Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of 579 square miles (1500 km2). Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of the Houston--Sugar Land--Baytown metropolitan area—the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the US with a population of approximately 5.946 million. Houston was founded on August 30, 1836, by brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen on land near the banks of Buffalo Bayou. The city was incorporated on June 5, 1837, and named after then-President of the Republic of Texas—former General Sam Houston—who had commanded at the Battle of San Jacinto, which took place 25 miles (40 km) east of where the city was established. The burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the city's population. In the mid-twentieth century, Houston became the home of the Texas Medical Center—the world's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions—and NASA's Johnson Space Center, where the Mission Control Center is located. Rated as a global city, Houston's economy has a broad industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and transportation. Houston is also leading in health care sectors and building oilfield equipment; only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters in the city limits. The Port of <b>...</b>
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