Southwest Houston

The Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce building in the City of Bellaire (the office has since moved)

Southwest Houston is a region in Houston, Texas, United States.

South West Houston is considered to be the area from around Beltway 8 to Highway 6, south of Interstate 10. Many low-income apartment complexes are located in Southwest Houston.[1] The apartment complexes bordered by U.S. Route 59 (Southwest Freeway) and Bissonnet Road, including properties along Bellaire Boulevard and Gulfton Drive, are dense and known for crime.[2] Illegal immigrants came to the apartments, which began attracting low income tenants after the 1980s Texas oil bust. Hurricane Katrina refugees came to the apartments in 2005.[3] About 1/5 of Houston's homicides in 2005 occurred in this area.

The Houston Metropolitan Chamber, formerly the Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce, serves several neighborhoods often identified as "Southwest Houston."[4]

History

From the 1980 U.S. Census to the 1990 Census, many African-Americans left traditional African-American neighborhoods and entered parts of Southwest Houston; areas of Southwest Houston received from more than 1,000 African-Americans per square mile to more than 3,500 African-Americans per square mile. Many Asian-Americans moved into Southwest Houston during the same period. They were mostly Chinese American, Indian American, and Pakistani American; some pockets of Cambodian Americans, Korean Americans, and Vietnamese Americans appeared during that period.[5]

On May 31, 2013, the Houston Fire Department suffered its largest casualty in a single event, the Southwest Inn fire, with four firefighters killed and 13 others were injured while fighting a 5-alarm fire at Southwest Inn,[6] located in the Greater Sharpstown district of Southwest Houston.[7][8]

Neighborhoods and communities considered to be in Southwest Houston

Neighborhoods and communities in Houston defined as Southwest Houston by the Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce :

Cities defined by the Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce as in "Southwest Houston":

Other neighborhoods and communities in Houston considered to be in Southwest Houston:

Other neighborhoods and communities outside of Houston considered to be in Southwest Houston

Economy

Headquarters of Rice Epicurean Markets

The corporate office for Rice Epicurean Markets is located on a lot in Southwest Houston.[11] Rice established its headquarters there in 1960, and the current 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2) headquarters facilities opened on that land in 2005.[12]

Education

Some areas in southwest Houston are within the Houston Independent School District. Some areas are in the Alief Independent School District.

The Imani School is in Southwest Houston.[13]

Notable residents

References

  1. ↑ Turner, Allan. "Evacuees landed in high-crime ZIP codes." Houston Chronicle. Friday January 20, 2006. Retrieved on October 18, 2011.
  2. ↑ "North Houston Has Highest Crime Rate," KPRC-TV, February 16, 2005, updated February 17, 2005. Retrieved on August 17, 2011.
  3. ↑ "A Little About HFD Fire District 68," Houston Fire Department District 68
  4. ↑ "Houston Chamber Re-Invents Itself after 61 years with a New Image" (Archive). Houston Metropolitan Chamber. January 7, 2011. Retrieved on April 23, 2014.
  5. ↑ Rodriguez, Lori. "Census tracks rapid growth of suburbia." Houston Chronicle. Sunday March 10, 1991. Section A, SOUTH WEST HOUSTON GULFTON. Retrieved on October 18, 2011.
  6. ↑ Pinkerton, James; Lezon, Dale (1 June 2013). "Massive blaze in SW Houston kills 4 firefighters". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  7. ↑ "Contact." (Archive) Southwest Inn. Retrieved on June 6, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Map Major Roads." (Archive) Greater Sharpstown Management District. Retrieved on August 15, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Super Neighborhood #25 - Alief". City of Houston. nd. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  10. ↑ Home Page. Lakes of Savannah. Accessed November 2, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Rice Epicurean Store Locations." Rice Epicurean Markets. Retrieved on December 13, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Rice Epicurean Markets Opens New Headquarters." Progressive Grocer, VNU Business Media, Inc. Friday February 11, 2005. Retrieved on January 28, 2010.
  13. ↑ Karkabi, Barbara. "New and notable." Houston Chronicle. Friday, February 27, 2009. Retrieved on October 18, 2011. "[...]The Imani School, a Christian school in southwest Houston,[...]"
  14. ↑ Snyder, Mike. "Green edges Khan in controller runoff." Houston Chronicle. December 12, 2009. Retrieved on May 26, 2014.

External links

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