n.
City (pop., 2000: 1,953,631), southern Texas, U.S. An inland port, it is linked by the Houston Ship Channel to the Gulf of Mexico and to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at Galveston .
Founded in 1836, it was named for Sam Houston ; it was the capital of the Republic of Texas (183739). The state's largest city and leading port, it is a centre for oil, petrochemical, and aerospace research and development (See also NASA ). The area is also important for rice, cotton, and cattle. It has several institutions for higher learning, including Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine. Houston is home to a symphony orchestra and ballet, an opera, and various theatre companies.