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"Houston" redirects here. For other uses, see Houston (disambiguation).
| City of Houston | |||
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| Nickname: Space City | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | United States of America | ||
| State | Texas | ||
| Counties | Harris Fort Bend Montgomery | ||
| Incorporated | June 5, 1837 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Bill White | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 601.7 sq mi (1,558 km²) | ||
| - Land | 579.4 sq mi (1,501 km²) | ||
| - Water | 22.3 sq mi (57.7 km²) | ||
| Elevation | 43 ft (13 m) | ||
| Population (2006)US Census Bureau Population Finder: Houston city, TX. factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2006-02-22.Population Estimates for the 25 Largest U.S. Cities based on July 1, 2006 Population Estimates. www.census.gov. Retrieved on 2007-06-28. | |||
| - City | 2,144,491 (4th) | ||
| - Density | 3,701/sq mi (1,429/km²) | ||
| - Urban | 3,822,509 | ||
| - Metro | 5,539,949 | ||
| - Demonym | Houstonian | ||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | ||
| FIPS code | 48-35000American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 1380948US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31. | ||
| Website: www.houstontx.gov | |||
Houston (pronounced /ˈhjuːstən/) is the fourth-largest city in the United States of America and the largest city within the state of Texas. As of the 2006 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.14 million within an area of 600 square miles (1,600 km²). Houston is the seat of Harris County and an economic center of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area—the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of more than 5.5 million.Current Population EstimatesPDF (34.7 KiB). Houston Population Estimates, July 2006 2006. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
Houston was founded on August 30, 1836 by brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen on land near the banks of Buffalo Bayou. The city was incorporated on June 5, 1837 and named after then-President of the Republic of Texas—former General Sam Houston—who had commanded at the Battle of San Jacinto, which took place 25 miles (40 km) east of where the city was established. The burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the city\'s population. In the mid-twentieth century, Houston became the home of the Texas Medical Center—the world\'s largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions—and NASA\'s Johnson Space Center, where Mission Control Center is located.
Houston\'s economy has a broad industrial base in the energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and technology; only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters. Commercially, Houston is ranked as a world city, and the area is a leading center for building oilfield equipment. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled.U.S. Port Ranking by Cargo Volume 2004. Port Industry Information, American Association of Port Authorities. 2004. Retrieved on 2007-01-15. The city has a multicultural population with a large and growing international community. It is home to many cultural institutions and exhibits—attracting more than 7 million visitors a year to the Houston Museum District. Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District and is one of five U.S. cities that offer year-round resident companies in all major performing arts."Museums and Cultural ArtsPDF (33.2 KiB)", Greater Houston Partnership. Retrieved on 2006-12-16.
Contents |
In August 1836, John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen, two real estate entrepreneurs from New York City, purchased 6,642 acres (27 km²) of land along Buffalo Bayou with the intent of founding a city.Coutinho, Juliana. "Brief history of Houston", The Daily Cougar, 2000-09-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-06. The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the popular general of the Texans at the Battle of San Jacinto, who was elected President in September 1836.
Houston was granted incorporation on June 5, 1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor.Houston, Texas. Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. In the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County (now Harris County) and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas.Looscan, Adele B. (1916). "Harris County, 1822–1845". Southwestern Historical Quarterly 19: 37–64. Retrieved on 2007-02-07. In 1840, the community established a chamber of commerce in part to promote shipping and waterborne business at the newly created port on Buffalo Bayou.Born on the Bayou: city\'s murky start. John Perry, City Savvy Online Edition. Published Summer 2006. Retrieved on 2007-02-06
Houston, circa 1873
By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of cotton. Railroad spurs from the Texas inland converged in Houston, where they met rail lines to the ports of Galveston and Beaumont. During the American Civil War, Houston served as a headquarters for General John Bankhead Magruder, who used the city as an organization point for the Battle of Galveston.Cotham, Edward T. (2004). Sabine Pass: The Confederacy\'s Thermopylae. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-70594-8. 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.
In 1900, after Galveston was struck by a devastating hurricane, efforts to make Houston into a viable deepwater port were accelerated.J.H.W. Stele to Sayers, September 11-12, 1900. Texas State Library & Archives Commission, Retrieved on August 31, 2007 The following year, oil discovered at the Spindletop oil field near Beaumont prompted the development of the Texas petroleum industry.Olien, Diana Davids; Olien, Roger M. (2002). Oil in Texas: The Gusher Age, 1895–1945. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-76056-6. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt approved a $1 million improvement project for the Houston Ship Channel. President Woodrow Wilson opened the Port of Houston in 1914, seven years after digging began. By 1930, Houston had become Texas\'s most populous city.Gibson, Campbell (June, 1998). "Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990". Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2007-02-06.
When World War II started, tonnage levels at the port decreased and shipping activities were suspended; however, the war did provide economic benefits for the city. Petrochemical refineries and manufacturing plants were constructed along the ship channel because of the demand for petroleum and synthetic rubber products during the war.Houston Ship Channel. TSHA Handbook of Texas. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. Ellington Field, initially built during World War I, was revitalized as an advanced training center for bombardiers and navigators.Carlson, Erik (February, 1999). Ellington Field: A Short History, 1917–1963. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. The M. D. Anderson Foundation formed the Texas Medical Center in 1945. After the war, Houston\'s economy reverted to being primarily port-driven. In 1948, several unincorporated areas were annexed into the city limits, which more than doubled the city\'s size, and Houston proper began to spread across the region.Streetman, Ashley. Houston Timeline. Houston Institute for Culture. Retrieved on 2007-02-06.
In 1950, the availability of air conditioning provided impetus for many companies to relocate to Houston resulting in an economic boom and producing a key shift in the city\'s economy toward the energy sector.How Air Conditioning Changed America. The Old House Web, Retrieved on April 4, 2007A Short History. Houston Geological Auxiliary, Retrieved on April 4, 2007
The space shuttle, atop its Boeing 747 SCA, flying over Johnson Space Center
The increased production of the local shipbuilding industry during World War II spurred Houston\'s growth,Shipbuilding. TSHA Handbook of Texas. Retrieved on 2007-02-18. as did the establishment in 1961 of NASA\'s "Manned Spacecraft Center" (renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in 1973), which created the city\'s aerospace industry. The Astrodome, nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World,"Barks, Joseph V.. "Powering the (New and Improved) "Eighth Wonder of the World"", Electrical Apparatus, November 2001. Retrieved on 2007-01-16. opened in 1965 as the world\'s first indoor domed sports stadium.
During the late 1970s, Houston experienced a population boom as people from Rust Belt states moved to Texas in large numbers.Polish-Texans. Texas Almanac 2004-2005. Retrieved on 2007-02-06. The new residents came for the numerous employment opportunities in the petroleum industry, created as a result of the Arab Oil Embargo.
The population boom ended abruptly in the mid-1980s, as oil prices fell precipitously. The space industry also suffered in 1986 after the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch. The late 1980s saw a recession affect the city\'s economy.
Since the 1990s, as a result of the recession, Houston has made efforts to diversify its economy by focusing on aerospace and biotechnology and by reducing its dependence on the petroleum industry. In 1997, Houstonians elected Lee P. Brown as the city\'s first African American mayor.Lee P. Brown - Biography. TheHistoryMakers.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
Hurricane Rita evacuation
In June 2001, Tropical Storm Allison dumped up to 37 inches (940 mm) of rain on parts of Houston, causing the worst flooding in the city\'s history; the storm cost billions of dollars in damage and killed 20 people in Texas.Ward, Christina. "Allison\'s Death Toll Hits 43", RedCross.org, 2001-06-18. Retrieved on 2007-01-01. 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."Katrina\'s Human Legacy", Houston Chronicle, 2006-08-27. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. One month later, approximately 2.5 million Houston area residents evacuated when Hurricane Rita approached the Gulf Coast, leaving little damage to the Houston area. This event marked the largest urban evacuation in the history of the United States.Flakus, Greg. "Recovery Beginning in Areas Affected by Hurricane Rita", Voice of America News, 2005-09-25. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. 8th Congressional District of Texas 2007 Appropriations Project Requests. Congressman Kevin Brady, 8th District of Texas. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
A simulated-color image of Houston
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 601.7 square miles (1,558.4 km²); this comprises 579.4 square miles (1,500.7 km²) of land and 22.3 square miles (57.7 km²) of 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, which are all still visible in surrounding areas. Flatness of the local terrain, when combined with urban sprawl, has made flooding a recurring problem for the city.Flood Forecasting for the Buffalo Bayou Using CRWR-PrePro and HEC-HMS. Center for Research in Water Resources, The University of Texas at Austin Retrieved on 2007-01-10. Downtown stands about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level,Downtown Houston, Texas. Topozone.com Retrieved on 2007-01-10. and the highest point in far northwest Houston is about 125 feet (38 m) in elevation.USGS Satsuma (TX) Topo Map. Topozone.com. 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-11. Note: The boundaries of the City of Houston are shown as "HOUSTON CORP BDY" along the dotted line.Super Neighborhood# 1-Willowbrook. City of Houston. Retrieved on 2007-01-11. The city once relied on groundwater for its needs, but land subsidence forced the city to turn to ground-level water sources such as Lake Houston and Lake Conroe.HOUSTON-GALVESTON, TEXAS Managing Coastal SubsidencePDF (5.89 MiB). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
Houston has four major bayous passing through the city. Buffalo Bayou runs through downtown and the Houston Ship Channel, and has three tributaries: White Oak Bayou, which runs through the Heights neighborhood and towards downtown; Braes Bayou, which runs along the Texas Medical Center; and Sims Bayou, which runs through the south of Houston and downtown Houston. The ship channel continues past Galveston and then into the Gulf of Mexico.
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 river 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 the layers of sediment is a water-deposited layer of halite, a rock salt. The porous layers were compressed over time and forced upward. As it pushed upward, the salt dragged surrounding sediments into salt dome formations, often trapping oil and gas that seeped from the surrounding porous sands. The thick, rich, sometimes black, surface soil is suitable for rice farming in suburban outskirts where the city continues to grow.Harris County. Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.RICE CULTURE. Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
Despite over 150 active surface faults (estimated to be 300 active faults)Richard Engelkeimer, Shuhab Khan, Carl Norman. "Mapping Active Faults in the Houston area Using LIDARPDF (775 KiB)", University of Houston. Retrieved on 2006-12-14. with an aggregate length of up to 310 miles (500 km)Earl R. Verbeek, Karl W. Ratzlaff, Uel S. Clanton. "Faults in Parts of North-Central and Western Houston Metropolitan Area, Texas", United States Geological Survey, 2005-09-16. Retrieved on 2006-12-14.Principal Active Faults. Houston Area, Texas, U.S. Department of Agriculture, May 1984. Retrieved on 2006-12-14. within the city of Houston alone, the region is generally earthquake-free. Land in some communities southeast of Houston is sinking because water has been pumped out from the ground for many years and may be associated with slip along faults. However, the slippage is slow and not considered an earthquake where stationary faults must slip suddenly enough to create seismic waves.Texas Earthquakes, University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, July 2001. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. These faults also tend to move at a smooth rate in what is termed "fault creep," which further reduces the risk of an earthquake.
Allen\'s Landing after Tropical Storm Allison, June 2001
Houston\'s climate is classified as humid subtropical (Cfa in Köppen climate classification system). Spring supercell thunderstorms sometimes bring tornadoes to the area. Prevailing winds are from the south and southwest during most of the year, bringing heat across the continent from the deserts of Mexico and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.
During the summer months, it is common for the temperature to reach over 90 °F (32 °C), with an average of 99 days per year above 90 °F (32 °C)."Monthly Averages for Houston, Texas", The Weather Channel. Retrieved on 2006-12-14."National Climatic Data Center", National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce, 2004-06-23. Retrieved on 2006-12-14. However, the humidity results in a heat index higher than the actual temperature. Summer mornings average over 90 percent relative humidity and approximately 60 percent in the afternoon."Average Relative Humidity", Department of Meteorology at the University of Utah. Retrieved on 2006-12-14. Winds are often light in the summer and offer little relief, except near the immediate coast.WIND - AVERAGE SPEED (mph). Department of Meteorology, University of Utah. 1993. Retrieved on 2007-01-10 To cope with the heat, people use air conditioning in nearly every vehicle and building in the city; in fact, in 1980 Houston was described as the "most air-conditioned place on earth".A MOMENT IN BUILDING. BLUEPRINTS, Volume X, Number 3, Summer 1992. National Building Museum. Retrieved on 2007-01-11. Scattered afternoon thunderstorms are common in the summer. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 109 °F (43 °C) on September 4, 2000."History for Houston Intercontinental, Texas on Monday, September 4, 2000", Weather Underground, 2000-09-04. Retrieved on 2006-12-14.
Winters in Houston are fairly temperate. The average high in January, the coldest month, is 63 °F (17 °C), while the average low is 45 °F (7 °C). Snowfall is generally rare. The last snowstorm to hit Houston was on December 24, 2004. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 5 °F (−15 °C) on January 23, 1940.Houston Extremes Data and Annual Summaries. National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Published 2007-01-05. Retrieved on 2007-01-11. Houston receives a high amount of rainfall annually, averaging about 54 inches a year. These rains tend to cause floods over portions of the city.
Houston has excessive ozone levels and is ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States."State of the Air 2005, National and Regional Analysis ", American Lung Association, 2005-03-25. Retrieved on 2006-02-17. Ground-level ozone, or smog, is Houston’s predominate air pollution problem, with the American Lung Association rating the metropolitan area\'s ozone level as the 6th worst in the United States in 2006."State of the Air 2006, 25 Most Ozone-Polluted Cities ", American Lung Association. Retrieved on 2006-04-02. The industries located along the ship channel are a major cause of the city\'s air pollution."Summary of the Issues", Citizens League for Environmental Action Now , 2004-08-01. Retrieved on 2006-02-17.
| Weather averages for Houston | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 84 (29) | 91 (33) | 96 (36) | 95 (35) | 99 (37) | 103 (39) | 105 (41) | 107 (42) | 109 (43) | 97 (36) | 90 (32) | 85 (29) | 109 (43) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 62 (17) | 67 (19) | 73 (23) | 79 (26) | 86 (30) | 91 (33) | 94 (34) | 94 (34) | 89 (32) | 82 (28) | 72 (22) | 65 (18) | 79 (26) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 41 (5) | 44 (7) | 51 (11) | 58 (14) | 66 (19) | 72 (22) | 74 (23) | 73 (23) | 68 (20) | 59 (15) | 50 (10) | 43 (6) | 58 (14) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 5 (-15) | 14 (-10) | 22 (-6) | 31 (-1) | 44 (7) | 50 (10) | 62 (17) | 60 (16) | 46 (8) | 29 (-2) | 19 (-7) | 7 (-14) | 5 (-15) |
| Precipitation inch (mm) | 3.7 (94) | 3.0 (76.2) | 3.4 (86.4) | 3.6 (91.4) | 5.2 (132.1) | 5.4 (137.2) | 3.2 (81.3) | 3.8 (96.5) | 4.3 (109.2) | 4.5 (114.3) | 4.2 (106.7) | 3.7 (94) | 47.8 (1,214.1) |
| Source: weather.comNational Weather Service Forecast Office Houston/Galveston, Texas: Houston (Intercontinental Airport) Climate Data (see: "Normals, Means and Extremes"). Retrieved on Feb 6, 2008. Feb 2008 | |||||||||||||
Houston was incorporated in 1837 under the ward system of representation. The ward designation is the progenitor of the nine current-day Houston City Council districts. Locations in Houston are generally classified as either being inside or outside the Interstate 610 Loop. The inside encompasses the central business district and many residential neighborhoods that predate World War II. More recently, high-density residential areas have been developed within the loop. The city\'s outlying areas, suburbs and enclaves are located outside of the loop. Beltway 8 encircles the city another 5 miles (8 km) farther out.
Houston is the largest city in the United States without zoning regulations. However, Houston has developed in a manner similar to other cities throughout the sunbelthttp://www.planetizen.com/node/109 Zoning Without Zoning, and legal covenants are widely employed to play a role largely equivalent to zoning, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DEFDB103FF934A2575BC0A960948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print but with less democratic oversight. Houston\'s other urban planning shortcomings are often conflated with the lack of zoning.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DEFDB103FF934A2575BC0A960948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print Voters rejected efforts to have separate residential and commercial land-use districts in 1948, 1962, and 1993. Rather than a single central business district as the center of the city\'s employment, multiple districts have grown throughout the city in addition to downtown which include Uptown, Texas Medical Center, Midtown, the Energy Corridor, Greenway Plaza, Westchase, and Greenspoint.
The city of Houston has a strong mayoral form of municipal government.Summary of Significant Accounting Policies. Office of the Controller, City of Houston. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. Houston is a home rule city and all municipal elections in the state of Texas are nonpartisan.6.2 Run for Party Nomination to Public Office. Texas Politics, Liberal Arts Technology Instruction Services, University of Texas. 2005. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. The City\'s elected officials are the mayor, city controller and 14 members of the city council.City Council. City of Houston. 2007. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. As of 2007, the mayor of Houston is William "Bill" White, a Democrat elected on a nonpartisan ballot who is serving his third term and final term (due to term limits). Houston\'s mayor serves as the city\'s chief administrator, executive officer, and official representative. He is responsible for the general management of the city and for seeing that all laws and ordinances are enforced.Mayor\'s Office. 2007. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. As the result of a 1991 referendum in Houston, a mayor is elected for a two-year term, and can be elected to as many as three consecutive terms.
The current city council line-up of nine district based and five at large positions was based on a U.S. Justice Department mandate which took effect in 1979.Strong Currents of Change. Time Magazine. Published 1979-11-19. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. At-large council members represent the entire city. Under the current city charter, if the population in the city limits goes past 2.1 million residents, the current nine-member city council districts will be expanded with the addition of two city council districts.City Council may grow by two seats[dead link]. Houston Chronicle.
Criminal Law is enforced by the Houston Police Department. Houston\'s murder rate ranked 18th of U.S. cities with a population over 250,000 in 2005."Murder Rate in 2005PDF (30.4 KiB)", Morgan Quitno. Retrieved on November 29, 2006. While nonviolent crime in the city dropped by 2 percent in 2005 compared to 2004, the number of homicides rose by 23.5 percent. Since 2005, Houston has been experiencing a spike in crime, which is due in part to an influx of people from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.Leahy, Jennifer. "Homicide rate on track to be worst in a decade - Evacuees play large role in the rise, police say", Houston Chronicle, 2006-10-21. Retrieved on 2007-02-06. After Katrina, Houston\'s murder rate increased 70 percent in November and December 2005 compared to levels in 2004. The city recorded 336 murders in 2005,Villafranca, Armando. "Houston violent crime to be studied", Houston Chronicle, November 23, 2006, p. 3. Retrieved 2006-12-17. compared to 272 in 2004."Crime in Texas: 2004PDF (193 KiB)", Texas Department of Public Safety, 2004. Retrieved 2006-12-17.
Houston\'s homicide rate per 100,000 residents increased from 16.33 in 2005 to 17.24 in 2006. O\'Hare, Peggy. "City sees 13.5% rise in slayings for 2006 at the Internet Archive", Houston Chronicle, 2007-01-01. Retrieved on January 1, 2007 The number of murders in the city increased to 379 in 2006. In 1996, there were about 380 gangs with 8,000 members; of which 2,500 were juveniles.Teachey, Lisa. "Houston\'s gang-related crime show decrease, according to survey[dead link]", Houston Chronicle, 1996-06-20. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
Houston is recognized worldwide for its energy industry — particularly for oil and natural gas — as well as for biomedical research and aeronautics. The ship channel is also a large part of Houston\'s economic base. Because of these strengths, Houston is designated as a gamma world city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network."Inventory of World Cities", Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network. Retrieved on 2006-12-16.
Four of the six supermajor energy companies maintain a large base of operations in Houston. The headquarters of Shell Oil Company, the US affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell, is located at One Shell Plaza. While ExxonMobil maintains its global headquarters in Irving, Texas, its upstream and chemical divisions are located in Houston. Chevron has offices in Houston, having acquired a 40 story building intended to be the headquarters of Enron.Chevron Picks Former Enron Building for Consolidation Site | Company Activities & Management > Company Structures & Ownership from AllBusiness.com The company\'s Chevron Pipe Line Company subsidiary is headquartered in Houston.Welcome To Shared ServerLastly, the international headquarters of ConocoPhillips is also located in Houston.
The area is a leading center for building oilfield equipment."Energy: Largest Houston Area Oilfield Equipment and Service CompaniesPDF (24.8 KiB)", Greater Houston Partnership. Retrieved on 2007-10-14. Much of Houston\'s success as a petrochemical complex is due to its busy man-made ship channel, the Port of Houston."Port of Houston FirstsPDF (10.6 KiB)", The Port of Houston Authority, 2007-05-15. Retrieved on 2007-05-27. The port ranks first in the United States in international commerce, and is the tenth-largest port in the world."General Information", The Port of Houston Authority, 2007-05-15. Retrieved on 2007-05-27. 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.Bustillo, Miguel. "Houston is Feeling Energized", Los Angeles Times, 2006-12-28. Retrieved on 2007-02-06.
The Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA\'s Gross Area Product (GAP) in 2006 was $325.5 billion,"Houston Area ProfilePDF (63.1 KiB)", Greater Houston Partnership. Retrieved on 2007-05-27. slightly larger than Austria’s, Poland’s or Saudi Arabia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). When comparing Houston\'s economy to a national economy, only 21 countries other than the United States have a gross domestic product exceeding Houston\'s regional gross area product."Houston Area ProfilePDF (63.1 KiB)", Greater Houston Partnership. Retrieved on 2007-05-27. Mining, which in Houston is almost entirely exploration and production of oil and gas, accounts for 11% of Houston\'s GAP; this is down from 21% in 1985. The reduced role of oil and gas in Houston\'s GAP reflects the rapid growth of other sectors, such as engineering services, health services, and manufacturing."Gross Area Product by IndustryPDF (29.6 KiB)", Greater Houston Partnership. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
Houston ranks second in employment growth rate and fourth in nominal employment growth among the 10 most populous metro areas in the U.S."Employment by IndustryPDF (34.2 KiB)", Greater Houston Partnership. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
In 2008, Houston ranked fourth for highest increase in the local technological innovation over the preceding 15 years, according to Forbes magazine.Top 10 Tech Up-and-Coming Tech Cities.
In 2006, the Houston metropolitan area ranked first in Texas and third in the U.S. within the category of "Best Places for Business and Careers" by Forbes magazine.Badenhausen, Kurt. "2006 Best Places for Business and Careers", Forbes, 2006-05-04. Retrieved on 2006-12-15. Forty foreign governments maintain trade and commercial offices here and the city has 23 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations."International Representation in HoustonPDF (30.2 KiB)", Greater Houston Partnership. Retrieved on 2006-12-15. Twenty foreign banks representing 10 nations operate in Houston, providing financial assistance to the international community.
The annual Houston International Festival spotlights a different culture each year
Houston is a diverse and international city, in part because of its many academic institutions and strong industries. Over 90 languages are spoken in the city."Houston Facts and Figures", City of Houston. Retrieved on 2006-12-15. Houston has among the youngest populations in the nation,The Strategic Assessment of the St. Louis Region, 5th editionPDF (4.35 MiB). East-West Gateway Council of Governments. 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-11. Page 25 in PDF File, labeled as page 21.Houston city, Texas. 2005 American Community Survey Data Profile Highlights, United States Census Bureau. 2005. Retrieved on 2007-01-12.United States and States R0101. Median Age of the Total Population: 2005. 2005 American Community Survey, United States Census Bureau. 2005. Retrieved on 2007-01-12. partly due to an influx of immigrants into Texas.The Face of Texas Jobs, People, Business, Change. D\'Ann Petersen and Laila Assanie, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. October 2005. Retrieved on 2007-01-11. The city has the third-largest Hispanic and third-largest Mexican population in the United States.Census 2000 Paints Statistical Portrait of the Nation\'s Hispanic Population. U.S. Census. U.S. Census Bureau (2001-05-10). Retrieved on 2007-02-06. An estimated 400,000 illegal immigrants reside in Houston.Hegstrom, Edward. "Shadows Cloaking Immigrants Prevent Accurate Count", Houston Chronicle, 2006-02-21. Retrieved on 2007-02-06. Houston has one of the largest South Asian (i.e., Indian and Pakistani) communities in the United States.http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/5174213.html.
As of the censusAmerican FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 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, 5.31 percent Asian, 0.44 percent American Indian, 0.06 percent Pacific Islander, 16.46 percent from some other race, and 3.15 percent from two or more races. Persons of Hispanic origin—who may be of any race—accounted for 37 percent of the population while non-Hispanic whites made up 30.8 percent.
Houston has a large population of immigrants from Asia, including the largest Vietnamese American population in Texas and third-largest in the United States, with 85,000 people in 2006.My-Thuan Tran. "Flocking from SoCal to Houston", Los Angeles Times, 2007-12-21. Retrieved on 2008-01-04. 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 north of Bellaire Boulevard in the southwest area of the city.Chen, Edward C.M.; Von Der Mehden, Fred R.. "History of Houston\'s Chinatown", Chinatownconnection.com, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-02-06. "Houston Chinatown Area Map", Chinatownconnection.com, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-02-06. The city has a Little Saigon in Midtown and Vietnamese businesses located in the southwest Houston Chinatown."City Adopts "Little Saigon"", Houston Business Journal, 2004-05-07. Retrieved on 2007-02-06. A "Little India" community exists along Hillcroft."South Asian businesses venture into Houston\'s suburbs," Houston Chronicle, February 16, 2008
Houston has a large gay community concentrated primarily in Montrose, Neartown and Houston Heights. It is estimated that the Houston metropolitan area has the twelfth-largest number of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals in the United States. Gary J. Gates Same-sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Population: New Estimates from the American Community SurveyPDF (2.07 MiB). The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, UCLA School of Law October, 2006.
