Port Houston

This article is about a neighborhood in Houston. For the port, see Port of Houston.

Port Houston is a neighborhood located on the East Side of Houston, Texas, United States.

Port Houston is an industrial, mostly Hispanic community[1] located near the Houston Ship Channel and the Port of Houston. In a 2007 article John Nova Lomax of the Houston Press described Port Houston as "a blue-collar Mexican neighborhood of wrought-iron fences and wood-framed houses."[2] Port Houston has many small houses. Petrochemical businesses and trucking companies have operations in the community. Laura Isensee of KUHF wrote that Port Houston is "not a typical neighborhood".[3]

Government and infrastructure

Residents are in Houston City Council District H.[4]

The first fireboat to operate in the Houston area was named the Port Houston.[5]

Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated Ripley Health Center in the East End for ZIP code 77029.[6] In 2000 Ripley was replaced by the Gulfgate Health Center.[7] The designated public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.[6]

Education

Residents are within the Houston Independent School District. Zoned schools include Port Houston Elementary School,[8] Holland Middle School,[9] and Furr High School.[10] Port Houston has an afterschool program and offers English as a second language classes for parents.[3]

Port Houston was constructed in 1909, Furr was built in 1961, and Holland was built in 1979.[11] At one time Port Houston Elementary School had an international shipping magnet program.[2]

In 2014 HISD proposed closing Port Houston Elementary. In response, several members of the community argued against closing the school. The plans call for Port Houston to be combined with Pleasantville Elementary. Opposition argued that the walk to Pleasantville would be unsafe, that closing the school would harm the community, and that the school in 2013 had distinguished scores in mathematics and reading in state tests.[3] Later in 2014, HISD announced that Port Houston will stay open.[12]

References

  1. ^ "The Port Houston Collaborative Archived 2008-05-18 at the Wayback Machine." St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities.
  2. ^ a b Lomax, John Nova. "The East End Trek Archived 2009-10-08 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Press. September 13, 2007. Retrieved on April 20, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c Isensee, Laura. "Port Houston Community Defends School From Closure Archived 2014-03-06 at the Wayback Machine." KUHF. February 27, 2014. Retrieved on February 27, 2014.
  4. ^ City of Houston, Council District Maps, District H Archived 2012-06-26 at the Wayback Machine." City of Houston. Retrieved on November 5, 2011.
  5. ^ "State-of-the-Art Emergency Response Vessel Headed Home". Port of Houston Authority. Houston. 2014-05-14. Retrieved 2019-08-30. As a result, the fireboat Port Houston was built in 1925 and delivered the following year to the delight of thousands of spectators watching its arrival. The following day, another 4,000 citizens turned out for a demonstration of the fireboat pumping water.
  6. ^ a b "Clinic/Emergency/Registration Center Directory By ZIP Code". Harris County Hospital District. 2001-11-19. Archived from the original on 2001-11-19. Retrieved 2021-04-08. - See ZIP code 77029. See this map for relevant ZIP code.
  7. ^ "Gulfgate Health Center" (Archive). Harris County Hospital District. Accessed October 17, 2008.
  8. ^ "Port Houston Elementary Attendance Zone Archived 2012-03-10 at the Wayback Machine," Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 20, 2009.
  9. ^ "Holland Middle Attendance Zone Archived 2008-04-11 at the Wayback Machine," Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 20, 2009.
  10. ^ "Furr High School Attendance Zone Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine," Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 20, 2009.
  11. ^ "School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names Archived 2011-07-10 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on September 24, 2008.
  12. ^ "Three schools eliminated from HISD closure, consolidation proposal Archived 2014-03-11 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on March 11, 2014.