Portal:Houston
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Houston (pronounced /ˈhjuːstən/) is the fourth-largest city in the United States of America and the largest city in the state of Texas. As of the 2009 U.S. Census estimate, the city had a population of 2.3 million within an area of 600 square miles (1,600 km2). Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area—the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of 5.9 million.
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 the Mission Control Center is located.
Rated as a beta world city, Houston's economy has a broad industrial base in the energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, transportation, and health care sectors and is a leading center for building oilfield equipment; only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters in the city limits. The city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and 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 few U.S. cities that offer year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.
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There are many nicknames for the city of Houston, the largest city in Texas and fourth-largest city in the United States. The city's nicknames reflect the local geography, local economy, multicultural population, and popular culture, including sports and music. They are often used by the media and in popular culture to reference the city. Houston currently has one official nickname, "Space City", signifying the city's global importance to space exploration and historical role as a prominent center of activity by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Houston has had other nicknames in the past which have faded in common usage, going as far back as the 1870s. These include "Magnolia City" (magnolia pictured) and "Capital of the Sunbelt". The city has recently accumulated several unofficial nicknames from among sub-groups within the city, including several whose origins are in the local hip-hop subculture. The most recently added nickname is "The Big Heart", which refers to assistance given by Houston and its citizens to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and 2006. (more...)
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Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe- and SAG Award-winning American actress. She is best known for her role as CIA agent Sydney Bristow on TV's Alias. In December 2007, Garner was named The Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail's 2007 West Virginian of the Year "for her dedication, work ethic and unique role as role model and ambassador for West Virginia".
Garner was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Patricia Ann (née English), an English teacher from Oklahoma, and Billy Jack Garner, a chemical engineer who worked for Union Carbide from Texas. She is the middle child between two sisters, Melissa Garner Wylie (born 1969, resides in Boston, Massachusetts) and Susannah Kay Garner Carpenter (born January 24, 1975 in Texas, resides in Charleston, West Virginia). Her family is Methodist. At three years old, Garner began taking ballet lessons which she continued throughout her youth. Although she admitted that she loved dancing, she never had ambitions to become a classical ballerina. When she was four years old, her father's job with Union Carbide relocated her family to Princeton, West Virginia, then to Charleston, West Virginia, where Garner resided until her college years.
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River Oaks is an affluent community located in the geographic center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and halfway between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans 1,100 acres (4.45 km²) in area. Established in the 1920s by brothers William and Michael Hogg, the community became a well-publicized national model for community planning. River Oaks is considered to be one of the wealthiest communities in Texas and has one of the wealthiest zip codes in the United States. The community is home to River Oaks Country Club which includes a golf facility designed by architect Donald Ross.
William and Michael Hogg, the sons of former Texas Governor Jim Hogg, and attorney Hugh Potter established River Oaks in the 1920s.[1] Potter obtained an option to purchase 200 acres around the River Oaks Country Club in 1923, and in the following year William Hogg established the Country Club Estates in order to support the development of the community. The two brothers promoted the sale of lots in the subdivision for $2,200 apiece in 1928 ($27,638 in 2008). The brothers, along with sister Ima Hogg, oversaw the construction of Bayou Bend, a stately southern-style home on the banks of Buffalo Bayou.
Did you know...
- ... that the Houston Comets have won more championships than any other team in the WNBA?
- ... that Lakewood Church is the largest and fastest growing church in the United States with more than 40,000 attendees during its services?
- ... that in 2001, Tropical Storm Allison dumped up to 39 inches of rain on parts of the city, causing billions of dollars in damage and killing 43 people?
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Quotes
"What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."
- Barbara Bush, commenting on the Hurricane Katrina refugees in the Houston Astrodome on Marketplace, March 6, 2005
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Houston lists
Here are some of the lists about Houston on Wikipedia:
Cities and towns in Greater Houston • Highways • Neighborhoods • Tallest buildings • Johnson Space Center buildings • Companies • Newspapers • Shopping malls
People raised in Houston • Mayors • Rice University people • University of Houston people
School districts • State-operated charter schools • Colleges and universities |
Houston Astros (all-time roster, owners and executives, first-round draft picks, managers, seasons, Opening Day starting pitchers) • Houston Rockets (all-time roster, first and second round draft picks, head coaches, statistics and records, season) • Former professional sports teams
Events • Films set in Houston • Houston's Funniest Person Contest • Sister cities |
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