Houston information
As the nation's fourth-largest city, Houston is a thriving community bustling with activities, shopping, and nightlife. Linked by the Houston Ship Channel to the Gulf of Mexico 50 miles away, the city is a giant in the world of interUS shipping, as well as oil, aerospace, and finance. Truly Texas-size, the city sprawls across 617 square miles of bayou country while the metropolitan area encompasses 9,000 square miles, all connected by one of the nation's most extensive highway systems.
Houston had its beginnings in 1836, when two brothers established a trading post on the Buffalo Bayou, a river that now wanders through the downtown area. The traders decided to name their site Houston in honor of General Sam Houston, who had defeated the Mexican Army in April that year. Later, the city economy was given a shot in the arm when the railroad arrived in the 1860s. However, it was the discovery of oil in 1901 at nearby Spindletop that put Houston on the map. In 1963, NASA's Mission Control Center opened a few miles from Houston. Six years later, Houston broadcast to the world man's first step taken on the moon.
Houston has tried to cultivate the arts in order to stamp out its image as a city of wealthy Philistines. The city now has a number of important museums: the Museum of Fine Arts, the Contemporary Arts Museum, the Children's Museum of Houston, and the Holocaust Museum.
On the annual calendar of events is the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo; the Houston InterUS Festival, a 10-day celebration of food, art, and music; and the Westheimer Colony Arts Festival, held in the gay Montrose District.
With its slick skyscrapers, myriad cultural events, and thriving business center, Houston has much to offer visitors looking for action.
|
