Southwest Houston is a region in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The area is considered to be from

Texas State Highway 6 State Highway 6 (SH 6) runs from the Red River, the Texas–Oklahoma state line, to northwest of Galveston, where it is known as the Old Galveston Highway. In Sugar Land and Missouri City, it is known as Alvin-Sugarland Road and runs per ...

, south of Westpark Tollway to north of U.S. Route 90. Many Section 8 (housing) complexes are located in Southwest Houston.

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

refugees came to the area in 2005. The Houston Metropolitan Chamber, formerly the Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce, serves several neighborhoods often identified as "Southwest Houston."

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 African Americans in the U.S are also moving to Southwest Houston in the

New Great Migration The New Great Migration is the demographic change from 1970 to the present, which is a reversal of the previous 60-year trend of black migration within the United States. Since 1970, deindustrialization of cities in the Northeastern and ...

. Many Asian-Americans moved into Southwest Houston during the same period. They were mostly

Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from ...

Indian American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...

, and

Pakistani American Pakistani Americans ( ur, ) are Americans who originate from Pakistan. The term may also refer to people who also hold a dual Pakistani and U.S. citizenship. Educational attainment level and household income are much higher in the Pakistani-Am ...

; some pockets of

Cambodian American Cambodian Americans,; also Khmer Americans, are Americans of Cambodian or Khmer ancestry. In addition, Cambodian Americans are also Americans with ancestry of other ethnic groups of Cambodia, such as the Chams and Chinese Cambodians. Accordin ...

Korean American Korean Americans are Americans of Korean ancestry (mostly from South Korea). In 2015, the Korean-American community constituted about 0.56% of the United States population, or about 1.82 million people, and was the fifth-largest Asian America ...

s, and

Vietnamese American Vietnamese Americans ( vi, Người Mỹ gốc Việt, lit=Viet-origin American people) are Americans of Vietnamese ancestry. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American ethnic group after Chinese ...

s appeared during that period. Southwest Houston area contains one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

. On May 31, 2013, the Houston Fire Department suffered its largest casualty in a single event, the

Southwest Inn fire The Southwest Inn fire in Houston, Texas on May 31, 2013 was a fire in an Indian restaurant that spread to an adjoining hotel. The fire claimed the biggest casualty loss for the Houston Fire Department since its inception. Four firefighters were k ...

, with four firefighters killed and 13 others were injured while fighting a 5-alarm fire at Southwest Inn, located in the

Greater Sharpstown Southwest Management District, formerly Greater Sharpstown Management District, is a district in Houston, Texas, United States. The district is split into 6 neighborhoods: Sharpstown, Chinatown, Mahatma Gandhi District/Little India, Westwood, ...

district of Southwest Houston.Map Major Roads
"
Archive
Greater Sharpstown Management District. Retrieved on August 15, 2009.

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 Commerc

* Braeswood/Stella Link * Almeda, Houston, Central Southwest *

Fondren Southwest Brays Oaks, formerly known as Fondren Southwest, is an area in Southwest Houston, Texas, United States. The Brays Oaks Management District, also known as the Harris County Improvement District #5, governs the Brays Oaks area as well as other surro ...

Greenway Plaza Greenway Plaza is a business district located along Interstate 69 (U.S. Highway 59) within the Interstate 610 loop in southwestern Houston, Texas, west of Downtown and east of Uptown. The district is located immediately west of Upper Kirby ...

* Gulftonbr>
* Meyerland, Houston, Texas, Meyerland/South Post Oak * Reliant Park/South Loop *

Rice Village Rice Village is a shopping district in Houston, Texas, United States. Rice Village is a collection of shops, restaurants and pubs, situated about a half-mile west of the center of Rice University's campus. The core "Rice Village" extends over se ...

Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a medical district and neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States, immediately south of the Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 60 medical institutions, largely concentrat ...

* Sharpstown *

Uptown Uptown may refer to: Neighborhoods or regions in several cities United States * Uptown, entertainment district east of Downtown and Midtown Albuquerque, New Mexico * Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina * Uptown, area surrounding the University of Ci ...

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

Southside Place Southside Place is a city in west central Harris County, Texas, Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,835 at the 2020 census. As of the 2000 census, Southside Place was the 13th Texas locations by per capita income, wealthiest ...

* West University Place Other neighborhoods and communities in Houston considered to be in Southwest Houston: *

Alief Alief is a working-class suburb in Southwest Harris County, Texas, United States. Most of Alief is within the city limits of Houston, while a portion of the community is in unincorporated Harris County. First settled in 1894 as a rural farm co ...

Super Neighborhood #25 - Alief
. City of Houston. nd. Retrieved July 1, 2011. * Westheimer, Houston * South Main, Houston * Energy Corridor Other neighborhoods and communities outside of Houston considered to be in Southwest Houston * Brazoria County: ** Lakes of Savanna

The website refers to the community as in "Southwest Houston"

Economy

The corporate office for

Rice Epicurean Markets Rice Epicurean Markets was an American niche grocery store chain based in Southwest Houston, Houston, Texas. There is now just one supermarket left of the chain. Prior to 2012 the company operated five Rice Epicurean Markets, which ranged in size ...

is located on a lot in Southwest Houston. Rice established its headquarters there in 1960, and the current headquarters facilities opened on that land in 2005. Walmart and other smaller grocery stores were observed including gas stations. Many Non industrial business ventures were observed with few industrial and factory businesses. The small business owners consist of average size employees. Most people work in the community.

Education

Some areas in Southwest Houston are within the

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and ...

. Some areas are in the

Alief Independent School District Alief Independent School District is a school district that is based in southwest Houston, Texas, United States. Alief ISD, which covers of land, covers a small portion of southwest Houston and parts of unincorporated Harris County. In Hous ...

. The Imani School is in Southwest Houston.Karkabi, Barbara.
New and notable
" ''

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 ...

''. Friday, February 27, 2009. Retrieved on October 18, 2011. " ..he Imani School, a Christian school in southwest Houston, ..

Notable residents

M.J. Khan Masrur Javed "M.J." Khan (born May 1, 1950) is a Pakistani American and former Houston City Council member.Dooley, Tara. "Khan inspires Muslims with election to council." ''Houston Chronicle''. Saturday, December 13, 2003. Religion p. 1. NewsBank ...

(former Houston City Council member)Snyder, Mike.
Green edges Khan in controller runoff
" ''

''. December 12, 2009. Retrieved on May 26, 2014. *

Maxo Kream Emekwanem Ogugua Biosah Jr. (born March 29, 1990), known professionally as Maxo Kream, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. His debut album '' Punken'' was released in 2018, and the follow-up and major label debut, '' Brandon Banks'', was ...

(American hip hop artist)

References

External links

Houston Metropolitan Chamber
!--This chamber has replaced the Greater Southwest Chamber-->
Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce
(Archive) {{coord missing, Texas Neighborhoods in Houston