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The City of Houston turned 185 on Aug. 30.
New York siblings John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen founded Houston along the banks of the Buffalo Bayou on Aug. 30, 1836. The Allen brothers reportedly just paid $1.40 per acre for 6,642 acres. Surveyors Gail and Thomas H. Borden surveyed the site.
"#OnThisDay we celebrate 185 years!! #happybirthday Houston," said Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner in a post to his Facebook account on Aug. 30.
The city's namesake, President Sam Houston, authorized its incorporation in 1837. Early milestones in the city's history were the first steamship, the Laura, visiting the city in its first year of incorporation and the city's first fire company being founded in 1838. Home to around 2.3 million people, Houston is the fourth-largest city in the U.S. and the largest in Texas. Only New York, Los Angeles and Chicago have bigger populations, and Houston is expected to cross over into the third spot within five years.
Houston's official city website claims it to be the most diverse metro area in the United States, a minimum of 145 languages are spoken in the city and 90 countries have consulates in Houston. Houston's official metro statistical area covers nine counties, Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller. This extends for 9,444 square miles, larger than New Jersey but slightly smaller in area than Massachusetts, while Houston itself is 655 miles.
Houston's sports teams have also experienced success in recent decades, as noted by Houston's official city website. The Houston Astros won the World Series in 2017, The Houston Dynamo won the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2017, The Rice University Owls won the NCAA's college world series in 2003, The Houston Aeros hockey team won the 2003 Calder Cup and the Turner Cup in 1999, the Houston Comets won the WNBA Championship in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 and the Houston Rockets won the NBA Championship in 1994 and 1995.