| dbo:abstract |
This article documents the wide-ranging history of the city of Houston, the largest city in the state of Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States. The City of Houston was founded in 1837 after Augustus and John Allen had acquired land to establish a new town at the junction of Buffalo and White Oak bayous in 1836. Houston served as the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas. Meanwhile, the town developed as a regional transportation and commercial hub. Houston was part of an independent nation until 1846 when the United States formally annexed Texas. Railroad development began in the late 1850s but ceased during the American Civil War. Houston served the Confederacy as a regional military logistics center. The population increased during the war and blockade runners used the town as a center for their operations. Many free black people came to Houston after the civil war. Not receiving the support of the incumbent white population, they formed their own social and economic networks. Black residents constituted about twenty percent of the Houston citizenry throughout the rest of the nineteenth century. Investment and development of railroads serving Houston increased the transportation options for freight and passengers, while greatly increasing the number of jobs. The City limits extended to an area north of Buffalo Bayou after the Civil War. Houston continued as an important business, social, and economic center of Texas, while establishing the first State Fair starting in 1870 and continuing through 1878. The population surpassed 58,000 in 1900, the same year as the Great Hurricane struck Galveston. Within a few years, oil companies were establishing offices in Houston to administer oil fields in East Texas. In 1912, the Rice Institute opened its doors on its suburban campus, the first institute of higher learning in the Houston area. Several tall buildings were completed that year, including those used for offices and residences. Tax Commissioner Joseph Jay Pastoriza gained national notoriety for his property tax reform, though it was later invalidated by the Texas Supreme Court. Around this time Houston started drawing immigrants from Mexico, a trend continuing into the 1920s. Many settled in the Second Ward. During this period, the city developed Hermann Park. Houston gained national prominence when it hosted the Democratic National Convention in 1928. (en) Houston est une des plus grandes villes des États-Unis. Son histoire s'échelonne sur plusieurs siècles, et a débuté dans les années 1830. Les tractations qui ont mené la ville à sa configuration actuelle, une division en neuf districts remontent aux XIXe siècle. (fr) |
