Webster, Texas
Encyclopedia
Webster is a city in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of 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...

 within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown
Greater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...

 metropolitan area. The population was 9,083 at the 2000 census.

History

The community was founded in 1879 by James W. Webster under the name Gardentown. It was established initially as a colony for settlers from England. It began as a stopover for travelers between Houston/Harrisburg, Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...

, Kemah
Kemah, Texas
Kemah is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The city's population was 2,330 as of the 2000 census. Located in Galveston County, Kemah's main industry comes from shipping...

, and Seabrook
Seabrook, Texas
Seabrook is a city in Harris county, with some water surface area located within Chambers county in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 9,443 at the 2000 census....

. Eventually railroads, such as the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, were built through the area. Farmers in the area raised pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....

s and other produce.

In 1903, the Houston Chamber of Commerce invited Seito Saibara
Seito Saibara
was a Japanese parliament member, politician, administrator, colonist, and farmer. Apart from his missionary activities, he is credited with having first established the rice industry on the Gulf Coast of the United States.- Overview :...

, a former Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese member of parliament and a Christian theologian, to come to Texas to teach rice farming. Rice at that time was emerging as an important cash crop. Saibara settled in Webster with and established a small farming community of Japanese Christians. Saibara and his son Kiyoaki
Kiyoaki Saibara
Kiyoaki Saibara and his father Seito Saibara are credited with much of the success of the Texas Gulf Coast rice crop. Born in Japan, Saibara came to Webster, Texas on his father's orders to help begin a rice crop. Saibara was the first Japanese person to gain United States citizenship in Texas...

 established the foundations of what became the rice industry of the U.S. Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...

.

Dairies and livestock ranches developed in the town as well in the early 1900s. Petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

 was discovered at the Webster-Friendswood Oilfield in the 1930s but the population remained small. The small community was incorporated in 1958.

In 1961 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced that it was building the Manned Spacecraft Center (now known as the Johnson Space Center) nearby along the shores of Clear Lake
Clear Lake (Galveston Bay)
Clear Lake is a brackish lake located near Houston, Texas, USA in Harris County. The lake feeds Galveston Bay. It is bordered by Houston , Pasadena, League City, Clear Lake Shores, Taylor Lake Village, and El Lago, Texas...

. Growth and development quickly swept over the Clear Lake Area and Webster's population blossomed. Webster today has become a thriving bedroom community closely tied to the Clear Lake Area and its high-tech industry.

Geography

Webster is located at 29.538581°N 95.119354°W (29.538581, -95.119354).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17.4 km²), of which, 6.6 square miles (17.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.60%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 9,083 people, 4,114 households, and 1,970 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,372.9 people per square mile (529.8/km2). There were 4,733 housing units at an average density of 715.4 per square mile (276.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 64.85% White, 9.03% African American, 0.55% Native American, 5.72% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 15.78% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 3.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.24% of the population.

There were 4,114 households out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.1% were non-families. 40.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 15.0% from 18 to 24, 43.5% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 109.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,385, and the median income for a family was $43,495. Males had a median income of $35,346 versus $29,808 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $21,964. About 12.5% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The City of Webster has two fire stations, Station #1 and Station #2, with the fire department offices in the second station.

The City of Webster has its own Police Department.http://www.cityofwebster.com/index.aspx?nid=310

The Texas Department of Public Safety
Texas Department of Public Safety
The Texas Department of Public Safety is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The DPS is responsible for statewide law enforcement and vehicle regulation. The Public Safety Commission oversees the DPS. Its five members are appointed by the Governor of Texas and confirmed by the...

 (DPS) operates its Webster Field Investigator Office and its Webster Driver's License Office in a nearby area in Houston.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...

 (TDCJ) operates the Webster District Parole Office in a nearby area in Houston.

The 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...

 Webster Post Office is located at 17077 North Texas Avenue.

Public schools

Pupils in Webster attend schools in Clear Creek Independent School District
Clear Creek Independent School District
Clear Creek Independent School District is a school district based in League City, Texas . The district serves most of the Clear Lake Area and some other neighboring parts of the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metro area....

. The community is divided between the Board of Trustee District 2 and the Board of Trustee District 4. They are represented by Win Weber and Stuart J. Stromeyer, respectively, as of 2008.

All residents are zoned to McWhirter Elementary School (Webster).

Some residents are zoned to Victory Lakes Intermediate School (League City), and some residents are zoned to League City Intermediate School (League City).

All residents are zoned to Clear Creek High School (League City).

Webster Intermediate School formerly served the city but moved to Friendswood and was renamed Westbrook Intermediate School in Spring 2005; Westbrook does not serve Webster as of 2006.

There are other sections of Webster zoned to other schools, but there are no residents in those sections.

Private schools

Iman Academy
Iman Academy
Iman Academy is an Islamic private school system in Greater Houston with two campuses serving elementary through high school.Iman Academy Southwest is located in unincorporated Harris County, near Houston. Iman Academy Southeast is located in Houston. Iman Academy Southeast Secondary School is...

 Southeast Secondary School is located in Houston, near Webster.

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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