Houston ( Ã, ( listen ) HEW -st? n ) is the most populous city in the US state of Texas and the fourth most populous city in the United States, the 2017 population census of 2.312 million in 599.59 square miles (1,552.9 km 2 ). It is the largest city in the Southern United States, and a Harris County seat. Located in Southeast Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, it is the main city of the Greater Houston metropolitan area, which is the fifth largest MSA in the United States and the second most populous in Texas after the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Houston was founded on August 30, 1836, at the meeting of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou (now known as Allen's Landing) and entered as a city on June 5, 1837. The city is named after former General Sam Houston, who is president of the Republic of Texas and has ordered and won the Texas independence from Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto 25 miles (40 km) east of where the city was founded. The expanding port and rail industry, combined with Galveston's decline as Texas's main port following the devastating 1900 storm, the construction of the Houston Ship Channel, and the discovery of oil in Texas in 1901, fueled a continuous spurt in the city's population. In the mid-20th century, the Houston economy diversified when it became home to the Texas Medical Center - the world's largest concentration in health and research institutions - and NASA's Johnson Space Center, where the Mission Control Center is located.
The Houston economy has a broad industry base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and transportation. Leading in the health care sector and building oilfield equipment, Houston has the most Fortune 500 headquarters in every US municipality within the city limits (after New York City). Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage and both total cargo tonnages are handled. Nicknamed "The City of Space", Houston is a global city, with strengths in business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine, and research. The city has populations of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds as well as a large and growing international community. Houston is the most diverse metropolitan area in Texas and has been described as the most racially and ethnically diverse major metropolis in the US. It is home to many cultural institutions and exhibitions, attracting over 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District. Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District and offers year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.
Video Houston
Histori
The Allen brothers - Augustus Chapman and John Kirby - explore city sites in Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay. According to the historian, David McComb, "[T] he brothers, on August 26, 1836, bought from Elizabeth E. Parrott, TFL Parrott's wife and John Austin's widow, southern half of the lower league [2,214-acre (896) ha) tract] given to him by his late husband.They paid a total of $ 5,000, but only $ 1,000 of this in cash, notes made up of the rest. "
The Allen brothers ran their first ad for Houston just four days later at the Telegraph and Texas Register, naming the notional city in honor of President Sam Houston. They successfully lobbied the Texas Republican Congress to appoint Houston as the temporary capital, agreeing to provide a new government with a capital building. About a dozen people lived in the city early in 1837, but that number increased to about 1,500 by the time the Texas Congress was held in Houston for the first time in May. Houston was awarded an incorporation on 5 June 1837, with James S. Holman becoming his first mayor. That same year, Houston became the county county of Harrisburg County (now Harris County).
In 1839, the Republic of Texas moved his capital to Austin. The city suffered another setback that year when the yellow fever outbreak took one life out of every eight inhabitants. But the city remains a commercial hub, forming a symbiosis with its Gulf Coast port, Galveston. The landlocked farmers bring their results to Houston, using Buffalo Bayou to gain access to Galveston and the Gulf of Mexico. Houston traders profit from selling staples to farmers and sending farmers' crops to Galveston.
Most slaves in Texas come with their owners from the older slave states. A considerable amount, however, comes through the domestic slave trade. New Orleans is the center of this trade in the South End, but slave traders are in Houston. Thousands of blacks who were enslaved lived near the city before the Civil War. Many of them near town work in sugar and cotton plantations, while most of them in the city have house-keeping and artisans.
In 1840, the people established a chamber of commerce to promote shipping and navigation at the newly created port at Buffalo Bayou.
By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad center for cotton exports. Trains spur from the Texas mainland gathered in Houston, where they meet the railroad to the port of Galveston and Beaumont. During the American Civil War, Houston served as headquarters for General John Bankhead Magruder, who used the city as the organizational point for the Galveston Battle. After the Civil War, Houston businessmen began efforts to expand the vast city system so that the city could receive more trade between downtown and the nearby port of Galveston. In 1890, Houston was a railroad in Texas.
In 1900, after Galveston was struck by a devastating storm, efforts to make Houston a viable water port were accelerated. The following year, the discovery of oil in the Spindletop oil field near Beaumont encouraged the development of the Texas petroleum industry. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt approved a $ 1 million increase for the Houston Ship Channel project. By 1910, the city's inhabitants had reached 78,800, almost double the previous decade. African Americans make up the bulk of the city's inhabitants, numbering 23,929 people, which is almost a third of the population.
President Woodrow Wilson opened the Port of Houston in water in 1914, seven years after the excavation began. By 1930, Houston had become the most populous city in Texas and Harris County was the most populous region. In 1940, the Census Bureau reported Houston's population as 77.5% white and 22.4% black.
When World War II began, the tonnage level at the port decreased and the shipping activity was stopped; However, the war did provide economic benefits for the city. Petrochemical refineries and manufacturing plants were built along vessel lines due to the demand for synthetic oil and synthetic products by the defense industry during the war. Ellington Field, originally built during World War I, was revitalized as an advanced training center for bombers and navigators. The Brown Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1942 to build ships for the US Navy during World War II. Due to the boom in defense work, thousands of new workers migrate to the city, both blacks and whites compete for higher paying jobs. President Roosevelt has established a non-discriminatory policy for defense contractors, and blacks have several opportunities, especially in shipbuilding, though not without white resistance and increasing social tensions that erupt into violence occasionally. The economic benefits of blacks entering the defense industry continued in the postwar years.
In 1945, M.D. The Anderson Foundation established the Texas Medical Center. After the war, the Houston economy turned into mainly driven by the port. In 1948, the city annexed several unrelated areas, more than doubling in size. Houston began to spread throughout the region.
In 1950, the availability of air conditioning provided a boost for many companies to move to Houston, where wages were lower than in the North; this resulted in an economic boom and resulted in a key shift in the city's economy towards the energy sector.
The increased production of shipbuilding industry expanded during World War II spurred the growth of Houston, as did the founding in 1961 of NASA's "NASA Space Shuttle Center" (renamed Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in 1973). This is a stimulus for the development of the aerospace industry of the city. Astrodome, nicknamed "The Eighth Wonders of the World", opened in 1965 as a vaulted sports stadium in the world's first room.
During the late 1970s, Houston experienced a population explosion because people from Rust Belt countries moved to Texas in large numbers. New residents come for various jobs in the petroleum industry, created as a result of the Arab oil embargo. With the improvement of professional work, Houston has become a destination for many college-educated people, including African Americans in the Upside Up Migration from the north.
In 1997, Houston residents chose Lee P. Brown as the city's first African-American mayor.
In June 2001, Tropical Storm Allison dropped rains up to 40 inches (1,000 mm) in parts of Houston, which caused the worst floods in city history. The storm cost billions of dollars in damage and killed 20 people in Texas. In December of the same year, the Houston-based Enron energy firm fell into the biggest US bankruptcy (at the time), the result of an investigation for a partnership outside the book allegedly used to hide debt and inflated profits. The company lost no less than $ 70 billion.
In August 2005, Houston became a shelter for more than 150,000 people from New Orleans, who were evacuated from Hurricane Katrina. A month later, about 2.5 million Houston residents-the area was evacuated as Hurricane Rita approached the Gulf Coast, leaving little damage in the Houston area. This is the largest urban evacuation in US history. In September 2008, Houston was hit by Hurricane Ike. As many as 40% of the population refused to leave Galveston Island because they were afraid of traffic problems that occurred after Hurricane Rita.
During floods in 2015 and 2016, some parts of the city are covered in several inches of water.
In 2017, Houston hosts the Super Bowl Sun. This is the third Super Bowl for the city, with previous games held in 1974 and 2004.
In late August 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused massive flooding in the Houston area, with some areas receiving more than 50 inches (1,300 mm) of rain. Wind in the Houston metro area is generally less than 50 miles per hour, but large rainfall is the main cause of damage. Rainfall exceeds 50 inches in some areas locally, breaking the national record for rainfall. Damage to the Houston area is estimated at $ 125 billion, and is considered one of the worst natural disasters in US history, with more than 70 deaths. On January 31, 2018, the Houston City Council agreed to forgive the large water bill of thousands of households faced after Hurricane Harvey, when Houston Public Works found 6,362 household utility bills at least doubled.
Maps Houston
Geography
Houston is located 165 miles (266 km) east of Austin, 112 miles (180 km) west of the Louisiana border, and 250 miles (400 km) south of Dallas. According to the US Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ​​656.3 square miles (1,700 km 2 ); it consists of 634.0 square miles (1,642 km 2 ) of the ground and 22.3 square miles (58 km 2 ) covered by water. The Piney Woods is north of Houston. Most of Houston is located on the coastal plain of the bay, and its vegetation is classified as temperate pastures and forests. Most of the city is built on forest land, swamps, swamps, or grasslands and everything is still visible in the surrounding area. Flat terrain and extensive greenfield development have been combined to aggravate flooding. The city center stands about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level, and the highest point in northwest Houston is about 125 feet (38 m) in height. The city once relied on groundwater for its needs, but the decline of the land forced the city to move to groundwater sources such as Lake Houston, Lake Conroe, and Lake Livingston. The city has a surface water rights of 1.20 billion gallons of water per day in addition to 150 million gallons of ground water per day.
Houston has four large bays passing through the city that receives water from a vast drainage system. Buffalo Bayou runs through downtown and the Houston Ship Channel, and has three tributaries: White Oak Bayou, which runs across the Houston community in northwest Downtown and then onto Downtown; Brays Bayou, which runs along Texas Medical Center; and Sims Bayou, which stretches south of Houston and downtown Houston. The ship's channel continues past Galveston and then into the Gulf of Mexico.
Geology
Houston is a flat swamp area where extensive drainage systems have been built. The adjacent pasture land flows into the flood-prone city. Underlying the surface of Houston is unconsolidated clay, clay clay, and badly cemented sand up to several miles deep. The geology of this region flourished from river deposits formed by erosion of the Rocky Mountains. This sediment consists of a series of sand and clay deposited on decaying organic marine material, which over time, converted into oil and natural gas. Below the sediment layer is a halite layer, a water-deposited rock salt. The porous layer is compressed over time and forced upward. When pushed upward, the salt drags the surrounding sediment into the salt domes formation, often trapping the oil and gas seeping from the surrounding porous sand. The soil, thick, sometimes black, the ground surface is suitable for rice farming on the outskirts of the city where the city continues to grow.
The Houston area has more than 150 active faults (estimated 300 active faults) with an aggregate length of up to 310 miles (500 km), including the Long Point-Eureka Heights fault system that runs in the city center. No significant recorded historical earthquakes have occurred in Houston, but the researchers did not ignore the possibility of an earthquake in the past, or happen in the future. The soil in some areas of southeast Houston is drowned because the water has been pumped out of the ground for years. This may be related to slipping along the fault; However, slippage is slow and is not considered an earthquake, where stationary faults must slip quite suddenly to create seismic waves. These errors also tend to move at a subtle level in what is called "creep error", which further reduces the risk of earthquakes.
Climate
The Houston Climate is classified as subtropical moist ( Cfa in the KÃÆ'¶ppen climate classification system), typical of the Southern United States. The city has a very hot, long, humid summer, and mild winters. Although not located in Tornado Alley, like much of northern Texas, spring supercell thunder sometimes brings tornadoes to the area.
The prevailing winds are from the south and southeast for most of the year, which brings heat and humidity from the Gulf of Mexico and nearby Galveston Bay.
During the summer, temperatures in Houston generally reach over 90 ° F (32 ° C). The city reaches or exceeds this average temperature of 106.5 days per year, including the majority of days from June to September; In addition, the average of 4.6 days per year exceeds 100Ã, Â ° F (38Ã, Â ° C). The typical subtropical moisture of Houston often produces much higher temperatures, and the average summer morning is over 90% relative humidity. Air conditioning is everywhere in Houston; in 1981, the annual expenditure on electricity for interior cooling exceeded $ 600 million (equivalent to $ 1.62 billion in 2017), and by the late 1990s, about 90% of Houston homes featured air conditioning systems. The record high temperature recorded in Houston was 109 Â ° F (43 Â ° C) at the Bush Intercontinental Airport, during September 4, 2000, and again on August 28, 2011.
Houston has mild winters. In January, the normal average temperature at George Bush Intercontinental Airport was 53.1 Â ° F (12 Â ° C), with an average of 13 days per year with a low at or below 32 Â ° F (0 Â ° C). The 21st century snow events in Houston included a storm on December 24, 2004, which saw 1 inch (3 cm) of snow piled up in parts of the metro area, and an event on December 7, 2017, which accelerated 0.7 inches (2 cm) of rain snow. A minimum of 1.0 inches (2.5 cm) of snowfall on December 10, 2008 and December 4, 2009 marked the first time that measurable snow had occurred in two consecutive years in recorded city history. Overall, Houston has seen 38 times measured snowfall between 1895 and 2018. On February 14 and 15, 1895, Houston received 20 inches (51 cm) of snow, its biggest snowfall from a storm in record. The coldest temperature recorded officially in Houston was 5 Â ° F (-15 Â ° C) on January 18, 1930.
Houston generally receives sufficient rainfall, averaging about 49.8 at (1,260 mm) each year based on records between 1981 and 2010. Many parts of the city have a high risk of local flooding due to flat topography, low permeability mud plains everywhere, where land, and inadequate infrastructure. During the mid-2010s, Greater Houston experienced major flood events in 2015 ("Memorial Day"), 2016 ("Tax Day") and 2017 (Hurricane Harvey) respectively. Overall, there were more casualties and property losses due to flooding in Houston than in other parts of the United States.
Houston has excessive ozone levels and is routinely ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States. Earth-level ozone, or haze, is a major air pollution problem in Houston, with the American Lung Association assessing the ozone level in the twelfth metropolitan area in "The Most Polluted City by Ozone" by 2017, after big cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York City and Denver. Industries located along the channel of the ship are the main cause of urban air pollution. The ratings are based on peak-based standards, focusing on the worst days of the year; the average ozone level in Houston is lower than what is seen in most other parts of the country, as the dominant winds ensure clean, sea air from the Gulf.
Cityscape
Houston was founded in 1837 and adopted a representative environmental system shortly thereafter in 1840. The six original neighborhoods of Houston are the ancestors of 11 modern-day Houston City Council-oriented districts, although the city abandoned the ward system in 1905 in favor of the commission government, and, then, the government of the existing councils.
Locations in Houston are generally classified as being inside or outside of the Interstate 610 circle. The "Inner Loop" covers an area of ​​97 square miles (250 km km) which includes Downtown, a pre-World War II housing neighborhood and a suburban streetcar, and development apartments and higher density density. Outside of the circle, the typology of the city is more suburban, although many of the major business districts - such as Uptown, Westchase, and Energy Corridor - are located well outside the urban core. In addition to Interstate 610, two additional ring roads circle the city: Beltway 8, with a radius of about 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown, and State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway), with a 25 mile (40 km) radius). About 470,000 people live in an Interstate 610 circle, while 1.65 million live between Interstate 610 and Beltway 8 and 2.25 million live inside Harris County outside Beltway 8.
Although Houston is the largest city in the United States without an official zoning regime, the city has grown similar to other Sun Sabuk towns because city land use regulations and legal agreements have played a similar role. Rules include mandatory lot size for single-family homes and requirements that parking is available to tenants and customers. Such restrictions have mixed results. Although some people blame low city density, urban sprawl, and lack of pedestrian hospitality in this policy, urban land use has also been credited with having significant affordable housing, leaving Houston the worst impact of the 2008 real estate crisis. The city issued 42,697 building permits in 2008 and ranked first in the list of the healthiest housing markets for 2009.
Voters resisted attempts to have separate areas of use of residential and commercial land in 1948, 1962, and 1993. As a result, instead of a single business center district as a city employment center, several districts have grown throughout the city beside Downtown, which includes Uptown, Texas Medical Center, Midtown, Greenway Plaza, Memorial City, Energy Corridor, Westchase, and Greenspoint.
Architecture
Houston has the fourth highest sky in North America (after New York City, Chicago, and Toronto) and the 36th highest in the world by 2018. An 11-mile (11 km) tunnel system and skywalk connect buildings in the city center that contain shops. and restaurants, allowing pedestrians to avoid summer and rain while walking in between buildings.
In the 1960s, Downtown Houston consisted of a collection of central office structures. The city center was on the verge of a booming energy industry led in 1970. A succession of skyscrapers built throughout the 1970s - many by real estate developer Gerald D. Hines - culminated with Houston's tallest skyscraper, floor 75, 1,002- 305 m) -hall JPMorgan Chase Tower (formerly the Texas Trading Tower), was completed in 1982. It is the tallest structure in Texas, the 15th tallest building in the United States, and the world's 85th tallest skyscraper, based on architectural features the highest. In 1983, 71-storey, 992-foot (302 m) -the Wells Fargo Plaza ropes (formerly Allied Bank Plaza) finished, becoming the second tallest building in Houston and Texas. Based on the highest architectural features, it is the 17th highest in the United States and the 95th highest in the world. In 2007, downtown Houston had over 43 million square feet (4,000,000 mÃ,²) of office space.
Centered on Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road, the Uptown District thrived during the 1970s and early 1980s when a collection of central office buildings, hotels, and retail developments emerged along Interstate 610 West. Uptown became one of the most prominent examples of a city edge. The highest building in Uptown is 64-storey, 901-foot (275 m) -not, Philip Johnson and John Burgee designed landmark Williams Tower (known as the Transco Tower until 1999). At the time of construction, it was believed to be the tallest skyscraper in the world outside the central business district. The new 20 storey Skanska building and BBVA Compass Plaza are the newest office buildings built in Uptown after 30 years. The Uptown District is also home to a building designed by renowned architect I. M. Pei, CÃÆ'Ã… © sar Pelli, and Philip Johnson. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a mini-boom construction of medium and high residential towers occurred, with some more than 30 floors. Since 2000 more than 30 high-rise buildings have risen in Houston; all say, 72 high-rise towers above the city, which adds up to about 8,300 units. In 2002, Uptown has over 23 million square feet (2,100,000 mÃ,²) of office space with an A-class office space of 16 million square feet (1,500,000 mÃ,²).
Demographics
The Kinder Institute of Rice University for Urban Research, a think tank, has described Greater Houston as "one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse metropolitan areas in the country." The Kinder Institute 2012 report found that, based on the distribution of population among four major racial groups in the United States (non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, and Asians), Greater Houston is the ethnically most ethnically diverse. area in the United States, in front of New York City. By 2017, non-Hispanic whites comprise 38% of the metropolitan population of Houston, Hispanic 36%, African-Americans 17%, and Asia 9%.
Houston's multiculturalism, fueled by a massive wave of immigrants, has been linked to relatively low living costs, a strong labor market, its proximity to Latin America, and a central role for resettlement of refugees. At least 145 languages ​​spoken by city dwellers. Greater Houston is one of the youngest metropolitan areas in the country, with an estimated average age of 33.5 in 2014, compared to the national average of 37.4; city ​​youth has been linked with the inclusion of Hispanic and Asian immigrants to Texas. By 2017, some 600,000 undocumented immigrants live in the Houston area, comprising nearly 9% of the metropolitan population.
Compared to its metropolitan area, the population of Houston city has a higher proportion of minorities. According to the 2010 Census, whites comprise 51% of Houston's city population; 26% of the total population is non-Hispanic whites. Blacks or African Americans make up 25% of the population of Houston, American Indians make up 0.7% of the population, Asians reach 6% (1.7% Vietnam, 1.3% China, 1.3% India, 0 , 9% Pakistan, 0.4% Philippines, 0.3% Korea, 0.1% Japan) and Pacific Islands comprised 0.1%. Individuals from some other races comprise 15.2% of the city's population, of which 0.2% are non-Hispanic. Individuals of two or more races comprise 3.3% of the city.
At the 2000 Census, 1,953,631 people inhabit the city, and the population density is 3,371.7 people per square mile (1,301.8/km ²). City racial makeup in the year 2000 was 49.3% White, 25.3% African American, 6.3% Asian, 0.7% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Island, 16.5% of several other races, and 3.1% of two or more races. In addition, Hispanics comprised 37.4% of the Houston population in 2000, while non-Hispanic whites comprised 30.8%. The proportion of non-Hispanic whites in Houston has declined significantly since 1970, when it was 62.4%.
The average income for households in the city is $ 37,000, and for families it is $ 40,000. Men have an average income of $ 32,000 versus $ 27,000 for women. Income per capita is $ 20,000. About 19% of the population and 16% of families are below the poverty line. Of the total population, 26% of those under the age of 18 and 14% of those aged 65 and older live below the poverty line.
According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 73% of the population in the Houston area identified themselves as Christians, about 50% of whom claim Protestant affiliation and about 19% claimed Roman Catholic affiliations. Nationally, about 71% of respondents are identified as Christians. About 20% of Houston's population claims no religious affiliation, compared to about 23% across the country. The same study says that people in areas that identify other religions (including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism) are collectively constituted about 7% of the population of the region.
Economy
Houston is recognized worldwide for its energy industry - primarily for oil and natural gas - as well as for biomedical and aeronautical research. Renewable energy sources - wind and solar - also cultivate an economic base in the city. The Houston Ship Channel is also a big part of Houston's economic base. Due to this strength, Houston is defined as a global city by Global Globalization and the World Cities Study Group and Network and the global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney. The Houston region is the top US export market, surpassing New York City in 2013, according to data released by the US Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. In 2012, the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area recorded $ 110.3 billion in merchandise exports. Oil, chemical, and oil and gas extraction products accounted for about two-thirds of metropolitan area exports last year. The three main destinations for exports are Mexico, Canada, and Brazil.
The Houston area is a leading center for building oilfield equipment. Much of its success as a petrochemical complex is due to the busy boat channel, Port of Houston. In the United States, the port ranks first in international trade and 10 among the largest ports in the world. Unlike most places, high oil and gasoline prices are beneficial to the Houston economy, as many of the population is employed in the energy industry. Houston is the starting or ending point of various oil, gas and product pipelines:
The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land The gross domestic product of MSA (GDP) in 2012 is $ 489 billion, making it the fourth largest of any metropolitan area in the United States and larger than Austria, Venezuela, or South Africa's GDP. Only 26 countries other than the United States have gross domestic product exceeding the regional gross regional product of Houston (GAP). In 2010, mining (consisting mostly of oil and gas exploration and production in Houston) accounted for 26.3% of GAP Houston rising sharply in response to high energy prices and a decrease in the surplus of world oil production capacity, followed by engineering services, services health, and manufacturing.
The University of Houston System's annual impact on the regional economy of Houston is equivalent to a large corporation: $ 1.1 billion in new funds attracted annually to the Houston area, $ 3.13 billion in total economic benefits, and 24,000 local jobs generated. This is in addition to the 12,500 recent U.H. graduates. The system produces every year that enters the workforce in Houston and throughout the state of Texas. The title holder is likely to live in Houston. After five years, 80.5% of graduates still live and work in the region.
In 2006, the Houston metropolitan area was ranked first in Texas and third in the US in the "Best Place for Business and Career" category by Forbes magazine. The foreign government has set up 92 consular offices in the metropolitan area of ​​Houston, the third highest country in the country. Forty foreign governments maintain commercial and commercial offices here with 23 active foreign trade rooms and trade associations. Twenty-five foreign banks representing 13 countries operate in Houston, providing financial assistance to the international community.
In 2008, Houston received top rankings in the Best City 2008 Best Kiplinger Personal Finance list, which ranks cities based on its local economy, employment opportunities, reasonable living costs and quality of life. The city is ranked fourth for the highest increase in local technological innovation for the past 15 years, according to Forbes magazine. In the same year, the city ranked second on Fortune's annual list of 500 corporate headquarters list, first for Best City Forbes, Best City for University Graduates, and first in list of Best Cities for Buying Houses. In 2010, the city is rated as the best city to shop, according to Forbes .
In 2012, the city was ranked number one for payroll by Forbes and by the end of May 2013, Houston was identified as the top city in America for job creation.
In 2013, Houston was identified as the number one US city for job creation by the US Bureau of Statistics after it was not only the first major city to regain all the jobs lost in the previous economic crisis, but also after the accident, more than two jobs were added for each person missing. Economist and vice president of research at Greater Houston Partnership Patrick Jankowski attributes Houston's success with the ability of the real estate and energy industry in the region to learn from historical mistakes. Furthermore, Jankowski stated that "more than 100 foreign-owned companies were relocated, expanded or started new businesses in Houston" between 2008 and 2010, and this openness to external business led to job creation during periods when domestic demand was very low. Also in 2013, Houston re-appears on Forbes list of the Best Places for Business and Careers.
Culture
Located in South America, Houston is a diverse city with a large and growing international community. The Metropolitan Houston area is home to some 1.1 million (21.4 percent) of the population born outside the United States, with nearly two-thirds of the foreign population born in the region from the southern border of the United States-Mexico. In addition, more than one in five foreign residents are from Asia. The city is home to the concentration of the country's third largest consular office, representing 86 countries.
Many annual events celebrate the diverse cultures of Houston. The largest and longest is the Houston Annual Cattle Show and the Rodeo, held over 20 days from beginning to end of March, and is the largest annual ranching and ranching event in the world. Another big celebration is the annual Houston Parade Parade night, held in late June. Other annual events include the Houston Greek Festival, the Art Car Parade, the Houston Auto Show, the Houston International Festival, and the Bayou City Art Festival, considered one of the top five art festivals in the United States.
Houston received the official nickname "Space City" in 1967 because it was the location of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Other nicknames that are often used by locals include "Bayou City", "City Kopling", "City of Destruction", "City of Magnolia", and "City-H".
Arts and theater
The Houston Theater District, located downtown, is home to nine major performing arts organizations and six showrooms. This is the second largest concentration of theater seats in the downtown area of ​​the United States. Houston is one of several cities in the United States with permanent, professional, and resident companies in all major performing arts disciplines: opera (Houston Grand Opera), ballet (Houston Ballet), music (Houston Symphony Orchestra), and theater (The Alley Theater, Theater Under the stars). Houston is also home to folk artists, arts groups and small progressive art organizations. Houston attracted many Broadway touring, concerts, shows and shows for various purposes. Facilities in the Theater District include Jones Hall - home of the Houston Symphony Orchestra and the Society for the Performing Arts - and the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.
Museum District museums and cultural fairs attract more than 7 million visitors a year. Notable amenities include The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Museum, Houston Museum of Holocaust, and Houston Zoo. Situated near the Museum District are The Menil Collection, Rothko Chapel, and Fresco Byzantine Chapel Museum.
Bayou Bend is a 14-acre (5.7Ã, ha) facility of the Museum of Fine Arts that houses one of the most distinguished collections of decorative art, paintings and furniture in America. Bayou Bend is a former philanthropic home of Houston Ima Hogg.
National Museum of Funeral History is located in Houston near George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The museum has original Popemobile used by Pope John Paul II in 1980 along with many hearse cars, embalming screens, and information about the famous cemetery.
Places in Houston regularly host rock and blues, country, dubstep and local Tejano performances. Although Houston has never been widely known in the music world, Houston hip-hop has become a significant independent and influential music scene across the country.
Tourism and recreation
The Theater District is a 17-block area in downtown Houston which is home to the Bayou Place entertainment complex, restaurants, movies, plazas, and parks. Bayou Place is a large multilevel building containing restaurants, bars, live music, billiards and Sundance Cinema. Bayou Music Center staged live concerts, stage plays, and stand-up comedies.
Space Center Houston is the official visitor center of NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The Space Center has many interactive exhibits including moon rocks, shuttle simulators, and presentations on the history of NASA's manned space flight program. Other attractions include the Galleria (Texas's largest shopping center, located in Uptown District), Old Market Square, the Town Aquarium and Sam Houston Race Park.
What is worth mentioning is the current Houston Chinatown and Mahatma Gandhi District. Both areas offer a beautiful, multicultural view of Houston. Restaurants, bakeries, traditional clothing boutiques, and specialty shops can be found in both areas.
Houston is home to 337 parks, including Hermann Park, Terry Hershey Park, Houston Lake Park, Memorial Park, Tranquility Park, Sesquicentennial Park, Discovery Green and Sam Houston Park. Inside Hermann Park there is the Houston Zoo and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Sam Houston Park contains refurbished and reconstructed houses originally built between 1823 and 1905. Proposals have been made to open the first botanical garden in town in Herman Brown Park.
Of the 10 most populous cities in the US, Houston has a total park area and the largest green space, 56,405 acres (228Ã, km 2 ). The city also has over 200 additional green spaces - totaling over 19,600 acres (79 km 2 ) managed by the city - including the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. The Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark is a public skatepark owned and operated by the city of Houston, and is one of the largest skateparks in Texas of 30,000-foot 2 (2,800m 2 ) in-ground facility. The Waterwall Park Gerald D. Hines - located in Uptown District city - serves as a popular tourist attraction and for weddings and celebrations. A 2011 study by Walk Score puts Houston's 23rd most explored of the 50 largest cities in the United States. Wet'n'Wild SplashTown is a water park located north of Houston.
The Bayport Cruise Terminal in Houston Ship Channel is a port of call for both Princess Cruises and the Norwegian Cruise Line.
Sports
Houston has a sports team for every major professional league except the National Hockey League. Houston Astros is the Major League Baseball expansion team formed in 1962 (known as "Colt.45s" until 1965) which won the World Series in 2017 and previously appeared in 2005. It is the only MLB team that has won the banner at both countries. the modern league. The Houston Rockets is the city's National Basketball Association-based franchise since 1971. They have won two NBA Championships: in 1994 and 1995 under stars Hakeem Olajuwon, Otis Thorpe, Clyde Drexler, Vernon Maxwell and Kenny Smith. Houston Texans is the expansion team of the National Football League that was formed in 2002. Houston Dynamo is a Houston-based Major League Soccer franchise since 2006, winning two MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007. The Houston Dash team plays in the National Women's Football League. Scrap Yard Dawgs, a professional women's softball team, is expected to play at National Pro Fastpitch from 2016. They are the 2017 NPF champions. The Houston SaberCats is a Rugby team playing in Major League Rugby. Minute Maid Park (Astros house) and Toyota Center (home of the Rockets), are located in downtown Houston. Houston has the first NFL roof-pull stadium with natural grass, NRG Stadium (home of Texas). Minute Maid Park is also a rooftop stadium that can be opened. The Toyota Center also has the largest screen for indoor arena in the United States built to coincide with the hosting of the NBA All-Star Game arena 2013. The BBVA Compass stadium is a dedicated football stadium for Houston Dynamo, Texas Southern Tigers football teams, and Houston Dash, located in the Eastern City Center. In addition, NRG Astrodome is the first indoor stadium in the world, built in 1965. Other sports facilities include HofheinzÃ, Pavilion (Houston Cougars basketball), Rice Stadium (Rice Owls Football), and Reliant Arena. The TDECU Stadium is where the University of Houston Houston Cougars football team. Houston has hosted several major sporting events: The 1968, 1986 and 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Games; NBA All-Star Game 1989, 2006, and 2013; Super Bowl VIII and Super Bowl XXXVIII, and hosted the 1981 NBA Finals, 1986, 1994 and 1995, won two finals, and hosted the 2005 World Series and 2017 World Series, winning the last. The NRG stadium hosts the Super Bowl LI on February 5, 2017.
The city has hosted several professional sporting events and colleges, including the annual Houston Open golf tournament. Houston hosts the annual Houston College Classic baseball tournament every February and the Texas Bowl in December.
The Grand Prix of Houston, the annual car racing at the IndyCar Series circuit is held at a temporary 1.7 mile long street circuit at Reliant Park. The October 2013 event was held using a tweaked version of the 2006-2007 course. The show has a 5-year racing contract until 2017 with IndyCar. In motorcycles, Astrodome held an AMA Supercross Championship round from 1974 to 2003 and NRG Stadium since 2003.
Government and politics
The city of Houston has a powerful mayor from the city government. Houston is the home town of government and all city elections in the state of Texas are nonpartisan. The city's elected officials are mayors, city controllers and 16 members of the Houston City Council. The current mayor of Houston is Sylvester Turner, a Democrat who was elected to a nonpartisan vote. The mayor of Houston serves as head of city administrators, executive officers, and official representatives, and is responsible for general management of the city and to see that all laws and order are enforced.
The original city council composition of 14 members (nine districts and five major positions) is based on the US Department of Justice's mandate which came into force in 1979. Major councilors represent the entire city. Under the city charter, once the population in the city limits exceeds 2.1 million people, two additional districts will be added. The official census number of Houston city 2010 is 600 shy from the required amount; However, since the city is expected to grow beyond 2.1 million shortly thereafter, two additional districts are added, and positions are filled during the August 2011 election.
City controllers are chosen independently of mayors and councils. The controller's duty is to authorize the availability of funds before making payment and disbursement processing. The city's fiscal year starts on 1 July and ends on 30 June. Chris Brown is the city superintendent, who served his first term in January 2016.
As a result of the 2015 referendum in Houston, a mayor was elected for a four-year term, and may be elected twice in a row. The term limit was spearheaded in 1991 by conservative political activist Clymer Wright. During 1991-2015, city inspectors and city council members underwent a two-year, three-three-year restriction - a 2015 referendum changing the deadline for two four-year periods. By 2017, several board members who served two periods and winning the last term will serve eight years at the office, while new student council members who won the position in 2013 can serve up to two additional terms under the law of previous time limits - some the choice to be elected has at least 10 years of office before their term expires.
Houston is considered a politically divided city whose balance of power often rocks between Republicans and Democrats. Most of the city's rich areas choose the Republic while the urban working class and minority areas vote for the Democrats. According to the 2005 Houston Area Survey, 68 percent of non-Hispanic whites in Harris County are declared or supportive of Republicans while 89 percent of non-Hispanic blacks in the area are declared or supportive of the Democrats. About 62 percent of Hispanics (from any race) in the area are declared or supportive of the Democrats. The city is often known as the most politically diverse city in Texas, a country known for being generally conservative. As a result, the city is often a contested territory in state elections. In 2009, Houston became the first US city with a population of over 1 million citizens to elect a gay mayor, choosing Annise Parker.
Crime
Houston has 303 murders by 2015 and 302 killings in 2016. Officials estimate there will be 323 murder cases by 2016. Conversely, there is no increase in murder rates in Houston between 2015 and 2016.
Houston's murder rate ranked 46 US cities with a population of over 250,000 in 2005 (per capita rate of 16.3 murders per 100,000 population). In 2010, the rate of homicide in the city (per capita rate of 11.8 murders per 100,000 population) was ranked sixth among US cities with a population of over 750,000 (behind New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, and Philadelphia) according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The killings fell 37 percent from January to June 2011, compared to the same period in 2010. The total crime rate of Houston including violent and nonviolent crimes decreased by 11 percent. The FBI Uniform Crime Report (UCR) shows a declining trend of violent crime in Houston over a period of ten and twenty years ending in 2016, which is consistent with national trends. This trend towards lower crime rates in Houston includes murder rates, despite having seen four uptick years lasting until 2015. Houston's crime rate crime rate is 8.6% percent higher by 2016 than a year earlier. However, from 2006 to 2016, crime with violence still dropped 12 percent in Houston.
Houston is an important center for the trafficking of cocaine, marijuana, heroin, MDMA, and methamphetamine because of its size and proximity to a major drug-exporting country. Houston is one of the largest human trafficking centers in the country.
In the early 1970s, Houston, Pasadena, and several coastal cities were the site of Houston's mass murder, which was by then the most deadly serial murder case in American history.
Education
Seventeen school districts are in the city of Houston. The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the seventh largest school district in the United States and the largest in Texas. HISD has 112 campuses that serve as a magnet or pioneer school - specializing in disciplines such as health professions, visual and performing arts, and science. There are also many charter schools run separately from the school district. In addition, some public school districts also have their own charter schools.
The Houston area includes more than 300 private schools, many of which are accredited by the Accredited Texas Private School Accreditation Commission. The Houston Area independent school offers education from different religious and secular perspectives. The Catholic school in the Houston area is operated by the Galveston-Houston archdiocese.
Colleges and universities
Four different state universities are located in Houston. The University of Houston (UH) is a nationally recognized research university and is a flagship institution of the University of Houston System. The University the third largest in Texas, the University of Houston has nearly 44,000 students on its 667-hectare (270-hectare) campus in the Third Neighborhood. The University of Houston-Clear Lake and the University of Houston-Downtown are a stand-alone university within the University of Houston System; they are not the campus of the University of Houston branch. A little west of the University of Houston is Texas Southern University (TSU), one of the largest and most complete black universities in the United States with approximately 10,000 students. Texas Southern University is the first state university in Houston, founded in 1927.
Some private higher education institutions are located within the city. Rice University, Texas's most selective university and one of the most selective in the United States, is a private, secular institution with a high level of research activity. Founded in 1912, the 300-acre historic campus housed by Rice, located adjacent to Hermann Park and Texas Medical Center, houses about 4,000 undergraduate students and 3,000 graduate students. To the north in Neartown, St. John's University Thomas, founded in 1947, is the only Catholic university in Houston. St. Thomas provides a liberal arts curriculum for approximately 3,000 students in 19 historic campus blocks along Montrose Boulevard. In southwest Houston, Houston Baptist University (HBU), founded in 1960, offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the Sharpstown campus. The school is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and has a student population of about 3,000.
Three college districts have campuses in and around Houston. The Houston Community College System (HCC) serves most of Houston precisely; campus and its main headquarters is located in Midtown. The northern and west suburbs of the metropolitan area are served by various campuses from the Lone Star College System, while the southeast part of Houston is served by San Jacinto College, and the northeastern part is served by Lee College. The Houston Community College and Lone Star College system is one of the top 10 higher education institutions in the United States.
Houston also hosts a number of graduate schools in law and health care. The University of Houston Law Center and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University are public schools, ABA recognized law schools, while the South Texas College of Law, located in Downtown, serves as an independent, private alternative. The Texas Medical Center is home to a high-density school of health professions, including two medical schools: McGovern Medical School, part of the University of Texas Medical Sciences Center in Houston, and Baylor College of Medicine, a selective private institution. Prairie View School of nursing A & amp; M University is located at Texas Medical Center. In addition, both Texas Southern University and the University of Houston have pharmacy schools, and the University of Houston has an optometry college.
Media
The main network affiliated networks are KPRC-TV (NBC), KHOU-TV (CBS), KTRK-TV (ABC), KRIV (Fox), KIAH (The CW), and KTXH (MyNetworkTV). KTRK-TV, KRIV and KTXH operate as stations owned and operated from their networks.
The metropolitan area of ​​Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land is served by one public television station and one public radio station. The Criminal Code ( Houston Public Media ) is a PBS member station and is the first public television station in the United States. Houston Public Radio is funded by listeners and consists of one NPR member station, KUHF (News 88.7 ). University of HoustonÃ, Systems has and holds a broadcasting license for the Criminal Code and the Criminal Code. Broadcast stations from the Melcher Center for Public Broadcasting, located on the University of Houston campus.
Houston is served by the Houston Chronicle , the only major daily newspaper with extensive distribution. The Hearst Corporation, which owns and operates the Houston Chronicle, purchased assets from the Houston Post - old rivals and major competitions - when the Houston Post stopped operating at 1995. The Houston Post is owned by the family of former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby Houston. The only other major publication to serve the city is the Houston Press - which is a free alternative weekly newspaper prior to the destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey resulting in publicity switching to online format - on November 2nd, 2017 only.
Infrastructure
Health Care
Houston is the center of the internationally renowned Texas Medical Center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and health care institutions. All 49 member institutions of Texas Medical Center are nonprofit organizations. They provide patient care and prevention, research, education, and welfare of local, national, and international communities. Employing over 73,600 people, institutions in medical centers including 13 hospitals and two specialized institutions, two medical schools, four nursing schools, and dentistry, public health, pharmacy, and almost all health-related careers. This is where one of the largest and still greatest air emergency services, Life Flight, was created, and a highly successful inter-institutional transplant program was developed. More heart surgery is done at Texas Medical Center than anywhere else in the world.
Some academic and health research centers at the center include MD Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor Medical College, UT Health Science Center, Hermann Memorial Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, and University of Houston University of Pharmacy.
The Baylor College of Medicine each year has been considered in the top ten medical schools in the country; Similarly, MD Anderson Cancer Center has been consistently classified as one of the top two US hospitals specializing in cancer treatments by the US. News & amp; World Report since 1990. The Menninger Clinic, a renowned psychiatric center, is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston Methodist Hospital System. With the location of a national hospital and headquarters in Houston, Triumph Healthcare's hospital system is the nation's third largest long-term acute care provider nationwide.
Transportation
Houston is considered a car-dependent city, with an estimated 77.2% of self-driving passengers to work in 2016, up from 71.7% in 1990 and 75.6% in 2009. By 2016, 11.4% other Houston residents work there, while 3.6% use public transport, 2.1% walking, and 0.5% cycling. A commuter study estimates that the median length of travel in the region is 12.2 miles (19.6 km) in 2012. According to the 2013 Community Community Survey, the average working trip in Houston (city) takes 26.3 minutes. A 1999 Murdoch University study found that Houston had the longest journey and lowest urban density of 13 major American cities surveyed, and the Arcadis 2017 study put Houston at the 22nd position of 23 American cities in terms of transport sustainability. Harris County is one of the largest consumers of gasoline in the United States, ranked second (behind Los Angeles County) in 2013.
Despite high levels of car use in the region, attitudes toward transportation among Houston residents show an increasing tendency to work. A 2017 study by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research Rice University found that 56% of Harris County residents have a preference for solid housing in rotable and separate usage arrangements compared to single-family housing in low-density areas. A number of survey respondents also pointed out that traffic congestion is the most significant problem facing metropolitan areas. In addition, many households in the City of Houston do not own a car. By 2015, 8.3 percent of Houston's households are short of cars, which are virtually unchanged by 2016 (8.1 percent). The national average is 8.7 percent by 2016. Houston averages 1.59 cars per household by 2016, compared with a national average of 1.8.
Highway
The Greater Houston metropolitan area of ​​eight regions has over 25,000 miles (40,000 km) of highways, of which 10%, or about 2,500 miles (4,000 km), is a limited access road. The large expressway system in the Houston area handles more than 40% of the daily daily vehicle distance traveled (VMT). Arterial roads handle an additional 40% of daily VMT, while toll roads, where Greater Houston has 180 miles (290 km), handle nearly 10%.
Greater Houston has a hub-and-spoke limited access road system, where a number of highways radiate out of the City Center, with circular roads providing connections between these radial roads at medium distance from downtown. The city is crossed by three Interstate highways, Interstate 10, Interstate 45, and Interstate 69 (commonly known as US Route 59), as well as a number of other United States routes and state highways. Major highways in Greater Houston are often referred to either by the direction of the cardinal or the geographical location they pass. Highways following the cardinal conventions include US Route 290 (Northwest Freeway), Interstate 45 North Downtown ( North Freeway), Interstate 10 East Downtown (East Toll Road ), Texas State Highway 288 ( South Highway ), and Interstate 69 south of Downtown ( Southwest Freeway ). Highways that follow location conventions include Interstate 10 west Downtown ( Katy Freeway ), Interstate 69 north of Downtown ( Eastex Freeway), Interstate 45 South Downtown ( Gulf Freeway ), and Texas State Highway 225 ( La Porte or Pasadena Freeway ).
Three loop freeways provide north-south and east-west connectivity between the Greater Houston's radial highway. The deepest circle is Interstate 610, commonly known as Inner Loop, which encircles the City Center, Texas Medical Center, Greenway Plaza, the cities of West University Place and Southside Place, and many core environments. Beltway Highway 8 88 miles (142 km), often referred to as Beltway, forms a center circle at a radius of about 10 miles (16 km). The third round, 180 miles (290 km) with a radius of about 25 miles (40 km), State Highway 99 ( Grand Parkway ), is currently under construction, with six of the eleven segments completed by 2018. Completed segment D to G provides a 70.4 mile (113.3 km) limited access road connection between Sugar Land, Katy, Cypress, Spring and Porter.
A toll road system, operated by the Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) and Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority (FBCTRA), provides additional options for regional commuters. The Sam Houston Tollway, which includes the Beltway 8 mainline (as opposed to an unexplored road front), is the system's longest expressway, which covers the entire Beltway with the exception of a free section between Interstate 45 and Interstate 69 near George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The area is served by four freeway expresses: a set of lanes maintained at Katy Freeway; Hardy Toll Road, which is parallel to Interstate 45 north of Downtown to Spring; Westpark Tollway, which serves the western suburbs of Houston to Fulshear; and Fort Bend Parkway, which connects to Sienna Plantation. Westpark Tollway and Fort Bend Parkway are operated in conjunction with Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority.
The Greater Houston highway system is monitored by Houston TranStar, a partnership of four government agencies responsible for providing transportation and emergency management services to the region.
The Greater Houston arterial road network was established at the municipal level, with the City of Houston exercising control over the two combined areas and extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Therefore, Houston trained a transport planning authority of more than 2,000 square miles (5,200 km 2 ) area over five districts, many times larger than its corporate area. The Main Road and Main Road plans are updated annually, establishing a hierarchy of city roads, identifying roadways that require widening,
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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