Greater Houston

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Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown
Map of the Greater Houston

Common name: Greater Houston
Largest city
Other cities		 Houston
 - Sugar Land
 - Baytown
 - Galveston
Population  Ranked 7th in the U.S.
 - Total 5,280,077 (2005 est.)
 - Density 515 /sq. mi. 
199 /km²
Area 10,062 sq. mi.
26,060 km²
State(s)  Texas
Elevation   
 - Highest point 386 feet (118 m)
 - Lowest point 0 feet (0 m)

The Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, is the seventh-largest metropolitan area and one of the most diverse[2] in the United States consisting of 10 counties within the state of Texas. The area is colloquially referred to as either the "Houston metropolitan area" or "Greater Houston" and is situated in Southeast Texas, west of the Golden Triangle.

The Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan statistical area (MSA) has a population of 5.3 million as of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate.[3] The metropolitan area comprises 10 counties, centering in Harris County and the city of Houston. Houston is one of 11 U.S. global cities as it is ranked "Gamma World City" by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network.[4]

Houston is among the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas. The area grew 25.2 percent between the 1990 and 2000 censuses—adding more than 950,000 people—while the nation's population increased 13.2 percent over the same period. From 2000 to 2030, says Woods & Poole Economics, the MSA should rank sixth among the nation’s metropolitan areas in population growth—adding 2.66 million people.[5]

Contents

[edit] Geography

An image of the Greater Houston area taken on NASA's Landsat 7 satellite with Galveston Bay and Galveston Island visible towards the bottom of the picture.
Enlarge
An image of the Greater Houston area taken on NASA's Landsat 7 satellite with Galveston Bay and Galveston Island visible towards the bottom of the picture.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area has a total area of 10,062 square miles (26,060 km²)—slightly smaller than Massachusetts and slightly larger than New Jersey.[6]

The metropolitan area is located in the gulf coastal plains biome, and its vegetation is classified as temperate grassland. Much of the metro area was built on forested land, marshes, swamp, or prairie—all of which can still be seen in surrounding areas.

Much of the Houston area is very flat, making flooding a recurring problem for its residents.

[edit] Geology

Underpinning Houston's land surface are unconsolidated clays, clay shales, and poorly-cemented sands up to several miles deep. The region's geology developed from stream deposits formed from the erosion of the Rocky Mountains. These sediments consist of a series of sands and clays deposited on decaying organic matter that, over time, transformed into oil and natural gas. Beneath these tiers 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 dome shapes, often trapping oil and gas that seeped from the surrounding porous sands. This thick rich soil also provides a good environment for rice farming in suburban outskirts that the city continues to grow into near Katy. Evidence of past rice farming is even still evident in developed areas as there is an abundance of rich dark loamy top soil.

The Houston region is generally earthquake-free. While the city of Houston contains over 150 active surface faults (some have estimated as many as 300 active faults[7]) with an aggregate length of up to 310 miles (500 km),[8][9] the clay below the surface precludes the buildup of friction that produces ground shaking in earthquakes. These faults generally move at a smooth rate in what is termed "fault creep."

[edit] Components of metropolitan area

[edit] Counties

Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA
Enlarge
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA

There are 10 counties in the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan statistical area (MSA) defined by the U.S. Census as of 2003.[10] They are listed below with population figures as of the 2005 U.S. Census estimates.[11]

[edit] Cities and towns

Main article: List of cities and towns in Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA

There are four "principal" cities defined by the U.S. Census as of 2003.[12] Population figures are within the city limits as of the 2005 U.S. Census estimates.[13]

[edit] Economy

Among the 10 most populous metro areas, Houston ranked second in employment growth rate and fourth in nominal employment growth.[14] 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.[15]

The Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA's Gross Area Product (GAP) in 2005 was $308.7 billion, up 5.4 percent from 2004 in constant dollars—slightly larger than Austria's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Only 28 nations other than the United States have a GDP exceeding Houston's GAP.[16] Mining, which in Houston is almost entirely oil and gas exploration and production, accounts for 11 percent of Houston's GAP—down from 21 percent as recently as 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.[17]

The area's economic activity is centered in Houston, the county seat of Harris County. Houston is second to New York City in Fortune 500 headquarters. The city has attempted to build a banking industry, but the companies originally started in Houston have since merged with other companies nationwide. Banking, however, is still vital to the region.

Houston is a major port and financial center for oil companies. Houston's energy industry is a world powerhouse (particularly oil), but biomedical research, aeronautics, and the ship channel are also large parts of the city's industrial base. The Houston metropolitan area comprises the largest petrochemical manufacturing area in the world, including for synthetic rubber, insecticides, and fertilizers. The area is also the world's leading center for building oilfield equipment.

Much of metro area's success as a petrochemical complex is due to its busy man-made ship channel, the Port of Houston.[18] Because of these economic trades, many residents have moved to the Houston area from other U.S. states, as well as hundreds of countries worldwide. Unlike most places, where high gas prices are seen as harmful to the economy, they are generally seen as beneficial for Houston as many are employed in the energy industry. Baytown, Texas City, Clute, and Galveston also have major ports and chemical plants. Galveston also has the largest cruise ship terminal in Texas (and the 12th-largest in the world) and is a recreational area for people in the region.

Sugar Land is home to the second-largest economic activities and third-largest city in the metropolitan area. Sugar Land has the most important and booming economic center in Fort Bend County. The city holds the Nalco/Exxon and Western Airways headquarters. Engineering firms and other related industries have managed to take the place as an economic engine.

See also: List of companies in Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Highways

Houston’s freeway system includes 575.5 miles of freeways and expressways in the 10-county metro area.[19] The State of Texas plans to spend $5.06 billion on Houston area highways between 2002 and 2007. Houston freeways are heavily traveled and often under construction to meet the demands of continuing growth.

The Greater Houston area has a hub-and-spoke freeway structure with multiple loops. The innermost is Interstate 610, forming approximately a 10 mile 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. A proposed highway project, Texas Highway 99 (The Grand Parkway), would form a third loop outside of Houston. Currently, the completed portion of Texas Highway 99 runs from just north of Interstate 10, west of Houston, to U.S. Highway 59 in Sugar Land, southwest of Houston, and was completed in 1994. The next portion to be constructed is from the current terminus at U.S. Highway 59 to State Highway 288 in Brazoria County.

Further information: List of highways in Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA

[edit] Mass transit

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, or METRO, provides public transportation in the form of buses, trolleys, and lift vans.

METRO began running light rail service (METRORail) on January 1, 2004. Currently the track is rather short—it runs about 8 miles (13 km) from Downtown Houston to the Texas Medical Center and Reliant Park. METRO's various forms of public transportation still do not connect many of the suburbs to the greater city, causing Houstonians to rely on the automobile as a primary source of transportation. Prior to the opening of METRORail, Houston was the largest city in the United States devoid of a rail transit system by a very large margin.

Following a successful referendum held locally in 2004, METRO is currently in the beginning design phases of a 10-year expansion plan to add five more sections to connect to the current rail system. An 8.3 mile (13.4 km) expansion has been approved to run the service from Uptown (the Galleria area) through Texas Southern University, ending at the University of Houston campus.

[edit] Airports

Houston's largest airport (and Texas's second-largest), George Bush Intercontinental Airport, is located in north Houston. Continental Airlines is headquartered in Downtown Houston. The southeast of Houston has William P. Hobby Airport, the second-largest commercial passenger airport. Houston's third-largest airport is Ellington Field, which houses several National Guard and Air National Guard units, as well as the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center's fleet of jets that are used to train astronauts. Sugar Land, southwest of Houston, has the Sugar Land Regional Airport. Sugar Land Regional is the fourth-largest airport in the metropolitan area and the only general reliever airport in the southwest sector.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Texas Almanac, 2005-2006. Edited by Elizabeth Cruce Alvarez, Robert Plocheck. (San Jacinto county: Altitude (ft.): 74-386)
  2. ^ http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/09AW001.pdf
  3. ^ http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/09AW015.pdf
  4. ^ http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/citylist.html
  5. ^ http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/09AW005.pdf
  6. ^ http://www.houstontx.gov/abouthouston/houstonfacts.html
  7. ^ Mapping Active Faults in the Houston area Using LIDAR. Richard Engelkeimer, Shuhab Khan, Carl Norman. University of Houston.
  8. ^ Faults in Parts of North-Central and Western Houston Metropolitan Area, Texas. Earl R. Verbeek, Karl W. Ratzlaff, Uel S. Clanton. U.S. Geological Survey.
  9. ^ Principal Active Faults. Houston Area, Texas. U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1984.
  10. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro_general/List4.txt
  11. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2005-01-48.xls
  12. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro_general/List2.txt
  13. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2005-04-48.xls
  14. ^ http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/10AW001.pdf
  15. ^ http://www.forbes.com/2006/05/03/06bestplaces_best-places-for-business_land.html
  16. ^ http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/02CW001.pdf
  17. ^ http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/15AW001.pdf
  18. ^ http://www.portsl.com/pages/15_overview.html
  19. ^ http://www.houston.org/blackfenders/11BW001.pdf

[edit] External links

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See also: List of Texas counties
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