Houston Heights, Houston, Texas
Encyclopedia
Houston Heights is a community located in northwest-central Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 (USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

).

History

By 1891 millionaire Oscar Martin Carter and a group of investors established the Omaha and South Texas Land Company. The company purchased 1756 acres (7.1 km²) of land and established infrastructure, including alleys, parks, schools, streets and utilities, worth $500,000 United States dollar
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

s. When Houston Heights was founded, it was a streetcar suburb
Streetcar suburb
A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Early suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 19th century cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing...

 of Houston which attracted people who did not wish to live in the dense city. It had its own municipality until the City of Houston annexed the Heights in 1919.

After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 industrial interests moved into the Houston Heights. Marilyn Bardsley of Crime Library stated that the Houston Heights became "decrepit" and "tired" after World War II. In the 1970s the Houston Heights was considered to be a low income area of the city. On May 29, 1971 Dean Corll
Dean Corll
Dean Arnold Corll was an American serial killer, also known as the "Candy Man", who, together with two youthful accomplices named David Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley, abducted, raped, tortured and murdered a minimum of 28 boys in a series of killings spanning from 1970 to 1973 in Houston, Texas...

 began luring and killing children from the Houston Heights as part of the Houston Child Murders.

From the 1980 U.S. Census to the 1990 Census, the population of the Houston Heights declined by more than 1,000 people per square mile. The Houston Heights Association opened in 1973.

Since the 1990s, and similar to other parts of Houston inside the 610 Loop
Interstate 610
Interstate 610 may refer to:* Interstate 610 , an alternate in New Orleans, Louisiana* Interstate 610 , a beltway around Houston, Texas...

, the Heights has experienced gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...

, a process ongoing to this day, as young highly-paid professionals (many of whom work in Downtown Houston) have flocked to the area, purchasing and renovating some of the historic homes (and demolishing some of them to build newer, upscale housing, much to the dismay of neighborhood preservationists). Upscale boutiques and restaurants have opened in the area, giving the streetscape an appearance not too much unlike Bellaire
Bellaire, Texas
Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 15,642 and is completely surrounded by the cities of Houston and West University Place....

, Lower Westheimer
Neartown Houston
Neartown is an area located in west-central Houston, Texas, United States and is one of the city's major cultural areas. Neartown is roughly bounded by U.S. Highway 59 to the south, Allen Parkway to the north, Bagby Street on the east, and Shepherd Drive to the west...

 or Upper Kirby
Upper Kirby
Upper Kirby is a commercial district in Houston, Texas, United States.Upper Kirby contains many businesses, including restaurants. Upper Kirby is east of the Greenway Plaza, southwest of Neartown, north of the city of West University Place, and south of River Oaks.Upper Kirby is considered to be in...

.

The 7000 square feet (650.3 m²) former fire station at 12th Street at Yale Street was constructed as Houston Heights' city hall and jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...

, and fire station in 1914. After annexation, it served as a city of Houston fire station from 1918 until 1995. The Houston Heights Association took a 30 year lease on the property from the city and refurbished the property. By December 2009 the former city hall was for sale.

Cityscape

The Houston Heights, one of the earliest planned communities
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...

 in Texas, is located 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States. Downtown Houston, the city's central business district, contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district...

. A National Geographic article says "stroll the area's broad, tree-canopied esplanades and side streets dotted with homes dating from the early 1900s and you may think you've landed in a small town." John Nova Lomax said that the Heights, which he describes as "Houston's own mini-Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

," had many "low-key" restaurants and beer gardens.

According to a study of the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...

 Institute of Regional Forecasting and Crawford Realty Advisors, from 2002 to 2003 prices of single family houses appreciated by 8.7 percent. Anjali Athavalley said "[r]eal estate agents say most houses there costing less than $200,000 need serious work" and "[b]uying a single-family house in the Houston Heights, for example, is getting expensive."

Local government

By 2000 Houston Heights community retained its prohibition of the sale of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

ic beverages. The Houston Heights passed a prohibition on alcoholic beverages in 1912, and the annexation agreement followed by the City of Houston stipulates that much of the Heights must retain the ban on alcoholic beverages. Many restaurants in the zone got around the ordinance by forming private clubs that patrons may join so that the patrons can order alcoholic beverages.

The Houston Fire Department
Houston Fire Department
City of Houston Fire Department 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...

 operates Station 15 Heights in the Northside
Northside, Houston
The Northside is a district of Houston, Texas, United States. It is within the Greater Northside Management District.-History:House Bill 3634, authored by state representative Jessica Farrar and sponsored in the Texas Senate by Mario Gallegos, created the management district...

 district, near the Houston Heights. It is a part of Fire District 6. Fire Station 15 moved to Houston Avenue and North Main in 1918 and North Main at Tabor in 1942. The current station at Dunbar and North Main opened in 1999.

The Houston Police Department
Houston Police Department
The Houston Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. Its headquarters are in 1200 Travis in Downtown Houston....

's Central Patrol Division serves the neighborhood. The Heights Storefront is located at 910 North Durham.
As of 2011 most of the Heights is a part of Houston City Council
Houston City Council
The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.Currently, there are fourteen members, nine elected from council districts and five at-large. The members of the Council are elected every two years, in odd-numbered years...

 District C, while a portion is in District H. Because of the inclusion of the Heights, Montrose, and Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...

 areas, it has the nickname "Hipstrict" for what Chris Moran of the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...

refers to as its "progressive, urban ethic." Before the 2011 redistricting, District H included all of the Houston Heights. H was mostly Hispanic, but because of the inclusion of the Houston Heights, it was becoming increasingly non-Hispanic White. Around 2011 an earlier plan would have combined the Heights and Montrose under a district called District J.

In a 1989 Houston Chronicle article Alan Bernstein described political support for Jim Westmoreland, an incumbent in an at-large position, in the Houston Heights as "relatively weak." In one precinct 49.4 percent of the voting residents voted for him. Westmoreland drew controversy after reports of a joke that was characterized as "racist" spread. Beverley Clark, the opponent and a Black teacher, defeated Westmoreland in that race. Bernstein said that the significant racial minority groups and the "social tolerance" trait may have contributed to backlash against Bernstein. In a 1989 Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...

article, Randy Cypret, the president of the Houston Heights Association, said that the split vote from the Houston Heights may reflect the ethnic division. Cypret added that opposition may have stemmed from Westmoreland's lack of political presence in the Houston Heights and a lack of advocacy for zoning-related issues. Cypret said that he opposed Westmoreland because of "the fact that he considers being on the city council a part-time job. In the fourth largest city in the country, you should take your job more seriously."

County, state, and federal representation

The area United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

 office is the Heights Post Office at 1050 Yale Street.

Demographics

The paper "Houston Heights" by Carolee Gearheart of the Aspen Systems Corporation - Housing Research Group and three University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...

 professors describe the Houston Heights as having a "diverse population." A National Geographic article said that the Houston Heights "is said to be home to the highest concentration of professional artists" in Texas.

According to the 2000 census, the current population of the Super Neighborhood #15 Greater Heights, which includes the Houston Heights and several surrounding subdivisions http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/suprnbhds/landuse/sn15lu.html http://www.houstonheights.org/map.htm, is 41,486.

Racial Breakdown

Race SN #15 Data % of Area Pop. Houston City Data
American Indian 109 0.3% 3,234
Asian 312 0.8% 102,706
Black 1,456 3.5% 487,851
Hispanic 21,936 52.9% 730,865
Native Hawaiian 20 -% 680
White 17,254 41.6% 601,851
Two or More 360 0.9% 23,830
Other 39 -% 2,614

Age Breakdown

This is the age breakdown of Super Neighborhood #15 Greater Heights.
Age Group SN #15 Data % of Area Pop. Houston City Data
Under 5 Years 2,962 7.1% 160,797
5–17 Years 6,469 14.6% 375,861
18–65 Years 28,137 67.8% 1,252,908
65 and Over 3,917 9.4% 164,065

Transportation

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County is a major public transportation agency based in Houston . It operates bus, light rail, future commuter rail, and paratransit service in the city as well as most of Harris County...

 (METRO) operates the Heights Transit Center.

Culture

A National Geographic Traveler
National Geographic Traveler
National Geographic Traveler is a magazine published by the National Geographic Society in the United States. It was launched in 1984. Local-language editions of National Geographic Traveler are published in Armenia, Belgium/the Netherlands, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Latin America,...

article stated that the Houston Heights "maintains a quirky sense of individuality" and "flourishes as a destination for foodies, architecture buffs, and creative types."

Colleges and universities

Houston Community College provides community college services.

The Gulf Coast Bible College was located in the Houston Heights. While it was there, it tried to form its own campus by buying and tearing down houses. In 1984 the college announced it was moving to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...

. In June 1985 the college moved. In August of that year the college was still trying to sell the Houston Heights campus.

Primary and secondary schools

The Heights is served by Houston Independent School District
Houston Independent School District
The Houston Independent School District is the largest public school system in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and insular municipalities...

 (HISD). It is in Trustee District I, represented by Natasha Kamrani as of 2009. HISD's Central Region offices were located in the Houston Heights in the former Holden Elementary building. Prior to Houston ISD's 2005 reorganization, the North Central District was headquartered in the Cooley Facility in the Heights.

Elementary schools that serve portions of the Houston Heights include Crockett, Field, Harvard
Harvard Elementary School (Texas)
Harvard Elementary School is a public primary school in the Houston Heights neighborhood of Houston, Texas, United States. Harvard, a part of the Houston Independent School District, serves grades Kindergarten through 5....

, Helms Community Learning Center, Love, and Sinclair. Middle schools that serve portions of the Houston Heights include Hamilton and Hogg. High schools that serve portions of the Houston Heights include Reagan High School
Reagan High School (Houston)
John H. Reagan High SchoolPrincipal AdministratorConnie BergerFounded1927School typePublic school Religious affiliationNoneLocationHouston, Texas, United StatesEnrollment1,683 students...

 and Waltrip High School
Waltrip High School
Stephen Pool Waltrip High School is a secondary school located at 1900 West 34th Street in Houston, Texas, United States, 77018.Waltrip, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Houston Independent School District....

. In 2001 Field Elementary had 52% of its population declared by the state as "at risk," 94% qualifying for free or reduced lunches, and 42% speaking limited English.

Two state charter schools
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...

 are located in the Heights; they are: Houston Heights Learning Academy http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/tx/8547 and Houston Heights High School
Houston Heights High School
Houston Heights High School is a state-operated charter school located in Houston, Texas. It was established in 1999 by superintendent Richard Mik....

. Three private schools, a K-9 school called The New School in the Heights, Immanuel Lutheran Church and School (K-8) and Houston Outdoor Learning Academy, a 6-12 private school, are in the Houston Heights.

As of 2011 two teachers, Leeanne DiLabio and Mary Ellen Aylward Wolf, are planning to open Po'no Ragazzi International Academy, a proposed private school; the Shepherd Drive United Methodist Church had given them permission to purchase their building.

History of schools in the Houston Heights

The first elementary school to open in the Houston Heights was Cooley Elementary School, which opened in 1894. Harvard Elementary School opened in 1898. Crockett opened in 1912. In 1914, a businessman donated land for a new elementary school, which became Love Elementary School. Helms Elementary School opened in 1918. Within the Heights, the city's budget became increasingly less able to support the educational needs of the city's population. This influenced the decision to allow the City of Houston to annex the Houston Heights.

Houston Heights Senior High School opened in 1919. Harvard became a part of Houston ISD in 1921 and Love moved to its current location in 1923. In 1925 Heights High School became Hamilton High School. In 1926 Love received a new campus, Hogg opened, and Reagan opened; Hamilton became a junior high school that year. Field opened in February 1929. Sinclair and Waltrip opened in 1959. During the same year, Twenty-Third Street Elementary School in the Houston Heights received fire damage, so it closed. In 1960 Holden Elementary School opened on the site of the former Twenty-Third Street Elementary School. In 1965, Cooley was renovated.

Crockett received a new campus in 1980; during the same year, Cooley closed. Shortly afterwards HISD began housing offices in the Cooley building. In 1997 a small portion of the Houston Heights was rezoned to Waltrip. In 2001 Helms received its current name. Holden closed in May 2004 and students were rezoned to Sinclair and Helms; at the time 52% of students zoned to Holden were enrolled in Holden.

The building at the Cooley site served as the headquarters of HISD's alternative certification program until 2010. In August 2010 HISD sold the site, with over 85000 square foot, to Sullivan Brothers Builders. It was demolished later in 2010; residential houses will replace the former school.

Public libraries

The Heights Neighborhood Library of the Houston Public Library
Houston Public Library
Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. The library system has its headquarters in the Marston Building in Neartown Houston.-History:It can trace its founding to the Houston Lyceum in 1854...

 is located at 1302 Heights Boulevard. The blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...

 film Sugar Hill
Sugar Hill (1974 film)
Sugar Hill is a 1974 zombie film released by AIP, who had previously combined the horror and blaxploitation genres with Blacula and its sequel, Scream Blacula Scream.-Plot:...

(1974) depicted the library as the "Voodoo Museum of Natural History."

Parks and recreation

The City of Houston operates parks within and around the Houston Heights. The Heights Boulevard Park is located at 100-1900 Heights Boulevard. Milroy Park and Community Center has a playground and lighted tennis courts. Love Park and Community Center are adjacent to the Houston Heights. Love Park has an outdoor basketball pavilion, a 0.2 mile (0.321868 km) hike and bicycle trail, a playground, a lighted sports field, and a swimming pool. Love Community Center has an indoor gymnasium, meeting rooms, and a weight room. In addition the Houston Heights World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 Memorial is located in the Heights.

The Heights is the locale of Houston's White Linen Night, held annually in late July or early August.

See also

  • History of Houston
    History of Houston
    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.-Houston's turbulent beginning:...

  • Districts and communities of Houston
    Districts and communities of Houston
    The geographic areas of Houston are generally classified as either being inside or outside Interstate 610, known as the "Loop." Inside the loop generally encompasses the Central business district and the "island cities" of West University Place , Southside Place and a portion of Bellaire...

  • Geographic areas of Houston


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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