Houston

In 1837, Houston was incorporated into Texas, named for its first president, Sam Houston. The once capital in the Republic of Texas became the county seat of Harrisburg (now Harris) County, the most populous county in the state. In 1870, the population was approximately nine thousand; it was not yet bigger than San Antonio nor a port, but it now includes both the Buffalo Bayou and Houston Ship Channel. Today it ranks as the fourth largest city in the nation, a result of an influx of immigrants, with the Texas Gulf Coast producing 63.8 million pounds of shrimp alone each year.