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History

Downtown Houston in the 1970s

In 1836, just a few months after General Sam Houston won Texas' independence from Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto, two brothers set out to create "a great center of government and commerce" on the banks of Buffalo Bayou. Businessmen August and John Allen named their new settlement Houston after the hero of the recently-formed Republic and began promoting it to the mass of Americans moving West.

The hamlet founded by the Allen brothers would eventually become a metropolis. Houston would serve briefly as the capital of Texas and survive several fires and disease to emerge stronger. As the decades rolled by, the development of a port and numerous rail lines made the Bayou City a major center of business and trade. The discovery of oil in the region in the early 1900s transformed the city into a petroleum boomtown nearly overnight. Energy would later be joined by the aerospace and medical industries, forming the backbone of the Houston we know today.

As the nation's fourth-largest city, Houston at the dawn of the 21st Century is a melting pot of peoples and cultures, a dynamic community of world-class art, entertainment, food and attractions. The city's geographic location on the Gulf Coast and superb airport system make it a gateway to Latin America and the world beyond. A diverse economy, coupled with a "can do" attitude has made Houston a prime destination for entrepreneurs and those looking for new opportunities.

An Abbreviated Timeline

1836

Brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen found Houston

1870

Congress designates Houston a port

1899

Houston's first park opens. The site, now Sam Houston Park, contains several of Houston's earliest buildings

1948

Voters first reject proposed zoning ordinance. It's rejected again in 1962 and 1993.

1932

First Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo held

1943

Texas Medical Center founded

1947

Alley Theatre established

1969

"Houston" is first word spoken from the lunar surface

1971

Shell Oil Co. relocates corporate headquarters to Houston. More than 200 major firms move headquarters, subsidiaries and divisions here in the years following.

2000

Census finds Houston MSA has no racial or ethnic majority

2004

First modern light rail line-7.5 miles-begins operations.