Humble ( ) is a city located in the

Houston metropolitan area Greater Houston, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States, encompassing nine counties along the Gulf C ...

. Humble became an oil boomtown in the early 20th century when oil was first discovered there in 1904. By 1905, the Humble oilfield was the largest producing oilfield in Texas. Humble was home of The Humble Oil and Refining Company, a predecessor of

Exxon ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 3 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 16,795.

History

The first settlers began moving into the Humble area in the early 19th century. Joseph Dunman is believed to be the first settler in 1828. A ferry was built nearby, across the San Jacinto River. The area of Humble became a center for commercial activity due to the region's large oil industry. The city got its name from one of the original founders/settlers, Pleasant Smith Humble, who opened the first post office in his home and later served as

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or '' puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the s ...

. In 1883, a

city directory A city directory is a listing of residents, streets, businesses, organizations or institutions, giving their location in a city. It may be arranged alphabetically or geographically or in other ways. Antedating telephone directories, they were i ...

reported that he operated a fruit stand. In 1885, he was a wood dealer, and in 1900, the District 99, Justice Pct. 4, Harris Co., Texas Census reported his occupation as attorney at law. Humble became an oil

boomtown A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, althou ...

in the early 1900 when oil was first produced there. The first oil was produced a couple years after the famous

Spindletop Spindletop is an oil field located in the southern portion of Beaumont, Texas, in the United States. The Spindletop dome was derived from the Louann Salt evaporite layer of the Jurassic geologic period. On January 10, 1901, a well at Spindle ...

discovery in

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the seat of government of Jefferson County, within the Beaumont– Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston ( ...

Railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

linkage was established in 1904, and shortly thereafter the first tank car of oil was shipped out of Humble's oil field. By 1905 the Humble oilfield was the biggest producing field in Texas. The Humble oil fields are still active and have produced over of oil. The town was the home of the Humble Oil & Refining Company, founded in 1911, a predecessor of

. When the oil boom receded, many land owners returned to truck farming, dairy farming and the timber industry. Humble remained a rather small, quiet city until the opening of the

Houston Intercontinental Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport is an international airport in Houston, Texas, United States, serving the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Located about north of Downtown Houston between Interstate 45 and Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 ...

in 1969. Humble City Council passed, by a 5-1 vote, a public

smoking ban Smoking bans, or smoke-free laws, are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, that prohibit tobacco smoking in certain spaces. The spaces most commonly affected by smoking bans are indoor workpl ...

on that took effect on March 6, 2012.

Geography

Humble is located at (29.994920, –95.264873). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.10% is water. Downtown Humble is located on a

salt dome A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when salt (or other evaporite minerals) intrudes into overlying rocks in a process known as diapirism. Salt domes can have unique surface and subsurface structures, and they can be discovered usi ...

. Most of the petroleum production is shallow and encircles the city by about a radius.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Humble has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 16,795 people, 6,373 households, and 3,411 families residing in the city. As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 14,579 people, 5,460 households, and 3,652 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 1,477.5 people per square mile (570.3/km²). There were 5,908 housing units at an average density of 598.7 per square mile (231.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.24%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 14.49%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.68% Native American, 3.22% Asian, 0.26%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 9.07% from other races, and 3.04% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 23.36% of the population. There were 5,460 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.18. In the city the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,834, and the median income for a family was $46,399. Males had a median income of $34,434 versus $26,988 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,678. About 12.2% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over. CityData.com states that the crime rates for Humble were higher than the average United States crime rate. The average crime rate for cities with under 30,000 people was 294.7; Humble's crime rate was at 593.7.

Economy

Petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

has been the basis of Humble's economy since its beginning. The city was the namesake for Humble Oil and Refining Company, which later merged with the

corporation.

Arts and culture

Museums and other points of interest

* Humble Negro Cemetery * Humble Museum, 601 Higgins Street * DeLorean Motor Company (DMC), manufacturer of the DeLorean, a sports car made famous by the movie

Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...

, has its only remaining private factory based in Humble.

Parks and recreation

The

Shell Houston Open The Cadence Bank Houston Open is a professional golf tournament in Texas on the PGA Tour, played in November. As a part of a restructuring of the schedule, the event moved to the fall in 2019. Because the tour year starts the previous fall, th ...

, an annual

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

event is played at Golf Club of Houston, located in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...

near Humble. The event takes place at the end of March-beginning of April. The event has historically been one week before the

Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first ma ...

, the season's first major.

Government

County, state, and federal representation

Harris County operates a tax office at 7900 Will Clayton Parkway in Humble. The U.S. Postal Service operates the Humble Post Office. Some locations in the City of Houston have Humble mailing addresses.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

The majority of the city of Humble is served by the Humble Independent School District. The city of Humble has three public elementary schools: * Humble Elementary School * Jack M. Fields, Senior Elementary School * Lakeland Elementary School Humble is served by Ross Sterling Middle School (formerly by Humble Middle School), and

Humble High School Humble High School (HHS) is a secondary school in the Humble Independent School District in Humble, Texas, United States. It serves grades 9 through 12 for the city of Humble, the Moonshine Hill, Houston, Texas, Moonshine Hill area of Houston, an ...

. All students attending the Humble Independent School District have the option to apply to Guy M. Sconzo Early College, a magnet high school that as of the 2016–2017 school year is contained within but separated from Humble High School. A portion of the city limits is within the Aldine Independent School District (AISD). AISD built Marine D. Jones Middle School (initially named Townsen Boulevard Middle School) in the Humble city limits. A Catholic K–8, St. Mary Magdalene School, is in Humble. The closest Catholic high school is

Frassati Catholic High School Frassati Catholic High School is a private, Catholic coeducational secondary school located in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, near the Spring CDP and in Greater Houston. Frassati Catholic High School is administered by the Dominican Sister ...

in north Harris County; the planners of the school intended for it to serve Humble. Holy Trinity Episcopal School, a Christian PK–5 school, is in Harris County, in proximity to Humble. Christian Life Center Academy, a private school, was in a section of the city of Houston, near Humble, while having an Humble postal address. It is now in the Kingwood area of Houston.

Community colleges

Lone Star College System (formerly the North Harris Montgomery Community College District) serves the area. In 1972, residents of Humble ISD and two other K–12 school districts voted to create the North Harris County College District. The community college district began operations in the Harris County/Montgomery County's northern hemisphere in the fall of 1973. The Humble area is currently served by Lone Star College, Kingwood which operates the Humble Center for outreach.

Public libraries

The

Harris County Public Library Harris County Public Library (HCPL) is a public library system serving Harris County, Texas, United States. Since its inception in 1921, HCPL has grown from a system of small book stations in homes, stores and post offices to 26 branch librarie ...

Octavia Fields Branch Library is located at 1503 South Houston Avenue in Humble. Humble's first public library opened in 1921 with the books stored in the high school. In 1923 the library was split between the Humble High School and the Woodward School at Moonshine Hill. In 1926 the library moved to a church. In 1928 the library moved into the then-new Humble courthouse. In the early 1930s the library moved to city hall. In 1932 the city hall courtroom became a reading room. In the early 1960s a man named Tom Shelton donated a house and lot at the intersection of First Street and Avenue D. The house was remodeled and opened as the Shelton Memorial Library. On October 9, 1969 the library moved to 111 West Higgins Street. It received the name Octavia Fields Memorial Library from Octavia Fields, the grandmother of

Jack Fields Jack Milton Fields Jr. (born February 3, 1952) is a Texas businessman and a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from a Houston-based district. Early life Fields was born in Humble, a northern suburb of Hou ...

, a former Congress member. The current branch opened on June 27, 2001. Some areas outside of Humble with Humble, TX postal addresses are in proximity to the Baldwin Boettcher Branch Library at Mercer Park. The branch opened in 1986. It was constructed on donated land. It was named after Baldwin Boettcher, a German settler. His descendants deeded the homestead to Harris County. The plans stated that the Boettcher staff would assist the Mercer Park staff in finding any botanical reference books that they or the public need.

Media

Humble news is covered by three community newspapers:

Community Impact Newspaper ''Community Impact'' is a chain of local monthly newspapers delivered for free to homes and businesses in Texas. John P. Garrett is the CEO and founder, along with his wife Jennifer Garrett. In May 2022, ''Community Impact'' had more than 40 prin ...

Lake Houston/Humble/Kingwood edition, The Tribune Newspaper and The Observer Newspaper. Community Impact Newspaper is owned by John and Jennifer Garrett and covers several Houston Metro suburban areas as well as Austin and DFW Metro markets. The Tribune is locally owned and operated by Cynthia Calvert and Larry Shiflet. The Observer is owned by the Hearst Publications. It is also the business location of Christian Radio Station KSBJ, call sign 89.3 FM radio. ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

'' is the metrowide paper.

Infrastructure

Health care

Harris County Hospital District The Harris Health System, previously the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD), is a governmental entity with taxing authority that owns and operates three hospitals and numerous clinics throughout Harris County, Texas, United States, includin ...

operates the E. A. "Squatty" Lyons Health Center in Humble. The clinic opened in 1991, replacing a clinic in Bordersville. The nearest public hospital is Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital in northeast Houston. Humble Surgical Hospital is a multi-specialty, physician-owned surgical hospital. Humble Surgical Hospital opened in 2010.

Postal service

The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...

Humble Post Office is located at 1202 1st Street East. The Foxbrook Finance Unit is located near Humble in an

; On Monday May 10, 2008, the Foxbrook post office was dedicated as the "Texas Military Veterans Post Office" in a ceremony hosted by U.S. Congressperson

Ted Poe Lloyd Theodore Poe (born September 10, 1948) is an American politician who represented Texas's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2019. Poe was the first Republican to represent the 2nd district ...

Prison system

Pam Lychner State Jail Pam Lychner State Jail is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice state jail for men located in Atascocita, unincorporated northeast Harris County, Texas, United States, east of Humble.Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jai ...

state jail for men, is located in

Atascocita Atascocita is a census-designated place (CDP) in Harris County, Texas, United States, within the Houston metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 88,174. It is located north and south of Farm to Market Road 1960 about ...

in unincorporated northeast Harris County, east of Humble. The state jail was named after Pam Lychner.

Notable people

* Jackie Battle, American football player * Bertrand Berry, American football player *

Sam Cosmi Samuel Cosmi (born February 16, 1999) is an American football offensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas and was drafted by Washington in the second round of the ...

, American football player *

The Grappler Edward Lynn "Len" Denton (born August 25, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The Grappler. Professional wrestling career Len Denton worked early in his career under a few different monikers and wre ...

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

Alberto Gonzales Alberto R. Gonzales (born August 4, 1955) is an American lawyer who served as the 80th United States Attorney General, appointed in February 2005 by President George W. Bush, becoming the highest-ranking Hispanic American in executive governme ...

, 80th

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

* Dan Huberty, Republican member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

from Humble since 2011 *

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...

, entrepreneur, aerospace engineer, filmmaker, inventor, investor, aviator, philanthropist *

Jerrod Johnson Jerrod Terrel Johnson (born July 27, 1988) is a former American football quarterback and current coach who is the quarterbacks coach with the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). After previously working for the Vikings in an ...

, American football player * Wakaichiro Ken,

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

wrestler *

David Kersh Charles David Kersh (born December 9, 1970 in Humble, Texas) is an American former country music singer who made his debut in 1996. His first album, ''Goodnight Sweetheart'', was released that year, producing four singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...

, country singer *

Hailey Kilgore Hailey Frances Kilgore (born February 16, 1999) is an American actress and singer. Kilgore's breakthrough role was as Ti Moune in the Broadway theatre, Broadway revival of List of coming-of-age stories, coming-of-age One-act play, one-actMusical ...

, actress and singer *

David Meece David Meece (born May 26, 1952) is an American contemporary Christian musician who enjoyed success in the mid-1980s, and into the early 2010s, with more than thirty Top 10 hits including several No. 1 songs. In November 2012, Meece was given a ...

, Christian musician

Literary references

Humble is the site of a Confederate concentration camp in

Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed ...

's alternate history novel '' Settling Accounts: In at the Death''.

Gallery

File:HumbleMunicipalCourt.JPG, Humble Municipal Court File:HumbleTXCriminalJustice.JPG, Humble Criminal Justice Center and Humble Police Department File:HarrisCountyHumbleTXAnnex.JPG, Harris County Courthouse Annex No. 3 File:Old San Jacinto River Truss Bridge -- Humble, Texas.jpg, Old San Jacinto River Truss Bridge File:HirschParkHumbleTX.JPG, Hirsch Memorial Park File:LyonsClinicHumbleTX.JPG, E. A. Squatty Lyons Health Center File:Oil field, Humble, Texas.jpg, Oil field, Humble, Texas (postcard, c. 1836–2001) File:Charles Bender High School, 1939.tiff, Former Charles Bender High School building Image:Humblewatertower.jpg, A water tower in Humble. The Wildcats is the

football team.

References

External links

*
History of Humble

Handbook of Texas Online article

ePodunk: Profile for Humble, Texas

{{authority control Greater Houston Cities in Harris County, Texas Company towns in Texas Populated places established in 1933 1933 establishments in Texas Cities in Texas