Houston Texas History

Houston Texas is named after Sam Houston, a former president of the Republic of Texas. It was discovered and named by two real estate businessmen John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen when they acquired over 6600 acres of land with in the Buffalo Bayou in August 1836. The city was inaugurated on June 5, 1837 having James S. Holman as its pioneering mayor. With in that year also, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County and the capital of the Republic of Texas at that time. After four years, the city founded its Chamber of Commerce to promote the shipping business as it opened a new port in Buffalo Bayou. Business transaction towards neighboring places by sea has boosted the economy of Houston and in 1860 the city became the center port of cotton export. In the time of the civil war, Houston Texas became the headquarters of General John Bankhead Magruder where he used Houston as the center point of the Battle of Galveston. When the war ended, entrepreneurs extended the city's shipping system so that more investment would come from nearby ports going to the City of Galveston.

At the advent of petroleum industry in the United States at the time of the discovery of an oil field in Spindletop, former president Theodore Roosevelt approved a $1M enhancement project for the Houston Shipping coast. In the year 1914, president Woodrow Wilson opened the port of Houston. By this time, Houston has began growing and in 1930 it became the most populous city of Texas. When the World War II began, most of the shipping lines in Houston stop its operation which happens to be the highlight of Houston's economy at that time. However, the war opened new opportunities for Houston aside from port aided commerce. The Ellington Field of World War I was reopened as the training center for soldiers and the Texas Medical Center was founded in 1945. After the war, the city's economy diverted away from the shipping trade. More areas are incorporated into the city's territory which increases its size by more than 100 percent. In 1961, a huge development area was opened in Texas. The Manned Spacecraft Center of NASA was built in the city which opened its aerospace industry.

The facility was later on renamed into Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in 1973. Also the world's first indoor sport stadium was created in the city in 1965 called the Astrodome. It is referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World. As the Arab Oil Embargo ventured in Texas' commerce, people from Rust Belt migrated to Houston due to employment opportunities. Shortly after its establishment, the oil embargo was closed due to the fall in the price of oil. Also, in the same year, the space shuttle Challenger exploded. These events caused the decline in the city's economic development. In 1990s, Houston focused more on aerospace technology advancement and explored other industrial area, aside from petroleum industry, such as biotechnology. In 1997, Lee P. Brown added color to the city's history by becoming the first African American mayor of Houston. The worst natural calamity recorded in the city's history occurred in July 2001.

Tropical storm Allison flooded Houston causing billions of dollars of damage to properties and killing 20 Houston residents. This has literally changed the landscape of the city and altered established communities. On the same year, in December, Enron collapsed due to bankruptcy. It is an energy company based in Houston and its closure effected big employment loss in the city. At present, Houston is still the largest city in Texas with the Houston Port being the number one in US in terms of international cargo shipments. The Texas Medical Center has survived through its history and is now the largest institution of health care services and research facilities. The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center of NASA is still on going with its discoveries and innovation and is the reason why Houston is also known to that world as the Space City.

Resource Links

• Handbook of Texas Online
• Houston, Texas

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