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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 (2007)
- City 2,208,180 (4th)
- Density 3,828/sq mi (1,471/km2)
- Urban 3,822,509
- Metro 5,628,101 (6th Largest)
- Demonym Houstonian
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s) 713, 281, 832
FIPS code 48-35000
GNIS feature ID 1380948
Website 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 2007 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2 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 5.6 million.
Houston was founded on August 30, 1836 by brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen
Houston's economy has a broad industrial base in the energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, transportation, and health care sectors; only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters in the city limits.
See also: Historical events of Houston
Sam Houston
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.
Houston was granted incorporation on June 5, 1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor.
Houston, circa 1873
By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of cotton.
In 1900, after Galveston was struck by a devastating hurricane, efforts to make Houston into a viable deepwater port were accelerated.
President Woodrow Wilson opened the deepwater Port of Houston in 1914, seven years after digging began. By 1930, Houston had become Texas's most populous city and Harris the most populous county.
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.
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.
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,
During the late 1970s, Houston experienced a population boom as people from Rust Belt states moved to Texas in large numbers.
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 adversely 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 health care/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.
Hurricane Rita evacuation. (With contraflow lane reversal.)
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.
In August 2005, Houston became a shelter to more than 150,000 people from New Orleans who evacuated from Hurricane Katrina.
Main article: Geography of Houston
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.
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.
Geology
Underpinning Houston's land surface are unconsolidated clays, clay shales, and poorly-cemented sands up to several miles deep. The region's geology developed from 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.
The Houston area has over 150 active faults (estimated to be 300 active faults)
Main article: Climate of Houston
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 tornados to the area. Prevailing winds are from the south and southeast during most of the year, bringing heat across the continent from the deserts of Mexico and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.
143
32
22
134
28
17
115
23
12
96
18
8
average temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm
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).
Winters in Houston are fairly temperate. The average high in January, the coldest month, is 63 °F (17 °C), while the average low is 41 °F (5 °C). Snowfall is generally rare. Recent snow events in Houston include a storm on December 24, 2004 where 1.0 inches (2.5 cm) fell and a more recent snowfall on December 10, 2008. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 5 °F (−15 °C) on January 23, 1940.
Houston has excessive ozone levels and is ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States.
Further information: Geographic areas of Houston
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.
Uptown (foreground) and Downtown (background)
Though Houston is the largest city in the United States without formal zoning regulations, it has developed similarly to other Sun Belt cities because the city's land use regulations and legal covenants have played a similar role.
Voters rejected efforts to have separate residential and commercial land-use districts in 1948, 1962, and 1993. Consequently, 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, Greenway Plaza, Energy Corridor, Westchase, and Greenspoint.
Main article: Politics of Houston
Houston City Hall
The city of Houston has a strong mayoral form of municipal government.
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.
In October 2008, the city will initiate a program where it will recycle heavy organic yard waste which is expected to salvage 90,000 short tons (82,000 metric tons) annually, enough to fill the Chase Tower, the city's tallest structure.
Main article: Economy of Houston
Further information: List of companies in Houston
Houston Ship Channel
Data from city-data.com
Houston is recognized worldwide for its energy industry — particularly for oil and natural gas — as well as for biomedical research and aeronautics. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are also becoming popular economic bases in Houston.
Five of the six supermajor energy companies maintain a large base of operations in Houston (international headquarters of ConocoPhillips; US operational headquarters of Exxon-Mobil; US headquarters for international companies Shell Oil (US subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell located in The Hague, Netherlands), and BP whose international headquarters are in London, England). Specifically, the headquarters of Shell Oil Company, the US affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell, is located at One Shell Plaza. While ExxonMobil maintains its small, global headquarters in Irving, Texas, its upstream and chemical divisions as well as most operational divisions, are located in Houston. Chevron has offices in Houston, having acquired a 40 story building intended to be the headquarters of Enron.
Greater Houston is a leading center for building oilfield equipment.
The Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA's Gross Area Product (GAP) in 2006 was $325.5 billion,
Houston ranks second in employment growth rate and fourth in nominal employment growth among the 10 most populous metro areas in the U.S.
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.
In 2008, Houston received top ranking on Kiplinger's Personal Finance Best Cities of 2008 list which ranks cities on their local economy, employment opportunities, reasonable living costs and quality of life.
Main article: Demographics of Houston
Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1850 2,396
—
1860 4,845 102.2%
1870 9,332 92.6%
1880 16,513 77%
1890 27,557 66.9%
1900 44,633 62%
1910 78,800 76.6%
1920 138,276 75.5%
1930 292,352 111.4%
1940 384,514 31.5%
1950 596,163 55%
1960 938,219 57.4%
1970 1,232,802 31.4%
1980 1,595,138 29.4%
1990 1,630,553 2.2%
2000 1,953,631 19.8%
Est. 2007 2,208,180 13%
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.
According to the 2007 U.S. Census estimates, Houston's population was 55 percent White (28 percent non-Hispanic-White), 24.7 percent Black or African American, 0.6 percent American Indian and Alaska native, 5.5 percent Asian, 0.1 percent native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 15.2 percent some other race, 1.1 percent two or more races, 41.7 percent Hispanic or Latino of any race (mostly Mexican).
As of the census
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.
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.
Main article: Culture of Houston
See also: Nicknames of Houston, List of people raised in Houston, and Sister cities of Houston
Houston Art Car Parade
Houston is a multicultural city with a large and growing international community.
Houston received the official nickname of "Space City" in 1967 because it is the location of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Other nicknames often used by locals include "Bayou City," "Magnolia City," "Clutch City," and "H-Town."
Wortham Center in the Theater District of Downtown
Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene. The Theater District is located downtown and is home to nine major performing arts organizations and six performance halls. It is the second-largest concentration of theater seats in a downtown area in the United States.
Houston holds the Bayou City Art Festival, which is considered to be one of the top five art festivals in the United States.
The Museum District has many popular cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year.
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
Bayou Bend, located in River Oaks, is a 14-acre (5.7 ha) facility of the Museum of Fine Arts that houses one of America's best collections of decorative art, paintings and furniture. Bayou Bend is the former home of Houston philanthropist Ima Hogg.
Many venues scattered across Houston regularly host local and touring rock, blues, country, hip hop and Tejano musical acts. Unfortunately, there has never been a widely renowned music scene in Houston. Artists seem to relocate to other parts of the United States once attaining some level of success.
See also: List of events in Houston
Many annual events celebrate the diverse cultures of Houston. The largest and longest running is the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, held over 20 days from late February to early March. Another large celebration is the annual night-time Houston Pride Parade, held at the end of June.
Reflection pool in Hermann Park
Space Center Houston is the official visitors’ center of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Here one will find many interactive exhibits including moon rocks, a shuttle simulator, and presentations about the history of NASA's manned space flight program.
The Theater District is a 17-block area in the center of downtown Houston that is home to the Bayou Place entertainment complex, restaurants, movies, plazas, and parks. Bayou Place is a large multilevel building containing full-service restaurants, bars, live music, billiards, and art house films. The Houston Verizon Wireless Theater stages live concerts, stage plays, and stand-up comedy; and the Angelika Film Center presents the latest in art and foreign and independent films.
Houston is home to 337 parks including Hermann Park, which houses the Houston Zoo and the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Terry Hershey Park, Lake Houston Park, Memorial Park, Tranquility Park, Sesquicentennial Park, Discovery Green and Sam Houston Park (which contains restored and reconstructed homes which were originally built between 1823 and 1905).
Other tourist attractions include the Galleria (Texas's largest shopping mall located in the Uptown District), Old Market Square, the Downtown Aquarium, SplashTown and Sam Houston Race Park. The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site where the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution was fought is located on the Houston Ship channel east of the city; the park is also the location of the museum battleship USS Texas
Sports
Main article: Sports in Houston
See also: Former professional sports teams in Houston
Revelers at "The Main Event" held downtown during Super Bowl XXXVIII
Houston has teams for nearly every major professional sport. The Houston Astros (MLB), Houston Texans (NFL), Houston Rockets (NBA), Houston Dynamo (MLS), Houston Aeros (AHL), Houston Wranglers (WTT), Houston Takers (ABA), Houston Energy (IWFL), and the H-Town Texas Cyclones (NWFA) all call Houston home.
Minute Maid Park (home of the Astros) and Toyota Center (home of the Rockets, and Aeros) are located in a revived area of downtown. The city has the Reliant Astrodome, the first domed stadium in the world; it also holds the NFL's first retractable-roof stadium, Reliant Stadium. Other sports facilities in Houston include Hofheinz Pavilion, Reliant Arena (home of the Comets), and Robertson Stadium (both used for University of Houston collegiate sports, the latter also for the Houston Dynamo), and Rice Stadium (home of the Rice University Owls football team). The infrequently used Reliant Astrodome hosted World Wrestling Entertainment's WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, 2001, where an attendance record of 67,925 was set.
Houston has hosted major recent sporting events, including the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game,
Further information: List of newspapers in Houston, List of television stations in Houston, List of radio stations in Houston, and List of films featured in Houston
Houston is served by the Houston Chronicle, its only major daily newspaper with wide distribution. The Hearst Corporation, which owns and operates the Houston Chronicle, bought the assets of the Houston Post—its long-time rival and main competition—when Houston Post ceased operations in 1995. The Houston Post was owned by the family of former Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby of Houston. The only other major publication to serve the city is the Houston Press—a free alternative weekly with a weekly readership of more than 300,000.
Among leading media personalities in Houston were Ray Miller, host of The Eyes of Texas, a cultural anthology series broadcast for nearly three decades over KPRC-TV, the NBC affiliate as well as Marvin Zindler. In the late 1960s, Miller hired Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Galveston native as the first woman newswoman in Texas. She later served in the Texas House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
Main article: Architecture of Houston
See also: List of tallest buildings in Houston
The JPMorgan Chase Tower stands as the tallest building in Texas.
Houston's skyline has been ranked fourth most impressive in the United States;
In the 1960s, Downtown Houston consisted of a modest collection of mid-rise office structures, but has since grown into one of the largest skylines in the United States. Downtown was on the threshold of a boom in 1970 with huge projects being launched by real estate developers with the energy industry boom. A succession of skyscrapers were built throughout the 1970s—many by real estate developer Gerald D. Hines—culminating with Houston's tallest skyscraper, the 75-floor, 1,002-foot (305 m)-tall JPMorgan Chase Tower (formerly the Texas Commerce Tower), which was completed in 1982. It is the tallest structure in Texas, 10th-tallest building in the United States and the 30th-tallest skyscraper in the world based on height to roof. In 1983, the 71-floor, 992-foot (302 m)-tall Wells Fargo Bank Plaza (formerly Allied Bank Plaza) was completed, which became the second-tallest building in Houston and Texas. Based on height to roof, it is the 13th-tallest in the United States and the 36th-tallest in the world. As of 2006, downtown Houston had about 43 million square feet (4,000,000 m²) of office space.
Centered on Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road, the Uptown District boomed during the 1970s and early 1980s when a collection of mid-rise office buildings, hotels, and retail developments appeared along Interstate 610 west. Uptown became one of the most impressive instances of an edge city. The highest achievement of Uptown was the construction of the 64-floor, 901-foot (275 m)-tall, Philip Johnson and John Burgee designed landmark Williams Tower (known as the Transco Tower until 1999). At the time, it was believed to the be the world's tallest skyscraper outside of a central business district. The Uptown District is also home to other buildings designed by noted architects such as I. M. Pei, César Pelli, and Philip Johnson. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was a mini-boom of mid-rise and high-rise residential tower construction, with several over 30 stories tall.
Main article: Transportation in Houston
Interstate 10 and Interstate 45 near Downtown
Houston's freeway system is made up of 575.5 miles (926.2 km) of freeways and expressways in a ten-county metropolitan area.
Houston also lies along the route of the proposed Interstate 69 NAFTA superhighway that would link Canada, the U.S. industrial Midwest, Texas, and Mexico. Other spoke freeways either planned or under construction include the Fort Bend Parkway, Hardy Toll Road, Crosby Freeway, and the future Alvin Freeway.
Houston's freeway system is monitored by Houston TranStar, a partnership of four government agencies that are responsible for providing transportation and emergency management services to the region. Houston TranStar was the first center in the nation to combine transportation and emergency management centers, and the first to bring four agencies (Texas Department of Transportation, Harris County, Texas, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas and the City of Houston) together to share their resources.
METRO light rail along the Main Street Corridor in Downtown
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, or METRO, provides public transportation in the form of buses, light rail, and lift vans. METRO's various forms of public transportation still do not connect many of the suburbs to the greater city.
METRO began light rail service on January 1, 2004 with the inaugural track ("Red Line") running about 8 miles (13 km) from the University of Houston–Downtown ("UHD"), which traverses through the Texas Medical Center and terminates at Reliant Park. METRO is currently in the design phase of a 10-year expansion plan that will add five more lines to the existing system.
Amtrak, the national rail passenger system, provides service to Houston via the Sunset Limited (Los Angeles–New Orleans), which stops at a train station on the north side of the downtown area. The station saw 10,855 boardings and alightings in fiscal year 2006.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Houston is served by two commercial airports, serving 52 million passengers in 2007.
The second-largest commercial airport in Houston is William P. Hobby Airport (named Houston International Airport until 1967). The airport operates primarily small to medium-haul flights and is the only airport in Houston served by Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. Houston's aviation history is showcased in the 1940 Air Terminal Museum located in the old terminal building on the west side of Hobby Airport.
Another airport is Ellington Airport (a former U.S. Air Force base) that is used by military, government, NASA, and general aviation sectors.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the state of Texas selected the "Houston Airport System as Airport of the Year" for 2005,
Greyhound Lines operates intercity services from five stations in Houston and several Houston suburbs. Other bus lines operate from Greyhound's stations and other stations.
The Port of Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of public and private facilities located a several hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico.
Main article: Texas Medical Center
See also: List of hospitals in Texas
Texas Medical Center
Houston is the seat of the internationally-renowned Texas Medical Center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions.
Some of the academic and research health institutions in the center include Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, The Methodist Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has consistently ranked as one of the top two U.S. hospitals specializing in cancer care by U.S. News & World Report since 1990.
Houston is the home of the Menninger Clinic,a renowned psychiatric treatment center affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital.
University of Houston
There are four public and three private universities engaged in research and development in Houston. The University of Houston ("UH") is Texas's third-largest public research university with more than 40 research centers and institutes. With more than 36,000 students from 130 countries, UH is one of the most ethnically diverse campuses in the country.
Rice University
Houston is home to two of four public law schools in Texas: University of Houston Law Center and Thurgood Marshall School of Law. The University of Houston Law Center ranked in at No. 60 of the "Top 100 Law Schools" in 2007 by U.S. News & World Report.
There are 17 school districts serving the city. The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the seventh-largest in the United States.
The Houston area is home to more than 300 private schools,
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 (2007)
[1](/define.php?term=1) [2](/define.php?term=2)
- City 2,208,180 (4th)
- Density 3,828/sq mi (1,471/km2)
- Urban 3,822,509
- Metro 5,628,101 (6th Largest)
- Demonym Houstonian
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s) 713, 281, 832
FIPS code 48-35000
[3](/define.php?term=3)
GNIS feature ID 1380948
[4](/define.php?term=4)
Website 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 2007 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2 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 5.6 million.
Houston was founded on August 30, 1836 by brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen
[5](/define.php?term=5)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.
Houston's economy has a broad industrial base in the energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, transportation, and health care sectors; only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters in the city limits.
[6](/define.php?term=6)Commercially, Houston is ranked as a gamma 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. [7](/define.php?term=7)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 few U.S. cities that offer year-round resident companies in all major performing arts. Main article: History of Houston
See also: Historical events of Houston
Sam Houston
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.
[9](/define.php?term=9)The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the popular general at the Battle of San Jacinto, [9](/define.php?term=9)who was elected President of Texas in September 1836.
Houston was granted incorporation on June 5, 1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor.
[10](/define.php?term=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. [11](/define.php?term=11)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. [12](/define.php?term=12)
Houston, circa 1873
By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of cotton.
[11](/define.php?term=11)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. [13](/define.php?term=13)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. By 1890 Houston was the railroad center of Texas.
In 1900, after Galveston was struck by a devastating hurricane, efforts to make Houston into a viable deepwater port were accelerated.
[14](/define.php?term=14)The following year, oil discovered at the Spindletop oil field near Beaumont prompted the development of the Texas petroleum industry. [15](/define.php?term=15)In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt approved a $1 million improvement project for the Houston Ship Channel. By 1910 the city's population had reached 78,800, almost doubling from a decade before. An integral part of the city were African Americans, who numbered 23,929 or nearly one-third of the residents. [16](/define.php?term=16)They were developing a strong professional class based then in the Fourth Ward.
President Woodrow Wilson opened the deepwater Port of Houston in 1914, seven years after digging began. By 1930, Houston had become Texas's most populous city and Harris the most populous county.
[17](/define.php?term=17)
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.
[18](/define.php?term=18)Ellington Field, initially built during World War I, was revitalized as an advanced training center for bombardiers and navigators. [19](/define.php?term=19)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. [10](/define.php?term=10) [20](/define.php?term=20)
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.
[21](/define.php?term=21) [22](/define.php?term=22)
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,
[23](/define.php?term=23)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," [24](/define.php?term=24)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.
[25](/define.php?term=25)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 adversely 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 health care/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.
[26](/define.php?term=26)
Hurricane Rita evacuation. (With contraflow lane reversal.)
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.
[27](/define.php?term=27)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.
[28](/define.php?term=28)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. [29](/define.php?term=29) [30](/define.php?term=30) [edit](/define.php?term=edit)Geography
Main article: Geography of Houston
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.
[31](/define.php?term=31)Downtown stands about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level, [32](/define.php?term=32)and the highest point in far northwest Houston is about 125 feet (38 m) in elevation. [33](/define.php?term=33) [34](/define.php?term=34)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. [35](/define.php?term=35) [10](/define.php?term=10)
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.
Geology
Underpinning Houston's land surface are unconsolidated clays, clay shales, and poorly-cemented sands up to several miles deep. The region's geology developed from 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.
[36](/define.php?term=36) [37](/define.php?term=37)
The Houston area has over 150 active faults (estimated to be 300 active faults)
[38](/define.php?term=38)with an aggregate length of up to 310 miles (500 km), [39](/define.php?term=39) [40](/define.php?term=40)including the Long Point-Eureka Heights Fault System which runs through the center of the city. There have been no significant historically recorded earthquakes in Houston, but researchers do not discount the possibility of such quakes occurring in the deeper past, nor in the future. Land in some communities southeast of Houston is sinking because water has been pumped out from the ground for many years. It 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. [41](/define.php?term=41)These faults also tend to move at a smooth rate in what is termed "fault creep," [35](/define.php?term=35)which further reduces the risk of an earthquake. [edit](/define.php?term=edit)Climate
Main article: Climate of Houston
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 tornados to the area. Prevailing winds are from the south and southeast during most of the year, bringing heat across the continent from the deserts of Mexico and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.
143
32
22
134
28
17
115
23
12
96
18
8
average temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm
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).
[43](/define.php?term=43) [44](/define.php?term=44)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. [45](/define.php?term=45)Winds are often light in the summer and offer little relief, except near the immediate coast. [46](/define.php?term=46)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". [47](/define.php?term=47)Scattered afternoon thunderstorms are common in the summer. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 109 °F (43 °C) on September 4, 2000. [48](/define.php?term=48)
Winters in Houston are fairly temperate. The average high in January, the coldest month, is 63 °F (17 °C), while the average low is 41 °F (5 °C). Snowfall is generally rare. Recent snow events in Houston include a storm on December 24, 2004 where 1.0 inches (2.5 cm) fell and a more recent snowfall on December 10, 2008. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 5 °F (−15 °C) on January 23, 1940.
[49](/define.php?term=49)Houston receives a high amount of rainfall annually, averaging about 48 inches a year. These rains tend to cause floods over portions of the city. On September 13, 2008 at 2:10 am Hurricane Ike made landfall in Galveston becoming the 3rd most costly hurricane on record behind Katrina and Andrew.
Houston has excessive ozone levels and is ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States.
[50](/define.php?term=50)Ground-level ozone, or smog, is Houston’s predominant 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. [51](/define.php?term=51)The industries located along the ship channel are a major cause of the city's air pollution. [52](/define.php?term=52) [edit](/define.php?term=edit)Cityscape
Further information: Geographic areas of Houston
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.
Uptown (foreground) and Downtown (background)
Though Houston is the largest city in the United States without formal zoning regulations, it has developed similarly to other Sun Belt cities because the city's land use regulations and legal covenants have played a similar role.
[53](/define.php?term=53) [54](/define.php?term=54)Regulations include mandatory lot size for single-family houses and requirements that parking be available to tenants and customers. Such restrictions have had mixed results. Though some [54](/define.php?term=54)have blamed the city's low density, urban sprawl, and lack of pedestrian-friendliness on these policies, the city's land use has also been credited with a bounty of affordable housing, sparing Houston the worst effects of the 2008 real estate crisis. [55](/define.php?term=55)
Voters rejected efforts to have separate residential and commercial land-use districts in 1948, 1962, and 1993. Consequently, 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, Greenway Plaza, Energy Corridor, Westchase, and Greenspoint.
[edit](/define.php?term=edit)Government and politics
Main article: Politics of Houston
Houston City Hall
The city of Houston has a strong mayoral form of municipal government.
[56](/define.php?term=56)Houston is a home rule city and all municipal elections in the state of Texas are nonpartisan. [56](/define.php?term=56) [57](/define.php?term=57)The City's elected officials are the mayor, city controller and 14 members of the city council. [58](/define.php?term=58)As of 2007, the mayor of Houston is William "Bill" White, a Democrat elected on a nonpartisan ballot [59](/define.php?term=59)who is serving his third 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. [59](/define.php?term=59)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.
[60](/define.php?term=60)At-large council members represent the entire city. [58](/define.php?term=58)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. [61](/define.php?term=61)
In October 2008, the city will initiate a program where it will recycle heavy organic yard waste which is expected to salvage 90,000 short tons (82,000 metric tons) annually, enough to fill the Chase Tower, the city's tallest structure.
[63](/define.php?term=63) [edit](/define.php?term=edit)Crime
Main article: Economy of Houston
Further information: List of companies in Houston
Houston Ship Channel
Data from city-data.com
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Houston is recognized worldwide for its energy industry — particularly for oil and natural gas — as well as for biomedical research and aeronautics. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are also becoming popular economic bases in Houston.
[72](/define.php?term=72)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. [73](/define.php?term=73)
Five of the six supermajor energy companies maintain a large base of operations in Houston (international headquarters of ConocoPhillips; US operational headquarters of Exxon-Mobil; US headquarters for international companies Shell Oil (US subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell located in The Hague, Netherlands), and BP whose international headquarters are in London, England). Specifically, the headquarters of Shell Oil Company, the US affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell, is located at One Shell Plaza. While ExxonMobil maintains its small, global headquarters in Irving, Texas, its upstream and chemical divisions as well as most operational divisions, are located in Houston. Chevron has offices in Houston, having acquired a 40 story building intended to be the headquarters of Enron.
[74](/define.php?term=74)The company's Chevron Pipe Line Company subsidiary is headquartered in Houston, and more divisions are being consolidated and moved to Houston each year. [75](/define.php?term=75)Houston is headquarters for the Marathon Oil Corporation, Apache Corporation, and Citgo and alternative energy companies such as Horizon Wind Energy. [76](/define.php?term=76)
Greater Houston is a leading center for building oilfield equipment.
[77](/define.php?term=77)Much of Houston's success as a petrochemical complex is due to its busy man-made ship channel, the Port of Houston. [78](/define.php?term=78)The port ranks first in the United States in international commerce, and is the tenth-largest port in the world. [7](/define.php?term=7) [79](/define.php?term=79)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. [80](/define.php?term=80)
The Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown MSA's Gross Area Product (GAP) in 2006 was $325.5 billion,
[81](/define.php?term=81)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. [81](/define.php?term=81)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. [82](/define.php?term=82)
Houston ranks second in employment growth rate and fourth in nominal employment growth among the 10 most populous metro areas in the U.S.
[83](/define.php?term=83)The unemployment rate in the city was 3.8% in April 2008, the lowest level in eight years while the job growth rate was 2.8%. [84](/define.php?term=84)
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.
[85](/define.php?term=85)Forty foreign governments maintain trade and commercial offices here and the city has 23 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations. [86](/define.php?term=86)Twenty foreign banks representing 10 nations operate in Houston, providing financial assistance to the international community.
In 2008, Houston received top ranking on Kiplinger's Personal Finance Best Cities of 2008 list which ranks cities on their local economy, employment opportunities, reasonable living costs and quality of life.
[87](/define.php?term=87)The city ranked fourth for highest increase in the local technological innovation over the preceding 15 years, according to Forbes magazine. [88](/define.php?term=88)In the same year, the city ranked second on the annual Fortune 500 list of company headquarters. [6](/define.php?term=6)and ranked first for Forbes Best Cities for College Graduates. [89](/define.php?term=89) [edit](/define.php?term=edit)Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Houston
Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1850 2,396
—
1860 4,845 102.2%
1870 9,332 92.6%
1880 16,513 77%
1890 27,557 66.9%
1900 44,633 62%
1910 78,800 76.6%
1920 138,276 75.5%
1930 292,352 111.4%
1940 384,514 31.5%
1950 596,163 55%
1960 938,219 57.4%
1970 1,232,802 31.4%
1980 1,595,138 29.4%
1990 1,630,553 2.2%
2000 1,953,631 19.8%
Est. 2007 2,208,180 13%
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.
[90](/define.php?term=90)Houston has among the youngest populations in the nation, [91](/define.php?term=91) [92](/define.php?term=92) [93](/define.php?term=93)partly due to an influx of immigrants into Texas. [94](/define.php?term=94)The city has the third-largest Hispanic and third-largest Mexican American population in the United States. [95](/define.php?term=95)An estimated 400,000 illegal immigrants reside in the Greater Houston area. [96](/define.php?term=96)Houston has one of the largest communities of Indian-Americans and Pakistani-Americans in the United States. [97](/define.php?term=97)The Nigerian community in Houston, estimated to be over 2 percent of the city's population, is the largest in the United States. [98](/define.php?term=98) [99](/define.php?term=99)
According to the 2007 U.S. Census estimates, Houston's population was 55 percent White (28 percent non-Hispanic-White), 24.7 percent Black or African American, 0.6 percent American Indian and Alaska native, 5.5 percent Asian, 0.1 percent native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 15.2 percent some other race, 1.1 percent two or more races, 41.7 percent Hispanic or Latino of any race (mostly Mexican).
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As of the census
[3](/define.php?term=3)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.
[101](/define.php?term=101)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. [102](/define.php?term=102) [103](/define.php?term=103)The city has a Little Saigon in Midtown and Vietnamese businesses located in the southwest Houston Chinatown. [104](/define.php?term=104)A "Little India" community referred to as the "Harwin District" exists along Hillcroft. [105](/define.php?term=105)
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.
[106](/define.php?term=106) [edit](/define.php?term=edit)Culture
Main article: Culture of Houston
See also: Nicknames of Houston, List of people raised in Houston, and Sister cities of Houston
Houston Art Car Parade
Houston is a multicultural city with a large and growing international community.
[107](/define.php?term=107)The metropolitan area is home to an estimated 1.1 million (21.4 percent) residents who were born outside the United States, with nearly two-thirds of the area's foreign-born population from south of the United States–Mexico border. [108](/define.php?term=108)Additionally, more than one in five foreign-born residents are from Asia. [108](/define.php?term=108)The city is home to the nation’s third largest concentration of consular offices, representing 86 countries. [109](/define.php?term=109)
Houston received the official nickname of "Space City" in 1967 because it is the location of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Other nicknames often used by locals include "Bayou City," "Magnolia City," "Clutch City," and "H-Town."
[edit](/define.php?term=edit)Arts and theater
Wortham Center in the Theater District of Downtown
Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene. The Theater District is located downtown and is home to nine major performing arts organizations and six performance halls. It is the second-largest concentration of theater seats in a downtown area in the United States.
[110](/define.php?term=110) [111](/define.php?term=111) [112](/define.php?term=112)Houston is one of few United States cities with permanent, professional, resident companies in all major performing arts disciplines: opera (Houston Grand Opera), ballet (Houston Ballet), music (Houston Symphony Orchestra), and theater (The Alley Theatre). [8](/define.php?term=8) [113](/define.php?term=113)Houston is also home to many local folk artists, art groups and various smaller progressive arts organizations. [114](/define.php?term=114)Houston attracts many touring Broadway acts, concerts, shows, and exhibitions for a variety of interests. [115](/define.php?term=115)
Houston holds the Bayou City Art Festival, which is considered to be one of the top five art festivals in the United States.
[116](/define.php?term=116) [117](/define.php?term=117)
The Museum District has many popular cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year.
[118](/define.php?term=118) [119](/define.php?term=119)Notable facilities located in the district include The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Holocaust Museum Houston, and the Houston Zoo. [120](/define.php?term=120) [121](/define.php?term=121) [122](/define.php?term=122)Located in the nearby Montrose area are The Menil Collection and Rothko Chapel.
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
Bayou Bend, located in River Oaks, is a 14-acre (5.7 ha) facility of the Museum of Fine Arts that houses one of America's best collections of decorative art, paintings and furniture. Bayou Bend is the former home of Houston philanthropist Ima Hogg.
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Many venues scattered across Houston regularly host local and touring rock, blues, country, hip hop and Tejano musical acts. Unfortunately, there has never been a widely renowned music scene in Houston. Artists seem to relocate to other parts of the United States once attaining some level of success.
[124](/define.php?term=124)A notable exception to the rule is Houston hip-hop, which celebrates the unique southern flavor and attitude of its roots. This has given rise to a strong, independent hip-hop music scene, influencing and influenced by the larger Southern hip hop and gangsta rap communities. [125](/define.php?term=125)Many Houstonian hip-hop artists have attained commercial success. Many non-hip hop artists that come from Houston include the hard Southern rock band ZZ Top, pop singer Hilary Duff, singer and actor Patrick Swayze, and indie-piano rock band Blue October. [edit](/define.php?term=edit)Events
See also: List of events in Houston
Many annual events celebrate the diverse cultures of Houston. The largest and longest running is the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, held over 20 days from late February to early March. Another large celebration is the annual night-time Houston Pride Parade, held at the end of June.
[126](/define.php?term=126)Other annual events include the Houston Greek Festival, [127](/define.php?term=127)Art Car Parade, the Houston Auto Show, the Houston International Festival and the Westheimer Block Party. [128](/define.php?term=128) [edit](/define.php?term=edit)Tourism and recreation
Reflection pool in Hermann Park
Space Center Houston is the official visitors’ center of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Here one will find many interactive exhibits including moon rocks, a shuttle simulator, and presentations about the history of NASA's manned space flight program.
The Theater District is a 17-block area in the center of downtown Houston that is home to the Bayou Place entertainment complex, restaurants, movies, plazas, and parks. Bayou Place is a large multilevel building containing full-service restaurants, bars, live music, billiards, and art house films. The Houston Verizon Wireless Theater stages live concerts, stage plays, and stand-up comedy; and the Angelika Film Center presents the latest in art and foreign and independent films.
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Houston is home to 337 parks including Hermann Park, which houses the Houston Zoo and the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Terry Hershey Park, Lake Houston Park, Memorial Park, Tranquility Park, Sesquicentennial Park, Discovery Green and Sam Houston Park (which contains restored and reconstructed homes which were originally built between 1823 and 1905).
[130](/define.php?term=130)Of the 10 most populous U.S. cities, Houston has the most total area of parks and green space: 56,405 acres (228 km2). [131](/define.php?term=131)The city also has over 200 additional green spaces—totaling over 19,600 acres (79 km2) that are managed by the city—including the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. The Houston Civic Center was replaced by the George R. Brown Convention Center—one of the nation's largest—and the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, home of the Houston Symphony Orchestra and Society for the Performing Arts. The Sam Houston Coliseum and Music Hall have been replaced by the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.
Other tourist attractions include the Galleria (Texas's largest shopping mall located in the Uptown District), Old Market Square, the Downtown Aquarium, SplashTown and Sam Houston Race Park. The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site where the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution was fought is located on the Houston Ship channel east of the city; the park is also the location of the museum battleship USS Texas
Sports
Main article: Sports in Houston
See also: Former professional sports teams in Houston
Revelers at "The Main Event" held downtown during Super Bowl XXXVIII
Houston has teams for nearly every major professional sport. The Houston Astros (MLB), Houston Texans (NFL), Houston Rockets (NBA), Houston Dynamo (MLS), Houston Aeros (AHL), Houston Wranglers (WTT), Houston Takers (ABA), Houston Energy (IWFL), and the H-Town Texas Cyclones (NWFA) all call Houston home.
Minute Maid Park (home of the Astros) and Toyota Center (home of the Rockets, and Aeros) are located in a revived area of downtown. The city has the Reliant Astrodome, the first domed stadium in the world; it also holds the NFL's first retractable-roof stadium, Reliant Stadium. Other sports facilities in Houston include Hofheinz Pavilion, Reliant Arena (home of the Comets), and Robertson Stadium (both used for University of Houston collegiate sports, the latter also for the Houston Dynamo), and Rice Stadium (home of the Rice University Owls football team). The infrequently used Reliant Astrodome hosted World Wrestling Entertainment's WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, 2001, where an attendance record of 67,925 was set.
[132](/define.php?term=132)The city will host WrestleMania XXV at Reliant Stadium on April 5, 2009. [133](/define.php?term=133)
Houston has hosted major recent sporting events, including the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game,
[134](/define.php?term=134)the 2000 IHL All-Star Game, the 2005 World Series, the 2005 Big 12 Conference football championship game, the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships from 2001–2006, and the Tennis Masters Cup in 2003 and 2004, as well as the annual Shell Houston Open golf tournament. Starting in 2009, Houston will host the final official event in the LPGA golf season, the Stanford Financial Tour Championship. The city hosts the annual NCAA College Baseball Minute Maid Classic every February and NCAA football's Texas Bowl in December. Houston has hosted the Super Bowl championship game twice. Super Bowl VIII was played at Rice Stadium in 1974 and Super Bowl XXXVIII was played at Reliant Stadium in 2004. From 1998 to 2001, the CART auto racing series held a yearly race, the Grand Prix of Houston, on downtown streets. After a five-year hiatus, CART's successor series, Champ Car, revived the race for 2006 and 2007 on the streets surrounding the Reliant Park complex. However, Champ Car merged with the rival Indy Racing League (IRL) in 2008, discontinuing the Houston race in the process. [edit](/define.php?term=edit)Media
Further information: List of newspapers in Houston, List of television stations in Houston, List of radio stations in Houston, and List of films featured in Houston
Houston is served by the Houston Chronicle, its only major daily newspaper with wide distribution. The Hearst Corporation, which owns and operates the Houston Chronicle, bought the assets of the Houston Post—its long-time rival and main competition—when Houston Post ceased operations in 1995. The Houston Post was owned by the family of former Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby of Houston. The only other major publication to serve the city is the Houston Press—a free alternative weekly with a weekly readership of more than 300,000.
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Among leading media personalities in Houston were Ray Miller, host of The Eyes of Texas, a cultural anthology series broadcast for nearly three decades over KPRC-TV, the NBC affiliate as well as Marvin Zindler. In the late 1960s, Miller hired Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Galveston native as the first woman newswoman in Texas. She later served in the Texas House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
[edit](/define.php?term=edit)Architecture
Main article: Architecture of Houston
See also: List of tallest buildings in Houston
The JPMorgan Chase Tower stands as the tallest building in Texas.
Houston's skyline has been ranked fourth most impressive in the United States;
[136](/define.php?term=136)it is the third-tallest skyline in the United States and one of the top 10 in the world. [137](/define.php?term=137)Houston has a seven-mile (11 km) system of tunnels and skywalks linking buildings in downtown which contain shops, restaurants, and convenience stores. This system enables pedestrians to avoid the intense summer heat and heavy rain showers while walking from one building to another.
In the 1960s, Downtown Houston consisted of a modest collection of mid-rise office structures, but has since grown into one of the largest skylines in the United States. Downtown was on the threshold of a boom in 1970 with huge projects being launched by real estate developers with the energy industry boom. A succession of skyscrapers were built throughout the 1970s—many by real estate developer Gerald D. Hines—culminating with Houston's tallest skyscraper, the 75-floor, 1,002-foot (305 m)-tall JPMorgan Chase Tower (formerly the Texas Commerce Tower), which was completed in 1982. It is the tallest structure in Texas, 10th-tallest building in the United States and the 30th-tallest skyscraper in the world based on height to roof. In 1983, the 71-floor, 992-foot (302 m)-tall Wells Fargo Bank Plaza (formerly Allied Bank Plaza) was completed, which became the second-tallest building in Houston and Texas. Based on height to roof, it is the 13th-tallest in the United States and the 36th-tallest in the world. As of 2006, downtown Houston had about 43 million square feet (4,000,000 m²) of office space.
[138](/define.php?term=138)
Centered on Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road, the Uptown District boomed during the 1970s and early 1980s when a collection of mid-rise office buildings, hotels, and retail developments appeared along Interstate 610 west. Uptown became one of the most impressive instances of an edge city. The highest achievement of Uptown was the construction of the 64-floor, 901-foot (275 m)-tall, Philip Johnson and John Burgee designed landmark Williams Tower (known as the Transco Tower until 1999). At the time, it was believed to the be the world's tallest skyscraper outside of a central business district. The Uptown District is also home to other buildings designed by noted architects such as I. M. Pei, César Pelli, and Philip Johnson. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was a mini-boom of mid-rise and high-rise residential tower construction, with several over 30 stories tall.
[139](/define.php?term=139) [140](/define.php?term=140) [141](/define.php?term=141)In 2002, Uptown had more than 23 million square feet (2,100,000 m²) of office space with 16 million square feet (1,500,000 m²) of Class A office space. [142](/define.php?term=142) [edit](/define.php?term=edit)Transportation
Main article: Transportation in Houston
Interstate 10 and Interstate 45 near Downtown
Houston's freeway system is made up of 575.5 miles (926.2 km) of freeways and expressways in a ten-county metropolitan area.
[143](/define.php?term=143)Its highway system uses a hub-and-spoke freeway structure serviced by multiple loops. The innermost loop is Interstate 610, which encircles downtown, the medical center, and many core neighborhoods with around a 10-mile (16 km) diameter. Beltway 8 and its freeway core, the Sam Houston Tollway, form the middle loop at a diameter of roughly 25 miles (40 km). A proposed highway project, State Highway 99 (The Grand Parkway), would form a third loop outside of Houston. Currently, only two out of eleven segments of State Highway 99 have been completed.
Houston also lies along the route of the proposed Interstate 69 NAFTA superhighway that would link Canada, the U.S. industrial Midwest, Texas, and Mexico. Other spoke freeways either planned or under construction include the Fort Bend Parkway, Hardy Toll Road, Crosby Freeway, and the future Alvin Freeway.
Houston's freeway system is monitored by Houston TranStar, a partnership of four government agencies that are responsible for providing transportation and emergency management services to the region. Houston TranStar was the first center in the nation to combine transportation and emergency management centers, and the first to bring four agencies (Texas Department of Transportation, Harris County, Texas, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas and the City of Houston) together to share their resources.
[144](/define.php?term=144)
METRO light rail along the Main Street Corridor in Downtown
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, or METRO, provides public transportation in the form of buses, light rail, and lift vans. METRO's various forms of public transportation still do not connect many of the suburbs to the greater city.
METRO began light rail service on January 1, 2004 with the inaugural track ("Red Line") running about 8 miles (13 km) from the University of Houston–Downtown ("UHD"), which traverses through the Texas Medical Center and terminates at Reliant Park. METRO is currently in the design phase of a 10-year expansion plan that will add five more lines to the existing system.
[145](/define.php?term=145)
Amtrak, the national rail passenger system, provides service to Houston via the Sunset Limited (Los Angeles–New Orleans), which stops at a train station on the north side of the downtown area. The station saw 10,855 boardings and alightings in fiscal year 2006.
[146](/define.php?term=146)
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Houston is served by two commercial airports, serving 52 million passengers in 2007.
[147](/define.php?term=147)The larger is George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), the ninth-busiest in the United States for total passengers, and seventeenth-busiest worldwide. [148](/define.php?term=148)Bush Intercontinental currently ranks third in the United States for non-stop domestic and international service with 182 destinations. [149](/define.php?term=149)In 2006, the United States Department of Transportation named George Bush Intercontinental Airport the fastest-growing of the top ten airports in the United States. [150](/define.php?term=150)Houston is the headquarters of Continental Airlines and Bush Intercontinental is Continental Airlines' largest hub. The airline offers more than 700 daily departures from Houston. [151](/define.php?term=151)In early 2007, Bush Intercontinental Airport was named a model "port of entry" for international travelers by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. [152](/define.php?term=152)The Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center stands on the George Bush Intercontinental Airport grounds.
The second-largest commercial airport in Houston is William P. Hobby Airport (named Houston International Airport until 1967). The airport operates primarily small to medium-haul flights and is the only airport in Houston served by Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. Houston's aviation history is showcased in the 1940 Air Terminal Museum located in the old terminal building on the west side of Hobby Airport.
Another airport is Ellington Airport (a former U.S. Air Force base) that is used by military, government, NASA, and general aviation sectors.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the state of Texas selected the "Houston Airport System as Airport of the Year" for 2005,
[153](/define.php?term=153)largely because of its multi-year, $3.1 billion airport improvement program for both major airports in Houston.
Greyhound Lines operates intercity services from five stations in Houston and several Houston suburbs. Other bus lines operate from Greyhound's stations and other stations.
The Port of Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of public and private facilities located a several hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico.
[154](/define.php?term=154)It is the busiest port in the United States in terms of foreign tonnage, second-busiest in the United States in terms of overall tonnage, and tenth-busiest in the world. The Port of Houston comprises the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay. It is made up of the port authority and the 150-plus private industrial companies along the ship channel. The original Port of Houston was located at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou in downtown Houston by the University of Houston–Downtown, now a city park known as Allen's Landing. The Port has three separate terminals dedicated to the handling of cargo containers: Barbours Cut (the first terminal specifically designed for these shipments), Galveston East End (leased from the Port of Galveston, the Port's long-time rival), and Bayport. [155](/define.php?term=155) [edit](/define.php?term=edit)Healthcare and medicine
Main article: Texas Medical Center
See also: List of hospitals in Texas
Texas Medical Center
Houston is the seat of the internationally-renowned Texas Medical Center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions.
[156](/define.php?term=156)All 45 member institutions of the Texas Medical Center are non-profit organizations. They provide patient and preventive care, research, education, and local, national, and international community well-being. These institutions include 13 renowned hospitals and two specialty institutions, two medical schools, four nursing schools, and schools of dentistry, public health, pharmacy, and virtually all health-related careers. It is where one of the first—and still the largest—air emergency service, Life Flight, was created, and a very successful inter-institutional transplant program was developed. More heart surgeries are performed at the Texas Medical Center than anywhere else in the world. [157](/define.php?term=157)
Some of the academic and research health institutions in the center include Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, The Methodist Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has consistently ranked as one of the top two U.S. hospitals specializing in cancer care by U.S. News & World Report since 1990.
[158](/define.php?term=158)
Houston is the home of the Menninger Clinic,a renowned psychiatric treatment center affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital.
[edit](/define.php?term=edit)Education
University of Houston
There are four public and three private universities engaged in research and development in Houston. The University of Houston ("UH") is Texas's third-largest public research university with more than 40 research centers and institutes. With more than 36,000 students from 130 countries, UH is one of the most ethnically diverse campuses in the country.
[159](/define.php?term=159)The city is also the home to Rice University, one of the leading teaching and research universities of the United States and ranked the nation's 17th-best overall university by U.S. News & World Report. [160](/define.php?term=160)Other public institutions of higher learning in the city include University of Houston–Clear Lake ("UHCL"), University of Houston–Downtown ("UHD"), and Texas Southern University ("TSU"). Additionally, several private institutions include University of St. Thomas, who in 2008 was ranked one of "America's Best Colleges" by US News & World Report, and Houston Baptist University. The Houston Community College System serves most of Houston and is the fourth-largest community college system in the United States. [161](/define.php?term=161)
Rice University
Houston is home to two of four public law schools in Texas: University of Houston Law Center and Thurgood Marshall School of Law. The University of Houston Law Center ranked in at No. 60 of the "Top 100 Law Schools" in 2007 by U.S. News & World Report.
[162](/define.php?term=162)Additionally, South Texas College of Law—a private institution—is the city's oldest law school founded in 1923 and has one of the nation's top programs for trial advocacy. [163](/define.php?term=163) [164](/define.php?term=164)
There are 17 school districts serving the city. The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the seventh-largest in the United States.
[165](/define.php?term=165)HISD has 112 campuses that serve as magnet or vanguard schools—specializing in such disciplines as health professions, visual and performing arts, and the sciences. There are also many charter schools that are run separately from school districts. In addition, some public school districts also have their own charter schools.
The Houston area is home to more than 300 private schools,
[166](/define.php?term=166) [167](/define.php?term=167) [168](/define.php?term=168)many of which are accredited by Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC) recognized agencies. The Houston Area Independent Schools, or HAIS, offer education from a variety of different religious as well as secular viewpoints. [169](/define.php?term=169)The Houston area Catholic schools are operated by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
Great schools: St Johns (my school), Episcopal,Lamar High School and more
Great people: ZZ Top, Wes Anderson (Director),Marvin Zindler
The movie Rushmore was filmed all over Houston
p.s George W is from New Haven, Connecticut
Also People who say all Texans are bigots are themselves bigots for using a stereotype to support their beliefs
Great people: ZZ Top, Wes Anderson (Director),Marvin Zindler
The movie Rushmore was filmed all over Houston
p.s George W is from New Haven, Connecticut
Also People who say all Texans are bigots are themselves bigots for using a stereotype to support their beliefs
viết bởi
[Born in Houston](/author.php?author=Born+in+Houston)02 Tháng hai, 2009
Photos & Videos
Top Definition
First word heard from the moon. The nation's fourth largest city and home to the Texas Medical Center (the world's largest) and NASA's Johnson Space Center.
Few cities in the world can match
One of the best places to live, work, play, eat, play music, hear music, do art, see art, get sick, get well, work out, hang out, and make a decent living doing whatever your heart says you were put on earth to do.
Few cities in the world can match
[H-Town](/define.php?term=H-Town)as a source for blues and rap talent. Home of ZZ Top and Beyoncé.
One of the best places to live, work, play, eat, play music, hear music, do art, see art, get sick, get well, work out, hang out, and make a decent living doing whatever your heart says you were put on earth to do.
The U.S. economy can be up or down but there's always money to be made in Houston.
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[the migster](/author.php?author=the+migster)19 Tháng bảy, 2005
2
2 love
[H-town](/define.php?term=H-town)is 2 love postmodernity.
I love living in Houston.
viết bởi
[Rusty Halo](/author.php?author=Rusty+Halo)10 Tháng một, 2006
3
A very large, hot, humid, sprawling, congested, multi-cultural, sophisticated, yet laid back city that doesn't take itself too seriously such as lesser cities like Dallas.
A place that newcomers claim to despise, but for some reason, stay put and keep coming in hordes.
A world class city for arts, entertaiment, sports, dining and more.
No place in America can you find so much for so little cost.
A place that newcomers claim to despise, but for some reason, stay put and keep coming in hordes.
A world class city for arts, entertaiment, sports, dining and more.
No place in America can you find so much for so little cost.
Houston is hot, humid, and the only place in America I want to be.
viết bởi
[rrsltx](/author.php?author=rrsltx)27 Tháng hai, 2008
4
Houston, Texas is located 45 miles north of
[Galveston](/define.php?term=Galveston)and the Gulf of Mexico. And high temperatures in the summer are usually in the mid-90s. [Dallas](/define.php?term=Dallas)is 300 miles from the Gulf and hotter, and the people there are a whole lot less friendly.
What was the dude thinking who said Houston was 70 miles from Galveston and 120 degrees in the summer??
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[the migster](/author.php?author=the+migster)26 Tháng tư, 2006
5
A Great city. Art, rap, culture. Very conveiniently located, only about 70 miles from Galveston (A Barrier Island in the Gulf of Mexico, popular tourist location), and is home of Elington Feild, and N.A.S.A. The First words from the moon where heard here. Major industries include oil and petrochem, but just about anything can make money here. Untill October 2005, we had an amusement park, named "Six Flags Astroworld", located right across the way from the Astro Dome. Did I mention that we had the first Dome-Stadium? New Orleans and the rest copied us. As a legal citizen of Houston, I can say that Houston is a very LARGE city, always with somthing going on. ZZ Top was started here. The word "Houston" is often used to discribe the downtown, but the city encompasses many, "Sub-cities", such as Humble, Kingwood, parts of the Woodlands, and more cities to the west. Contrary to popular belief, Texas is NOT all Desert, as shown in Western films. In fact, we have trees, bah, Forests all over. Because Houston is located near the Gulf of Mexico, the weather ususaly stays under 120 Ferenheit in the summer, and usualy never hits freezing.
Houston, Texas. Great city, slowly deteriorating.
viết bởi
[Un-1337](/author.php?author=Un-1337)27 Tháng mười, 2005
6
Houston, (pronounced Yew-Ston)is the best place to live in the world. Home of Beyonce,Mike Jones,Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, Bun B, Slim Thug, and countless other rappers. Also the starting place of ZZ Top. The first words from the moon were heard here. And the Medical Center is the best in the world. Living in Houston is the greatest.
1. The guy who said Houston sucks is a fanny.
2. Dallas and Austin ain't got nothing on Houston
2. Dallas and Austin ain't got nothing on Houston
viết bởi
[Daniel34](/author.php?author=Daniel34)11 Tháng năm, 2006
7
simply put the best city in the united states and the home to screwed and chopped. the rap scene is incredible with artists such as trae z-ro ugk suc and etc that buck the trend and rap about life instead of cars money an women. also known as
[h town](/define.php?term=h+town) [screwston](/define.php?term=screwston) [hustle town](/define.php?term=hustle+town)
holla from the southside of houston.
viết bởi


markdown:
Top Definition
A mostly rural saying used by teachers in rural schools to avoid cursing.
Pain
In
The
Ass
Piece
Of
Shit
Pain
In
The
Ass
Piece
Of
Shit
Student: Can I mess with your blinds?
Teahcer: No! Stop being a pita pos!
Teahcer: No! Stop being a pita pos!
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markdown:
Top Definition
The act of feigning enthusiasm.
Usually sarcastic, but can sometimes be a means of gratifying a dull anecdote.
Usually sarcastic, but can sometimes be a means of gratifying a dull anecdote.
"I had to use my unthusiasm to get rid of that guy."
"Hey man, no need to use unthusiasm on me."
"Hey man, no need to use unthusiasm on me."
viết bởi
[Jedimintrick](/author.php?author=Jedimintrick)25 Tháng mười, 2006
2
Lack of enthusiasm.
Either sarcastic enthusiasm, or from boredom.
Either sarcastic enthusiasm, or from boredom.
1) Woop. Wa-hey. Yeah. This is fun.
2) Nice going with the unthusiasm there.
2) Nice going with the unthusiasm there.
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markdown:
Top Definition
A mystical creature that was created in the land of Brunet St, more specifically, the tree of wisdom. They are most known for the estranged sound it makes. 'Eeeee-yuh'
In the winter, the donker's used their pond as an ice rink.
viết bởi
[mugwump99](/author.php?author=mugwump99)07 Tháng ba, 2008
2
A compound of Donkey+Fucker
that
[Bitch](/define.php?term=Bitch)is a Donker
viết bởi
[Dusty Bottoms 69](/author.php?author=Dusty+Bottoms+69)06 Tháng sáu, 2007
3
A huge pair of boobs, usually on a smaller girl.
Damn! That girl has some donkers!
viết bởi
[Whiteguy1227](/author.php?author=Whiteguy1227)30 Tháng tám, 2009
4
This is large knobby turd that really thuds the porcelain when you are on the toilet.
Dude, my anus was twisted after dropping a donker this morning.
viết bởi
[jimmy jam slam](/author.php?author=jimmy+jam+slam)16 Tháng mười, 2008
5
said to a person who has just hiccuped
Mary said donkers over 20 times while John battled a horrible case of hiccups.
viết bởi
[Les Ashill](/author.php?author=Les+Ashill)27 Tháng bảy, 2008
7
a person who does everything wrong.
(this word is good for use around parents- it's not a swear word so you won't get in trouble. they'll have no idea what you're talking about)
(this word is good for use around parents- it's not a swear word so you won't get in trouble. they'll have no idea what you're talking about)
big brother: you forgot to flush the toilet again!
little brother: oops.
big brother: shut up. you're such a donker.
little brother: oops.
big brother: shut up. you're such a donker.
viết bởi


markdown:
Top Definition
When your so drunk and jerk off, ejaculate, and as soon as your done you pass out from the orgasm. When you wake up all the
[baby yogurt](/define.php?term=baby+yogurt)will have hardened and when you try to pull your fingers apart your hand will resemble a ducks foot.
"man you were so drunk last night, you gave yourself a nice duck feet hands"
viết bởi


markdown:
Sign in to
**post new definitions, images, and sounds** and create lists of favorites.
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Vui lòng cho biết email của bạn để nhận
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Địa chỉ daily@urbandictionary.com sẽ gửi thư cho bạn. Chúng tôi cam kết sẽ không để xảy ra tình trạng gửi thư rác vào hộp mail của bạn.

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Có nhiều đàn em cùng chiến hữu, Dũng “mặt sắt” mở rộng địa bàn hoạt động về Hải Phòng. Mưu đồ của Dũng “mặt sắt” là hình thành nên một quy trình làm lậu hàng tạm nhập tái xuất khép kín
**>> Dũng “mặt sắt” – từ “giang hồ vặt” lên “ngai” ông trùm buôn lậu vùng biên**
**>> Chân dung trùm buôn lậu vùng biên Dũng 'mặt sắt'**
**>> "Ông trùm" buôn lậu Dũng "Mặt sắt" sa lưới**
Việc lực lượng của Bộ Công an bất ngờ đột kích triệt phá đường dây buôn lậu lớn nhất vùng biên giới Quảng Ninh đêm 5.5 rạng sáng 6.5 đã gây rúng động giới buôn lậu vùng này.
**>> Hàng trăm cảnh sát vây bắt 'trùm' buôn lậu khét tiếng**
Trong cuộc đột kích, lực lượng công an đã bắt giữ hàng chục đối tượng liên quan đến hành vi buôn lậu, thu giữ hàng chục
[ hạng sang đã làm thủ tục hải quan chờ tái xuất qua của khẩu Bắc Phong Sinh - Quảng Ninh. Đường dây buôn lậu này do ông trùm Dũng “mặt sắt”, tức Hà Tuấn Dũng (SN 1974, ngụ TP Móng Cái - Quảng Ninh) và một số đối tượng “số má” ở Quảng Ninh cầm đầu. ô tô](http://vietbao.vn/O-to-xe-may/Sanh-dieu/)
Triệt hạ đối thủ, lên ngôi trùm
| |![]()
| |
Lực lượng công an khám xét trụ sở Công ty TNHH Tuấn Đông tại TP Móng Cái
Trong giới giang hồ đất Bắc cũng như các
[ làm hàng tạm nhập tái xuất, cái tên Dũng “mặt sắt” - ông trùm đường biên đất mỏ, hiện không xa lạ gì. doanh nghiệp](http://vietbao.vn/Kinh-te/Doanh-nghiep/)
Đầu những năm 2000, Dũng vẫn chỉ là gã bụi đời không số má, chuyên ăn chặn đội ngũ cửu vạn từ các tỉnh, thành mới lên vùng biên kiếm kế sinh nhai. Sau đó, Dũng “mặt sắt” được anh em “ông trùm” đường biên là Phương và Chung “Linh hột” (Nguyễn Tiến Phương và Nguyễn Tiến Chung) thu nhận làm đàn em.
Khi đó, anh em nhà Phương - Chung “Linh hột” đã thâu tóm gần như toàn bộ hoạt động
[ hàng hóa qua vùng biên giới tỉnh Quảng Ninh. xuất, nhập khẩu](http://vietbao.vn/Kinh-te/Vietcombank-dang-mat-dan-thi-phan-trong-thanh-toan-xuat-nhap-khau/2131629665/90/)
Theo chân 2 anh em “ông trùm”, Dũng dần dần thâu nhận được nhiều đàn em song cũng từ đó nuôi tham vọng lớn trong giới giang hồ, thâu tóm hoạt động tạm nhập tái xuất của anh em “ông trùm” Phương - Chung “Linh hột”. Dũng “mặt sắt” và em rể Nguyễn Hữu Vinh (tức Vinh “trắng”), Phó Giám đốc Công ty TNHH Hồng Kông, vạch kế hoạch soán ngôi anh em Phương - Chung “Linh hột”.
Tháng 5.2009, khi Phương - Chung “Linh hột” đang thâu tóm hoạt động xuất nhập khẩu đông lạnh sang Trung Quốc thì Vinh “trắng” đòi mượn đường Lục Chắn để xuất hàng. Phương - Chung “Linh hột” từ chối nên Vinh “trắng” đã hẹn một phen sống mái.
Chiều 30.5.2009, Vinh “trắng” chở 4 đàn em vào bến Lục Chắn, bỏ họ lại đó còn Vinh quay về Móng Cái rồi liên lạc với Phương - Chung “Linh hột” thách thức. Phương - Chung “Linh hột” huy động đàn em lên bến Lục Chắn bắn và đánh đập Lê Văn Điệp, Nguyễn Minh Trí (là những đàn em thân cận của Vinh “trắng”) trọng thương rồi đưa qua
[ thủ tiêu. Trung Quốc](http://vietbao.vn/tp/Am-muu-Tam-Sa-cua-Trung-Quoc/3252245/)
Sau khi anh em Phương - Chung “Linh hột” cùng một loạt đàn em bị bắt và phải nhận mức án nghiêm khắc của
[, Dũng “mặt sắt” và Vinh “trắng” thu thập một số đàn em của Phương - Chung “Linh hột” cùng nhiều giang hồ tứ chiếng làm đàn em để khuếch trương thanh thế thành Công ty TNHH Tuấn Đông, từng bước buôn lên ngôi vị thâu tóm các hoạt động buôn lậu tại khu vực cửa khẩu Móng Cái. pháp luật](http://vietbao.vn/An-ninh-Phap-luat/)
Vươn tay, mở rộng lãnh địa
Để bước lên vị trí ông trùm ở vùng biên, phải sử dụng nhiều thủ đoạn tinh vi nhằm đối phó với các cơ quan chức năng, cơ quan bảo vệ pháp luật, nên Dũng “mặt sắt” cũng luôn đối mặt với nhiều nguy hiểm khác trong làm ăn. Chính vì vậy, Dũng “mặt sắt” đã thu nạp không ít đệ tử là giang hồ ở nhiều tỉnh, trong đó có Hải Phòng với T. “mắt điêu”, H. “quý”, K. “nhuận”…
Có nhiều đàn em cùng chiến hữu, Dũng “mặt sắt” mở rộng địa bàn hoạt động về Hải Phòng, nơi có các cửa khẩu hải quan làm thủ tục tạm nhập tái xuất hàng hóa để đưa hàng đi nước thứ ba. Mưu đồ của Dũng “mặt sắt” không ngoài việc hình thành nên một quy trình làm lậu hàng tạm nhập tái xuất khép kín.
Dù trên địa bàn Hải Phòng có nhiều chi cục hải quan làm thủ tục tạm nhập tái xuất nhưng Dũng “mặt sắt” thường xuyên làm thủ tục tạm nhập tái xuất chỉ với một cửa khẩu Hải quan khu vực 3 (Cục Hải quan Hải Phòng). Đã không ít lần Dũng “mặt sắt” vỗ ngực rằng nếu những lô hàng lậu nhập khẩu vào
[ rồi tái xuất đi nước thứ ba qua tay Dũng thì sẽ bị cơ quan bảo vệ pháp luật trên địa bàn Hải Phòng bắt giữ. Việt Nam](http://vietbao.vn/Kham-pha-Viet-Nam/)
Gần đây nhất, một cơ quan không có chức năng đấu tranh chống gian lận thương mại đã bắt giữ một lô hàng gần chục container có dấu hiệu gian lận thương mại. Do không có chức năng xử lý, vụ việc đã được bàn giao cho Cục Hải quan Hải Phòng thụ lý theo thẩm quyền.
Một cựu cán bộ Cục Hải quan Hải Phòng bị xử lý kỷ luật về hành vi “làm tiền” doanh nghiệp cũng về làm việc dưới trướng của Dũng “mặt sắt”. Đồng thời, Dũng “mặt sắt” đã kết thân được với H. “chợ sắt”, làm việc trong cơ quan chức năng để H. “chợ sắt” sẵn sàng chỉ đường bỏ qua các lỗi của doanh nghiệp.
Những lô hàng nhập lậu của Dũng “mặt sắt”, mặc dù được khai báo là hàng gửi kho ngoại quan nhưng vẫn được niêm phong kẹp ngay tại bãi cảng rồi được nhân viên thi hành nhiệm vụ hoàn thiện hồ sơ sau.
Trong vụ đột kích đêm 5-5 rạng ngày 6 tại cửa khẩu Bắc Phong Sinh, huyện Hải Hà - Quảng Ninh, lực lượng công an đã tạm giữ một lô 36 ô tô đang chờ xuất qua biên giới của Công ty TNHH Tuấn Đông và 2 doanh nghiệp khác. Lô hàng ô tô du lịch này là hàng tạm nhập tái xuất gồm 54 xe đã làm thủ tục hải quan đang chờ chuyển khẩu qua cửa khẩu Bắc Phong Sinh. Phần lớn trong hàng chục ô tô sang và siêu sang (loại xe 4 đến 7 chỗ) mang thương hiệu Lexus, BMW, Rolls Royce, Ranger Rover, Porsche, Bentley đều đã qua sử dụng và được tân trang tại Hồng Kông rồi tạm nhập về Việt Nam qua cảng Hải Phòng.
**T**IN NỔI BẬT CHUYÊN MỤC [PHÁP LUẬT ](http://vietbao.vn/An-ninh-Phap-luat/)
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