Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
now a secondary seaside resort. The discovery of oil in Beaumont (in Spindletop in
1901) and the completion of the Houston Ship Channel in 1914 reaffirmed
Houston's dominant role in the regional economy, both as a trading center and as
headquarters for a number of major oil companies.
Houston is a sprawling city whose growth was not limited over the course of the
20th century by zoning regulations. Its population grew from 180,000 in 1920 to
800,000 in 1950 and nearly 2 million in 1970. Nor did the drop in crude oil prices in
the mid-1980s slow an expansion which is now powered by a more diversified
economy (aerospace, pharmaceuticals, health, port, universities). The population of
the Houston CMSA approached 4.7 million in the 2000 census, and is credited in the
latest census estimates (2006) with a population of 5.5 million. Houston is today the
fourth largest city in the US.
The influx of immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries
contributed heavily to this growth. In 1970, 19% of the population of the
metropolitan area was black and only 8% of the residents were Spanish-speaking.
As of the 2000 census, the share of blacks in the metropolitan area is lower than that
of Spanish-speaking populations (see Figures 8.17 and 8.18).
While the metropolitan population grew overall at 2.6% per year, the rate of
growth in the African-American community was a “mere” 2.1% compared to the
Hispanic community which grew at an annual rate of 6.1%. Both the African-
American and the Hispanic communities find themselves concentrated within
Houston city limits while the suburbs are mostly “white.”
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
USA
MSA
Central City
suburbs
Figure 8.17 . Houston-Galveston-Brazoria CMSA,
percentage of African-Americans in the general population, 2000
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