Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas was founded in 1836 by the Allen brothers (Augustus Chapman and John Kirby) and named in honor of Sam Houston, a military leader in the war for Texas independence. The city was granted incorporation by the state legislature on June 5, 1837. Houston served as a temporary capital of Texas until government was moved to Austin in 1839. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1,953,631, making it the third largest city in the United States. There are as many as 5 million people living in the Houston Metropolitan Area. Houston covers about 600 sq. miles in area, and is also the largest city in the United States which does not have zoning laws. It is the county seat of Harris County⁶.

Houston is world renowned for its energy industry (particularily oil), and ship channel. Houston is the third busiest port in the United States.

The University of Houston[?], Texas Southern University[?], University of Saint Thomas[?], and Rice University are in Houston.

Officially, Houston is known as Space City. "Houston" was the first word uttered on the moon, as Neil Armstrong reported back to NASA. (Other nicknames include "Bayou City" and "Clutch City".)

Houston in also the home of NASA's Johnson Space Center, the Astrodome[?] and The Alley Theater[?], as well as sports franchises such as the NBA's Houston Rockets, the NFL's Houston Texans, the AHL's Houston Aeros[?], and baseball's Houston Astros.

Houston is served by George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), and Ellington Field (EFD).

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1,558.4 km² (601.7 mi²). 1,500.7 km² (579.4 mi²) of it is land and 57.7 km² (22.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.70% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 1,953,631 people, 717,945 households, and 457,330 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,301.8/km² (3,371.7/mi²). There are 782,009 housing units at an average density of 521.1/km² (1,349.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 49.27% White, 25.31% African American, 0.44% Native American, 5.31% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 16.46% from other races, and 3.15% from two or more races. 37.41% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 717,945 households out of which 33.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% are married couples living together, 15.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% are non-families. 29.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.67 and the average family size is 3.39.

In the city the population is spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $36,616, and the median income for a family is $40,443. Males have a median income of $32,084 versus $27,371 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,101. 19.2% of the population and 16.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 26.1% are under the age of 18 and 14.3% are 65 or older.