| Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States | | | | was the most heavily populated city in America. |
| and the largest city in Texas and is also credited as a | | | | World War 2 saw a decline in the shipping sector as |
| global city. It is a vibrant metropolis with a broad | | | | the ports on the East coast dominated trans-Atlantic |
| based economy and an enormous range of cultural | | | | shipping however, enormous growth in the |
| activities and recreational opportunities. | | | | petrochemical sector more than made up for this. |
| Two brothers who had made their fortune in real | | | | Enormous new military bases were also constructed |
| estate in New York founded Houston in 1836 on the | | | | including Ellington Field which was reconstructed in |
| banks of the Buffalo Bayou; Augustus Chapman Allen | | | | order to train bombardiers and navigators while |
| and John Kirby Allen purchased approximately 6,500 | | | | medical facilities were also greatly expanded and |
| acres with the intention of creating their own city | | | | research took off. The end of the ware saw a |
| and named the new settlement after General Sam | | | | reversion to deep water port activity as the bases |
| Houston who had fought and won the decisive battle | | | | were wound down and moth-balled and the physical |
| of San Jacinto close the site. | | | | area was doubled by the addition of surrounding land |
| In 1837, Houston was incorporated and the | | | | and the metropolis started its sprawling growth. |
| infrastructure of a city started to form with the | | | | Post-war saw the establishment of the NASA |
| creation of a Chamber of Commerce and election of | | | | Manned Spacecraft Center (now known as the |
| a mayor. Shipping was the first business to be | | | | Lyndon B Johnson Space Center) and with this the |
| promoted however, by 1860 Houston had also | | | | aerospace industry came to town. The city is also |
| become a railroad hub which transformed the city | | | | home to the Astrodome which was the world's first |
| into a commercial center for the export of cotton to | | | | indoor domed sporting arena. In the seventies, |
| Europe. After the Civil War, efforts were undertaken | | | | population again boomed as the oil industry boomed |
| to expand the seaborne activities and especially by | | | | but by the 1980's the boom abruptly ended with the |
| works to create a deep water port in sync with the | | | | aerospace industry also suffered as a consequence |
| nearby port of Galveston. | | | | of the Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986. |
| Galveston was hit by a terrible hurricane in 1900 | | | | Today, Houston has fully recovered and now has |
| which sped the works to create a deep water port | | | | one of the broadest economies of any city in the |
| out of Houston and growth was further stimulated | | | | United States. Only New York is home to more |
| by the discovery of oil in 1901 at the Spindletop oil | | | | Fortune 500 companies while the city is now the |
| field. 1902 saw President Roosevelt approving $1 | | | | largest international port of the United States. The |
| million allocation for the Houston Ship Channel and this | | | | wealth created has led to Houston also becoming |
| combination of private and government backed | | | | home to a wide range of cultural institutions which |
| initiatives turned Houston into a major growth center | | | | now has over 7 million visitors each year while |
| with the population doubling between 1900 and 1910 | | | | Houston is one of a very few cities offering year |
| to 78,800. | | | | round resident companies for all the major performing |
| Finally in 1914, President Wilson opened Port of | | | | arts. |
| Houston as a deepwater port and by 1930, Houston | | | | |