Point #27- "Houston...the eagle has landed"

To obtain this point: One must visit the largest city in Texas, enjoy the live and let-live attitude, and land a simulated shuttle at NASA (Johnson Space Center)...beware landing in the swamps...

Houston is a booming metropolis that is the one of the premier economic, political, and cultural hubs in Texas. From the mosquito infested swampland that the Allen brothers purchased in the 1830s, Houston has evolved into a world class city and major economic power. It is home to NASA, the largest medical center in the world, the second most Fortune 500 companies (behind New York), and the largest international port in the US. What Houston lacks in natural beauty, is made up for by its enterprising, diverse, and hard working people.

Of course Houston has everything a world class city should have: excellent cultural opportunities, an active performing arts pulse in the Theater District, award-winning museums in the Museum district, enough sports teams for any ESPN junkie, vast diversity of population creating an international feel, the largest rodeo in the world, weekends full of cultural or art festivals, a wide range of musical greats (from Beyonce to ZZ Top), and the most impressive skyline in Texas.

Each of these categories can be a source of great Texas pride, but the more interesting part of Houston lives beneath the cultural institutions. Houston is a great place because anything is possible. It has seen peaks and valleys, but dreamers continue to find their path to Houston. This sentimental view of Houston also has a dark, shadowy underbelly. An underbelly that includes scandals, bribery, and murder. I like the underbelly :). Lets look at that!

A little history lesson of quick ascendancy, wild-catters, natural disasters, and dreaming:
Houston was founded by the Allen Brothers in August 1836 and was the capital of the Republic of Texas by 1837. That quick rise to power is pretty darned impressive! At that time it was little more than a mosquito-ridden swamp with cunning civil leadership. Think about it...The Allen brothers did not even have a name for pre-natal town, so they named it after the leading candidate to be president of the Republic of Texas. If elected, how could Sam Houston pick another city to be the capital? Who would not like to govern a new empire in a capital named after themselves? This was just one of the quick-witted moves that has defined Houston as a place where anything is possible. Here are a couple other interesting examples of Houston and it's history:

- Before the European settles, the environs of Houston was populated by cannibalistic Native Americans (the Karankawas)
- Before anyone even lived in Houston, the Allen brothers had ads in New York newspapers advertising Houston as a 'thriving port city', 'future capital of Texas', and with 'beautiful waterfalls.' To make Houston the capital, they bribed the newly formed government of Texas by offering a free capital building, giving land to representatives, and naming the streets after folks in the Battle of San Jacinto who were willing to move to Houston.
- The first industrial business proposal in Houston (starting a carriage manufacturing shop in the 1830s) ended when the entrepreneur heard gun shots during a session of Congress he was attending. He rushed outside to see what had happened. A man with blood spewing who was just shot in the saloon staggered out and fell onto this East Coast businessman. A few moments later a second unfortunate fellow came staggering into him with bowels protruding from his abdomen after finding the wrong end of a Bowie knife. This budding carriage-maker decided that Houston was not quite the most fruitful business atmosphere so he promptly returned to his sensible home in New Jersey. This unfortunate business endeavor was not the last business proposal to literally die in the streets of Houston.
- One of the first ships (Laura) to 'dock' in Houston from the sea actually floated right by the city and continued for 3 miles because it did not realize that the shanty town of tents and rough shelters was actually the 'prosperous' city of Houston advertised in the newspapers.
- It took nearly 50 years to pave the streets in the future Space City, so Houstonians used to be referred to as 'mud-turtles', which I think is a good name for the next sports team: The Houston Fighting Mud-Turtles...doesn't that strike fear into opponents.
- William Marsh Rice (Founder of the esteemed Rice University and Houston business pillar) was rumored to have made much of his fortune selling goods to both sides of the Civil War. Later he was murdered by his butler in an attempt to steal his fortune. This scandalous case of greed and deceit would make Hollywood movie writers salivate.
- Arguably the most beneficial event in Houston's history was one of the worse natural disasters in Texas history. The 1900 Galveston Hurricane destroyed Galveston and placed Houston as the pre-eminent port on the Texas Gulf Coast.
- In true Houston fashion, the city does not have zoning laws for city planning. Anything goes. A church next to a strip joint...that's okay.
- The Sharpstown Scandal in the early 1970s was an interwoven network of stock fraud, political collusion, and government bribery that brought down many state officials. It went roughly like this: Frank Sharp gave a bunch of state officials money to buy a company that he owned. In turn, the government officials passed laws that helped out that company and everybody made oodles of money...and this is illegal?
- Tom Delay (previous House Majority Leader) was forced to resign after being reprimanded by the House Ethics Committee multiple times and finally indicted in 2005. This scandal went something like this: Tom Delay was a bull dog politician that many disliked unless he was fighting for you. Therefore, when rumors of bribery and misconduct surfaced, his numerous enemies jumped on the stories to force his resignation.
- Business in Houston was never really confined to 'usual business practices'. Just ask the accounting department (or lack thereof) at Enron or the Stanford Group in the alleged recent 8 billion dollar fraud case.

Did you know that Houston was ranked the best place to live in America by Kipplingers in 2008...mosquitoes and all...Enjoy Texas.

Did you also know that Houston's economic gross area product was larger than Austria ...Enjoy Texas.