "{{PDFlink|[http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/2006/06086gcags_sec_abs/images/abstract.engelkemeir.et.al.pdf Mapping Active Faults in the Houston area Using LIDAR]|775&nbsp;KB}}", ''University of Houston''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-14]].</ref> with an aggregate length of up to 310&nbsp;miles (500&nbsp;km),<ref>Earl R. Verbeek, Karl W. Ratzlaff, Uel S. Clanton. "[http://pubs.usgs.gov/mf-maps/mf1136/mf1136/ Faults in Parts of North-Central and Western Houston Metropolitan Area, Texas]", ''[[United States Geological Survey]]'', [[2005-09-16]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-14]].</ref><ref>[http://www.geotecheng.com/gd_geological_faults_enlarged_map.html Principal Active Faults. Houston Area, Texas], ''U.S. Department of Agriculture'', May 1984. Retrieved on [[2006-12-14]].</ref> including the [[Long Point-Eureka Heights Fault System]] which runs through the center of the city. There have been no significant historically recorded earthquakes in Houston, but researchers do not discount the possibility of such quakes occurring in the deeper past, nor in the future. Land in some communities southeast of Houston is sinking because water has been pumped out from the ground for many years. It 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.<ref>[http://www.ig.utexas.edu/research/projects/eq/faq/tx.htm Texas Earthquakes], ''University of Texas Institute for Geophysics'', July 2001. Retrieved on [[2007-08-29]].</ref> These faults also tend to move at a smooth rate in what is termed "[[Aseismic creep|fault creep]],"<ref name="USGS_Subsidence_Fault_Creep" /> which further reduces the risk of an earthquake.
 
  
 
===Climate===
 
===Climate===
{{main|Climate of Houston}}
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[[Image:Allison Flood Houston.jpg|thumb|225px|Allen's Landing after Tropical Storm Allison, June 2001.]]
[[Image:Allison Flood Houston.jpg|thumb|left|[[Allen's Landing]] after [[Tropical Storm Allison]], June 2001]]
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Houston's [[climate]] is classified as humid subtropical. Spring super cell [[thunderstorm]]s sometimes bring [[tornado]]es to the area. Prevailing winds are from the south and southeast during most of the year, bringing heat across the continent from the deserts of [[Mexico]] and moisture from the [[Gulf of Mexico]].
Houston's climate is classified as [[humid subtropical climate|humid&nbsp;subtropical]] (''Cfa'' in [[Köppen climate classification#GROUP C: Temperate/mesothermal climates|Köppen climate classification system]]). Spring [[Supercell|supercell thunderstorms]] sometimes bring [[tornado]]es to the area. Prevailing winds are from the south and southeast during most of the year, bringing heat across the continent from the deserts of [[Mexico]] and moisture from the [[Gulf of Mexico]].<ref>{{Cite web
 
| title = Weather Stats
 
| work = Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau
 
| accessdate = 2008-10-11
 
| url = http://www.visithoustontexas.com/media/statistics/Houston_Stats_Weather
 
}}</ref>
 
{{climate chart
 
|[[Houston]]
 
|45|63|4.25
 
|48|67|3.01
 
|55|74|3.19
 
|61|79|3.46
 
|68|86|5.11
 
|74|91|6.84
 
|75|94|4.36
 
|75|93|4.54
 
|72|89|5.62
 
|62|82|5.26
 
|53|73|4.54
 
|47|65|3.78
 
|source=Weather.com / NWS
 
|float=right
 
|clear=right
 
|units=imperial
 
}}
 
During the summer months, it is common for the temperature to reach over 90&nbsp;°F (32&nbsp;°C), with an average of 99&nbsp;days per year above 90&nbsp;°F (32&nbsp;°C).<ref>"[http://www.weather.com/activities/other/other/weather/climo-monthly-graph.html?locid=USTX0617 Monthly Averages for Houston, Texas]", ''[[The Weather Channel (United States)|The Weather Channel]]''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-14]].</ref><ref>"[http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/max90temp.html National Climatic Data Center]", ''[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]], [[United States Department of Commerce]]'', [[2004-06-23]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-14]].</ref> However, the humidity results in a [[heat index]] higher than the actual temperature. Summer mornings average over 90&nbsp;percent [[relative humidity]] and approximately 60&nbsp;percent in the afternoon.<ref>"[http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/rh.html Average Relative Humidity]", ''Department of Meteorology at the [[University of Utah]]''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-14]].</ref>  Winds are often light in the summer and offer little relief, except near the immediate coast.<ref>[http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/windavg.html WIND - AVERAGE SPEED (mph)]. ''Department of Meteorology, [[University of Utah]].'' 1993. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]]</ref> 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".<ref>[http://www.nbm.org/blueprints/90s/summer92/contents/contents.htm A MOMENT IN BUILDING]. ''BLUEPRINTS'', Volume X, Number 3, Summer 1992. National Building Museum. Retrieved on [[2007-01-11]].</ref> Scattered afternoon thunderstorms are common in the summer. The hottest [[temperature]] ever recorded in Houston was 109&nbsp;°F (43&nbsp;°C) on September 4, 2000.<ref>"[http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KIAH/2000/9/4/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA History for Houston Intercontinental, Texas on Monday, September 4, 2000]", ''[[Weather Underground (weather service)|Weather Underground]]'', [[2000-09-04]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-14]].</ref>
 
  
Winters in Houston are fairly temperate. The average high in January, the coldest month, is 63&nbsp;°F (17&nbsp;°C), while the average low is 41&nbsp;°F (5&nbsp;°C). Snowfall is generally rare. The last snowstorm to hit Houston was on [[2004 Christmas Eve Snowstorm|December 24, 2004]]. The coldest [[temperature]] ever recorded in Houston was 5&nbsp;°F (&minus;15&nbsp;°C) on January 23, 1940.<ref>[http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/climate/iah/normals/iah_summary.htm Houston Extremes Data and Annual Summaries]. ''[[National Weather Service]], [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]''. Published [[2007-01-05]]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-11]].</ref> Houston receives a high amount of rainfall annually, averaging about 48&nbsp;inches a year. These rains tend to cause floods over portions of the city.
+
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). 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. Winds are often light in the summer and offer little relief, except near the immediate coast. 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." Scattered afternoon thunderstorms are common in the summer. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 109 °F (43 °C) on September 4, 2000.
  
Houston has excessive [[ozone]] levels and is ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States.<ref>"[http://lungaction.org/reports/sota05_analysis4.html State of the Air 2005, National and Regional Analysis ]", ''American Lung Association'', [[2005-03-25]]. Retrieved on [[2006-02-17]].</ref> Ground-level ozone, or [[smog]], is Houston’s predominant 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.<ref>"[http://lungaction.org/reports/sota06_cities.html#table2b State of the Air 2006, 25 Most Ozone-Polluted Cities ]", ''American Lung Association''. Retrieved on [[2006-04-02]].</ref> The industries located along the ship channel are a major cause of the city's air pollution.<ref>"[http://www.cleanhouston.org/air/index.htm Summary of the Issues]", ''Citizens League for Environmental Action Now '', [[2004-08-01]]. Retrieved on [[2006-02-17]].</ref>
+
Winters in Houston are fairly temperate. The average high in January, the coldest month, is 63 °F (17 °C), while the average low is 41 °F (5 °C). [[Snow]]fall is generally rare. The coldest [[temperature]] ever recorded in Houston was 5 °F (−15 °C) on January 23, 1940. Houston receives a high amount of [[rain]]fall annually, averaging about 48 inches a year. These rains tend to cause [[flood]]s over portions of the city.
  
 
===Cityscape===
 
===Cityscape===
{{Further|[[Geographic areas of Houston]]}}
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[[Image:Houston Cityscape.jpg|right|500px|thumb|Houston skyline]]
Houston was incorporated in 1837 under the [[Ward (politics)|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 (Texas)|Interstate&nbsp;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. [[Texas State Highway Beltway 8|Beltway 8]] encircles the city another 5&nbsp;miles (8&nbsp;km) farther out.
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[[Image:Chase Tower, a block away.jpg|thumb|upright|The JPMorgan Chase Tower is the tallest building in Texas.]]
  
[[Image:Houston Cityscape.jpg|center|500px|thumb|[[Uptown Houston|Uptown]] (foreground) and [[Downtown Houston|Downtown]] (background)]]
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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.  
Though Houston is the largest city in the United States without formal [[zoning]] regulations, it has developed similarly to other [[Sun Belt]] cities because the city's land use regulations and [[Covenant#In a legal context|legal covenants]] have played a similar role.<ref name=nytzoning>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DEFDB103FF934A2575BC0A960948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print FOCUS: Houston; A Fresh Approach To Zoning - New York Times<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref><ref name=nozoning>{{Cite web
 
| title = Zoning Without Zoning
 
| work = planetizen.com
 
| accessdate = 2008-06-21
 
| url = http://www.planetizen.com/node/109
 
}}</ref>  Regulations include mandatory lot size for single-family houses and requirements that parking be available to tenants and customers. Such restrictions have had mixed results. Though some<ref name=nozoning/> have blamed the city's low density, [[urban sprawl]], and lack of [[Walkability|pedestrian-friendliness]] on these policies, the city's land use has also been credited with a bounty of affordable housing, sparing Houston the worst effects of the [[United States housing bubble|2008 real estate crisis]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Lack of zoning has paid off for Houston|work=chron.com|accessdate=2008-07-25|url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/steffy/5804649.html}}</ref>
 
  
Voters rejected efforts to have separate residential and commercial land-use districts in 1948, 1962, and 1993. Consequently, 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 Houston|downtown]] which include [[Uptown Houston|Uptown]], [[Texas Medical Center|Texas&nbsp;Medical&nbsp;Center]], [[Midtown, Houston, Texas|Midtown]], [[Greenway Plaza|Greenway&nbsp;Plaza]], [[Houston Energy Corridor|Energy&nbsp;Corridor]], [[Westchase, Houston, Texas|Westchase]], and [[Greenspoint, Houston, Texas|Greenspoint]].
+
Though Houston is the largest city in the [[United States]] without formal [[zoning]] regulations, it has developed similarly to other [[Sun Belt]] cities because the city's land use regulations and legal covenants have played a similar role. Such restrictions have had mixed results. Though some have blamed the city's low density, [[urban sprawl]], and lack of pedestrian-friendliness on these policies, the city's land use has also been credited with a bounty of affordable housing, sparing Houston the worst effects of the 2008 real estate crisis.
  
==Government and politics==
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Voters rejected efforts to have separate residential and commercial land-use districts in 1948, 1962, and 1993. Consequently, 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.
{{main|Politics of Houston}}
 
[[Image:HoustonCityHall DANIEL2986.jpg|thumb|right|[[Houston City Hall]]]]
 
The city of Houston has a [[strong mayor]]al form of [[municipal government]].<ref name="home rule">[http://www.houstontx.gov/controller/cafr/cafr2.html Summary of Significant Accounting Policies]. Office of the Controller, City of Houston. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref> Houston is a [[devolution|home rule]] city and all municipal elections in the state of Texas are [[nonpartisan]].<ref name="home rule"/><ref>[http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/html/part/0602.html 6.2 Run for Party Nomination to Public Office]. Texas Politics, Liberal Arts Technology Instruction Services, ''[[University of Texas]]''. 2005. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref> The City's elected officials are the [[mayor]], city [[Comptroller|controller]] and 14 members of the [[city council]].<ref name="Houston City Council">[http://www.houstontx.gov/council/index.html City Council]. ''City of Houston.'' 2007. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]]. </ref> As of 2007, the mayor of Houston is [[Bill White (mayor)|William "Bill" White]], a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] elected on a [[nonpartisan]] ballot<ref name="Houston Mayor's Office"/> who is serving his third and final term (due to [[term limits]]). 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 [[local ordinance|ordinance]]s are enforced.<ref name="Houston Mayor's Office">[http://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/index.html Mayor's Office]. 2007. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]]. </ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,948775,00.html Strong Currents of Change]. ''[[Time Magazine]].'' Published [[1979-11-19]]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref>  At-large council members represent the entire city.<ref name="Houston City Council"/> Under the current city charter, if the population in the city limits goes past 2.1&nbsp;million residents, the current nine-member city council districts will be expanded with the addition of two city council districts.<ref>{{Cite web
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Houston's skyline has been ranked fourth most impressive in the United States; it is the third-tallest skyline in the United States and one of the top 10 in the world. Houston has a seven-mile (11 km) system of tunnels and skywalks linking buildings in downtown that 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.
| title = City Council may grow by two seats, Houston Chronicle
 
| author = Matt Stiles
 
| work = chron.com
 
| date = 2006-08-10
 
| accessdate = 2008-06-21
 
| url = http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2006_4168311
 
}}</ref>
 
  
The city of Houston has been criticized for running the worst recycling program among the United States' 30 largest cities.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29recycle.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=houston%20recycling&st=cse&oref=slogin Houston Resists Recycling, and Independent Streak Is Cited,] by Adam B. Ellick, ''New York Times'', July 29, 2008.</ref> In October 2008, the city will initiate a program where it will recycle heavy organic yard waste which is expected to salvage {{convert|90000|ST|metric ton}} annually, enough to fill the [[JPMorgan Chase Tower (Houston)|Chase Tower]], the city's tallest structure.<ref>{{Cite web
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A succession of [[skyscraper]]s were built throughout the 1970s, culminating with Houston's tallest skyscraper, the 75-floor, {{convert|1002|ft|m|0|sing=on}}-tall [[JPMorgan Chase]] Tower (formerly the Texas Commerce Tower), which was completed in 1982. It is the tallest structure in Texas, tenth-tallest building in the United States and the 30th-tallest skyscraper in the world based on height to roof.
| title = Houston Resists Recycling, and Independent Streak Is Cited
 
| work = nytimes.com
 
| author = Adam B. Ellick
 
| date = 2008-07-29
 
| accessdate = 2008-07-29
 
| url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29recycle.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&sq=houston%20recycling&st=cse&scp=1
 
}}</ref>
 
  
==Crime==
+
==History==
Police services are provided by the [[Houston Police Department]]. Houston's murder rate ranked 46th of U.S. cities with a population over 250,000 in 2005 (per capita rate of 16.3 murders per 100,000 population).<ref>"{{PDFlink|[http://www.morganquitno.com/cit05r.pdf Murder Rate in 2005]|30.4&nbsp;KB}}," ''[[Morgan Quitno]]''. Retrieved on November 29, 2006.</ref> The city's murder rate, however, ranked 3rd among U.S. cities with a population of 1,000,000 or more. Even those statistics were thrown into dispute after local TV news investigator Mark Greenblatt found the Houston Police Department under-counted 2005 homicides. Officially counting just two more of the city's murders would have bumped up the city's murder rate to second place.<ref>http://www.khou.com/news/defenders/investigate/stories/khou071119_tj_murdercount.1d78917e.html</ref>
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[[Image:samuel houston.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Sam 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. The Allen brothers decided to name the city after [[Sam Houston]], the popular general at the [[Battle of San Jacinto]], who was elected president of [[Texas]] in September 1836.  
  
While nonviolent crime in the city dropped by 2&nbsp;percent in 2005 compared to 2004, the number of [[homicide]]s rose by 23.5&nbsp;percent.<ref name="Houston to be studied"/> 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.<ref name = "JLeahy">{{cite news
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Houston was granted incorporation on June 5, 1837. In the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County (now Harris County) and the temporary capital of the [[Republic of Texas]]. 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.
| last = Leahy
 
| first = Jennifer
 
| title = Homicide rate on track to be worst in a decade - Evacuees play large role in the rise, police say
 
| work = Houston Chronicle
 
| date = [[2006-10-21]]
 
| url = http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hurricane/4277375.html
 
| accessdate = 2007-02-06}}</ref> After Katrina, Houston's murder rate increased 70&nbsp;percent in November and December 2005 compared to levels in 2004. The city recorded 336 murders in 2005,<ref name="Houston to be studied">Villafranca, Armando. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2006_4235150 Houston violent crime to be studied]", ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'', November 23, 2006, p. 3. Retrieved [[2006-12-17]].</ref> compared to 272 in 2004.<ref>"{{PDFlink|[http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staff/public_information/2004CIT.pdf Crime in Texas: 2004]|193&nbsp;KB}}", [[Texas Department of Public Safety]], 2004. Retrieved [[2006-12-17]].</ref>
 
  
Houston's homicide rate per 100,000 residents increased from 16.33 in 2005 to 17.24 in 2006.<ref> O'Hare, Peggy. "{{waybackdate|site=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4437025.html|title=City sees 13.5% rise in slayings for 2006|date=20070115014451}}", ''Houston Chronicle'', [[2007-01-01]]. Retrieved on January 1, 2007 </ref> The number of murders in the city increased to 379 in 2006.<ref name="Houston to be studied"/> In 1996, there were about 380 gangs with 8,000 members; of which 2,500 were juveniles.<ref>{{Cite web
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By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of [[cotton]]. Railroad spurs from inland converged in Houston, where they met rail lines to the ports of Galveston and Beaumont. During the [[American Civil War|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. 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. By 1890 Houston was the railroad center of Texas.  
| title = Houston's gang-related crimes show decrease, according to survey
+
[[Image:Old map-Houston-1873.jpg|thumb|225px|Houston, circa 1873]]
| work = chron.com, Houston Chronicle
+
[[Image:Houston Ship Channel Barbours Cut.jpg|thumb|225px|Houston Ship Channel]]
| author = Lisa Teachey
+
[[Image:Challenger Ferry Flight Flyover of Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.jpg|thumb|225px|The space shuttle, atop its Boeing 747 SCA, flying over Johnson Space Center]]
| date = 1996-06-21
 
| accessdate = 2008-06-21
 
| url = http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1996_1349102
 
}}</ref>
 
  
==Economy==
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In 1900, after [[Galveston]] was struck by a devastating [[hurricane]], efforts to make Houston into a viable deep-water port were accelerated. The following year, oil discovered at the Spindletop [[oil field]] near Beaumont prompted the development of the Texas [[petroleum]] industry. In 1902, President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] approved a $1 million improvement project for the Houston Ship Channel. By 1910 the city's population had reached 78,800, almost double that of a decade before.  
{{main|Economy of Houston}}
 
{{Further|[[List of companies in Houston]]}}
 
[[Image:Houstonecon.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Data from citydata.com<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Houston-Economy.html|title=Houston: Economy|publisher=Advameg Inc.|accessdate=2007-07-03}}</ref>]]
 
Houston is recognized worldwide for its energy industry — particularly for oil and natural gas — as well as for [[Health science|biomedical]] research and aeronautics. The ship channel is also a large part of Houston's economic base. Because of these strengths, Houston is designated as a gamma [[global city|world city]] by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network.<ref>"[http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/citylist.html Inventory of World Cities]", ''Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-16]].</ref> 
 
  
Five of the six [[supermajor]] energy companies maintain a large base of operations in Houston (international headquarters of [[ConocoPhillips]]; US operational headquarters of [[Exxon-Mobil]]; US headquarters for international companies [[Shell Oil]] (US subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell located in The Hague, Netherlands), and [[BP]] whose international headquarters are in London, England). Specifically, the headquarters of Shell Oil Company, the US affiliate of [[Royal Dutch Shell]], is located at [[One Shell Plaza]]. While [[ExxonMobil]] maintains its small, global headquarters in [[Irving, Texas]], its [[upstream]] and chemical divisions as well as most operational divisions, are located in Houston. [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]] has offices in Houston, having acquired a 40 story building intended to be the headquarters of Enron.<ref>{{Cite web
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President [[Woodrow Wilson]] opened the deep-water Port of Houston in 1914, seven years after digging began. By 1930, Houston had become Texas's most populous city.
| title = Chevron Picks Former Enron Building for Consolidation Site
 
| work = allbusiness.com
 
| accessdate = 2008-06-21
 
| url = http://www.allbusiness.com/operations/facilities-commercial-real-estate/4408803-1.html
 
}}</ref>  The company's Chevron Pipe Line Company subsidiary is headquartered in Houston, and more divisions are being consolidated and moved to Houston each year.<ref>{{Cite web
 
| title = Chevron Pipe Line Company
 
| work = chevron-pipeline.com
 
| accessdate = 2008-06-21
 
| url = http://www.chevron-pipeline.com/
 
}}</ref> Houston is headquarters for the [[Marathon Oil Corporation]], [[Apache Corporation]], and [[Citgo]].
 
  
[[Greater Houston]] is a leading center for building [[Oil field|oilfield]] equipment.<ref>"{{PDFlink|[http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/16BW015.pdf Energy: Largest Houston Area Oilfield Equipment and Service Companies]|24.8&nbsp;KB}}", ''Greater Houston Partnership''. Retrieved on [[2007-10-14]].</ref> Much of Houston's success as a [[petrochemical]] complex is due to its busy man-made ship channel, the [[Port of Houston]].<ref>"{{PDFlink|[http://www.portofhouston.com/pdf/pubaffairs/POHA-firsts.pdf Port of Houston Firsts]|18.2&nbsp;KB}}", ''The Port of Houston Authority'', [[2007-05-15]]. Retrieved on [[2007-05-27]].</ref> The port ranks first in the United States in international commerce, and is the tenth-largest port in the world.<ref name="port ranking"/><ref>"[http://www.portofhouston.com/geninfo/overview1.html General Information]", ''The Port of Houston Authority'', [[2007-05-15]]. Retrieved on [[2007-05-27]].</ref> Unlike most places, where high [[Petroleum|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.<ref>{{cite news
+
When [[World War II]] began, 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.  
| last = Bustillo
 
| first = Miguel
 
| title = Houston is Feeling Energized
 
| work = Los Angeles Times
 
| date = [[2006-12-28]]
 
| url = http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/columnone/la-na-houston28dec28,1,6780480.story?page=1&coll=la-headlines-columnone
 
| accessdate = 2007-02-06}}</ref>
 
  
The Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA's Gross Area Product (GAP) in 2006 was $325.5&nbsp;billion,<ref name = "jlrfel">"{{PDFlink|[http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/02CW001.pdf Houston Area Profile]|55.5&nbsp;KB}}", ''Greater Houston Partnership''. Retrieved on [[2007-05-27]].</ref> 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.<ref name = "jlrfel"/> [[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]].<ref>"{{PDFlink|[http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/15AW001.pdf Gross Area Product by Industry]|28.3&nbsp;KB}}", ''Greater Houston Partnership''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-15]].</ref>
+
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.
  
Houston ranks second in employment growth rate and fourth in nominal employment growth among the 10 most populous metro areas in the U.S.<ref>"{{PDFlink|[http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/10AW001.pdf Employment by Industry]|33.1&nbsp;KB}}", ''Greater Houston Partnership''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-15]].</ref> The unemployment rate in the city was 3.8% in April 2008, the lowest level in eight years while the job growth rate was 2.8%.<ref>{{Cite web
+
In 1950, the availability of [[air conditioning]] provided impetus for many companies to relocate to Houston, resulting in an economic boom and producing a key shift in the city's economy toward the energy sector.
| title = Are You in the Best City for Your Job?, BusinessWeek
 
| work = businessweek.com
 
| author = Prashant Gopal
 
| date = 2008-06-12
 
| accessdate = 2008-06-21
 
| url = http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/jun2008/bw20080612_882775.htm?campaign_id=rss_topStories
 
}}</ref>
 
  
In 2006, the Houston metropolitan area ranked first in Texas and third in the U.S. within the Category&nbsp;of "Best Places for Business and Careers" by ''[[Forbes]]'' magazine.<ref>Badenhausen, Kurt. "[http://www.forbes.com/2006/05/03/06bestplaces_best-places-for-business_land.html 2006 Best Places for Business and Careers]", ''Forbes'', [[2006-05-04]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-15]].</ref> Forty foreign governments maintain [[international trade|trade]] and commercial offices here and the city has 23 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations.<ref>"{{PDFlink|[http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/18AW001.pdf International Representation in Houston]|30.2&nbsp;KB}}", ''Greater Houston Partnership''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-15]].</ref> Twenty foreign banks representing 10 nations operate in Houston, providing financial assistance to the international community.
+
The increased production of the local [[shipbuilding]] industry during World War II spurred Houston's growth, 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]] opened in 1965 as the world's first indoor domed sports stadium.
  
In 2008, Houston received top ranking on [[Kiplinger's Personal Finance]] ''Best Cities of 2008'' list which ranks cities on their local economy, employment opportunities, reasonable living costs and quality of life.<ref>{{Cite web
+
During the late 1970s, Houston experienced a population boom as people from [[Rust Belt]] states moved to Texas in large numbers. The new residents came for the numerous employment opportunities in the petroleum industry, created as a result of the [[Arab]] oil [[embargo]].  
| title = 2008 Best Cities, Houston, Texas
 
| author = Jane Bennett Clark
 
| date = 2008-07-01
 
| work = Kiplinger.com
 
| accessdate = 2008-06-21
 
| url = http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/2008/05/2008-best-city-houston.html
 
}}</ref> The city ranked fourth for highest increase in the local technological innovation over the preceding 15 years, according to ''[[Forbes]]'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite web
 
| title = Top 10 Up-And-Coming Tech Cities
 
| work = forbes.com
 
| accessdate = 2008-06-21
 
| url = http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/10/columbus-milwaukee-houston-ent-tech-cx_wp_0310smallbizoutlooktechcity.html
 
}}</ref> In the same year, the city ranked second on the annual [[Fortune 500]] list of company headquarters.<ref name="Fortune 500">{{Cite web
 
| title = Fortune 500 2008: Cities
 
| accessdate = 2008-04-22
 
| url = http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2008/cities/
 
}}</ref> and ranked first for ''[[Forbes]]'' ''Best Cities for College Graduates''.<ref>{{Cite web
 
| title = Best Cities For Recent College Grads
 
| work = Forbes.com
 
| date = 2008-06-28
 
| author = Andrew Egan
 
| accessdate = 2008-06-29
 
| url = http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/26/cities-grads-best-forbeslife-cx_ae_0626realestate.html
 
}}</ref>
 
  
==Demographics==
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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 adversely affect the city's economy.  
{{main|Demographics of Houston}}
 
{{USCensusPop
 
| 1850=2396
 
| 1860=4845
 
| 1870=9332
 
| 1880=16513
 
| 1890=27557
 
| 1900=44633
 
| 1910=78800
 
| 1920=138276
 
| 1930=292352
 
| 1940=384514
 
| 1950=596163
 
| 1960=938219
 
| 1970=1232802
 
| 1980=1595138
 
| 1990=1630553
 
| 2000=1953631
 
| estimate=2208180
 
| estyear=2007
 
}}
 
[[Image:Houston International Festival.jpg|thumb|left|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.<ref>"[http://www.houstontx.gov/abouthouston/houstonfacts.html Houston Facts and Figures]", ''City of Houston''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-15]].</ref> Houston has among the youngest populations in the nation,<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.ewgateway.org/pdffiles/library/wws/wws06.pdf The Strategic Assessment of the St. Louis Region, 5th edition]|4.35&nbsp;MB}}. ''East-West Gateway Council of Governments.'' 2006. Retrieved on [[2007-01-11]]. ''Page 25 in PDF File, labeled as page 21.''</ref><ref>[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=16000US4835000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US48%7C16000US4835000&_county=Houston&_cityTown=Houston&_state=04000US48 Houston city, Texas]. 2005 American Community Survey Data Profile Highlights, ''[[United States Census Bureau]]''. 2005. Retrieved on [[2007-01-12]].</ref><ref>[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GRTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US48&-_box_head_nbr=R0101&-ds_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format=US-30&-mt_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_R0101_US30&-_sse=on United States and States R0101. Median Age of the Total Population: 2005]. 2005 American Community Survey, ''[[United States Census Bureau]]''. 2005. Retrieved on [[2007-01-12]].</ref> partly due to an influx of immigrants into Texas.<ref>[http://www.dallasfed.org/research/pubs/fotexas/fotexas_petersen.html The Face of Texas Jobs, People, Business, Change]. D'Ann Petersen and Laila Assanie, ''Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.'' October 2005. Retrieved on [[2007-01-11]].</ref> The city has the third-largest Hispanic and third-largest Mexican American population in the United States.<ref>{{cite web| title = Census 2000 Paints Statistical Portrait of the Nation's Hispanic Population | work = U.S. Census | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau | date = [[2001-05-10]] | url = http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-81.html | accessdate = 2007-02-06}}</ref> An estimated 400,000 [[illegal immigration|illegal immigrants]] reside in the Greater Houston area.<ref>{{cite news | last = Hegstrom | first = Edward | title = Shadows Cloaking Immigrants Prevent Accurate Count | work = Houston Chronicle | date = [[2006-02-21]] | url = http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3500074.html | accessdate = 2007-02-06}}</ref> Houston has one of the largest communities of Indian-Americans and Pakistani-Americans in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web
 
| title = Media - Reaching a flourishing Asian-American market
 
| work = chron.com, Houston Chronicle
 
| author = Purva Patel
 
| date = 2007-09-28
 
| accessdate = 2008-06-21
 
| url = http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/5174213.html
 
}}</ref>
 
  
As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} 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&nbsp;percent [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 25.31&nbsp;percent [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black]], 5.31&nbsp;percent [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.44&nbsp;percent [[American Indian (U.S. Census)|American Indian]], 0.06&nbsp;percent [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 16.46&nbsp;percent from [[Race (United States Census)|some other race]], and 3.15&nbsp;percent from [[Multiracial|two or more races]]. Persons of [[Hispanic]] origin—who may be of any race—accounted for 37 percent of the population while non-Hispanic whites made up 30.8 percent.  
+
Since the 1990s, as a result of the recession, Houston has made efforts to diversify its economy by focusing on aerospace and [[health care]]/[[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.
  
Houston has a large population of [[Immigration|immigrants]] from Asia, including the largest [[Vietnamese-American]] population in Texas and third-largest in the United&nbsp;States, with 85,000 people in 2006.<ref>{{cite news
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Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of the {{nowrap|Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown}} metropolitan area—the {{nowrap|sixth-largest}} metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of 5.6 million.
|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-houston21dec21,0,3054899.story
 
|title=Flocking from SoCal to Houston
 
|author=My-Thuan Tran
 
|publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]]
 
|date=2007-12-21
 
|accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref>
 
Some parts of the city with high populations of Vietnamese and Chinese residents have Chinese and [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] street signs, in addition to English ones. Houston has two [[Chinatown]]s: the original located in Downtown, and the more recent one north of Bellaire Boulevard in the southwest area of the city.<ref>{{cite news| last = Chen | first = Edward C.M. | coauthors = Von Der Mehden, Fred R. | title = History of Houston's Chinatown | work = Chinatownconnection.com | year= 2005 | url = http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston_chinatown_history.htm | accessdate = 2007-02-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Houston Chinatown Area Map | work = Chinatownconnection.com | year= 2005 | url = http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston-chinatown-map.htm | accessdate = 2007-02-06}}</ref> The city has a [[Little Saigon]] in [[Midtown, Houston, Texas|Midtown]] and Vietnamese businesses located in the southwest Houston Chinatown.<ref>{{cite news | title = City Adopts "Little Saigon" | work = Houston Business Journal | date = [[2004-05-07]] | url = http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2004/05/10/tidbits1.html | accessdate = 2007-02-06}}</ref> A "[[Little India (location)|Little India]]" community referred to as the "Harwin District" exists along Hillcroft.<ref>"[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5546748.html South Asian businesses venture into Houston's suburbs]," ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'', February 16, 2008</ref>
 
  
Houston has a large [[gay community]] concentrated primarily in [[Montrose, Houston, Texas|Montrose]], [[Neartown Houston|Neartown]] and [[Houston Heights, Houston, Texas|Houston&nbsp;Heights]]. It is estimated that the Houston metropolitan area has the twelfth-largest number of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals in the United States. <ref>Gary J. Gates {{PDFlink|[http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/SameSexCouplesandGLBpopACS.pdf Same-sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Population: New Estimates from the American Community Survey]|2.07&nbsp;MB}}. The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, UCLA School of Law October, 2006. Retrieved April 20, 2007. </ref>
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In June 2001, Tropical Storm Allison dumped up to {{convert|37|in|mm}} 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. By December of that year, Houston-based energy company [[Enron]] collapsed into the second-largest U.S. [[bankruptcy]] during an investigation surrounding fabricated partnerships that were allegedly used to hide [[debt]] and inflate profits.  
  
==Culture==
+
In August 2005, Houston became a shelter to more than 150,000 people from [[New Orleans]] who evacuated in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]]. One month later, approximately 2.5 million Houston area residents evacuated when Hurricane Rita approached the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]], leaving little damage to the Houston area. This event marked the largest urban evacuation in the history of the [[United States]].
{{main|Culture of Houston}}
 
{{see also|List of people raised in Houston|Nicknames of Houston|Sister cities of Houston}}
 
[[Image:Art Car Parade.jpg|right|thumb|[[Houston Art Car Parade]]]]
 
Houston is a [[multicultural]] city with a large and growing international community.<ref>{{cite web | title = International Community | work = houston.org | url = http://www.houston.org/whyHouston/international.asp | accessdate = 2007-02-18}}</ref> The metropolitan area is home to an estimated 1.1&nbsp;million (21.4 percent) residents who were born outside the United States, with nearly two-thirds of the area's foreign-born population from south of the United States–Mexico border.<ref name = "ytlzpc">{{cite web | title = Foreign Born Population | work = houston.org | url = http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/09GW025.pdf | accessdate = 2007-09-19|format=PDF}}</ref> Additionally, more than one in five foreign-born residents are from Asia. <ref name = "ytlzpc"/> The city is home to the nation’s third largest concentration of consular offices, representing 86 countries.<ref>{{cite web | title = International Representation in Houston | work = houston.org | url = http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/18AW001.pdf | accessdate = 2007-02-11|format=PDF}}</ref>
 
  
Houston received the official nickname of "Space City" in 1967 because it is the location of NASA's [[Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center]]. Other nicknames often used by locals include {{nowrap|"[[Bayou City]],"}} "Magnolia&nbsp;City," "[[Clutch City]]," and "H-Town."
+
==Government and politics==
 +
[[Image:HoustonCityHall DANIEL2986.jpg|thumb|right|Houston City Hall]]
 +
The city of Houston has a strong mayoral form of municipal government. 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. 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.  
  
===Arts and theater===
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The current city council line-up of nine district-based and five at large positions was based on a U.S. Justice Department mandate that took effect in 1979. 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.
[[Image:Wortham Center.jpg|thumb|left|Wortham Center in the [[Houston Theater District|Theater&nbsp;District]] of Downtown]]
 
Houston has an active [[visual arts|visual]] and [[performing arts]] scene. The [[Houston Theater District|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.<ref>Ramsey, Cody. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/mag/issues/2002-09-01/tidbits.php In a state of big, Houston is at the top]", ''Texas Monthly'', September 2002. Retrieved December 10, 2002.</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Houston Arts and Museums | publisher = City of Houston eGovernment Center | url = http://www.houstontx.gov/abouthouston/artsandmuseums.html | accessdate = 2007-02-07}}</ref><ref>"[http://www.houstontheaterdistrict.org/en/cms/?68 About Houston Theater District]", ''Houston Theater District''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-16]].</ref> Houston is one of few 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]]).<ref name = "ikvngd"/><ref>"[http://www.houstontheaterdistrict.org/en/cms/?12 Performing Arts Venues]", ''Houston Theater District''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-16]].</ref> Houston is also home to many local [[folk art]]ists, [[art groups]] and various smaller progressive arts organizations.<ref>"[http://www.artcarmuseum.com/History/history.htm A Brief History of the Art Car Museum]", ''ArtCar Museum of Houston''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-16]].</ref> Houston attracts many touring Broadway acts, concerts, shows, and exhibitions for a variety of interests.<ref>[http://www.quilts.com/home/news/index.php 2006 fall edition of International Quilt Festival attracts 53,546 to Houston]. ''Quilts., Inc.'' Press release published [[2006-11-30]]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-12]].</ref>
 
  
Houston holds the [[Bayou City Art Festival]], which is considered to be one of the top five art festivals in the United States.<ref name=AmericanStyle2004> {{cite web|accessdate=2007-04-26
+
==Economy==
|url=http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/Buffalo/Top_25_Fairs_Festivals.cfm.html
+
[[Image:Houstonecon.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Data from citydata.com<ref>''CityData.com''. [http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Houston-Economy.html Houston: Economy] Retrieved December 4, 2008.</ref>]]
|title=The 2004 Top 25 Fairs & Festivals
 
|work=AmericanStyle Magazine}}</ref><ref name=AmericanStyle2005>{{cite web|accessdate=2007-04-26
 
|title=AmericanStyle Magazine Readers Name 2005 Top 10 Art Fairs and Festivals
 
|url=http://www.paradisecityarts.com/public/pdfs/2005top10.pdf
 
|date=October 25, 2005|work=AmericanStyle Magazine|format=PDF}}</ref>
 
  
The [[Houston Museum District|Museum District]] has many popular cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7&nbsp;million visitors a year.<ref>[http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/listing.details.php?id=23096 Houston Museum District]. Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved on [[2007-02-18]].</ref><ref>{{cite news|accessdate=2007-05-22|url=http://www.austin360.com/arts/content/arts/stories/2006/04/1austin.html|title=Central Austin has the makings of a museum district|publisher=Austin360.com|author=Jeanne Claire van Ryzin|date=April 1, 2006}}</ref> Notable facilities located in the district include [[The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston|The Museum of Fine Arts]], [[Houston Museum of Natural Science]], the [[Contemporary Arts Museum Houston]], [[Holocaust Museum Houston]], and the [[Houston Zoo]].<ref>[http://www.texasmonthly.com/promotions/cadillac/breakthroughs2/museums/ Houston Museum District Day]. Texas Monthly. 2006. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref><ref>[http://www.camh.org/visitor_mus_dist.html Museum District]. Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref><ref>
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Houston is recognized worldwide for its energy industry—particularly for [[Petroleum|oil]] and [[natural gas]]—as well as for [[Health science|biomedical]] research and aeronautics. The ship channel is also a large part of Houston's economic base.
[http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/parks_and_outdoors/listing.details.php?id=23096 Houston Museum District]. Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref> Located in the nearby [[Montrose, Houston, Texas|Montrose]] area are [[Menil Collection|The&nbsp;Menil&nbsp;Collection]] and [[Rothko Chapel]].
+
 +
Five of the six supermajor energy companies maintain a large base of operations in Houston including the international headquarters of ConocoPhillips; US operational headquarters of Exxon-Mobil; US headquarters for international companies Shell Oil (US subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell located in The Hague, Netherlands), and BP whose international headquarters are in [[London]], [[England]]. Chevron has offices in Houston. Houston is also headquarters for the Marathon Oil Corporation, Apache Corporation, and Citgo.
  
[[Image:HoustonTX HobbyCenter.jpg|thumb|right|[[Hobby Center for the Performing Arts]]]] [[Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens|Bayou Bend]], located in [[River Oaks, Houston|River Oaks]], is a {{convert|14|acre|adj=on}} facility of the Museum of Fine Arts that houses one of America's best collections of decorative art, paintings and furniture. Bayou Bend is the former home of Houston philanthropist [[Ima Hogg]].<ref>{{Cite web
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Greater Houston is a 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. 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 [[Petroleum|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]].
| title = Bayou Bend Collections and Gardens, Houston, Texas
 
| accessdate = 2008-03-23
 
| url = http://www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/1167540
 
}}</ref>
 
  
Many venues scattered across Houston regularly host local and touring [[rock and roll|rock]], [[blues]], [[country music|country]], [[hip hop]] and [[Tejano music|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.<ref>{{cite news | last = Lomax, John Nova. "Nobody Gets Out of Here Alive - The Houston Rock Scene and the Cultural Cringe", Houston Press, Feb 1, 2007 | first = John Nova | title = "Nobody Gets Out of Here Alive - The Houston Rock Scene and the Cultural Cringe | work = The Houston Press | date = [[2007-02-01]] | accessdate = 2007-02-12}}</ref> A notable exception to the rule is [[Houston hip hop|Houston hip-hop]], which celebrates the unique southern flavor and attitude of its roots. This has given rise to a strong, independent [[Houston hip hop|hip-hop]] music scene, influencing and influenced by the larger Southern [[hip hop]] and [[gangsta rap]] communities.<ref>{{cite news | last = Frere-Jones | first = Sasha | title = A Place In the Sun - Houston Hip-Hop Takes Over | work = The New Yorker | date = [[2005-11-14]] | url = http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/11/14/051114crmu_music | accessdate = 2007-02-06}}</ref> Many Houstonian hip-hop artists have attained commercial success.
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The Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA's Gross Area Product (GAP) in 2006 was $325.5 billion,<ref name = "jlrfel">''Greater Houston Partnership''. April 22, 2008. [http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/02CW001.pdf Houston Area Profile] Retrieved December 4, 2008.</ref> 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. [[Mining]], which in Houston is almost entirely exploration and production of oil and gas, accounts for 11 percent of Houston's GAP; this is down from 21 percent 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]].<ref>''Greater Houston Partnership''. May 21, 2008. [http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/15AW001.pdf Gross Area Product by Industry] Retrieved December 4, 2008.</ref>
  
===Events===
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[[Image:45intoI-10 2.jpg|thumb|left|Interstate 10 and Interstate 45 near Downtown]]
{{see also|List of events in Houston}}
+
Among the 10 most populous metro areas in the U.S., Houston posted both the highest employment
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&nbsp;days from late February to early March. Another large celebration is the annual night-time [[Gay pride parade|Houston Pride Parade]], held at the end of June.<ref>{{cite web | title = Pride Houston | work = pridehouston.org | url = http://www.pridehouston.org/home/ | accessdate = 2007-02-07}}</ref> Other annual events include the [[Houston Greek Festival]],<ref>[http://www.greekfestival.org/ The Original Greek Festival, Houston, Texas]. 2006. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]]. '''''Warning:''''' ''Automatic sound file.''</ref> [[Houston Art Car Parade|Art Car Parade]], the Houston Auto Show, the Houston International Festival and the Westheimer Block Party.<ref>[http://www.ifest.org/ The Houston International Festival]. 2007. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref>
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growth rate and the largest nominal employment gain in period September 2007 through September 2008.<ref>''Greater Houston Partnership''. October 29, 2008. [http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/10AW001.pdf Employment by Industry] Retrieved December 4, 2008.</ref> The [[unemployment]] rate in the city was 3.8 percent in April 2008, the lowest level in eight years while the job growth rate was 2.8 percent.
  
===Tourism and recreation===
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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. Forty foreign governments maintain [[international trade|trade]] and commercial offices here and the city has 23 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations. Twenty foreign [[bank]]s representing ten nations operate in Houston, providing financial assistance to the international community.
[[Image:Hermann Park Texas.jpg|left|thumb|Reflection pool in [[Hermann Park]]]]
 
[[Space Center Houston]] 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 [[Houston Theater District|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 [[concert]]s, stage plays, and stand-up comedy; and the Angelika Film Center presents the latest in art and foreign and [[independent film]]s.<ref>[http://www.angelikafilmcenter.com/houston/default.asp Angelika Houston]. ''Angelika Film Center.'' Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref>
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In 2008, Houston received top ranking on Kiplinger's Personal Finance ''Best Cities of 2008'' list, which ranks cities on their local economy, employment opportunities, reasonable living costs and quality of life. The city ranked fourth for highest increase in the local technological innovation over the preceding 15 years, according to Forbes Magazine. In the same year, the city ranked second on the annual Fortune 500 list of company headquarters and ranked first for ''Forbes'' ''Best Cities for College Graduates.''
  
Houston is home to 337 parks including [[Hermann Park]], which houses the [[Houston Zoo]] and the [[Houston Museum of Natural Science]], [[Terry Hershey Park]], Lake Houston Park, [[Memorial Park, Houston, Texas|Memorial Park]], [[Tranquility Park]], [[Sesquicentennial Park]], [[Discovery Green]] and [[Sam Houston Park]] (which contains restored and reconstructed homes which were originally built between 1823 and 1905).<ref>[http://www.heritagesociety.org/ths.html The Heritage Society: Walk into Houston's Past]. ''The Heritage Society.'' Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref> Of the 10 most populous U.S. cities, Houston has the most total area of parks and green space: {{convert|56405|acre|km2|0}}.<ref> Continental Magazine, March 2008. p.67. </ref> The city also has over 200 additional green spaces—totaling over {{convert|19600|acre|km2|0}} 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]].
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===Transportation===
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[[Image:METRORail 7.jpg|thumb|right|225px|METRO light rail along the Main Street Corridor in Downtown]]
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[[Image:Iah main entrance.jpg|thumb|275px|left|George Bush Intercontinental Airport]]
  
Other [[tourism|tourist]] attractions include [[Houston Galleria|the Galleria]] (Texas's [[List of largest shopping malls in the United States|largest]] [[shopping mall]] located in the Uptown District), Old Market Square, the Downtown Aquarium, [[SplashTown Waterpark Houston|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}}.
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Houston's freeway system is made up of {{convert|575.5|mi|km|1}} of freeways and expressways in a ten-county metropolitan area. Its highway system uses a hub-and-spoke freeway structure serviced by multiple loops. Houston also lies along the route of the proposed Interstate 69 [[North American Free Trade Agreement|NAFTA]] superhighway that would link [[Canada]], the U.S. industrial [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]], Texas, and [[Mexico]].  
  
===Sports===
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Houston is served by two commercial airports, serving 52 million passengers in 2007.<ref>''Houston Airport System''. January 28, 2008. [http://www.fly2houston.com/0/685923/0/1906D1940/ 52 Million Travelers and Over 387,000 Metric Tons of Air Cargo Passed through Houston’s Airports in 2007] Retrieved December 4, 2008.</ref> The larger is George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), which in 2007 was the ninth-busiest in the United States for total passengers, and sixteenth-busiest worldwide.<ref>''Airports Council International.'' July 2008. [http://www.aci.aero/aci/aci/file/Press%20Releases/2008/TOP30_Passengers_2007.pdf Top 30 World Airports by Passenger]. Retrieved December 4, 2008.</ref> In 2006, the [[United States Department of Transportation]] named IAH the fastest-growing of the top ten airports in the United States. 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.
{{main|Sports in Houston}}
 
{{see also|Former professional sports teams in Houston}}
 
[[Image:MainEvent.jpg|right|thumb|Revelers at "The Main Event" held downtown during Super Bowl XXXVIII]]
 
Houston has teams for nearly every major professional sport. The [[Houston Astros]] ([[Major League Baseball|MLB]]), [[Houston Texans]] ([[National Football League|NFL]]), [[Houston Rockets]] ([[National Basketball Association|NBA]]), [[Houston Dynamo]] ([[Major League Soccer|MLS]]), [[Houston Comets]] ([[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]]), [[Houston Aeros]] ([[American Hockey League|AHL]]), [[Houston Wranglers]] ([[World Team Tennis|WTT]]), [[Houston Takers]] ([[American Basketball Association (21st century)|ABA]]), [[Houston Energy]] ([[Independent Women's Football League|IWFL]]), and the [[H-Town Texas Cyclones]] ([[National Women's Football Association|NWFA]]) all call Houston home.
 
  
[[Minute Maid Park]] (home of the Astros) and [[Toyota Center (Houston)|Toyota Center]] (home of the Rockets, 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]], [[Reliant Arena]] (home of the Comets), and [[Robertson Stadium]] (both used for [[University of Houston]] [[collegiate sports]], the latter also for the [[Houston Dynamo]]), 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.<ref>"[http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2001/2001_04_02.1.jsp WrestleMania X-Seven Sets Revenue, Attendance Records]", ''World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.'', [[2001-04-02]]. Retrieved [[2006-12-16]].</ref> The city will host [[WrestleMania XXV]] at [[Reliant Stadium]] on April 5, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/WrestleMania24/2008/03/31/5148416.html|title=Mayweather, Orton survive Mania; Edge, Flair don't| publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]|date=2008-03-31|author=Dale Plummer|accessdate=2008-03-31}}</ref>
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==Demographics==
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[[Image:Houston International Festival.jpg|thumb|The annual Houston International Festival spotlights a different culture each year]]
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Houston is a diverse and international city, in part because of its many academic institutions and strong industries. Houston has among the youngest populations in the nation, partly due to an influx of [[immigrants]] into Texas.  
  
Houston has hosted major recent sporting events, including the [[2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]],<ref>{{cite web | title = National Aeronautics and Space Administration | work = JSC Celebrates 40 Years of Human Space Flight | url = http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/history/jsc40/jsc40_pg4.html | accessdate = 2007-02-18}}</ref> 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. Starting in 2009, Houston will host the final event on the [[LPGA]] golf season, the [[LPGA Playoffs at The ADT|Stanford Financial Tour Championship]]. 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. From 1998 to 2001, the CART auto racing series held a yearly race, the [[Grand Prix of Houston]], on downtown streets. After a five-year hiatus, CART's successor series, [[Champ Car]], revived the race for 2006 and 2007 on the streets surrounding the [[Reliant Park]] complex. However, Champ Car merged with the rival [[Indy Racing League]] (IRL) in 2008, discontinuing the Houston race in the process.
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Over 90 [[language]]s are spoken in the city. The city has the third-largest [[Hispanic]] and third-largest [[Mexican-American]] population in the United States.<ref>''U.S. Census Bureau''. May 10, 2001. Census 2000 Paints Statistical Portrait of the Nation's Hispanic Population.</ref> An estimated 400,000 [[illegal immigration|illegal immigrants]] are believed to reside in the Greater Houston area.<ref>Edward Hegstrom, February 21, 2006. [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3500074.html Shadows Cloaking Immigrants Prevent Accurate Count] ''Houston Chronicle''. Retrieved December 4, 2008.</ref>
  
===Media===
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Houston has one of the largest communities of [[India]]n-Americans and [[Pakistan]]i-Americans in the United States, as well as a large population of immigrants from elsewhere in [[Asia]], including the largest [[Vietnam]]ese-American population in Texas and third-largest in the United States, with 85,000 people in 2006.<ref>My-Thuan Tran, December 21, 2007. [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-houston21dec21,0,3054899.story Flocking from SoCal to Houston] ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved December 4, 2008.</ref>
{{further|[[List of newspapers in Houston]], [[List of television stations in Texas#Houston|List of television stations in Houston]], [[List of radio stations in Texas#Houston|List of radio stations in Houston]], and [[List of films featured in Houston]]}}
 
Houston is served by the ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'', its only major daily newspaper with wide distribution. The [[Hearst Corporation]], which owns and operates the ''Houston Chronicle'', bought the assets of the ''[[Houston Post]]''—its long-time rival and main competition—when ''Houston Post'' ceased operations in 1995. The ''Houston 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.<ref name="About">{{cite web|url=http://www.houstonpress.com/about/|title=Houston Press: About Us|publisher=Houston Press |accessdate=2007-01-26}}</ref>
 
  
Houston Community Newspapers is a news source for smaller localized communities in and around the city. Houston Community Newspapers publishes 35 suburban newspapers—including two daily papers and 33 weekly papers.<ref>"Local Top Stories," Houston Community Newspapers (Townnews.com, 1995–2007).[http://www.hcnonline.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1574&nav_sec=69981&nr=1&nostat=1]</ref>
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As of the 2000 census, 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 [[African American]], 5.31 percent [[Asia]]n, 0.44 percent [[Native American]], 0.06 percent [[Pacific Islands|Pacific Islander]], 16.46 percent from some other race, and 3.15 percent from two or more races. Persons of Hispanic origin—who may be of any race—accounted for 37 percent of the population while non-Hispanic whites made up 30.8 percent.  
  
Among leading media personalities in Houston were [[Ray Miller (Texas journalist)|Ray Miller]], host of ''The Eyes of Texas'', a [[culture|cultural]] [[anthology]] [[television series|series]] broadcast for nearly three [[decade]]s over [[KPRC-TV]], the [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]] affiliate as well as [[Marvin Zindler]]. In the late 1960s, Miller hired [[Kay Bailey Hutchison]], a [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]] native as the first woman newswoman in Texas. She later served in the [[Texas House of Representatives]] and the [[United States Senate]].
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While nonviolent [[crime]] in the city dropped by two percent in 2005 compared to 2004, the number of [[homicide]]s rose by 23.5 percent. Since 2005, Houston has been experiencing a spike in crime, which observers say is due in part to an influx of people from [[New Orleans]] following [[Hurricane Katrina]]. After Katrina, Houston's [[murder rate]] increased 70 percent in November and December 2005, compared to levels in 2004.
  
==Architecture==
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==Health care==
{{main|Architecture of Houston}}
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[[Image:FlightHoustontoDallas086.jpg|thumb|right|Texas Medical Center]]
{{see also|List of tallest buildings in Houston}}
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Houston is the seat of the internationally renowned Texas Medical Center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and [[Health care|health-care]] institutions. All 45 member institutions of the Texas Medical Center are [[non-profit organization]]s. They provide patient and preventive care, research, education, and local, national, and international community well-being. These institutions include 13 renowned [[hospital]]s and two specialty institutions, two [[medical school]]s, four [[nursing school]]s, 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 [[Cardiac surgery|heart surgeries]] are performed at the Texas Medical Center than anywhere else in the world.<ref>''Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.'' [http://www.visithoustontexas.com/media/statistics/Houston_Stats_Texas_Medical_Center Texas Medical Center] Retrieved December 4, 2008.</ref>
[[Image:Chase Tower, a block away.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[JPMorgan Chase Tower (Houston)|JPMorgan Chase Tower]] stands as the [[list of tallest buildings in Texas|tallest building in Texas]].]]
 
Houston's skyline has been ranked fourth most impressive in the United States;<ref>Gramsbergen, Egbert, Kazmierczak, Paul. "[http://homepages.ipact.nl/~egram/skylines.html The World's Best Skylines]", [[2006-12-11]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-16]].</ref> it is the third-tallest skyline in the United States and one of the top 10 in the world.<ref>"[http://ultrapolisproject.com/Tallest_25_Skylines_Cities.htm Calculated Average Height of the Ten Tallest (CAHTT)]", ''UltrapolisProject.com''. Retrieved on [[2007-07-01]].</ref> Houston has a seven-mile (11&nbsp;km) [[Houston Downtown Tunnel System|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]] consisted of a modest collection of mid-rise office structures, but has since grown into one of the largest [[skyline]]s in the United States. Downtown was on the threshold of a boom in 1970 with huge projects being launched by [[real estate developer]]s 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, {{convert|1002|ft|m|0|sing=on}}-tall [[JPMorgan Chase Tower (Houston)|JPMorgan Chase Tower]] (formerly the Texas Commerce Tower), which was completed in 1982. It is the tallest structure in Texas, [[List of tallest buildings in the United States|10th-tallest]] building in the United States and the [[List of tallest buildings in the world|30th-tallest]] skyscraper in the world based on height to roof. In 1983, the 71-floor, {{convert|992|ft|m|0|sing=on}}-tall [[Wells Fargo Bank Plaza]] (formerly Allied 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&nbsp;million square feet (4,000,000&nbsp;m²) of office space.<ref>[http://www.houstondowntown.com/Home/GeneralInfo/About/FastFacts1/ Fast Facts, Downtown Houston]. ''Houstondowntown.com'' 2006. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref>
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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 latter has consistently ranked as one of the top two U.S. hospitals specializing in [[cancer]] care since 1990.
  
Centered on Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road, the [[Uptown Houston|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 (Texas)|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, {{convert|901|ft|m|0|sing=on}}-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]] [[Tower block|residential tower]] construction, with several over 30 stories tall.<ref>[http://www.uptown-houston.com/economic/market/residential.html Residential Real Estate]. ''Uptown-houston.com'' Retrieved on [[2007-01-11]].</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Sarnoff | first = Nancy | title = Genesis Laying Down Plans for Newest Uptown Condo Highrise | work = Houston Business Journal | date = [[2001-12-14]] | url = http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2001/12/17/newscolumn3.html | accessdate = 2007-02-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Apte | first = Angela | title = Rising Land Costs Boost Houston's Mid-Rise Market | work = Houston Business Journal | date = [[2001-10-26]] | url = http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2001/10/29/focus1.html | accessdate = 2007-01-11}}</ref> In 2002, Uptown had more than 23&nbsp;million square feet (2,100,000&nbsp;m²) of office space with 16&nbsp;million square feet (1,500,000&nbsp;m²) of [[Class A office space]].<ref>[http://www.uptown-houston.com/economic/market/office.html Commercial Real Estate]. ''Uptown-houston.com'' Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref>
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==Education==
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[[Image:Ezekiel W. Cullen building 3.jpg|thumb|right|University of Houston]]
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[[Image:Lovett Hall.jpg|thumb|Rice University]]
 +
There are four public and three private universities engaged in [[research and development]] in Houston. The {{nowrap|University of Houston ("UH")}} is Texas's third-largest public research university with more than 40 research centers and institutes. With more than 36,000 students from 130 countries, UH is one of the most ethnically diverse campuses in the country.
  
==Transportation==
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The city is also 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.''<ref>''U.S. News & World Report,'' May 4, 2007. [http://web.archive.org/web/20070504231537/www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php America's Best Colleges 2007] Retrieved December 4, 2008.</ref> Other public institutions of higher learning in the city include {{nowrap|University of Houston–Clear Lake ("UHCL")}}, {{nowrap|University of Houston–Downtown ("UHD")}}, and {{nowrap|Texas Southern University ("TSU")}}. The several private institutions include University of St. Thomas, which in 2008 was ranked one of "America's Best Colleges" by ''US News & World Report,'' and Houston Baptist University. The Houston Community College System serves most of Houston and is the fourth-largest [[community college]] system in the United States.
{{main|Transportation in Houston}}
 
[[Image:45intoI-10 2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Interstate 10 (Texas)|Interstate 10]] and [[Interstate 45 (Texas)|Interstate 45]] near Downtown]]
 
  
[[List of Houston highways|Houston's freeway]] system is made up of {{convert|575.5|mi|km|1}} of freeways and expressways in a ten-county metropolitan area.<ref>"{{PDFlink|[http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/11BW001.pdf Highway System]|153&nbsp;KB}}", ''Greater Houston Partnership''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-16]].</ref> Its highway system uses a [[Spoke-hub distribution paradigm|hub-and-spoke]] freeway structure serviced by multiple loops. The innermost loop is [[Interstate 610 (Texas)|Interstate 610]], which encircles downtown, the medical center, and many core neighborhoods with around a {{convert|10|mi|km|0|sing=on}} diameter. [[State Highway Beltway 8 (Texas)|Beltway 8]] and its freeway core, the Sam Houston Tollway, form the middle loop at a diameter of roughly {{convert|25|mi|km|0}}. A proposed highway project, [[State Highway 99 (Texas)|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 in Texas|Interstate 10]], west of Houston, to [[U.S. Highway 59 (Texas)|U.S. Highway 59]] in [[Sugar Land, Texas|Sugar&nbsp;Land]], southwest of Houston, and was completed in 1994.
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There are 17 school districts serving the city. The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the seventh-largest in the [[United States]]. HISD has 112 campuses that serve as magnet or vanguard schools—specializing in such disciplines as health professions, [[visual arts|visual]] and [[performing arts]], and the [[science]]s. There are also many [[charter school]]s that are run separately from school districts. In addition, some public school districts also have their own charter schools.
  
Houston also lies along the route of the proposed [[Interstate 69 (Texas)|Interstate 69]] [[North American Free Trade Agreement|NAFTA]] superhighway that would link Canada, the U.S. industrial [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]], Texas, and Mexico. Other spoke freeways either planned or under construction include the [[Fort Bend Parkway Toll Road|Fort Bend Parkway]], [[Hardy Toll Road]], [[U.S. Highway 90 (Texas)|Crosby Freeway]], and the future [[Texas State Highway 35|Alvin Freeway]].  
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The Houston area is home to more than 300 [[private school]]s. The Houston Area Independent Schools, or HAIS, offer [[education]] from a variety of different religious as well as secular viewpoints. The Houston area Catholic schools are operated by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
  
Houston's freeway system is monitored by Houston TranStar, a partnership of four government agencies that are responsible for providing transportation and [[emergency management]] services to the [[Greater Houston|region]]. Houston TranStar was the first center in the nation to combine transportation and emergency management centers, and the first to bring four agencies ([[Texas Department of Transportation]], [[Harris County, Texas]], [[Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas]] and the City of Houston) together to share their resources.<ref>[http://www.houstontranstar.org/about_transtar/ About Houston TranStar]. ''Houston TranStar.'' 2008. Retrieved on [[2008-02-17]].</ref>
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==Culture==
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Houston has an active [[visual arts|visual]] and [[performing arts]] scene. The Theater District is located downtown and is home to nine major performing arts organizations and six performance halls. Houston is one of few 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). Houston is also home to many local [[folk art]]ists, [[art]] groups, and various smaller progressive arts organizations.
  
[[Image:METRORail 7.jpg|thumb|right|METRO light rail along the Main Street Corridor in Downtown]]
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Houston holds the Bayou City Art Festival<ref>[http://www.bayoucityartfestival.com/ Bayou City Art Festival]. Retrieved December 29, 2008.</ref> in October, which is considered to be one of the top five art festivals in the United States.
  
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.
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The [[Museum]] District has many popular cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year.<ref>''Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau''.[http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/listing.details.php?id=23096 Houston Museum District]. Retrieved December 4, 2008.</ref> 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.
  
METRO began light rail service on January 1, 2004 with the inaugural track {{nowrap|("Red Line")}} running about 8&nbsp;miles (13&nbsp;km) from the {{nowrap|University of Houston–Downtown ("UHD")}}, which traverses through the {{nowrap|Texas Medical Center}} and terminates at {{nowrap|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.<ref>[http://www.metrosolutions.org/go/site/1068/ METRO Solutions]. ''METRO.'' 2006. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref>
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Bayou Bend, located in River Oaks, is a {{convert|14|acre|adj=on}} facility of the Museum of Fine Arts that houses one of America's best collections of [[decorative art]], [[painting]]s and [[furniture]].  
  
[[Amtrak]], the national rail passenger system, provides service to Houston via the {{Amtrak lines|Sunset Limited}} {{nowrap|(Los Angeles–New Orleans)}}, which stops at a [[Houston (Amtrak station)|train station]] on the north side of the downtown area. The station saw 10,855 boardings and alightings in fiscal year 2006.<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/TEXAS06.pdf Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2006]|39.6&nbsp;KB}}. Amtrak. 2006. Retrieved on [[2007-03-27]].</ref>
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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. Other annual events include the Houston Greek Festival, Art Car Parade, the Houston Auto Show, the Houston International Festival and the Westheimer Block Party.
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<center>
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{|
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|-
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| valign="top"|
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[[Image:Wortham Center.jpg|thumb|180px|Wortham Center in the Theater District of Downtown]]
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| valign="top"|
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[[Image:Art Car Parade.jpg|180px|thumb|Houston Art Car Parade]]
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| valign="top"|
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[[Image:HoustonTX HobbyCenter.jpg|thumb|180px|Hobby Center for the Performing Arts]]
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|-
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</center>
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===Tourism and recreation===
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Space Center Houston is the official visitors’ center of [[NASA]]'s [[Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center]], where one finds many interactive exhibits including [[moon]] [[rock]]s, a [[Space shuttle|shuttle]] simulator, and presentations about the history of NASA's manned [[space flight]] program.
 +
[[Image:MainEvent.jpg|225px|thumb|Revelers at "The Main Event" held downtown during Super Bowl XXXVIII]]
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Houston is home to 337 parks including Hermann Park, which houses the Houston Zoo and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The Museum district features 18 museums.<ref>[http://www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org/default.asp?id=1 Houston Museum District]. Retrieved December 29, 2008.</ref> Of the ten most populous U.S. cities, Houston has the most total area of parks and green space: {{convert|56405|acre|km2|0}}. The city also has over 200 additional green spaces—totaling over {{convert|19600|acre|km2|0}} 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.
  
[[Image:Iah main entrance.jpg|left|thumb|[[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]]]]
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===Sports===
 
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Houston has teams for nearly every major professional sport. The Houston Astros (MLB), Houston Texans ([[National Football League|NFL]]), Houston Rockets ([[National Basketball Association|NBA]]), Houston Dynamo (MLS), Houston Comets (WNBA), Houston Aeros (AHL), Houston Wranglers (WTT), Houston Takers (ABA), Houston Energy (IWFL), and the H-Town Texas Cyclones (NWFA) all call Houston home.
Houston is served by two commercial airports, serving 52&nbsp;million passengers in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web
 
| title = 52 Million Travelers and Over 387,000 Metric Tons of Air Cargo Passed through Houston’s Airports in 2007
 
| date = 2008-01-28
 
| work = fly2houston.com, Houston Airport System
 
| accessdate = 2008-06-21
 
| url = http://www.fly2houston.com/0/685923/0/1906D1940/
 
}}</ref> The larger is [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] (IAH), the ninth-busiest in the United States for total passengers, and seventeenth-busiest worldwide.<ref>[http://www.airports.org/cda/aci/display/main/aci_content.jsp?zn=aci&cp=1-5-54_9_2__ Passenger Traffic 2005 FINAL]. ''Airports Council International.'' Published [[2006-07-17]]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-11]].</ref> Bush Intercontinental currently ranks third in the United States for non-stop domestic and international service with 182 destinations.<ref>[http://www.fly2houston.com/iahAbout About George Bush Intercontinental Airport]. ''Houston Airport System.'' Retrieved on [[2007-01-11]].</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite press release|title=2005 Total Airline System Passenger Traffic Up 4.6% From 2004|publisher=[[Bureau of Transportation Statistics]]|date=2006-04-27|url=http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2006/bts020_06/html/bts020_06.html |accessdate=2006-12-16}}</ref> Houston is the headquarters of [[Continental Airlines]] and Bush Intercontinental is Continental Airlines' largest [[airline hub|hub]]. The airline offers more than 700 daily departures from Houston.<ref>[http://www.fly2houston.com/iahAbout Facts and Figures]. ''Houston Airport System.'' 2007. Retrieved on [[2007-02-28]].</ref> In early 2007, Bush Intercontinental Airport was named a model "port of entry" for international travelers by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.<ref>{{Cite web
 
| title = Airport designated `model port of entry', Houston Chronicle
 
| author = Bill Hensel, Jr.
 
| date = 2007-04-05
 
| work = chron. com
 
| accessdate = 2008-06-21
 
| url = http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4319002
 
}}</ref> The [[Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center]] stands on the George Bush Intercontinental Airport grounds.
 
 
 
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.
 
 
 
Another airport is [[Ellington Field]] (a former [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] base) that is used by military, government, [[NASA]], 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,<ref>{{cite press release|title=FAA selects the HAS as 2005 Airport of the Year|publisher=Houston Airport System|date=2006-03-24|url=http://www.fly2houston.com/0/8343/0/1906D1940/|accessdate=2006-12-16}}</ref> largely because of its multi-year, $3.1&nbsp;billion airport improvement program for both major airports in Houston.
 
 
 
[[Greyhound Lines]] operates intercity services from five stations in Houston and several Houston suburbs. Other bus lines operate from Greyhound's stations and other stations.
 
 
 
==Healthcare and medicine==
 
{{main|Texas Medical Center}}
 
{{see also|List of hospitals in Texas}}
 
 
 
[[Image:FlightHoustontoDallas086.jpg|thumb|right|[[Texas Medical Center]]]]
 
Houston is the seat of the internationally-renowned Texas Medical Center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and [[Health care|healthcare]] institutions.<ref>{{cite web
 
| title = Introduction to the Texas Medical Center
 
| work = Texas Medical Center
 
| url = http://www.tmc.edu/tmc-introduction.html
 
| accessdate = 2006-12-16 }}</ref> All 45 member institutions of the Texas Medical Center are [[non-profit organization]]s. They provide patient and preventive care, research, education, and local, national, and international community well-being. These institutions include 13 renowned [[hospital]]s and two specialty institutions, two [[medical school]]s, four [[nursing school]]s, 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 [[Cardiac surgery|heart surgeries]] are performed at the Texas Medical Center than anywhere else in the world.<ref>{{cite web
 
| title = Texas Medical Center
 
| work = www.visithoustontexas.com
 
| url = http://www.visithoustontexas.com/media/statistics/Houston_Stats_Texas_Medical_Center
 
| accessdate = 2007-02-06 }}</ref>
 
  
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.<ref> {{cite web
+
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.
| title = Institutional Profile
 
| work = www.mdanderson.org
 
| url = http://www.mdanderson.org/About_MDA/Who_We_Are/display.cfm?id=29E3FCE1-2828-11D5-811100508B603A14&method=displayFull
 
| accessdate = 2007-02-21 }}</ref>
 
  
Houston is the home of the [[Menninger Clinic]], a renowned psychiatric treatment center affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital.
+
==Looking to the future==
 +
[[Image:Hermann Park Texas.jpg|275px|thumb|Reflection pool in Hermann Park]]
 +
Houston has excessive [[ozone]] levels and is ranked among the most [[air pollution|ozone-polluted]] cities in the United States. Ground-level ozone, or [[smog]], is Houston’s predominant air pollution problem, with the [[American Lung Association]] rating the metropolitan area's ozone level as the sixth worst in the United States in 2006. The industries located along the ship channel are a major cause of the pollution.
  
==Education==
+
Still, the city is making efforts to be more "green." It is the largest municipal purchaser of [[renewable energy]] in the nation, purchasing over 350 million kWh of [[wind energy]]. [[Solar panel]]s are now in use at two city facilities.
{{main|Education in Houston}}
 
{{Further|[[List of colleges and universities in Houston]]}}
 
  
[[Image:Ezekiel W. Cullen building 3.jpg|thumb|right|[[University of Houston]]]]
+
The city is using an innovative technology to improve the quality of drinking [[water]], saving energy and costly [[chemical]] treatments. And it is using state-of-the-art infrared cameras and a mobile air monitoring lab to target and stop harmful emissions. In 2008 the city had over 500 [[hybrid vehicle]]s in use, including a hybrid dump truck.
There are four public and three private universities engaged in research and development in Houston. The {{nowrap|[[University of Houston]] ("UH")}} is Texas's [[List of largest Texas universities by enrollment|third-largest]] public research university with more than 40&nbsp;research centers and institutes. With more than 36,000 students from 130 countries, UH is one of the most ethnically diverse campuses in the country.<ref>"{{PDFlink|[http://www.uh.edu/ir/fileadmin/reports/factsataglance/Fall_2005_Facts.pdf Fall 2005 Facts]|32.6&nbsp;KB}}," ''University of Houston'', 2005. Retrieved on [[2006-12-16]].</ref> The city is also 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''.<ref>{{cite news | title = America's Best Colleges 2006 | work = U.S. News and World Report | url = http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/natudoc/tier1/t1natudoc_brief.php | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070501050536/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/natudoc/tier1/t1natudoc_brief.php | archivedate = 2007-05-01 | accessdate = 2006-12-16}}</ref>  Other public institutions of higher learning in the city include {{nowrap|[[University of Houston–Clear Lake]] ("UHCL")}}, {{nowrap|[[University of Houston–Downtown]] ("UHD")}}, and {{nowrap|[[Texas Southern University]] ("TSU")}}. Additionally, several private institutions include [[University of St. Thomas (Houston)|University of St. Thomas]], who in 2008 was ranked one of "America's Best Colleges" by US News & World Report, and [[Houston Baptist University]]. The [[Houston Community College System]] serves most of Houston and is the fourth-largest community college system in the United States.<ref>"[http://distance.hccs.cc.tx.us/de-counseling/ Houston Community College Distance Education Program]," ''Houston Community College''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-16]].</ref>
 
  
[[Image:Lovett Hall.jpg|thumb|left|[[Rice University]]]]
+
Houston has a seven-mile (11 km) system of tunnels and skywalks linking buildings in downtown that 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.
Houston is home to two of four public law schools in Texas: {{nowrap|[[University of Houston Law Center]]}} and {{nowrap|[[Thurgood Marshall School of Law]]}}. The {{nowrap|University of Houston Law Center}} ranked in at No. 60 of the "Top&nbsp;100 Law Schools" in 2007 by ''U.S. News & World Report''.<ref>"[http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/law/brief/lawrank_brief.php America's Best Graduate Schools 2008 - Top Law Schools]", ''U.S. News & World Report''. Retrieved on [[2007-09-30]].</ref>  Additionally, [[South Texas College of Law]]&mdash;a private institution&mdash;is the city's oldest law school founded in 1923 and has one of the nation's top programs for trial advocacy.<ref>"[http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/grad/directory/dir-law/brief/glanc_03149_brief.php America's Best Graduate Schools 2007 - South Texas College of Law]", ''U.S. News & World Report''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-16]].</ref><ref>"[http://www.stcl.edu/welcome/history_South_TX.htm A Chronological History of South Texas College of Law]", ''South Texas College of Law'', 2005. Retrieved on [[2006-12-16]].</ref>
 
  
There are [[List of school districts in Houston|17 school districts]] serving the city. The [[Houston Independent School District]] (HISD) is the seventh-largest in the United States.<ref>"[http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=6127 Houston ISD automates lunch]", ''eSchool News online'', [[2006-02-21]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-16]].</ref> 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 school]]s that are run separately from school districts. In addition, some public school districts also have their own charter schools.
+
The percentage of the city's population that is [[Hispanic]] (of all races) increased between 1990 and 2000 from 26 to 37 percent, but the percentage of school-age children rose even more dramatically, to 50 percent of those in nursery school or [[kindergarten]] and 44 percent of those in grades 1-12. This growing young population is likely to affect the city's needs and policies in coming years.
 
 
The Houston area is home to more than 300 private schools,<ref>[http://www.houston-texas-online.com/privateschools.html Private Schools]. ''Houston-Texas-Online''. 2004. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref><ref>[http://www.houstonareaweb.com/private_schools/ Houston Private Schools]. HoustonAreaWeb.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref><ref>[http://www.hlsr.com/ed/sa/sa_p.aspx School Art Participation]. ''[[Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo]]''. Retrieved on [[2007-01-10]].</ref> 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.<ref>[http://houstonprivateschools.org/index.cfm?CFID=15996033&CFTOKEN=41756059&MenuItemID=96&MenuGroup=Home%20New About HAIS]. ''Houston Area Independent Schools''. 2007. Retrieved on [[2007-03-27]].</ref> The Houston area [[Catholic school]]s are operated by the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston|Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston]].
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}
+
<references/>
  
==Further reading==
+
==References==
{{portalpar|Houston|Flag of Houston, Texas.svg}}
+
*Allen, O. Fisher. 1936. ''City of Houston from Wilderness to Wonder.'' Self Published. NA. .  
{{portalpar|Texas|Texasflaginstate.PNG}}
+
*Glaeser, Edward L. [http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_3_houston.html Houston, New York Has a Problem.]''The Manhattan Institute''. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
*{{Handbook of Texas|id=HH/hdh3|name=Houston, Texas}}
+
*''Houston History.'' [http://www.houstonhistory.com/ WELCOME to HOUSTON HISTORY]. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
*[http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_3_houston.html Houston, New York Has a Problem, ''City Journal,'' Summer 2008]
+
*Johnston, Marguerite. 1991. ''Houston, The Unknown City, 1836–1946.'' Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 0890964769.
*[http://www.houstonhistory.com/ 172 Years of Historic Houston] ''Houstonhistory.com''. 2007. Retrieved on [[2007-01-13]].
+
*Miller, Ray. 1984. ''Ray Miller's Houston.'' Gulf Publishing Company. ISBN 088415081X.
*[http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-24649:1 ''A thumb-nail history of the city of Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1836 to the year 1912''], published 1912, hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History], republished 2007 by Copano Bay Press.
+
*Slotboom, Oscar F. "Erik." 2003. ''Houston Freeways.'' [http://www.houstonfreeways.com/]. Oscar F. Slotboom. ISBN 0974160539.
*[http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-24646:1 ''True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young.''], published 1913, hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History], republished 2007 by Copano Bay Press.
+
*Wilson, Ann Quin. 1982. ''Native Houstonian - A Collective Portrait.'' The Donning Company - Houston Baptist University Press.  
*{{cite book | last = Allen | first = O. Fisher | title = City of Houston from Wilderness to Wonder | publisher = Self Published | year = 1936 | id = NA }}.
+
*Young, S.O. June 1912. [http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-24649:1 A thumb-nail history of the city of Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1836 to the year 1912] ''University of North Texas''. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
*{{cite book | last = Johnston | first = Marguerite | title = Houston, The Unknown City, 1836–1946 | publisher = Texas A&M University Press | year = 1991 | id = ISBN 0-89096-476-9 }}
+
*Young, S.O. 1913. [http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-24646:1 True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches] ''University of North Texas''. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
*{{cite book | last = Miller | first = Ray | title = Ray Miller's Houston | publisher = Gulf Publishing Company | year = 1984 | id = ISBN 0-88415-081-X }}
 
*{{cite book | last = Slotboom | first = Oscar F. "Erik" | title = Houston Freeways | publisher = Oscar F. Slotboom | year = 2003 | id = ISBN 0-9741605-3-9 }}[http://www.houstonfreeways.com/].
 
*{{cite book | last = Wilson | first = Ann Quin | title = Native Houstonian - A Collective Portrait | publisher = The Donning Company - Houston Baptist University Press | year = 1982 | id = 80-27644 }}.
 
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Houston}}
+
All links retrieved January 14, 2018.
*[http://www.houstontx.gov/ City of Houston official website]
+
 
*[http://www.houstonhistory.com/ 172 Years of Historic Houston]
+
* [http://www.houstontx.gov/ City of Houston official website]
*[http://www.visithoustontexas.com/ Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau]
+
* [http://www.houstonhistory.com/ Houston History]
*[http://www.houston.org/ Greater Houston Partnership]
+
* [http://www.visithoustontexas.com/ Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau]
*[http://www.houstontranstar.org/ Greater Houston Transportation and Emergency Management Center]
+
* [http://www.houston.org/ Greater Houston Partnership]
*[http://www.houstonlibrary.org/ Houston Public Library official website]
+
* [http://www.houstontranstar.org/ Greater Houston Transportation and Emergency Management Center]
*[http://www.houstondowntown.com/ Houston Downtown District]
+
* [http://www.uptown-houston.com/ Uptown Houston District]
*[http://www.uptown-houston.com/ Uptown Houston District]
+
* [http://www.houstonmidtown.com/ Midtown Houston District]
*[http://www.houstonmidtown.com/ Midtown Houston District]
+
* [http://www.fly2houston.com/home Houston Airport System]
*[http://www.fly2houston.com/home Houston Airport System]
+
* [http://www.houstonwilderness.org/ Houston Wilderness Organization]
*[http://www.ghpa.org/ Greater Houston Preservation Alliance]
 
*[http://www.houstonwilderness.org/ Houston Wilderness Organization]
 
*[http://www.aiesechouston.org/ Aiesec Houston Platform]
 
  
  
 
[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:United States]]
 
[[Category:United States]]
{{Credit|254103031}}
+
[[Category:Cities]]
 +
 
 +
{{Credit|Houston,_Texas|254103031}}

Latest revision as of 18:57, 7 February 2024

Houston
—  City  —
City of Houston
Downtown Houston skyline
Downtown Houston skyline
Flag of Houston
Flag
Official seal of Houston
Seal
Nickname: Space City (official)
Houston's location and city limits in Harris County, Texas
Houston's location and city limits in Harris County, Texas
Coordinates: 29°46′N 95°23′W
Country United States of America
State Texas
Counties Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery
Incorporated June 5, 1837
Government
 - Type Mayor–council
 - Mayor Annise Parker
Area
 - City 656.3 sq mi (1,699.81 km²)
 - Land 634.0 sq mi (1,642.05 km²)
 - Water 22.3 sq mi (57.7 km²)
Elevation 43 ft (13 m)
Population (2010 US Census)[1][2]
 - City 2,099,451(4th U.S.)
 - Density 3,623/sq mi (1,505/km²)
 - Urban 3,822,509 (10th U.S.)
 - Metro 5,946,800 (5th U.S.)
 - Demonym Houstonian
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s) 713, 281, 832
FIPS code 48-35000GR2
GNIS feature ID 1380948GR3
Website: houstontx.gov

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States of America and the largest city in the state of Texas. U.S. Census Bureau tabulations placed the city with an estimated population of nearly 2.2 million inhabitants within the city's area. Houston is composed of 600 square miles (1,600 km²). It is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of the Houston, Sugar Land, Baytown metropolitan area, the sixth-largest in the United States with a population of 5.6 million.

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 with the Texas Militia had avenged the Alamo and routed the Mexican Army under Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. The battle took place 25 miles (40 km) east of where the city was established.

The city is a burgeoning port and railroad industry. Combined with the discovery of oil in 1901, industry 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 health-care and research institutions, and the Johnson Space Center, where the NASA's Mission Control Center is located.

Its economy has a broad industrial base in the energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, transportation, and health-care sectors. Only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters inside the city limits. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled.

The Houston Metroplex and 24 surrounding counties possess striking natural beauty, unique biodiversity, and globally important ecological resources. The Armand Bayou Nature Center, for example, preserves wetlands prairie, forest, and marsh habitats of the Texas Gulf Coast.

Geography and cityscape

The city of Houston has a total area of 601.7 square miles (1,558.4 km²). 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. The flatness of the local terrain, when combined with urban sprawl, has made flooding a recurring problem for the city. Downtown stands about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level, and the highest point in far northwest Houston is about 125 feet (38 m) in elevation. 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.

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 into the Gulf of Mexico.

Climate

Allen's Landing after Tropical Storm Allison, June 2001.

Houston's climate is classified as humid subtropical. Spring super cell thunderstorms sometimes bring tornadoes to the area. Prevailing winds are from the south and southeast 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). 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. Winds are often light in the summer and offer little relief, except near the immediate coast. 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." Scattered afternoon thunderstorms are common in the summer. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 109 °F (43 °C) on September 4, 2000.

Winters in Houston are fairly temperate. The average high in January, the coldest month, is 63 °F (17 °C), while the average low is 41 °F (5 °C). Snowfall is generally rare. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 5 °F (−15 °C) on January 23, 1940. Houston receives a high amount of rainfall annually, averaging about 48 inches a year. These rains tend to cause floods over portions of the city.

Cityscape

Houston skyline
The JPMorgan Chase Tower is the tallest building in Texas.

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.

Though Houston is the largest city in the United States without formal zoning regulations, it has developed similarly to other Sun Belt cities because the city's land use regulations and legal covenants have played a similar role. Such restrictions have had mixed results. Though some have blamed the city's low density, urban sprawl, and lack of pedestrian-friendliness on these policies, the city's land use has also been credited with a bounty of affordable housing, sparing Houston the worst effects of the 2008 real estate crisis.

Voters rejected efforts to have separate residential and commercial land-use districts in 1948, 1962, and 1993. Consequently, 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.

Houston's skyline has been ranked fourth most impressive in the United States; it is the third-tallest skyline in the United States and one of the top 10 in the world. Houston has a seven-mile (11 km) system of tunnels and skywalks linking buildings in downtown that 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.

A succession of skyscrapers were built throughout the 1970s, culminating with Houston's tallest skyscraper, the 75-floor, 1,002-foot (305 m)-tall JPMorgan Chase Tower (formerly the Texas Commerce Tower), which was completed in 1982. It is the tallest structure in Texas, tenth-tallest building in the United States and the 30th-tallest skyscraper in the world based on height to roof.

History

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. The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the popular general at the Battle of San Jacinto, who was elected president of Texas in September 1836.

Houston was granted incorporation on June 5, 1837. In the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County (now Harris County) and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas. 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.

By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of cotton. Railroad spurs from 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. 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. By 1890 Houston was the railroad center of Texas.

Houston, circa 1873
Houston Ship Channel
The space shuttle, atop its Boeing 747 SCA, flying over Johnson Space Center

In 1900, after Galveston was struck by a devastating hurricane, efforts to make Houston into a viable deep-water port were accelerated. The following year, oil discovered at the Spindletop oil field near Beaumont prompted the development of the Texas petroleum industry. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt approved a $1 million improvement project for the Houston Ship Channel. By 1910 the city's population had reached 78,800, almost double that of a decade before.

President Woodrow Wilson opened the deep-water Port of Houston in 1914, seven years after digging began. By 1930, Houston had become Texas's most populous city.

When World War II began, 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.

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, resulting in an economic boom and producing a key shift in the city's economy toward the energy sector.

The increased production of the local shipbuilding industry during World War II spurred Houston's growth, 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 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. 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 adversely 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 health care/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.

Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area—the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of 5.6 million.

In June 2001, Tropical Storm Allison dumped up to 37 inches (940 mm) 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. By December of that year, Houston-based energy company Enron collapsed into the second-largest 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 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. 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.

Government and politics

Houston City Hall

The city of Houston has a strong mayoral form of municipal government. 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. 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 that took effect in 1979. 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.

Economy

Data from citydata.com[3]

Houston is recognized worldwide for its energy industry—particularly for oil and natural gas—as well as for biomedical research and aeronautics. The ship channel is also a large part of Houston's economic base.

Five of the six supermajor energy companies maintain a large base of operations in Houston including the international headquarters of ConocoPhillips; US operational headquarters of Exxon-Mobil; US headquarters for international companies Shell Oil (US subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell located in The Hague, Netherlands), and BP whose international headquarters are in London, England. Chevron has offices in Houston. Houston is also headquarters for the Marathon Oil Corporation, Apache Corporation, and Citgo.

Greater Houston is a 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. 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.

The Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA's Gross Area Product (GAP) in 2006 was $325.5 billion,[4] 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. Mining, which in Houston is almost entirely exploration and production of oil and gas, accounts for 11 percent of Houston's GAP; this is down from 21 percent 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.[5]

Interstate 10 and Interstate 45 near Downtown

Among the 10 most populous metro areas in the U.S., Houston posted both the highest employment growth rate and the largest nominal employment gain in period September 2007 through September 2008.[6] The unemployment rate in the city was 3.8 percent in April 2008, the lowest level in eight years while the job growth rate was 2.8 percent.

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. Forty foreign governments maintain trade and commercial offices here and the city has 23 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations. Twenty foreign banks representing ten nations operate in Houston, providing financial assistance to the international community.

In 2008, Houston received top ranking on Kiplinger's Personal Finance Best Cities of 2008 list, which ranks cities on their local economy, employment opportunities, reasonable living costs and quality of life. The city ranked fourth for highest increase in the local technological innovation over the preceding 15 years, according to Forbes Magazine. In the same year, the city ranked second on the annual Fortune 500 list of company headquarters and ranked first for Forbes Best Cities for College Graduates.

Transportation

METRO light rail along the Main Street Corridor in Downtown
George Bush Intercontinental Airport

Houston's freeway system is made up of 575.5 miles (926.2 km) of freeways and expressways in a ten-county metropolitan area. Its highway system uses a hub-and-spoke freeway structure serviced by multiple loops. 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.

Houston is served by two commercial airports, serving 52 million passengers in 2007.[7] The larger is George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), which in 2007 was the ninth-busiest in the United States for total passengers, and sixteenth-busiest worldwide.[8] In 2006, the United States Department of Transportation named IAH the fastest-growing of the top ten airports in the United States. 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.

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. Houston has among the youngest populations in the nation, partly due to an influx of immigrants into Texas.

Over 90 languages are spoken in the city. The city has the third-largest Hispanic and third-largest Mexican-American population in the United States.[9] An estimated 400,000 illegal immigrants are believed to reside in the Greater Houston area.[10]

Houston has one of the largest communities of Indian-Americans and Pakistani-Americans in the United States, as well as a large population of immigrants from elsewhere in Asia, including the largest Vietnamese-American population in Texas and third-largest in the United States, with 85,000 people in 2006.[11]

As of the 2000 census, 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 African American, 5.31 percent Asian, 0.44 percent Native American, 0.06 percent Pacific Islander, 16.46 percent from some other race, and 3.15 percent from two or more races. Persons of Hispanic origin—who may be of any race—accounted for 37 percent of the population while non-Hispanic whites made up 30.8 percent.

While nonviolent crime in the city dropped by two percent in 2005 compared to 2004, the number of homicides rose by 23.5 percent. Since 2005, Houston has been experiencing a spike in crime, which observers say is due in part to an influx of people from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. After Katrina, Houston's murder rate increased 70 percent in November and December 2005, compared to levels in 2004.

Health care

Texas Medical Center

Houston is the seat of the internationally renowned Texas Medical Center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and health-care institutions. 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.[12]

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 latter has consistently ranked as one of the top two U.S. hospitals specializing in cancer care since 1990.

Education

University of Houston
Rice University

There are four public and three private universities engaged in research and development in Houston. The University of Houston ("UH") is Texas's third-largest public research university with more than 40 research centers and institutes. With more than 36,000 students from 130 countries, UH is one of the most ethnically diverse campuses in the country.

The city is also 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.[13] Other public institutions of higher learning in the city include University of Houston–Clear Lake ("UHCL"), University of Houston–Downtown ("UHD"), and Texas Southern University ("TSU"). The several private institutions include University of St. Thomas, which in 2008 was ranked one of "America's Best Colleges" by US News & World Report, and Houston Baptist University. The Houston Community College System serves most of Houston and is the fourth-largest community college system in the United States.

There are 17 school districts serving the city. The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the seventh-largest in the United States. 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. The Houston Area Independent Schools, or HAIS, offer education from a variety of different religious as well as secular viewpoints. The Houston area Catholic schools are operated by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

Culture

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. Houston is one of few 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). Houston is also home to many local folk artists, art groups, and various smaller progressive arts organizations.

Houston holds the Bayou City Art Festival[14] in October, which is considered to be one of the top five art festivals in the United States.

The Museum District has many popular cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year.[15] 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.

Bayou Bend, located in River Oaks, is a 14-acre (5.7 ha) facility of the Museum of Fine Arts that houses one of America's best collections of decorative art, paintings and furniture.

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. Other annual events include the Houston Greek Festival, Art Car Parade, the Houston Auto Show, the Houston International Festival and the Westheimer Block Party.

Wortham Center in the Theater District of Downtown
Houston Art Car Parade
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

Tourism and recreation

Space Center Houston is the official visitors’ center of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, where one finds many interactive exhibits including moon rocks, a shuttle simulator, and presentations about the history of NASA's manned space flight program.

Revelers at "The Main Event" held downtown during Super Bowl XXXVIII

Houston is home to 337 parks including Hermann Park, which houses the Houston Zoo and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The Museum district features 18 museums.[16] Of the ten most populous U.S. cities, Houston has the most total area of parks and green space: 56,405 acres (228 km²). The city also has over 200 additional green spaces—totaling over 19,600 acres (79 km²) 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.

Sports

Houston has teams for nearly every major professional sport. The Houston Astros (MLB), Houston Texans (NFL), Houston Rockets (NBA), Houston Dynamo (MLS), Houston Comets (WNBA), Houston Aeros (AHL), Houston Wranglers (WTT), Houston Takers (ABA), Houston Energy (IWFL), and the H-Town Texas Cyclones (NWFA) all call Houston home.

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.

Looking to the future

Reflection pool in Hermann Park

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

Still, the city is making efforts to be more "green." It is the largest municipal purchaser of renewable energy in the nation, purchasing over 350 million kWh of wind energy. Solar panels are now in use at two city facilities.

The city is using an innovative technology to improve the quality of drinking water, saving energy and costly chemical treatments. And it is using state-of-the-art infrared cameras and a mobile air monitoring lab to target and stop harmful emissions. In 2008 the city had over 500 hybrid vehicles in use, including a hybrid dump truck.

Houston has a seven-mile (11 km) system of tunnels and skywalks linking buildings in downtown that 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.

The percentage of the city's population that is Hispanic (of all races) increased between 1990 and 2000 from 26 to 37 percent, but the percentage of school-age children rose even more dramatically, to 50 percent of those in nursery school or kindergarten and 44 percent of those in grades 1-12. This growing young population is likely to affect the city's needs and policies in coming years.

Notes

  1. Houston city, Texas, US Census. US Census. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  2. Texas by Place - GCT-T1-R. Census. US Census. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  3. CityData.com. Houston: Economy Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  4. Greater Houston Partnership. April 22, 2008. Houston Area Profile Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  5. Greater Houston Partnership. May 21, 2008. Gross Area Product by Industry Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  6. Greater Houston Partnership. October 29, 2008. Employment by Industry Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  7. Houston Airport System. January 28, 2008. 52 Million Travelers and Over 387,000 Metric Tons of Air Cargo Passed through Houston’s Airports in 2007 Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  8. Airports Council International. July 2008. Top 30 World Airports by Passenger. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  9. U.S. Census Bureau. May 10, 2001. Census 2000 Paints Statistical Portrait of the Nation's Hispanic Population.
  10. Edward Hegstrom, February 21, 2006. Shadows Cloaking Immigrants Prevent Accurate Count Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  11. My-Thuan Tran, December 21, 2007. Flocking from SoCal to Houston Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  12. Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Texas Medical Center Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  13. U.S. News & World Report, May 4, 2007. America's Best Colleges 2007 Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  14. Bayou City Art Festival. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  15. Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.Houston Museum District. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
  16. Houston Museum District. Retrieved December 29, 2008.

References
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External links

All links retrieved January 14, 2018.

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