THEN - In August 1836,
two real
estate
entrepreneurs—Augustus
Chapman Allen and John
Kirby Allen—from
New York, purchased
6,642 acres (26.88
km2) of land along
Buffalo Bayou
with the intent of
founding a city. The
Allen brothers decided
to name
the city after Sam
Houston, the popular
general at the Battle
of San
Jacinto, who was
elected President of
Texas in September
1836. Houston
was granted
incorporation on June
5, 1837, with James S.
Holman
becoming its first
mayor. In the same
year, Houston became
the county
seat of Harrisburg
County (now Harris
County) and the
temporary capital
of the Republic of
Texas. In 1840, the
community established
a chamber
of commerce in part to
promote shipping and
waterborne business at
the
newly created port on
Buffalo Bayou.
NOW - Houston has
teams in every major
or semi-major
professional sport
except the National
Hockey League and
Major League Lacrosse,
including
the Houston Astros
(MLB), Houston Texans
(NFL), Houston Rockets
(NBA),
Houston Dynamo (MLS),
and Houston Aeros
(AHL). Minute Maid
Park (home
of the Astros) and
Toyota Center (home of
the Rockets and Aeros)
are
located in
downtown—contributing
to an urban
renaissance that has
transformed Houston's
center into a
day-and-night
destination. Also,
the city has the first
domed stadium in the
United States and also
holds the NFL's first
retractable roof
stadium—Reliant
Stadium. This
stadium is also home
to the worlds largest
big screen TV. Other
sports
facilities in Houston
are Hofheinz Pavilion,
Reliant Astrodome,
Robertson Stadium, and
Rice Stadium. Houston
will also host the
2016
NFL Super Bowl.
THEATER AND ARTS - The
Theater District is a
17-block area in the
center of downtown
Houston that is home
to the Bayou Place
entertainment complex,
restaurants, movies,
plazas, and parks.
Bayou
Place is a large
multilevel building
containing
full-service
restaurants, bars,
live music, billiards,
and Sundance Cinema.
The
Houston Verizon
Wireless Theater, now
Bayou Music Center,
stages live
concerts, stage plays,
and stand-up comedy.
Space Center Houston
is the
official visitors'
center of NASA's
Lyndon B. Johnson
Space Center. The
Space Center has many
interactive exhibits
including moon rocks,
a
shuttle simulator, and
presentations about
the history of NASA's
manned
space flight program.
Other tourist
attractions include
the Galleria
(Texas's largest
shopping mall located
in the Uptown
District), Old
Market Square, the
Downtown Aquarium, and
Sam Houston Race Park.
Of
worthy mention are
Houston's current
Chinatown and the
Mahatma Gandhi
District. Both areas
offer a picturesque
view of Houston's
multicultural makeup.
Restaurants, bakeries,
traditional-clothing
boutiques and
specialty shops can be
found in both areas. -
Source
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