Geography of Houston, Texas

Geography of Houston, Texas

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 601.7 square miles (1,558.4 km²) — 579.4 square miles (1,500.7 km²) of it is land and 22.3 square miles (57.7 km²) of it is water. The total area is 3.7 percent water.

Houston is located in the gulf coastal plains biome, and its vegetation is classified as temperate grassland. Much of the city was built on forested land, marshes, swamp, or prairie—all of which can still be seen in surrounding areas.

Much of Houston is very flat, making flooding a recurring problem for its residents. The city stands about 50 feet above sea level—the highest area within city limits being 90 feet. [ [http://www.uscg.mil/D8/airstahouston/pcs-area.html U.S. Coast Guard Air Station–Houston: PCS Section] . "United States Coast Guard"] The city once relied on groundwater for its water needs, but land subsidence forced the city to turn to ground-level water sources such as Lake Houston.

Houston has four major bayous passing through the city: Buffalo Bayou, which runs into downtown and the Houston Ship Channel; and three of its tributaries: Brays Bayou, which runs along the Texas Medical Center; White Oak Bayou, which runs through the Heights and near the northwest area; and Sims Bayou, which runs through the south of Houston and downtown Houston. The ship channel goes past Galveston and into the Gulf of Mexico.

Geology

Underpinning Houston's land surface are unconsolidated clays, clay shales, and poorly-cemented sands up to several miles deep. The region's geology developed from stream deposits from the erosion of the Rocky Mountains. These sediments consist of a series of sands and clays deposited on decaying organic matter that, over time, transformed into oil and natural gas. Beneath these tiers is a water-deposited layer of halite, a rock salt. The porous layers were compressed over time and forced upward. As it pushed upward, the salt dragged surrounding sediments into dome shapes, often trapping oil and gas that seeped from the surrounding porous sands. This thick rich soil also provides a good environment for rice farming in suburban outskirts that the city continues to grow into near Katy. Evidence of past rice farming is even still evident in developed areas as there is an abundance of rich dark loamy top soil.

The Houston region is generally earthquake-free. While the city of Houston contains 86 mapped and historically active surface faults with an aggregate length of 149 miles (240 km), [ [http://www.texasbest.com/houston/geograph.html Houston Geographic Description] . "Diane Moser Properties"] the clay below the surface precludes the buildup of friction that produces ground shaking in earthquakes. These faults generally move at a smooth rate in what is termed "fault creep."

Cityscape

When Houston was established in 1837, the city's founders—John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen—divided it into political geographic districts called "wards." The ward designation is the progenitor of the current-day Houston City Council districts—there are nine in all.

Locations in Houston are generally classified as either being inside or outside Interstate 610, known as the "610 Loop" or "The Inner Loop", or simply "The Loop". Inside the loop generally encompasses the central business district, and has come to define an urban lifestyle and state of mind. The appellation “inner looper” carries with it the expectation of someone who appreciates cosmopolitan-style city life.

The outlying areas of Houston, the airports and the city's suburbs and enclaves are outside the loop. Another ring road, Beltway 8 (also known simply as the "Beltway"), encircles the city another 5 miles (8 km) farther out. The third ring road, State Highway 99 (also known as the Grand Parkway), is under construction.

Houston, being the largest city in the United States without zoning laws, has grown in an unusual manner. Rather than a single "downtown" as the center of the city's employment, five additional business districts have grown throughout the inner-city—they are Uptown, Texas Medical Center, Greenway Plaza, Westchase, and Greenspoint. If these business districts were combined, they would form the third-largest downtown in the United States. The city also has the third-largest skyline in the country (after New York City and Chicago), but because it is spread over a few miles, pictures of the city show—for the most part—the main downtown area.

ee also

*Districts and communities of Houston
*Geographic areas of Houston

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Houston, Texas — Infobox Settlement official name = City of Houston settlement type = City nickname = Space City imagesize = image caption = image #ifeq:Houston, Texas|Houston, Texas|Seal of Houston, Texas.png| mapsize = 250px map caption = Location in the state… …   Wikipedia

  • River Oaks, Houston, Texas — River Oaks redirects here. For the city in Tarrant County, see River Oaks, Texas .River Oaks is an affluent community located in the geographic center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and halfway between Downtown and… …   Wikipedia

  • Gulfton, Houston, Texas — Gulfton is a convert|3.2|sqmi|km2|1|lk=on|abbr=on group of apartment complexes with a mostly Hispanic and immigrant population in western Houston, Texas, United States. Located outside of the 610 Loop and inside Beltway 8, west of the city of… …   Wikipedia

  • Clear Lake High School (Houston, Texas) — Clear Lake High School Address 2929 Bay Area Boulevard Houston, Texas, Harris, 77058 …   Wikipedia

  • South Houston, Texas — Infobox Settlement official name = South Houston, Texas settlement type = City nickname = motto = imagesize = image caption = Marker for the City of South Houston image mapsize = 250x200px map caption = Location of South Houston, Texas mapsize1 …   Wikipedia

  • Mount Houston, Texas — Mount Houston is a community in north central Harris County, Texas. It is east of U.S. Highway 59, near the Dyersdale oil field.[1] Mount Houston was established along the Houston, East and West Texas Railway. At that time it was 10 miles… …   Wikipedia

  • Westchase, Houston, Texas — For the community near Tampa, see Westchase, Florida. Westchase is a district and edge city located in western Houston, Texas, United States.Westchase has a large business district that has a total of convert|14100000|sqft|m2 in 98 office… …   Wikipedia

  • Houston Independent School District — Location 4400 W 18th St Houston, TX 77092 United States Information …   Wikipedia

  • Texas — This article is about the U.S. state. For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). State of Texas …   Wikipedia

  • Greater Houston — Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown   MSA   Country United States of America State Texas Principal cities  – Houston  – Sugar Land  – Baytown  – …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”