Houston is the
largest city in the state of
Texas and the fourth-largest in the
United States. As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, it had a population of more than 2 million. The city covers more than 600 square miles (1,600 kmē). Houston is the county seat of
Harris County and part of the
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, the sixth-largest
metropolitan area [3] in the U.S. with a population of more than 5.5 million.
Houston was founded on
August 30,
1836 by brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen on land near the banks of
Buffalo Bayou. The city was incorporated on
June 5,
1837 and named after General
Sam Houston, commander at the
Battle of San Jacinto. The burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in
1901, has induced continual surges in Houston's population. In the 20th century, Houston became the home of the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions, and NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.
Houston's economy has a broad industrial base in the energy, aeronautics, and technology industries and only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters. The
Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled.
[4] Houston is also home to
Rice University, one of the United States's leading teaching and research universities, and the
University of Houston, Texas's third-largest public research university with more than 36,000 students from 130 countries.
Houston is a multicultural city with a large and growing international community. The
Museum District is home to many cultural institutions and exhibits, attracting more than 7 million visitors a year. Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene as one of five U.S. cities that offer year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.