Greater Houston

Houston ( (listen); HEW-stən) is the most populous city in Texas and in the Southern United States. It is the fourth most populous city in the United States after Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City; the sixth most populous city in North America. With a population of 2,304,580 in 2020., Houston is located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the seat and largest city of Harris County and the principal city of the Greater Houston metropolitan area, which is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the second-most populous in Texas after Dallas–Fort Worth. Houston is the southeast anchor of the greater megaregion known as the Texas Triangle.Comprising a land area of 640.4 square miles (1,659 km2), Houston is the ninth-most expansive city in the United States (including consolidated city-counties). It is the largest city in the United States by total area whose government is not consolidated with a county, parish, or borough. Though primarily in Harris County, small portions of the city extend into Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties, bordering other principal communities of Greater Houston such as Sugar Land and The Woodlands. The city of Houston was founded by land investors on August 30, 1836, at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou (a point now known as Allen's Landing) and incorporated as a city on June 5, 1837. The city is named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had won Texas's independence from Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto 25 miles (40 km) east of Allen's Landing. After briefly serving as the capital of the Texas Republic in the late 1830s, Houston grew steadily into a regional trading center for the remainder of the 19th century.The arrival of the 20th century brought a convergence of economic factors that fueled rapid growth in Houston, including a burgeoning port and railroad industry, the decline of Galveston as Texas's primary port following a devastating 1900 hurricane, the subsequent construction of the Houston Ship Channel, and the Texas oil boom. In the mid-20th century, Houston's economy diversified, as it became home to the Texas Medical Center—the world's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions—and NASA's Johnson Space Center, home to the Mission Control Center. Since the late 19th century Houston's economy has had a broad industrial base, in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and transportation. Leading in healthcare sectors and building oilfield equipment, Houston has the second-most Fortune 500 headquarters of any U.S. municipality within its city limits (after New York City). The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled.Nicknamed the "Bayou City", "Space City", "H-Town", and "the 713", Houston has become a global city, with strengths in culture, medicine, and research. The city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. Houston is the most diverse metropolitan area in Texas and has been described as the most racially and ethnically diverse major city in the U.S. It is home to many cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than seven million visitors a year to the Museum District. The Museum District is home to nineteen museums, galleries, and community spaces. Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District, and offers year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.

City of Houston Fire Department (HFD) is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Houston, Texas, United States, the fourth largest city in the United States. HFD is responsible for preserving life and property for a population of more than 2 million in an area totaling 654 square miles (1,690 km2). The department is the largest fire department (by number of personnel) in the state of Texas.The administrative offices of HFD are located on the 7th floor of 1801 Smith Street (a part of the Cullen Center) in Downtown Houston. They were previously located at the City of Houston Fire Department Logistical Center & Maintenance Depot.The Houston Fire Department got its start in 1838 with one station known as Protection Company No. 1. By 1859, the volunteer department had grown to three stations. After 57 years of service, Houston converted the department over to all paid members.

Buffalo Bayou Park is a 2.3 mile long municipal park located along the banks of the Buffalo Bayou near Downtown Houston, Texas. With a total area of 160 acres, Buffalo Bayou Park stretches from Shepherd Drive to Sabine Street, between Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive. Opened in 2015, the park features a variety of recreational activities including a skate park, picnic area, children's play area, dog park, cultural events hall, and miles of bike and hiking trails.

The Reserve Bank of Dallas Houston Branch is one of three branches of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The branch is located on Allen Parkway in the Fourth Ward of Houston, Texas. The 297,000-square-foot (27,600 m2) building, which includes the second largest currency vault in the country, was designed by architect Michael Graves.

Glenwood Cemetery is located in Houston, Texas, United States. Developed in 1871, the first professionally designed cemetery in the city accepted its first burial in 1872. Its location at Washington Avenue overlooking Buffalo Bayou served as an entertainment attraction in the 1880s. The design was based on principles for garden cemeteries, breaking the pattern of the typical gridiron layouts of most Houston cemeteries. Many influential people lay to rest at Glenwood, making it the "River Oaks of the dead." As of 2018, Glenwood includes the annexed property of the adjacent Washington Cemetery, creating a total area of 84 acres (34 ha) with 18 acres (7.3 ha) still undeveloped. Notable burials at Glenwood include former residents of the Republic of Texas, some who were re-interred from condemned cemeteries from downtown Houston. Charlotte Allen and William Robinson Baker were early arrivals to Houston, and also long time residents. Baker was one of several interments of former mayors of Houston. The last president of the Republic of Texas, Anson Jones, has a family plot. Former governors of Texas and a former governor of Mississippi lie at rest at the cemetery, as do some high-ranking federal officials. Scions of the oil business include two co-founders of Sharp-Hughes Tools, as well as founders and early investors of Texaco and Humble Oil. The founding president of Rice University, the school's chief architect, and the institute's first trustee are found at Glenwood.

Eleanor Tinsley Park is a section of Buffalo Bayou Park in Houston, Texas. It was designated on April 20, 1998 in honor of Eleanor Tinsley, who served as a member of the Houston City Council At-Large for 16 years.The park houses the Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark, the Shady Grove Victim Memorial, a Henry Moore sculpture entitled "Large Spindle Piece", the Houston Police Officers' Memorial, Glenwood Cemetery, the San Felipe playground, jogging trails, and a sand pit which can be used for volleyball. Because the park straddles three ZIP codes (77002, 77007, and 77019) and has a nebulous shape, its street address is difficult to define. The City of Houston may list the address as 1800-3600 Allen Parkway/Memorial Drive, 77019. Alternatively, the City may list the address as 500 Allen Parkway, 77002. The City lists the park's San Felipe playground as 1717 Allen Pkwy, 77019. The City lists the park's Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark as 103 Sabine Street, 77007.The western border of the park is Taft Street. Its eastern border is Sabine Street. The northern border is Memorial Drive. Its southern border, Allen Parkway, is frequently closed due to parades, road running, and racewalking.The park hosts the Free Press Summer Fest annual music festival, the Houston Art Car Parade, and the Freedom Over Texas annual Fourth of July celebration. In the past, the park hosted the Bob Marley Festival and "The Westheimer Street Festival in Exile".

The Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark is a public skatepark in Houston, Texas, United States. The $2.7 million project opened in June 2008. At over 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2), it is one of the largest in Texas. It has two cradles, one of which is thought to be the largest in the United States, as well as a kidney pool, a large bowl with 12.5 ft (3.8 m) deep end and a street/flow area. The park was designed by Gridline Concrete Skatepark Design. The facility is free to the public. BMX bikes are not permitted. It is named after Texas billionaire lawyer Joe Jamail and his wife Lee. The Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark is located at 103 Sabine Street Houston, TX 77007, on the Sabine Street bridge with a view of the Houston skyline.

The Houston Police Officers Memorial is a piece of public art erected in Houston, Texas, in 1991, to recognize the sacrifices made by city police officers and to honor those who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The monument is a large-scale granite sculpture by artist Jesús Bautista Moroles.

Edgar Gregory-Abraham Lincoln Education Center (GLEC) is a K-8 school located at 1101 Taft in the Fourth Ward area of Houston, Texas, United States. Gregory-Lincoln is a part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and has a fine arts magnet program that takes students in both the elementary and middle school levels. Originally built in 1966 as Lincoln Junior and Senior High School, it later operated as Lincoln Junior High School until Gregory Elementary School merged into it in 1980, forming Gregory-Lincoln. The school moved into its current building in 2008; the rebuilding was delayed due to concerns that U.S. Civil War-era graveyards would be disturbed by the rebuilding process. One namesake is Edgar M. Gregory, an officer in the Union army in the U.S. Civil War and the assistant commissioner of the Texas area's Freedmen's Bureau. The other is Abraham Lincoln.

Fourth Ward is one of the historic six wards of Houston, Texas, United States. The Fourth Ward is located inside the 610 Loop directly west of and adjacent to Downtown Houston. The Fourth Ward is the site of Freedmen's Town, which was a post-U.S. Civil War community of African-Americans.

The Houston Art Car Parade is an annual event in Houston, Texas, featuring a display of all types of rolling art. The first art car parade took place on May 14, 1986, when 11 vehicles participated in a parade down Montrose Boulevardin the Neartown area. In later years the parade moved to Allen Parkway, then to Smith Street in Downtown Houston, passing Houston City Hall. Dan Aykroyd served as the Grand Marshal for the 2010 parade.

The Fonde Recreation Center, often known simply as Fonde (pronounced "fon-DEE") or Fonde Rec, is a public gym near downtown Houston, Texas. Fonde is most well known for its basketball courts, which have been the proving ground for numerous NCAA and NBA basketball players during the summertime. Among the basketball legends that have played at Fonde are all-time greats such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone and Clyde Drexler. Among the most oft-cited anecdotes of Fonde are the Malone–Olajuwon duels during the early 1980s, in which the two future Basketball Hall of Fame centers squared off, with the elder Malone, formerly of the Houston Rockets, testing the skills of the younger Olajuwon, then just a college player with the University of Houston. Fonde has been featured as a playable location in several NBA video games, including the NBA Live series, along with other well-known underground hoops hotbeds such as New York's Rucker Park, Goat Park, and The Cage, Chicago's Jackson Park Cages and Venice Beach. While many NBA players still play in Houston during the summer, many now play at the privately owned Westside Tennis Club. However, Fonde remains a mecca of basketball, with the Nike Houston Pro City Summer Basketball League being the signature event of the summer, recently featuring NBA stars such as Sam Cassell, Rashard Lewis, Steve Francis, Emeka Okafor and T. J. Ford.