Introduction to Geography of Houston
Houston, Texas, the seat of Harris County. It is the nation's fourth largest cities. Houston lies on flat coastal land about 25 miles (40 km) from the head of Galveston Bay and 50 miles (80 km) from the Gulf of Mexico. The city's nicknames include Oil Capital of the World and Space Center—USA.
General Plan
Houston is a large, irregularly shaped city. Its great size has come about mainly through the annexation of neighboring communities and open land, with the result that the city has relatively few suburbs. There are, however, a number of incorporated cities, including Bellaire, West University Place, and Bunker Hill Village, that are completely surrounded by Houston. The largest outlying suburbs are the industrial cities of Pasadena and Baytown.
Downtown Houston is located near the junction of the Buffalo and White Oak bayous, largely between Smith and San Jacinto streets. Here are towering office buildings, some of which are headquarters of major petroleum companies. Underground is an extensive system of air-conditioned pedestrian tunnels lined with shops. Beyond the downtown area, to the west and southwest, are most of the city's major cultural and educational institutions, large shopping centers, and the wealthier residential areas.
Houston is linked to the Gulf of Mexico by the Houston Ship Channel, which is navigable by oceangoing ships. Two Interstate routes (10 and 45) and several other freeways converge on Houston. The principal air terminals are George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport.
Economy
Houston is one of the nation's main industrial and commercial centers. Its economy, which has long been expanding, is based to a large extent on petroleum and natural gas and on the activities of its busy port. The Houston area is the nation's leading center of petroleum refining and one of the world's leading centers for the production of petrochemicals. Other chemical products, especially those utilizing local resources of sulfur and salt, are also important.
The making of machinery and the fabricating of metals are major activities in the Houston area. Of particular importance are the making of oil-field equipment and construction machinery. Other significant industries produce foods and beverages; primary metals; wood products; paper and paper products; and stone, clay, and glass items. Printing and publishing are also important. Many industrial plants are located along the Houston Ship Channel.
Companies and organizations devoted to research and development and to engineering have proliferated in Houston since the 1960's. They deal with such areas as the space program, medical technology, and the development and more efficient utilization of energy resources. Some of the nation's largest construction and engineering firms have headquarters in Houston. The construction industry is one of the largest employers in the city.
Houston is a leading financial center and an important hub of international trade. Such trade is mostly through the Port of Houston, which, in terms of tonnage handled, ranks among the top ports in the United States. Imports include petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, and iron and steel. Petroleum and petroleum products, agricultural products, chemicals, and plastics are the leading commodities in export trade.
Service-sector businesses and government installations, such as the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, also contribute substantially to the economy.
Prominent Places
The Civic Center, in downtown Houston. contains the Sam Houston Coliseum and Music Hall, the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, and the Albert Thomas Convention and Exhibit Center. Nearby is Sam Houston Park, with restored old homes and reconstructed 19th-century stores. Old Market Square, also downtown, is an area of shops, art galleries, restaurants, and entertainment facilities. Allen's Landing Park, on Buffalo Bayou, is the site of Houston's first settlement.
Minute Maid Park is home to the city's professional National League baseball team, the Astros. Reliant Stadium is home to the city's professional football team, the Texans. Collegiate football is also played here. Reliant Stadium is part of the Reliant Park complex, which also includes the Reliant Astrodome. Reliant Arena, and Reliant Center. The Arena, Astrodome, and Center are used for exhibitions, concerts, conventions, and various sporting events. The Reliant Stadium is the site of the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The Compaq Center, a sports complex, is home to Houston's two professional basketball teams, the Comets and the Rockets.
In Hermann Park, southwest of the downtown area, are the Museum of Natural Science, the Burke Baker Planetarium, the Houston Zoo, the Kipp Aquarium, and the Miller Outdoor Theater. Memorial Park, the largest park in the city, has varied sports and recreational facilities and is the site of the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. Also notable is Eisenhower Park, which adjoins Lake Houston at Lake Houston Dam.
On Clear Lake, southeast of downtown Houston, is the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, headquarters for NASA's manned spaceflight and space-shuttle programs. Many exhibits are displayed in the Visitor Orientation Center. Nearby is San Jacinto State Park, site of the 1836 battle that resulted in Texas's independence from Mexico. The battleship Texas is permanently moored here. The park also features the 570-foot (174-m) San Jacinto Monument and a historical museum.
Culture and Education
The Houston Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1913, presents its regular season in Jesse H. Jones Hall in the Civic Center and a summer outdoor series in Hermann Park. The Wortham Theater Center, opened in 1987, is the home of the Houston Grand Opera and the Houston Ballet. The Alley Theatre is one of the oldest resident theater companies in the nation.
The Museum of Fine Arts houses varied collections in its main facility near Hermann Park. Sculptures done by various artists are on display next to the museum in the Cullen Sculpture Garden, designed by Isamu Noguchi. The Bayou Bend Museum houses an extensive collection of American decorative art. The Contemporary Art Museum and the Rothko Chapel offer exhibits of modern works. The Menil Collection displays a variety of exhibits ranging from Byzantine works to contemporary art.
Some 30 institutions of higher education are in the Houston area. Among them are the University of Houston, Rice University, and Texas Southern University.
The Texas Medical Center coordinates the work of some 40 hospitals, medical and nursing schools, clinics, and research and rehabilitation institutes. Universities with training facilities at the medical center include the University of Texas, the University of Houston, and Baylor University.
History
Houston was founded in 1836 by two New York real-estate men, John K. and Augustus C. Allen. They purchased a townsite at the head of navigable water on Buffalo Bayou and named the future city for the hero of Texas independence. Houston was incorporated a year later and made the first capital of the Republic of Texas. It was the capital until 1839 and again from 1842 to 1845.
The city administration, under Mayor John Andres, officially established the “Port of Houston” in 1841. In 1853 the port had become important enough for the Texas Legislature to appropriate $4,000 for improvement of the channel. In the same year the first railway in Texas operated out of Houston. Discovery of oil at Spindletop, near Beaumont, in 1901, and at Humble in Harris County in 1904, hastened the growth of Houston. In 1914 the Houston Ship Channel was made large enough for oceangoing vessels. This marked the beginning of a period of great activity and prosperity.
During World War II Houston was a center of war industries. Major proportions of the nation's sulfur and other inorganic chemicals, of synthetic rubber, and of petroleum products came from Houston.
The Manned Spacecraft Center (later renamed Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center) was established near Houston and the Astrodome was opened in 1965. Vast building programs greatly increased city and suburban office space, and construction of a massive downtown redevelopment project was undertaken in the early 1970's. During the 1970's, Houston increased its land area significantly through annexation and established itself as the commercial and population center of the Southwest.
As a major center of oil refining and petrochemical production, Houston was particularly hard hit by drastic declines in world oil prices during the 1980's. The economy recovered in the 1990's.
Population
According to the 2000 census, Houston's population was about 49 per cent white and 25 per cent black. People of Hispanic origin, the vast majority of Mexican descent, acounted for 37.4 per cent of the population. The city's growth by census years has been as follows:
