Portal:Houston
The Houston Portal
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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Ezekiel W. Cullen Building on the campus of the University of Houston
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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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Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is a Republican United States Congressman from Lake Jackson, Texas, a physician, a bestselling author, and the last Republican candidate to withdraw from the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
Originally from the Green Tree suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Gettysburg College in 1957, then studied at Duke University School of Medicine; after his 1961 graduation and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, he became a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, serving outside the Vietnam War zone. He later represented Texas districts in the U.S. House of Representatives (1976–1977, 1979–1985, and 1997–present). He entered the 1988 presidential election, running as the Libertarian nominee while remaining a registered Republican, and placed a distant third.
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Did you know...
- ... that construction of the 610 Loop began in 1950 but was not completed until 1976?
- ... that Howard Hughes died en route to the The Methodist Hospital on April 5, 1976 on an airplane that departed Mexico?
- ... that Kathryn J. Whitmire former Mayor of the city of Houston, Texas, from 1982 to 1991, is now living in Hawaii where she is in the real estate business?
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Quotes
"I grew up in a very nice house in Houston, went to private school all my life and I've never even been to the 'hood. Not that there's anything wrong with the 'hood."
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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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