|
|
HOUSTON, TEXAS - USA
Located in southeast Texas, Houston is the fourth largest city in the United
States and one of the two largest economic areas in Texas. The city is the
county seat of Harris County, the third most populous county in the country.
A portion of far southwest Houston also extends into Fort Bend County.
As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1,953,631, but a
July 1, 2002 Census estimate placed the city's population at 2,009,834.
Houston is one of the newest and fastest growing major cities in the United
States. In 1900, the population in Houston was about 45,000, and it was the
85th largest town in the U.S. Now, quoted as the "Fastest Growing City in
America" and "the Most Popular City to Relocate," there are as many as 5
million people living in the Houston Metropolitan Area. The city limits
cover about 600 square miles (1,600 km²) in area, and it's also the largest
city in the United States which does not have zoning laws .
Houston is world renowned for its energy industry (particularly oil),
aeronautics industry and ship channel. The Port of Houston is one of the
busiest ports in the United States, second in the world as far as foreign
tonnage. Because of the economic trades, many residents have moved in from
other U.S. states, as well as hundreds of countries worldwide.
Officially, Houston has been nicknamed the Space City. "Houston" was the
first word uttered on the moon, as Neil Armstrong reported back to NASA. It
is known by the locals, however, as the Bayou City. (Other nicknames include
"Clutch City", and "Magnolia City".)
Houston's Rice Stadium was home to the Super Bowl VIII, and Super Bowl
XXXVIII was played at Houston's Reliant Stadium in February 2004. Because of
the incredible turnout, the NFL says the city is almost guaranteed to host
the 2009 or 2010 game as well.
History
Historical Events:
1836 - The Allen Brothers, John Kirby and Augustus Chapman found Houston.
June 5, 1837 - The city gets a city charter from the Congress of the
Republic of Texas. It became the provisional capital of Texas.
1839 - The capital of the Republic moves to Austin, Texas. The dispute over
where the state records should go would cause a conflict.
1900s - Oil is discovered in Texas. A new industry will start.
1902 - President Theodore Roosevelt approves a one-million dollar fund for
the construction of the Houston Ship Channel.
1914 - President Woodrow Wilson opens the Houston Ship Channel 74 years
after the digging had started.
1920s - The Texas oil boom causes people to move into the city, causing its
first growth spurt.
1937 - Houston Municipal Airport, which would later become William P. Hobby
Airport, is opened.
1963 - The Manned Spacecraft Center, which would become the Lyndon B.
Johnson Space Center opens.
1963 - The Humble Building is completed, the tallest building west of the
Mississippi River at the time.
1969 - Houston Intercontinental Airport, nowadays George Bush
Intercontinental Airport, is opened to the public.
1970s - The Arab Oil Embargo causes demand for Texas oil to boom. People
from the "Rust Belt" states like New York and Pennsylvania move into
Houston.
1978 - The headquarters of Continental Airlines move to Houston after buying
out Texas International.
1980s - The end of the Embargo causes the Houston growth bubble to burst.
1996 - The city of Kingwood, Texas is annexed by Houston.
November 2001 - Enron is found to have accounting scandals. The company goes
bankrupt.
Fall 2003 - Halliburton's headquarters move from Dallas, Texas to Houston.
2004 - Houston gets a light rail line and hosts the Super Bowl.
Murders and disasters
December 1961 - Hurricane Carla hits Houston.
August 1973 - "Houston Mass Murders" occur. 27 boys are killed by 3 men.
August 18, 1983 - Hurricane Alicia hits Houston and Galveston.
April 16, 1997 - Doris Angleton is murdered in her River Oaks home. Her
husband, Robert Angleton, and his brother, Roger Angleton, would be
suspected for the crime.
June 4, 1999 - Noemi Dominguez was shot dead in her home by Angel Maturino
Resendiz, a serial killer.
June 2001 - Tropical Storm Allison causes bayous in Houston to overflow,
causing massive flooding. 23 people die in the flood.
June 20, 2001 - Andrea Pia Yates drowns her children in a bathtub. She was
found to be suffering from postpartum depression.
Geography and Climate
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
1,558.4 km² (601.7 mi²). 1,500.7 km² (579.4 mi²) of it is land and 57.7 km²
(22.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.70% water.
Houston's climate is classified as being humid subtropical. The city is
located in the gulf coastal plains biome, and the vegetation is classified
as a temperate grassland. Much of Houston was built on forested land,
marshes or prarie, all of which can still be seen in surrounding areas.
Average yearly precipitation levels range from 36 to 48 inches (900 to 1200
mm). Prevailing winds are from the south and southeast during most of the
year, bringing heat from the deserts of Mexico and moisture from the Gulf of
Mexico.
In summertime, daily high temperatures are in the 90 to 105 °F (32 to 41 °C)
range throughout much of July and August. The air tends to feel still and
the humidity (often 90 to 100% relative humidity) makes the air feel hotter
than it really is. To cope with the heat, people use air conditioning in
nearly every car and post-war building in the city.
Summer thunderstorms sometimes bring the moderately common tornadoes to the
area. Afternoon rains are not uncommon, and Houston meteorologists are not
given to predicting a zero percent chance of rain on most days.
Winters in Houston are cool and temperate. The coolest period is usually in
January, when north winds bring winter rains. Snow is almost unheard of, and
typically does not accumulate when it is seen.
Houston has four bayous passing through the city. The Buffalo Bayou, which
runs into downtown, the Brays Bayou, which runs along the Texas Medical
Center, White Oak Bayou runs through the Heights and near northwest area and
the Sims Bayou in the south of Houston merge in downtown Houston into the
Houston Ship Channel. The Ship Channel goes past Galveston, Texas into the
Gulf of Mexico.
Most of Houston is very flat and is about fifty feet above sea level in
elevation; the Houston Heights area has the highest elevation in the city.
The city once relied on groundwater for its water needs. Land subsidence
forced the city to turn to ground-level water sources such as Lake Houston.
Hurricanes have slammed into the Texas Gulf Coast on numerous occasions;
several have passed through Houston, causing death and destruction. The
Galveston Hurricane of 1900 led to Galveston losing its status as the major
port city and economic power in Southeast Texas; development of the Ship
Channel and its port refineries shifted the honor to Houston. The last
hurricane of consequence to hit Houston was Hurricane Alicia in 1983, but
Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 caused billions of dollars in damages.
Flooding has proved to be an increasingly serious problem in Houston.
Houston's worst contemporary flood was Tropical Storm Allison which passed
through the city in June, 2001. Many neighborhoods have changed since the
storm; older houses in some afflicted neighborhoods have been torn down and
replaced with larger houses with larger foundations.
Houston's climate is often compared to that of Dallas, Texas. Dallas has a
hot and dry climate while Houston has a hot and humid climate. While Dallas
gets hotter temperatures, Houston's heat index is often higher.
Like many areas of Texas, Houston suffers from the Red Imported Fire Ant.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 1,953,631 people, 717,945 households,
and 457,330 families residing in the city. The population density is
1,301.8/km² (3,371.7/mi²). There are 782,009 housing units at an average
density of 521.1/km² (1,349.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 49.27%
White, 25.31% African American, 0.44% Native American, 5.31% Asian, 0.06%
Pacific Islander, 16.46% from other races, and 3.15% from two or more races.
37.41% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 717,945 households out of which 33.1% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 43.2% are married couples living together, 15.3%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% are non-families.
29.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.2% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.67 and the average family size is 3.39.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18,
11.2% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100
females there are 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $36,616, and the median
income for a family is $40,443. Males have a median income of $32,084 versus
$27,371 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,101. 19.2% of
the population and 16.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 26.1% are under the age of 18 and 14.3% are
65 or older.
The Hispanic population in Houston is increasing as more and more from Latin
countries try to find work in Houston. Hispanics make up a significant
amount of the population. Houston has the third largest Hispanic population
in the United States. People from Asian countries such as China, Korea,
Japan, India, and Pakistan are also flocking to Houston. Houston has two
Chinatowns, as well as the third largest Vietnamese population in the United
States. Recent redevlopment of Midtown from run-down to upscale has
increased property values and property taxes thus forcing the Vietnamese out
of their current neigborhood into other areas. Houston has the second
highest South African population in the United States, after Miami, Florida.
Houston also boasts of having a population with a younger age than the
national average.
Areas of the city
The Inner City
Houston, being the largest city in the United States without zoning laws,
has grown in an unusual manner. Rather than a single “downtown” as the
center of the city's employment, various other business districts have
sprung up throughout the inner-city. Note that if these business districts
were considered one, they would form the third largest in the United States.
The city also has the third largest skyline, but because they are spread out
between a few miles, most filmin of the city only shows, for the most part,
the Downtown area.
The following are areas of the inner-city:
Downtown, the seventh largest business district in the country. The area is
in the very center of the city's highway system.
The Skyline District is the heart of Downtown and home to many headquarters
of various multinational businesses and financial institutions.
The Houston Theater District, in north Downtown, is home to Houston's eight
performing arts organizations and includes the stages of the Alley Theater,
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Wortham Center, Jones Hall (Where the
Houston Symphony Orchestra plays), and Aerial Theater. It is the second
largest performing arts district, next to the one in New York City.
There are two Chinatowns of Houston. The original one is in the eastern
corridor of Downtown in the shadow of the George R. Brown Convention Center,
while the newer, larger one resides primarily near Bellaire, Texas in
southwest Houston's Sharpstown neighborhood.
The Main Street Corridor in Downtown is now a popular nightlife spot. This
comes after its opening on January 1, 2004 and the opening of the light rail
service.
The historic Houston Heights, near downtown, has the highest point of
elevation in the city. It is a popular area for antique shopping.
Midtown is southwest of Downtown and is a recently redeveloped area with
many newly constructed trendy apartments and flats. It is also home to
Little Saigon, the center of Vietamese commerce and businesses. It is also
the location of the Menil Collection.
Montrose is located west of downtown and to the north of the Midtown/Greenway
area. It is the center of Houston's gay/lesbian community, and known for its
vintage shops, 1950s-style eateries, and street art.
The Greenway Plaza business district is north of Midtown, west of Downtown.
This area is home to a few skyscrapers, as well as the Compaq Center, soon
to be the Lakewood International Center.
River Oaks is a very affluent area, often compared to Beverly Hills. It is
the wealthiest neighborhood in Texas, and is home to many celebrities and
political figures. Though the area is between Downtown and the Uptown
District, this neighborhood boasts of mansions, as opposed to the
surrounding area's highrise apartments and lofts. Near and partially
blending into River Oaks, the areas of Highland Village and Upper Kirby (UK)
are home to many expensive and upscale shopping and dining venues.
Uptown Houston is primarily anchored by the Houston Galleria. It is the
city's second largest business district and is home to the world-famous
Williams Tower.The Uptown area is also known as the Galleria shopping
district, as it is the center of Houston's fashion scene. This area is home
to many high-end retailers, as well as local and national fashion designers.
The Texas Medical Center, about three miles (5 km) south of the Midtown area.
This is the largest medical complex in the world. Bordering the Texas
Medical Center are Reliant Park and Six Flags Astroworld to the south and
the Rice University/Rice Village area to the north.
The Museum District contains over 16 institutions, Hermann Park, the Houston
Zoo and the Miller Outdoor Theatre. It is one of the most visited museum
districts in the country.
The four "Wards." Fourth Ward, which shares a zip code with River Oaks,
historically has been among the poorest areas of the inner-city, but is
undergoing extensive gentrification because of its proximity to Downtown. It
was the prominent area of the African-American community, but the Third Ward,
home to Texas Southern University and the University of Houston's central
campus, picked up the prominence after World War I. Fifth Ward is also a
predominantly African-American community. Second Ward, located east of
downtown, was developed in the roaring '20s. Stephen F. Austin High School
depicts this art deco architecture. Second Ward is now made up of a
predominantly Hispanic community. The First Ward is rarely heard of.
South Park is a large African-American neighborhood that is demographically
becoming predominantly Mexican-American. The neighborhood was made famous by
the rapper South Park Mexican. Sunnyside is a predominantly African-American
community near South Park.
To the west is Memorial. The zip code within Memorial is the fourth
wealthiest in the nation. It is the largest of a series of affluent
municipalities separate but surrounded by the city of Houston known as the
Villages, which include Hedwig Village, Bunker Hill Village, Hunters Creek
Village, Piney Point Village, Hilshire Village, and Spring Valley. This area
is often not considered a suburb, more so an area within central Houston.
Acres Homes in the North was once an independent community, but is now a
part of Houston.
Zip codes in Houston range from 77002 to 77598.
Suburbs
Sugar Land is southwest of central Houston in Fort Bend, and is named for
the former Imperial Sugar refinery. It is currently the home to a number of
international energy, software, and product firms. It also is one of the
fastest growing cities in the state due to the First Colony master planned
community.
The Woodlands is a large master-planned community about 40 miles (64 km)
northwest of Downtown. This is one of the largest and most popular master-planned
communities in the country.
The Clear Lake area is a southeast suburb of Houston. It is home to NASA and
a very large Asian-American community. Formerly, the combined area was
officially Clear Lake City, but part of this area was annexed into Houston.
League City, just south of this area, is home to a few water-side resorts.
Farther west, about 30 minutes from Downtown, is the city of Katy. This area
has grown farther out from the Downtown area than most suburbs have.
Deer Park in the southeast area is home to the San Jacinto Monument. The
surrounding area, including the larger city of Pasadena and cities of
Baytown, La Porte and Channelview are filled with refineries and chemical
plants.
The Kingwood/Humble area is in the northeast part of town.
A popular day trip may include Galveston where people can visitMoody Gardens
or visit a nearby beach. Before near destruction in 1900 Galveston was the
larger and wealthier of the two cities and dubbed "The Wall Street of the
Southwest", and was on par withNew Orleans as the Gulf Coast's premier city.
The city's vulnerability on a narrow barrier bar island led to the creation
of the mainland Houston Ship Channel made by the dredging of shallow Buffalo
Bayou and Galveston Bay to form a protected port some 40 miles (64 km)
inland of the open Gulf and less than 10 miles (16 km) from Houston's
central business district. Beach houses owned by Houstonians have sprung up
in other cities along the shoreline to the Gulf of Mexico. Another tourist
hot spot is Kemah where visitors see the Kemah Boardwalk, which has many
seafood restaurants and local tourist attractions. Kemah is surrounded by
Galveston Bay to the east and Clear Lake (a brackish-water boater's paradise
with open pass through to Galveston Bay) to the west.
Locations in Houston are generally classified as either being inside or
outside Interstate 610, known as the 610 Loop which include the Central
business district and the cities of West University (West U.), and Southside
Place, and a portion of Bellaire. The outlying areas of Houston, as well as
the rest of Bellaire, the airports and the suburbs and enclaves are outside
the loop. Another ring road, Beltway 8 (also known simply as the "Beltway"),
encircles the city another 5 miles (8 km) further out. Yet a third - the "Grand
Parkway", has begun construction roughly 10 miles (16 km) beyond that around
the outer suburbs and currently extends from Katy to Sugar Land.
Locations within the Houston city limits that are inside the 610 Loop
traditionally used the 713 area code. Those outside the 610 Loop that are
within the city limits normally receive the 281 or 832 area code. However,
the geographic division between 713, 281, and 832 has been eliminated, and
newly issued phone numbers (especially for cell phones and fax machines)
within that zone may be assigned any of the three codes. Areas far north,
west, east and south of the inner-city also use 936 and/or 409.
The towns of Kingwood, Alief and Clear Lake City have recently been annexed
by the city of Houston, increasing the city limit's population.
For a full list of the cities in the Houston area, see:
Brazoria County
Chambers County
Fort Bend County
Galveston County
Harris County
Liberty County
Montgomery County
Transportation
Freeways
Houston's size and lack of zoning have contributed to decentralization, or
urban sprawl, which, combined with the humidity and hot summers, has made
the automobile the favored means of transportation. This dependence on cars
causes various pollution problems, including excessive ozone levels. Houston
is ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States.
Houston freeways are heavily traveled and often being reconstructed to meet
the demands of continuing growth. I-45 South has been in a continuous state
of construction, in one portion or another, almost since the first segment
was built in 1952. City planners have been running experiments to reduce
traffic congestion at rush hour. As in Los Angeles, the primary method
currently in use is the High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane for vans and
carpools. Timed freeway entrances, which regulate the addition of cars to
the freeway, are also common. Houston has an extensive network of freeway
cameras linked to a transit control center to monitor and study traffic.
One unusual characteristic of Houston's freeways are its service (or "feeder")
roads. Alongside most freeways are two to four lanes parallel to the freeway
permitting easy access to individual city streets. The service roads make
freeway access very easy, but due to their visibility to passing traffic,
they have attracted most of Houston's gas stations and major retail stores.
New landscaping projects and a longstanding ban on new billboards are two
ways that Houston is trying to back away from this side effect of
convenience.
Houston has a hub-and-spoke freeway structure with multiple loops. The
innermost is Interstate 610, forming approximately a 10 mile (16 km)
diameter loop around downtown. The roughly square "Loop-610" is quartered
into "North Loop," "South Loop," "West Loop," and "East Loop." The roads of
Beltway 8 and their freeway core, the Sam Houston Tollway, are the next loop,
at a diameter of roughly 25 miles (40 km). Most of this freeway requires
payment of $1 or more toll every five or ten miles (8 or 16 km). A
controversial proposed (and partly completed) highway project, State Highway
99 (named Grand Parkway by proponents and Grand Porkway by opponents) would
form a third loop.
The spokes proceed in all directions away from downtown Houston. Here are
some of the major routes: Going north on Interstate 45 leads to Dallas,
Texas and Fort Worth. I-45 continues southeast directly to its terminus at
Galveston, Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. Interstate 10 westbound leads to
San Antonio, Texas, and eastbound leads to New Orleans, Louisiana and Baton
Rouge. U.S. Highway 290 provides a direct route northwest to Austin, Texas.
The Southwest Freeway (U.S. 59) is a major freeway leading to the southwest
suburbs in Fort Bend County of Sugar Land, Missouri City, Richmond, and
Rosenberg and ultimately to the Mexican border about 300 miles (500 km)
beyond. U.S. 59 runs north of downtown as the EastTex freeway through the
Piney Woods and into Arkansas at Texarkana. The Hardy Toll Road is a popular
alternative on the commute between I-610 and The Woodlands, Texas, with
convenient access to Bush Intercontinental Airport in between. 2004 saw the
opening of the Westpark Tollway, connecting I-610 with suburbs between the
Southwest Freeway (U.S. 59) and the Katy Freeway, I-10. This tollway is
unique in Houston in that no cash is accepted on it; all cars must have an
Toll Tag for access. 2004 also saw the opening of the Fort Bend Parkway
connecting Beltway 8 to Highway 6 in Missouri City to alleviate traffic
congestion on neighboring roads. It too requires a Toll tag, but there is
also a machine for cash azs the fee is only $1.00.
List of Major Freeways
Residents often refer to Freeways and Tollways by their names instead of
numbers.
Beltway 8 - Sam Houston Tollway (but Beltway 8 is used to describe the
free-access service road)
Interstate 10 - Baytown East Freeway (to east) / Katy Freeway (to west)
Interstate 45 - North Freeway (to north) / Gulf Freeway (to southeast)
Interstate 610 - North Loop, South Loop, West Loop, and East Loop
US Highway 59 - Eastex Freeway ("East Texas"), to northeast/Southwest
Freeway to southwest
US Highway 90 - Beaumont Highway
U.S. Highway 290 - Northwest Freeway, Hempstead Highway
Texas Highway 225 - Pasadena Freeway
Texas Highway 288 - South Freeway, Nolan Ryan Expressway
Texas Highway 249 - Tomball Parkway
Mass Transit
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, or METRO,
provides public transportation in the form of buses, trolleys, and lift
vans. Uptown, METRO provides free service on the Uptown Shuttle. The city
got the METRORail, a light rail service, on January 1, 2004. It runs
primarily along Main Sreet from central Downtown Houston to the Texas
Medical Center and Reliant Park. A 27 mile (43 km) expansion has been
approved to run the service all along the central Houston area, including
Uptown. METRO hopes to expand the Light Rail to the 2 major airports, as
well as the Bay Area, Katy, Spring and along the Southwest Freeway. This is
Texas' second major light rail service, after DART's light rail service in
Dallas, Texas. Although now only about 8 miles (13 km) long a long term plan
is being developed for several more much longer line segments connecting
diverse corners of the metropolitan area.
Airports
Houston is served by George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William
P. Hobby Airport (HOU).
Bush Airport handles all of the city's international traffic. Hobby has a
lot of the intra-United States traffic that is headed for downtown, South
Houston, Galveston, and the southern suburbs; it also handles all flights by
Southwest Airlines to locations apart from Dallas.
The only passenger traffic that Ellington Field (EFD) ever handled consists
of passengers going to and from Galveston County flying to Bush Airport to
reduce travel time to that said airport. Passenger flights ended on
September 7, 2004. Ellington Field is in danger of closing down, as of
February 2004.
Economy
Houston had several growth spurts in relation to the Texas oil industry.
Houston became a major port because of the downfall of Galveston and the
Houston Ship Channel. The 1920s had Houston's first growth spurt.
The city's second growth spurt occurred in the late 1970s, with the Arab Oil
Embargo. Demand on Texas oil increased, and many people from the northeast
came down to profit from the trade. When the embargo was lifted, the growth
stopped. However, Pasadena still has its refineries, and the Port of Houston
is among the busiest in the world. Houston has attempted to build a banking
industry in the city, but all of the companies which had been started in
Houston were merged with other companies nationwide. It still is vital to
the region, but most of the banks operating there are not based in Houston.
Real Estate is also a large business in the Houston area.
Houston is unique in being the largest American city without zoning
regulations.
The city has the second lowest cost of living in comparison to other major
U.S. cities. The housing in Houston is also one of the most affordable in
the Nation.
List of Major Companies
This is a list of major companies headquartered in Houston and the Houston
Metropolitan Area. Compaq was headquartered in Houston before it was bought
out by Hewlett-Packard.
A.D. Vision
American General
ConocoPhillips
Continental Airlines
Dynegy
El Paso Energy
Enron
Foley's
Halliburton
Landry's
Lyondell Chemical Company
Marathon
Reliant Energy
Service Corporation International
Sysco
Texas Genco
U.S. Liquids
Weatherford International
Imperial Sugar is based in nearby Sugar Land. Loch Energy is based in
Humble.
Famous Events
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
WorldFest
Houston International Festival
Texas Renaissance Festival
Houston Auto Show
Shell Houston Open
Houston Greek Festival
Houston Egyptian Festival
Houston Japan Festival
Ballunar Liftoff Festival
BayouCity Arts Festival
Hewlett-Packard Houston Marathon
FotoFest
Houston in also the home of NASA's Johnson Space Center, the Reliant
Astrodome and the world-renowned Alley Theatre, and the starting point of
the BP MS 150 bike ride, the country's largest charity bicycle tour.
People and culture of Houston
Like many other large cities, Houston is an international home for many
different ethnic groups, including Hispanics, African-Americans, ethnic
Europeans from Germany, Greece, and France, Jews, Chinese, Japanese,
Vietnamese, Koreans, Indians, Pakistanis, Arabs, and South Africans. In some
neighborhoods, street signs are seen in Chinese and Vietnamese. About 90
languages are spoken in the area.
Because Houston and Dallas are both the major economic centers of the state,
the two cities enjoy a friendly rivalry. Houstonians often consider
themselves more "down to earth" than their neighbors five hours to the
north. This rivalry often leads to comparison of the assets of one city to
the assets of the other. For example, although Dallas has more restaurants
per person than even New York City, Houstonians eat out more often than
residents of any other city in the United States, and the only city in which
eating out is cheaper than Houston is New Orleans.
Several Houston-based restaurants, such as Ninfa Laurenzo's Mama Ninfa's
Mexican restaurant chain, Johnny Carabba's Carabba's and Kim Su Tran La's
Kim Sơn Vietnamese restaurant chain, have become well known in Texas and
throughout the country.
List of famous and infamous people raised in Houston
Debbie Allen
James Baker
Clint Black
Roger Clemens
Walter Cronkite
Michael Dell
Haylie Duff
Hilary Duff
A.J. Foyt
Larry Hovis
Howard Hughes (Deceased)
Jesse H. Jones (Deceased)
Barbara Jordan (Deceased)
David Koresh (Deceased)
Beyoncé Knowles
Mickey Leland (Deceased)
Lyle Lovett (from nearby Klein)
Renee O'Connor
Emeka Okafor
Annette O'Toole
P.J. Proby
Phylicia Rashad
Mel Renfro
Kelly Rowland
South Park Mexican
Brent Spiner
Patrick Swayze
Tommy Tune
Jaci Velazquez
Andrea Pia Yates
Lil Flip
Renee Zellweger (from nearby Katy)
ZZ Top members
Law and Government
Houston is the county seat of Harris County, and A portion of far southwest
Houston also extends into Fort Bend County. The current mayor of Houston is
Bill White, who is on his first term. A mayor, who is the executive branch
of the city government, can be elected consecutively for three terms. City
council members, who make up the legislative branch, are elected from nine
districts in the city.
Museums not located in the Museum District
Menil Collection
Art Car Museum
Battleship Texas
Sports Facilities
Minute Maid Park, formerly Enron or Astros Field.
Reliant Stadium, and the adjacent Astrodome
Rice Stadium
Toyota Center
Professional sports teams
Houston is home to several professional sports franchises. Here is a list of
teams with the league they are a part of and the venue the play in:
Baseball: Astros - MLB - Minute Maid Park
Basketball
Rockets - NBA Toyota Center
Comets - WNBA - Toyota Center
Football
Texans - NFL - Reliant Stadium
Energy - WPFL - Rice Stadium
Hockey: Aeros - AHL - Toyota Center
Former teams
Football
Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) - NFL - The team relocated to Memphis and
later to Nashville, Tennessee
Thunderbears - AFL
Soccer: Hotshots - CISL/WISL - AstroArena
Media and Journalism
Houston has a variety of newspapers, with the Houston Chronicle (which is
the only major daily newspaper in Houston recieving wide distribution) being
read all across the South-Central United States. Houston also is home to the
TV stations and radio stations that serve the metro area.
ABC-13 KTRK TV's Wayne Dolcefino released a controversial report that
allegedly showed bad business practices of a charity called "Kid Care".
Since then, the charity's donations dwindled, leaving the owner fuming.
Furthermore, the same station employs Marvin Zindler, whose week-long
exposee on the Chicken Ranch brothel later became the basis for the Brodway
musical The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas.
KHOU TV's team of "Defenders" began and lead a national investigation on the
failure of Firestone Wilderness AT tires in several vehicles. These reports
garnered the reporters and the station national and international attention
and awards.
Partial List of Newspapers
African-American Business and News
Houston Business Journal
Houston Chronicle
Houston Forward Times
Houston Gazette
Houston INTOWN
Houston Post (no longer in print)
Houston Press
Houston Review
Houstonstreets.com
Korean Journal (now national)
Pakistan Chronicle
PaperCity
Television stations
KPRC, Channel 2 (NBC affiliate)
KUHT, Channel 8 (PBS affiliate)
KHOU, Channel 11 (CBS affiliate)
KTRK, Channel 13 (ABC affiliate)
KTXH, Channel 20 (UPN affiliate)
KRIV, Channel 26 (FOX affiliate)
KHWB, Channel 39 (WB affiliate)
KXLN, Channel 45 (Univision affiliate)
KTMD, Channel 47 (Telemundo affiliate)
KPXB, Channel 49 (PAX affiliate)
KNWS, Channel 51 (independent)
KTBU, Channel 55 (independent)
Education
The Houston Independent School District is the primary school district in
Houston and won praise for improved test scores. Rod Paige, the former
superintendent, elevated the district to that level.
A portion of Western Houston falls under the Spring Branch ISD. Alief ISD
has what was the city of Alief. Aldine ISD has what was Aldine. North Forest
ISD takes up a part of Northeast Houston. Parts of Pasadena ISD, Clear Creek
ISD, Galena Park ISD, Katy ISD, Fort Bend ISD, and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
take students from the city limits of Houston.
Colleges and Universities
Baylor College of Medicine
DeVry University, Houston
Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library
Houston Baptist University
Houston Community College System
LeTourneau University
Rice University
San Jacinto College
Aerospace Academy
C.E. King High School Extension Center
Clear Lake Extension Center
San Jacinto College North
San Jacinto College South
Texas A&M University
Prairie View A&M University
Texas A&M University Health Science Center - Institute of Biosciences and
Technology
Texas Heart Institute
Texas Southern University
Texas Woman's University - Institution of Health Sciences, Houston
University of Houston
U of H College of Pharmacy
University of Houston Law Center
University of Houston, Downtown
University of Phoenix
University of Saint Thomas
University of Texas System
UT Health Science Center at Houston
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston in film and TV
Part or all of these movies/shows take place in Houston and/or the Houston
area
Sugarland Express (1974)
Terms of Endearment (1982)
The Trip to Bountiful (1984) - Set in Houston but filmed in Dallas, Texas
Houston Knights (1987-1988)
Reality Bites (1994)
Apollo 13 (1995)
Independence Day (1996) - Houston is destroyed by a nuclear missile
Rushmore (1998)
2000 WNBA Champions - Houston Comets (2000)
Reba (2001-)
Texas Justice (2001-) - Filmed in Houston.
Houston Medical (2002)
The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron (2003)
Animal Cops: Houston (2003)
Friday Night Lights (2004) (In the book and real life events, the final game
of the Permian High School Team is played at the University of Texas in
Austin, not the Astrodome of Houston)
Though Houston and its suburbs are a prime spot for the filming of movies,
the storylines do not usually include the story taking place in the city.
(For example The Chase (1994) was filmed entirely in Houston.)
Sister cities
North: The Woodlands, Conroe
West: Katy, Sugar Land Houston, Bellaire, West University, Southside Place,
George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Hobby Airport
East: Baytown, Liberty
South: Galveston, Freeport, Brazoria
See also:
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Baku, Azerbaijan
Chiba, Japan
Grampian Region, Scotland
Huelva, Spain
Istanbul, Turkey
Leipzig, Germany
Luanda, Angola
Nice, France
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
Stavanger, Norway
Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Tyumen, Russia
|
|
