| Missouri City, Texas |
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Missouri City is a city located in the U.S. State of Texas within the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown Metropolitan Area . The city is mostly located in Fort Bend County with a small portion within Harris County . As of the 2000 U.S. Census , the city had a total population of 52,913 (though a 2004 estimate placed the population at 62,570). HISTORY The area in which Missouri City is now located holds a significant part in the history of Texas that dates back to its early days as part of the United States . In August of 1853, the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway (BBB&C), began operating its first twenty miles of rail line that stretched from Harrisburg (now Houston ) to Stafford's Point (now Stafford ). It was the first Railroad to begin operating in Texas , and the first standard gauge Railroad west of the Mississippi River . The Railway continued its extension westward until, in 1883, it linked with its eastward counterpart, completing the Sunset Route from Los Angeles to New Orleans . Today, owned by Union Pacific Railroad , the route of the BBB&C, is still an important and heavily operational Railroad line. In 1890, two Real Estate investors from Houston (R.M. Cash and L.E. Luckle) purchased four square miles of land directly on the route of the BBB&C, only a mile and a half from its first stop at Stafford's Point. They advertised the property as "a land of genial sunshine and eternal summer" in St. Louis, Missouri and its surrounding areas. Three years later, W.R. McElroy purchased eighty acres in the same vicinity, and in effort to promote the area jointly with Cash and Luckle in St. Louis , he named it ''"Missouri City"''. Its first ''actual'' settlers were from Arlington, Texas near Dallas and Fort Worth . The Settlement was officially registered in Texas in 1894, and began to take shape as a Railroad town along US-90A at Texas Parkway, then known as Main Street, Blue Ridge Road, or Farm to Market Road 2234. Its growth took a challenging turn when, on Valentine's Day in 1895, shortly after the first group of settlers had arrived, the town was hit with a Blizzard . This discouraged some of the newcomers who gave up and moved elsewhere. Those unwaivered stayed and found success in Farming and Ranching . Among its first businesses were a Blacksmith shop, a depot, and a general store, which also housed the first Post Office . The first Catholic Church was built in 1913, but was destroyed by a Hurricane in 1915. The new church built to replace it stood until 1990 . Oil was discovered in nearby Blue Ridge in 1919 ; soon after, a Salt Mine opened there. Missouri City became the Railroad shipping point for these two resources. In 1925, at the same location, Natural Gas was discovered. After a pipeline had been constructed the following year, Missouri City became the first town in Fort Bend County to make use of Natural Gas . With the benefit of a Railroad , Missouri City had already been home to Commuters who, by Train , commuted to adjacent towns like Stafford's Point and Sugar Land to work. With the increase of Automobiles and improvement of roads and highways in the early part of the 20th century, the developing community gradually attracted a wealth of newcomers. This gave birth to a new generation of Commuters replacing railroad Commuters that eventually became obsolete. By the 1950s , the town began to take shape as a notable " Bedroom Community " suburb of Houston . After fear and rumor spread of possible Annexation of the unincorporated town by Houston, town leaders scrambled to piece together a City Government . On March 13, 1956 , the community that began as a small settlement more than 55 years earlier was Incorporated . Missouri City has since seen tremendous economic growth, moving eastward, southward, and then westward. The city was first made over by Fondren Park (in Harris County ), near US-90A, in the early 60s, followed by Quail Valley, along Cartwright Road between Texas Parkway and Murphy Road, in the late 60s. It should be noted that, unlike neighboring Houston , Missouri City has been a zoned city since 1981. Multifamily complexes (e.g. apartments and condominiums) are a rare find because of the current Zoning Ordinance . In the 1970s, an influx of middle-class African Americans - most of them first-time homeowners - were attracted to developing communities south and west of Houston . Many of them made the subdivisions of Missouri City home, and have since been a major source of influence and vitality in the life of the city. This influx occurred after an economic downturn caused property values and interest rates to drop. As a result of the influx, many white families moved to different communities and neighborhoods in a response known as the ' White Flight '. A majority of them were former renters in Southwest Houston-area apartments - some of them employees within Houston's work centers ( Texas Medical Center , Greenway Plaza ). In 2000, it was named a model city for Middle-class African Americans by Black Entertainment Television (BET) . Its most recent residential developments include the upscale, master-planned communities of Lake Olympia, adjacent to Quail Valley, and Sienna Plantation, situated south of Highway 6, on and around land once occupied by plantations where, among other things, Sugarcane and Cotton were harvested. Two zip codes - 77459 and 77489 coexist, where the 77489 zip code extends into a section of the City of Houston east of Fondren Road with the eastern terminus at Chimney Rock Road. Fondren Road is the current demarcation between Missouri City and Houston - since the late 1970s, communities east of Fondren Road and north of FM 2234 - including Willowridge High School - have been part of the City Of Houston since late 1979. Some residents refer to this "disputed" section - a nine-square mile section of Fort Bend County as Missouri City because of the 77489 zip code; in 1998, the City Of Houston Super Neighborhood Council refers to this "disputed" section as the Fort Bend - Houston Super Neighborhood #41. GEOGRAPHY Missouri City is located at 29°34'58" North, 95°32'22" West (29.582799, -95.539423). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 78.8 Km&2 (30.4 Mi&2 ). 76.9 km&2 (29.7 mi&2) of it is land and 1.9 km&2 (0.7 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 2.37% water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 52,913 people, 17,069 households, and 14,645 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 687.9/km&2 (1,781.7/mi&2). There were 17,481 housing units at an average density of 227.3/km&2 (588.6/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 44.29% White , 38.35% African American , 0.20% Native American , 10.60% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 4.46% from Other Races , and 2.06% from two or more races. 10.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 17,069 households out of which 48.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.2% were Married Couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.2% were non-families. 11.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.36. In the city the population was spread out with 30.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 5.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $72,434, and the median income for a family was $77,762. Males had a median income of $51,013 versus $36,786 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $27,210. 3.3% of the population and 2.4% of families were below the Poverty Line . 3.5% of those under the age of 18 and 4.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. POINTS OF INTERESTS There are some very high guyed masts in Missouri City. These are:
Fox-TV Tower and KTRK-TV Tower are just 30 metres apart. EDUCATION The Fort Bend County portion of Missouri City is served by Fort Bend Independent School District , while the Harris County portion is served by Houston Independent School District . In addition to the schools within the city limits, a small portion of Fort Bend Missouri City is also served by Dulles High School in Sugar Land . All of the schools located in the city limits of Missouri City are owned by Fort Bend ISD. Seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools are inside Missouri City. The Harris County portion of Missouri City is zoned to schools located in the city limits of Houston . The Harris County portion is zoned to Bell Elementary (places south of Texas Beltway 8 ) and Jenard M. Gross Elementary (places north of Beltway 8), Louie Welch Middle School, and Westbury High School . The entire city is served by the Houston Community College System . Missouri City is served by the Missouri City Branch of the Fort Bend County Libraries system. Schools
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