Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas
Flag Seal
Nickname: "Bayou City"
Location in the state of Texas
Coordinates:
Counties	Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County
Mayor	Bill White
Area
- City	1,558 km²  (601.7 sq mi)
- Land	1,501 km²  (579.4 sq mi)
- Water	57.7 km² (22.3 sq mi)
Elevation	13 m  (43 ft)
Population
- City (2005)	2,016,582
- Density	521.1/km² (1,349.6/sq mi)
- Urban	4,283,000
- Metro	5,280,077
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Website: www.houstontx.gov

Houston is the largest city in the state of Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States. The city covers more than 600 square miles (1,600 km²) and is the county seat of Harris County. As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, Houston had a population of more than 2 million. The city is at the heart of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, a major cultural center and largest economic center of the Gulf Coast region and the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of 5.3 million in 10 counties.

Houston is internationally known for its energy—particularly oil—and aeronautics industries, and for its ship channel. The Port of Houston ranks first in the country in international cargo and second in total cargo tonnage. Second only to New York City in Fortune 500 headquarters, Houston is the seat of the Texas Medical Center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions.

Houston is recognized as a global or world city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network. The city has an active visual and performing arts scene as Houston is one of the five U.S. cities that offer year-round resident companies in all major performing arts. The Houston Theater District is ranked second in the country for the number of theater seats in a concentrated downtown area per capita. The city is home to NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center—where Mission Control Center is located—giving Houston its official nickname of "Space City."

History

Sam Houston

In August 1836, two brothers—John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen—who were New York real estate promoters, purchased 6,642 acres (27 km²) of land from T. F. L. Parrot and his wife Elizabeth, John Austin's widow, for $9,428.^[1] The Allen brothers named their town after Sam Houston. Houston was granted incorporation on June 5, 1837 and James S. Holman became the first mayor.^[2] That same year, it became the county seat of Harrisburg County—renamed to Harris County in 1839—and the Texas Legislature designated Houston as the temporary capital of the new Republic of Texas until 1839.^[3]

Lawlessness, epidemics, and financial problems prompted the people of the community to establish a Chamber of Commerce in 1840.^[4] Many of the first settlers were from the South and endorsed the slavery-plantation system. Slaves lived scattered through the neighborhoods, though there were a few free blacks in the city. By 1860, Houston emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of cotton.^[3] Railroad spurs from the Texas inland converged in Houston, where they met rail lines to the ports of Galveston and Beaumont. During the Civil War, Houston served as a headquarters for General John Bankhead Magruder, who used Houston as an organization point for the Battle of Galveston.^[5] 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.

Oil discovery at Spindletop in Beaumont in 1901 prompted the development of the oil industry.^[6] In 1902, Theodore Roosevelt approved a $1 million improvement project for the Houston Ship Channel. President Woodrow Wilson opened the Port of Houston in 1914, 74 years after digging started. After the Ship Channel was dredged, Houston's deep-water port outpaced Galveston's port which had been devastated by the Galveston Hurricane of 1900.

Houston began having growing pains by the end of the 1930s; the city was no longer a frontier town, and its air service was inadequate for its needs. By 1930, Houston had become Texas's most populous city.^[7] When World War II started, tonnage levels fell and five shipping lines ended service to Houston; however, the war did provide economic benefits for the city. Ellington Field, initially built during World War I, was revitalized as a training center for bombardiers, and aircraft and shipbuilding became large industries statewide. 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 prairie.^[2][8]

The space shuttle, atop its Boeing 747 SCA, flying over Johnson Space Center

Shipbuilding during World War II spurred Houston's growth, as well as 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—the world's first indoor domed sports stadium—opened in 1965 and was henceforth nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World" (though this was far from the first object to receive this moniker).^[9]

During the late 1970s, Houston experienced a population boom as people from Rust Belt states moved en masse into Texas, which benefited from the Arab Oil Embargo. The population boom abruptly ended when oil prices fell in 1986 due to the embargo being lifted. The space industry suffered in 1986 with the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. The late 1980s saw a recession for the city's economy. Since the 1990s, as a result of the recession, Houston has made efforts to diversify its economy by focusing on aerospace and biotechnology, and reducing its dependence on petroleum. In 1997, Houstonians elected Lee P. Brown to be the city's first African American mayor.

Hurricane Rita evacuation

In the new millennium, Tropical Storm Allison dumped up to 37 inches of rain on parts of Houston in June 2001 causing the worst flooding in the city's history with billions of dollars in damage and killing 20 people in Texas.^[10] 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.^[11] One month later, approximately 2.5 million Houston area residents evacuated when Hurricane Rita approached the Gulf Coast—leaving little damage to the city and surrounding area—and this event marked the largest urban evacuation in the history of the United States.^[12][13]

See also: Historical events of Houston

Geography

A simulated-color image of Houston taken on NASA's Landsat 7 satellite with Galveston Bay and Galveston Island visible in the picture

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 601.7 square miles (1,558.4 km²)—579.4 square miles (1,500.7 km²) of it is land and 22.3 square miles (57.7 km²) of it is water. The total area is 3.7 percent water.

Most of Houston is located on the gulf coastal plain, and its vegetation is classified as temperate grassland and forest. Much of the city was built on forested land, marshes, swamp, or prairie—all of which can still be seen in surrounding areas. Because most of Houston is very flat, flooding is a recurring problem for its residents. Downtown stands about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level,^[14] while the highest point in far northwest Houston is about 125 feet (38 m) in elevation.^[15][16] The city once relied on groundwater for its water needs, but land subsidence forced the city to turn to ground-level water sources such as Lake Houston and Lake Conroe.^[17][2]

Houston has four major bayous passing through the city. Buffalo Bayou, runs through downtown and the Houston Ship Channel, has three tributaries: White Oak Bayou, which runs through the Heights and towards downtown; Brays Bayou, which runs along the Texas Medical Center; and Sims Bayou, which runs through the south of Houston and downtown Houston.^[18] The ship channel goes past Galveston and into the Gulf of Mexico.

Geology

Underpinning Houston's land surface are unconsolidated clays, clay shales, and poorly-cemented sands up to several miles deep. The region's geology developed from 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, sometimes black soil is suitable for rice farming in suburban outskirts where the city continues to grow.^[19][20]

The Houston region is generally earthquake-free. While the city of Houston contains over 150 active surface faults (estimated to be 300 active faults)^[21] with an aggregate length of up to 310 miles (500 km),^[22][23] 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."^[17]

Cityscape

Houston was incorporated in 1837 under the ward system of representation. The ward designation is the progenitor of the current-day Houston City Council districts—there are nine in all.

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, new higher-density residential development has resulted in an urban lifestyle. The outlying areas of Houston, the airports and the city's suburbs and enclaves are outside the loop. Beltway 8 encircles the city another 5 miles (8 km) farther out.

Houston, being the largest city in the United States without zoning laws,^[24][25][26] has grown in an different manner compared to other cities. Rather than a single "downtown" as the center of the city's employment, five additional business districts have grown throughout the city—they are Uptown, Texas Medical Center, Greenway Plaza, Westchase, and Greenspoint.

Further information: Geographic areas of Houston

Climate

Main article: Climate of Houston

Houston's climate is classified as humid subtropical (Cfa in Köppen climate classification system). The average yearly precipitation is approximately 48 inches (1,220 mm). Spring supercell thunderstorms sometimes bring tornadoes to the area. 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.

During the summer months, the average daily high temperature peaks at 94 °F (34 °C) at the end of July with an average of 99 days per year above 90 °F (32 °C).^[27][28] However, the humidity (averaging over 90 percent relative humidity in the morning in the summer and around 60 percent in the afternoon)^[29] results in a heat index higher than the actual temperature. Except near the immediate coast, winds are often light in the summer and offer little relief.^[30] To cope with the heat, people use air conditioning in nearly every car and building in the city; in fact, Houston was at one time known as the most air-conditioned city.^[31] Scattered afternoon thunderstorms are common in the summer. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 109 °F (43 °C) on September 4, 2000.^[32]

Winters in Houston are cool and temperate. While the average high in January, the coldest month, is 61 °F (16 °C), Houston sees an average of 18 days per year of 32 °F (0 °C) or less.^[33] Snowfall is rare, and typically does not accumulate when it is seen. The last snowstorm to hit Houston was on December 24, 2004—the city's first recorded snowfall on Christmas Eve. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 5 °F (−15 °C) on January 23, 1940.^[34]

Government and politics

The city of Houston has a strong mayor-council government.^[35] The City's elected officials, serving concurrent two year terms, are: the mayor, the city controller and 14 members of the city council.^[36] Under the strong mayor-council government, the mayor serves as the executive officer of the city. As the city's chief administrator and official representative, the mayor is responsible for the general management of the city and for seeing that all laws and ordinances are enforced.^[37]

As of 2007, the mayor of Houston is Bill White,^[37] who is serving his second term. City council members are elected from nine districts in the city, along with five at-large positions. At-large council members represent the entire city.^[36] The current city council lineup was based on a U.S. Justice Department mandate which took effect in 1979.^[38] Houston is a home rule city and all municipal elections in the state of Texas are nonpartisan.^[35][39]

Economy

Houston's energy industry is recognized worldwide—particularly for oil—but biomedical research, aeronautics, and the ship channel are also large parts of the city's industrial base. The area is also the world's leading center for building oilfield equipment. Much of Houston's success as a petrochemical complex is due to its busy man-made ship channel, the Port of Houston.^[40] The port ranks first in the country in international commerce and is the sixth-largest port in the world.^[41][42] 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.^[43]

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, which is slightly larger than Austria's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Only 29 nations have a GDP exceeding Houston's GAP.^[44] 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.^[45]

Houston ranks second in employment growth rate and fourth in nominal employment growth among the 10 most populous metro areas.^[46] 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.^[47] Forty foreign governments maintain trade and commercial offices here and the city has 23 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations.^[48] Twenty foreign banks representing 10 nations operate in Houston and provide financial assistance to the international community.

Further information: List of companies in Houston

Demographics

Houston is a diverse and international city, in part because of its many academic institutions and strong biomedical, energy, manufacturing and aerospace industries. About 90 languages are frequently spoken in the city.^[49]

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,953,631 people and the population density was 3,371.7 people per square mile (1,301.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.27 percent White, 25.31 percent Black, 0.44 percent Native American, 5.31 percent Asian, 0.06 percent Pacific Islander, 16.46 percent from other races, and 3.15 percent from two or more races. Persons of Hispanic origin, regardless of race, accounted for 37 percent of the population.

Houston has a large population of immigrants from Asia, including the largest Vietnamese American population in Texas and third-largest in the United States.^[50][51] Some parts of the city with high populations of Vietnamese and Chinese residents have Chinese and Vietnamese street signs, in addition to English ones. Houston has two Chinatowns — the original located in Downtown and the more recent one developed is north of Bellaire Boulevard in the southwest area of the city.^[52][53] The city also has a Little Saigon in Midtown and Vietnamese businesses located in the southwest Houston Chinatown.^[54]

The Hispanic population in Houston is increasing as illegal immigrants from Latin America are looking for work in the United States. The city has the third-largest Hispanic and third-largest Mexican population in the United States.^[55] It is estimated that about 400,000 immigrants reside in the Houston area illegally.^[56] Houston has among the youngest populations in the nation,^[57][58][59] partly due to this influx of immigrants into Texas.^[60]

Crime

Since 2005, Houston has been experiencing a spike in crime which is due in part to an influx of people from New Orleans into the city following Hurricane Katrina, according to the Houston Police Department. Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, Houston's murder rate increased 70 percent in November and December of 2005 compared to 2004's levels. The city recorded 336 murders in 2005,^[61] in comparison to 272 in 2004.^[62] The majority of the homicides that occurred in the last quarter of 2005 occurred in two "hotspots" — apartment complexes primarily in the southwest and north-central areas of Houston.^[63] Sixty-five homicides (21 percent of the 312 homicides in the first nine months of 2006) have been classified as Katrina-related, meaning either the victim, suspect, or both evacuated to Houston after Katrina.^[64] Houston's murder rate ranked 18th of U.S. cities with a population over 250,000 in 2005.^[65] Despite the rise in homicides of 23.5 percent, nonviolent crime in the city dropped by 2 percent in 2005 compared to 2004.^[61]

In 2006, there has again been an increase in the number of murders, though not as dramatic as seen in 2005.^[61] In 2006, 379 murders were committed in the city. Houston's homicide rate per 100,000 residents increased from 16.33 in 2005 to 17.24 in 2006.^[66] Houston, like other large cities, also faces crime related to gang activities. In 1996, there were about 380 gangs with 8,000 members—about 2,500 of the members were juveniles.^[67] As of 2006, the largest gang was the Southwest Cholos.^[68]

Culture

Houston Art Car Parade

Houston is designated as a world-class city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network.^[69] The city is home to NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, where Mission Control Center is located, giving Houston its official nickname of "Space City." Because of this, "Houston" was the first word spoken on the moon. Many locals, however, prefer to call it the "Bayou City."

There are many events held in the city celebrating cultures of Houstonians. The largest and longest running is the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo that is held over 20 days from late February through early March. The event begins with trail rides that originate from several points throughout the state, all of which convene at Reliant Park for a barbeque cook-off. The rodeo includes typical rodeo events, as well as concert performances from major artists and carnival rides. Another large celebration is the annual nighttime Houston Pride Parade held at the end of June held along Westheimer Road in Neartown which is home to many 1950s-style restaurants, vintage shops, tattoo parlors, bars, nightclubs, coffeehouses, and gay entertainment.^[70] Other events held annually include the Greek Festival,^[71] Art Car Parade, and the International Festival.^[72]

See also: List of events in Houston and List of famous people raised in Houston

Arts and theater

Wortham Center in the Theater District of Downtown Houston

Having an active visual and performing arts scene, Houston's Theater District has the second largest number of theater seats in a concentrated downtown area in the United States, with 12,948 seats for live performances and 1,480 movie seats.^[73][74][75] The Theater District is located in the center of downtown and is home to nine of Houston's performing arts organizations and six performance halls. Houston is one of only five cities in the United States with permanent professional resident companies in all of the major performing arts disciplines: opera (Houston Grand Opera), ballet (Houston Ballet), music (Houston Symphony Orchestra), and theater (The Alley Theatre).^[76][77] In addition to its visual and performing arts organizations, the city is host to local folk art.^[78] Houston is a prime stop for touring companies from Broadway, concerts, shows, and exhibitions for a variety of interests, ranging from the nation's largest quilting show to auto, boat, home, and gun shows.^[79] The city also has a variety of smaller progressive arts organizations.

Adjacent to the Texas Medical Center is the Museum District, which is home to most of the city's major museums: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, the Cullen Sculpture Garden, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Holocaust Museum Houston, the Children's Museum of Houston, Lawndale Art Center, the Houston Zoo, and the John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science. Located in the nearby Montrose area are The Menil Collection and Rothko Chapel. There are more than 6 million visitors to institutions in the Museum District every year.^{[80][81][82][83]}

Tourism and recreation

Space Center Houston is the official visitors’ center of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Space Center Houston includes many interactive exhibits including moon rocks and a shuttle simulator in addition to special presentations that tell the story of NASA's manned space flight program.

The Theater District—a 17-block area in the center of downtown Houston—is home to the Bayou Place entertainment complex, restaurants, movies, plazas, and parks. Bayou Place is a large multilevel building that is home to full service restaurants, bars, live music, billiards, and art house films. The Houston Verizon Wireless Theater stages a variety of live concerts, stage plays, and stand up comedy; and the Angelika Film Center presents the latest in art, foreign and independent films.^[84]

Houston is home to many parks including Hermann Park, which houses the Houston Zoo and the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Lake Houston Park, Memorial Park, and Sam Houston Park. The city has 337 city parks and over 200 greenspaces—totaling over 19,600 acres that are managed by the city—including the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. What was once the Houston Civic Center was replaced by the George R. Brown Convention Center—one of the nation's largest—and the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, home of the Houston Symphony Orchestra and Society for the Performing Arts. The Sam Houston Coliseum and Music Hall have been replaced by the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

Other tourist attractions include the Galleria, Texas's largest shopping mall located in the Uptown District, Old Market Square, Tranquility Park, the Downtown Aquarium, and Sam Houston Park, which contains restored and reconstructed homes which were originally built between 1823 and 1905.^[85] The San Jacinto Battlefield is in the nearby city of Deer Park.

Sports

Minute Maid Park

Houston has hosted recent, major sporting events, including the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Super Bowl XXXVIII, 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. The city hosts the annual the NCAA College Baseball Minute Maid Classic every February and NCAA football's Texas Bowl in December.

Houston has teams in nearly every major professional sport including: Houston Astros (MLB), Houston Texans (NFL), Houston Rockets (NBA), Houston Comets (WNBA), Houston Aeros (AHL), Houston Undertakers (ABA) and Houston Dynamo (MLS). The Houston Astros advanced to the World Series for the first time in the team's history on October 19, 2005; however, they subsequently lost to the Chicago White Sox. In addition, the Houston Dynamo won the 2006 MLS Cup in their first year after moving from San Jose.

Minute Maid Park (home of the Astros) and Toyota Center (home of the Rockets, Comets, and Aeros) are located in downtown—contributing to an urban renaissance that has transformed Houston's center into a day-and-night destination. Also, the city has the first domed stadium in the United States and also holds the NFL's first retractable roof stadium—Reliant Stadium. Other sports facilities in Houston are Hofheinz Pavilion, Reliant Astrodome, Robertson Stadium, and Rice Stadium. 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.^[86] In early 2006, the Champ Car auto racing series returned to Houston for a yearly race, held on the streets of the Reliant Park complex. The city had previously been home to a Champ Car round from 1998 to 2001.

See also: Former professional sports teams in Houston

Media

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 it ceased operations in 1995. The only other major publication to serve the city is the Houston Press, a free alternative weekly with a daily circulation of more than 500,000 readers. Houston also is home to several radio and television stations that serve the metropolitan area.

Further information: List of newspapers in Houston, List of television stations in Houston, and List of radio stations in Houston

See also: Houston featured in films

Architecture

Houston's skyline has been ranked fourth-most impressive in the United States when ranked primarily by height,^[87] being the country's third-tallest skyline (after Chicago and New York City) and one of the top 10 in the world.^[88] Houston has a system of tunnels and skywalks linking buildings in downtown. The tunnel system also includes shops, restaurants, and convenience stores.

In the 1960s, Downtown Houston comprised of a modest collection of mid-rise office structures, but has since grown into one of the largest skylines in the United States. Downtown was on the threshold of a boom in 1970 with huge projects being launched by real estate developers with the energy industry boom. A succession of skyscrapers were built throughout the 1970s—many by real estate developer Gerald D. Hines—culminating with Houston's tallest skyscraper, the 75-floor, 1,002-foot-tall (305 m) JPMorgan Chase Tower (formerly the Texas Commerce Tower), which was completed in 1982. It is the tallest structure in Texas, 11th-tallest building in the United States and the 30th-tallest skyscraper in the world based on height to roof. In 1983, the 71-floor, 992-foot-tall (302 m) Wells Fargo Bank Plaza was completed, which became the second-tallest building in Houston and Texas. Based on height to roof, it is the 13th-tallest in the country and the 36th-tallest in the world. As of 2006, downtown Houston had about 43 million square feet (4,000,000 m²) of office space.^[89]

Centered around Post Oak Boulevard and the Galleria, the Uptown district boomed during the 1970s and early 1980s when a collection of mid-rise office buildings, hotels, and retail developments appeared along Interstate 610 west. Uptown became one of the most impressive instances of an edge city. The highest achievement of Uptown was the construction of the 64-floor, 901-foot-tall (275 m), Philip Johnson and John Burgee designed landmark Williams Tower (known as the Transco Tower until 1999). At the time, it was believed to the be the world's tallest skyscraper outside of a central business district. The Uptown District is also home to other buildings designed by noted architects such as I. M. Pei, César Pelli, and Philip Johnson. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was a mini-boom of mid-rise and High-rise residential tower construction, with several over 30 stories tall.^[90][91][92] In 2002, Uptown had more than 23 million square feet (2,100,000 m²) of office space with 16 million square feet (1,500,000 m²) of Class A office space.^[93]

See also: List of tallest buildings in Texas

Transportation

Highways

Houston’s freeway system includes 575.5 miles of freeways and expressways in the 10-county metro area.^[94] Its highway system 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 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, State Highway 99 (The Grand Parkway), would form a third loop outside of Houston. Currently, the completed portion of State Highway 99 runs from just north of Interstate 10, west of Houston, to U.S. Highway 59 in Sugar Land, southwest of Houston, and was completed in 1994.

Houston also lies along the route of the proposed Interstate 69 NAFTA superhighway that will link Canada, the U.S. industrial Midwest, Texas, and Mexico. Other spoke freeways are either planned or under construction, including Fort Bend Parkway, Hardy Toll Road, Crosby Freeway, and the future Alvin Freeway.

Further information: List of Houston highways

Mass transit

METRORail along the Main Street Corridor in Downtown

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, or METRO, provides public transportation in the form of buses, light rail, trolleys, and lift vans. METRO's various forms of public transportation still do not connect many of the suburbs to the greater city, causing Houstonians to rely on the automobile as a primary source of transportation.

METRO began running light rail service (METRORail) on January 1, 2004. Currently the track is rather short—it runs about 8 miles (13 km) from northern Downtown at UH–Downtown to the Texas Medical Center and Reliant Park. Prior to the opening of METRORail, Houston was the largest city in the United States devoid of any rail transit system. That distinction has since been passed to Phoenix. METRO is currently in the beginning design phases of a 10-year expansion plan to add five more sections to connect to the current light rail system.^[95]

Airports

Houston is served by two commercial airports—the largest of which is the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The airport is the ninth-busiest in the United States for total passengers, and 17th busiest worldwide.^[96] Bush Intercontinental currently ranks third in the United States for non-stop domestic and international service with 182 destinations.^[97] This trails O'Hare International Airport and the leader, Atlanta Hartsfield, which has around 230 destinations.^[98] 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.^[99] Houston is the headquarters of Continental Airlines and Bush Intercontinental is Continental Airlines' largest hub. The airline offers more 1,100 daily departures from Houston.^[100]

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. Business travelers on shorter routes to Houston from within the United States tend to use Hobby instead of Bush Intercontinental. Houston's aviation history is showcased in the 1940 Air Terminal Museum located in the old terminal building on the west side of Hobby Airport.

The third-largest airport and former U.S. Air Force base, Ellington Field, is primarily used for government and private aircraft. At one point, Continental Express operated flights across the city to Bush Intercontinental primarily for residents of southeast Houston and Galveston County. The Federal Aviation Administration and the state of Texas selected the "Houston Airport System as Airport of the Year" for 2005,^[101] largely because of its multi-year, $3.1 billion airport improvement program for both major airports in Houston.

Healthcare and medicine

Texas Medical Center

Houston is the seat of the internationally-renowned Texas Medical Center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions.^[102]

There are 45 member institutions in the Texas Medical Center—all are not-for-profit— providing 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 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.^[103]

Some of the academic and research health institutions are Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, The Methodist Hospital, and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is widely considered one of the world's most productive and highly-regarded academic institutions devoted to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention.

See also: List of hospitals in Texas

Education

Rice University

The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2004 American Community Survey showed that 29 percent of adults in Houston have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 27 percent nationwide. The city has more than 313,000 students enrolled in more than 60 degree-granting colleges, universities, institutes, and technical schools as of the fall semester of 2004.^[104]

There are more than 55 colleges and universities and dozens of institutions engaged in research and development in Houston. The city is home to Rice University—one of the country’s leading teaching and research universities—ranked the nation's 17th-best overall university by U.S. News & World Report.^[105] The University of Houston (UH) is Texas's third-largest public research university with more than 36,000 students from 130 countries, making it one of the most diverse campuses in the country.^[106] UH is the only doctoral degree granting comprehensive research institution in East Texas with more than 40 research centers and institutes. South Texas College of Law, Houston's oldest law school founded in 1923, has one of the nation's top programs for trial advocacy.^[107][108] Other large institutions of higher learning in the city include UH–Clear Lake, UH–Downtown, and Texas Southern University—a historically black university. The Houston Community College System serves most of Houston and is the fourth-largest community college system in the United States.^[109]

There are 16 school districts serving the city. The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the seventh-largest in the United States.^[110] 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.

Houston has numerous private schools of all types. The Houston area is home to more than 300 private schools.^{[111][112][113]} Many of the schools are accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC). The Houston area Catholic schools are operated by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

Further information: List of colleges and universities in Houston

Further reading

• Houston, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online

• 170 Years of Historic Houston Houstonhistory.com. 2007. Last Retrieved 2007-01-13.
• Johnston, Marguerite (1991). Houston, The Unknown City, 1836–1946. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 0-89096-476-9.
• Miller, Ray (1984). Ray Miller's Houston. Gulf Publishing Company. ISBN 0-88415-081-X.
• Slotboom, Oscar F. "Erik" (2003). Houston Freeways. Oscar F. Slotboom. ISBN 0-9741605-3-9., also available in full online: Houston Freeways.

Notes

External links

• City of Houston official website
• History of Houston
• Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Greater Houston Partnership
• Greater Houston Transportation and Emergency Management Center
• Houston Downtown District
• Houston Downtown Entertainment District Alliance
• Uptown Houston District
• Midtown Houston District
• Houston Airport System
• Greater Houston Preservation Alliance
• Houston Wilderness Organization
• Houston Real Estate Statistics
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 29.75° -95.35°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

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