homework 8 - hometown brochure · Jane Leibrock · 3/25/11

color palette · compound scheme

typography guide · TeX Gyre Adventor

Regular

The quick brown fox jumps

over the lazy dog.
Bold

The quick brown fox jumps

over the lazy dog.
Italic

The quick brown fox jumps

over the lazy dog.
homework 8 - hometown brochure · Jane Leibrock · 3/25/11

printing budget
 FAST FACTS

HOUSTON
• coordinates: 29°45’46”N
95°22’59”W
• time zone: Central
• incorporated: 1837
• population: 2.1 million
• area: 601.7 square miles
• elevation: 43 feet (13 meters)
Art Car Parade (source: flickr | eschipul) Sam Houston (source: Wikimedia Commons)
• industries: energy,
manufacturing, aeronautics,

PEOPLE transportation, health care

Houston is a multicultural city, in part be-
cause of its many academic institutions
and strong industries as well as being a
major port city. Over ninety languages are
spoken in the city. Houston has among the
youngest populations in the nation, partly
due to an influx of immigrants into Texas.
The city has the third-largest Hispanic and
third-largest Mexican population in the
United States. It also has more Hispanics
than any other city in Texas. An estimated
400,000 illegal aliens reside in the Greater
Houston area. Houston has some of the
largest Indian and Pakistani communities
in the United States. The Nigerian commu-
nity of Houston, estimated to be over 2.0%
of the city’s population, is the largest in the
United States. Houston also has the largest
Vietnamese American population in Texas.
• government: mayor—council
HISTORY
Houston was founded on August 30, 1836,
CLIMATE by brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and
• humid subtropical John Kirby Allen on land near the banks of
• average high: 79.7°F Buffalo Bayou. The city was incorporated
• average low: 61.3°F on June 5, 1837, and named after then-
• annual precipitation: 54” President of the Republic of Texas—former
General Sam Houston—who had com-
NICKNAMES manded at the Battle of San Jacinto, which
took place 25 miles (40 km) east of where
• Space City
the city was established. The burgeoning
• Bayou City
port and railroad industry, combined with
• H-Town
oil discovery in 1901, has induced contin-
• Magnolia City
ual surges in the city’s population. In the
• Capital of the Sunbelt
mid-twentieth century, Houston became
• Clutch City
the home of the Texas Medical Center
• The Big Heart
—the world’s largest concentration of
• Screwston
healthcare and research institutions—and
• Hustletown
NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where the
• City of Syrup
Mission Control Center is located.
• Energy Capital of the World
 Houston Space Center (source: flickr | av8pix.com)
CULTURE
Many annual events celebrate the diverse
cultures of Houston. The largest and lon-
gest running is the annual Houston Live-
stock Show and Rodeo, held over 20 days
from late February to early March, the larg-
est annual Livestock Show and Rodeo any-
where in the world. Another large celebra-
tion is the annual night-time Houston Pride
Parade, held at the end of June. Other
annual events include the Houston Greek
Festival, the Art Car Parade, the Houston
Auto Show, the Houston International Festi-
val, and the Bayou City Art Festival, which
is considered to be one of the top five art
festivals in the United States. Houston is
one of few United States cities with perma-
nent, professional, resident companies in
all major performing arts disciplines: opera,
ballet, music, and theater.
The Galleria (source: flickr | J Jackson Photography)
SHOPPING
Downtown
Foley’s, the oldest of Houston’s depart-
ment stores, is now a Macy’s. The original
store on Main Street at Lamar, a five-story
building that occupies an entire block, is
still a popular shopping destination. It car-
ries several lines of expensive clothing and
perfumes as well as some moderately-
priced ones.priced The other happy shop-
ping ground downtown is the Shops at
East End
Just the other side of the freeway from
the George Brown Convention Center is
a commercial Chinatown, where you can
find goods imported from across Asia. You
can browse your way through a number of
little import stores, all within a 4-block area.
The Rothko Chapel (source: flickr | gregor_bug)
Montrose/The Heights
Along Westheimer from Woodhead to
Mandell, you’ll find several antiques and
junk shops that are perfect for the leisurely
shopper who’s out to find a diamond in
the rough. Also along Westheimer are a
number of vintage clothing stores. North
of Westheimer, on West Gray where it in-
tersects with Shepherd, a whole different
sort of shopping awaits at the River Oaks
Shopping Center. This is Houston’s oldest
shopping center. It’s 2 blocks long and ex-
tends down both sides of West Gray.
Uptown
The Galleria occupies a long stretch of
land along Westheimer and Post Oak.
It has 320 stores that include big depart-
ment stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord
& Taylor, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom,
The Cy Twombly Museum (source: www.portlandart.net)
and small designer retailers such as Gucci,
Emporio Armani, and Dolce & Gabbana.
Across Westheimer from the Galleria is an-
other shopping center called Centre at
Post Oak. If you’re looking for the finest in
Western wear, go to Pinto Ranch. This store
sells high-end clothing, boots, belt buckles,
hats, and saddles.
MUSEUMS
The Houston Museum District comprises
18 museums that recorded a collective
attendance of over 8.7 million in 2007. All
of the museums offer free hours, and 11
of the museums are free all the time. Bor-
dered roughly by Rice University, the Ne-
artown area and Texas Medical Center,
the Museum District specifically refers to
the area located within a 1.5-mile radius
of the Mecom Fountain in Hermann Park.