Houston is 175 today

Happy birthday!

David Crossley, Aug 30, 11.

Houston is 175 years old today.

It was founded on August 30, 1836, when John Kirby Allen and his brother Augustus Chapman Allen bought some land on Buffalo Bayou to build what they hoped would become “a great center of government and commerce.”

John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen were New York real estate speculators who saw in newly independent Texas a fine business opportunity. Having landed near the confluence of White Oak Bayou and Buffalo Bayou, the Allens decided to build a city named for General Sam Houston, who months later was elected president of the Lone Star Republic.

Houston 175 celebration
History of Houston (Wikipedia)
The Allen Brothers and their Dream Town

[Houston Tomorrow has a vision for Houston’s 200th birthday: In 2036, the Houston region will be home to the healthiest, happiest, most prosperous people in the nation.]

Houston celebrated its 175th birthday on Sunday, August 28, 2011, with a celebration at the site of Houston’s original City Hall on Market Square Park downtown, according to a City of Houston press release For more information, see www.houston175.org. There will be additional events taking place later in the fall.

Houston Chronicle Bayou City History blog on the anniversary and events around town.

Houston 175: Celebrate History will be a conference on October 29, 2011 to look at various aspects of Houston put on by the City and many nonprofit partners.