Founded by land investors on August 30, 1836, at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou—now known as Allen's Landing—Houston was incorporated as a city on June 5, 1837. The city is named after Sam Houston, who led Texas to independence from Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto, 25 miles east of Allen’s Landing. Briefly serving as the capital of the Republic of Texas in the late 1830s, Houston grew into a regional trading center throughout the 19th century.
The 20th century brought rapid growth fueled by a burgeoning port and railroad industry, the decline of Galveston as a primary port after the devastating 1900 hurricane, the construction of the Houston Ship Channel, and the Texas oil boom. By 1910, the city’s population had reached 78,800, nearly doubling in a decade. The city’s economy diversified mid-century with the establishment of the Texas Medical Center—the world’s largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions—and NASA’s Johnson Space Center, home to Mission Control.
In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt approved a $1 million improvement project for the Houston Ship Channel. By 1914, President Woodrow Wilson opened the deep-water Port of Houston, which ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled. The city’s population reached 77.5% White and 22.4% black in 1940.
After World War II, Houston’s economy remained port-driven, but expanded with the establishment of the Texas Medical Center in 1945. The city annexed several unincorporated areas in 1948, more than doubling its size. The availability of air conditioning in the 1950s encouraged companies to relocate to Houston, leading to an economic boom and a shift toward the energy sector. The opening of the Astrodome in 1965 marked the debut of the world’s first indoor domed sports stadium. The 1970s saw a population boom as people migrated from the Rust Belt states for employment opportunities in the petroleum industry.
Houston faced recurring flooding issues throughout its history. Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 caused what was then the worst flooding in the city’s history, with billions of dollars in damage. In 2005, the city sheltered over 150,000 evacuees from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Rita prompted the largest urban evacuation in U.S. history in 2005, though it caused little damage to Houston itself. More recently, Hurricane Harvey in 2017 caused severe flooding, with rainfall exceeding 50 inches in some areas, and an estimated $125 billion in damage.
Houston’s economy is based in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and transportation. It is the second-most Fortune 500 headquarters within a city limits. In 2013, Houston was identified as the number one U.S. city for job creation. The Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land area’s gross domestic product was $633 billion in 2022, making it the seventh-largest of any metropolitan area in the United States.
The city is a diverse cultural hub, with an estimated 1.1 million foreign-born residents in 2017. The annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the largest livestock show and rodeo in the world. Houston is also home to a thriving arts scene, with nine major performing arts organizations in the Theater District and over 7 million visitors annually to the Museum District.
Houston has sports teams in every major professional league except the National Hockey League. The Houston Astros, formed in 1962, won the World Series in 2017 and 2022. The Houston Rockets have won two NBA Championships, in 1994 and 1995. NRG Stadium hosted Super Bowl LI in 2017 and will host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.