1.
City
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A city is a large and permanent human settlement. Cities generally have complex systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, housing, a big city or metropolis usually has associated suburbs and exurbs. Such cities are associated with metropolitan areas and urban areas. Once a city expands far enough to another city, this region can be deemed a conurbation or megalopolis. Damascus is arguably the oldest city in the world, in terms of population, the largest city proper is Shanghai, while the fastest-growing is Dubai. There is not enough evidence to assert what conditions gave rise to the first cities, some theorists have speculated on what they consider suitable pre-conditions and basic mechanisms that might have been important driving forces. The conventional view holds that cities first formed after the Neolithic revolution, the Neolithic revolution brought agriculture, which made denser human populations possible, thereby supporting city development. The advent of farming encouraged hunter-gatherers to abandon nomadic lifestyles and to settle near others who lived by agricultural production, the increased population density encouraged by farming and the increased output of food per unit of land created conditions that seem more suitable for city-like activities. In his book, Cities and Economic Development, Paul Bairoch takes up position in his argument that agricultural activity appears necessary before true cities can form. According to Vere Gordon Childe, for a settlement to qualify as a city, it must have enough surplus of raw materials to support trade and a relatively large population. To illustrate this point, Bairoch offers an example, Western Europe during the pre-Neolithic, when the cost of transport is taken into account, the figure rises to 200,000 square kilometres. Bairoch noted that this is roughly the size of Great Britain, the urban theorist Jane Jacobs suggests that city formation preceded the birth of agriculture, but this view is not widely accepted. In his book City Economics, Brendan OFlaherty asserts Cities could persist—as they have for thousands of years—only if their advantages offset the disadvantages, OFlaherty illustrates two similar attracting advantages known as increasing returns to scale and economies of scale, which are concepts usually associated with businesses. Their applications are seen in more basic economic systems as well, increasing returns to scale occurs when doubling all inputs more than doubles the output an activity has economies of scale if doubling output less than doubles cost. To offer an example of these concepts, OFlaherty makes use of one of the oldest reasons why cities were built, in this example, the inputs are anything that would be used for protection and the output is the area protected and everything of value contained in it. OFlaherty then asks that we suppose the protected area is square, the advantage is expressed as, O = s 2, where O is the output and s stands for the length of a side. This equation shows that output is proportional to the square of the length of a side, the inputs depend on the length of the perimeter, I =4 s, where I stands for the quantity of inputs. So there are increasing returns to scale, O = I2 /16 and this equation shows that with twice the inputs, you produce quadruple the output
2.
Texas
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Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Other major cities include Austin, the second most populous state capital in the U. S. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the states struggle for independence from Mexico. The Lone Star can be found on the Texan state flag, the origin of Texass name is from the word Tejas, which means friends in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, although Texas is popularly associated with the U. S. southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas land area is desert. Most of the centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, the term six flags over Texas refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, the states annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U. S. in early 1861, after the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle, due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The states economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated a boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy, as of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or allies, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, during Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, La Provincia de Texas. Texas is the second largest U. S. state, behind Alaska, though 10 percent larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile, Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers, the Rio Grande forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south
3.
ZIP Code
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ZIP Codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, was chosen to suggest that the travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly. The basic format consists of five numerical digits, an extended ZIP+4 code, introduced in 1983, includes the five digits of the ZIP Code, a hyphen, and four additional digits that determine a more specific location within a given ZIP Code. The term ZIP Code was originally registered as a servicemark by the U. S. Postal Service, USPS style for ZIP is all caps and the c in code is also capitalized, although style sheets for some publications use sentence case or lowercase. The early history and context of postal codes began with postal district/zone numbers, the United States Post Office Department implemented postal zones for numerous large cities in 1943. For example, Mr. John Smith 3256 Epiphenomenal Avenue Minneapolis 16, by the early 1960s a more organized system was needed, and on July 1,1963, non-mandatory five-digit ZIP Codes were introduced nationwide. Three months later, on October 1,1963, the U. S, an earlier list in June had proposed capitalized abbreviations ranging from two to five letters. The abbreviations have remained unchanged, with one exception, according to the historian of the U. S. Robert Moon, an employee of the post office, is considered the father of the ZIP Code, he submitted his proposal in 1944 while working as a postal inspector. The post office gives credit to Moon only for the first three digits of the ZIP Code, which describe the sectional center facility or sec center, an SCF is a central mail processing facility with those three digits. The SCF sorts mail to all post offices with those first three digits in their ZIP Codes, the mail is sorted according to the final two digits of the ZIP Code and sent to the corresponding post offices in the early morning. Sectional centers do not deliver mail and are not open to the public, Mail picked up at post offices is sent to their own SCF in the afternoon, where the mail is sorted overnight. The United States Post Office used a character, which it called Mr. ZIP. He was often depicted with a such as USE ZIP CODE in the selvage of panes of stamps or on labels contained in, or the covers of. In 1983, the U. S. Postal Service introduced an expanded ZIP Code system that it called ZIP+4, often called plus-four codes, add-on codes, or add ons. But initial attempts to promote use of the new format met with public resistance. For Post Office Boxes, the rule is that each box has its own ZIP+4 code. However, there is no rule, so the ZIP+4 Code must be looked up individually for each box. It is common to use add-on code 9998 for mail addressed to the postmaster,9999 for general delivery, for a unique ZIP Code, the add-on code is typically 0001
4.
Austria
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Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is a federal republic and a landlocked country of over 8.7 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, the territory of Austria covers 83,879 km2. The terrain is mountainous, lying within the Alps, only 32% of the country is below 500 m. The majority of the population speaks local Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, other local official languages are Hungarian, Burgenland Croatian, and Slovene. The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty, from the time of the Reformation, many northern German princes, resenting the authority of the Emperor, used Protestantism as a flag of rebellion. Following Napoleons defeat, Prussia emerged as Austrias chief competitor for rule of a greater Germany, Austrias defeat by Prussia at the Battle of Königgrätz, during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, cleared the way for Prussia to assert control over the rest of Germany. In 1867, the empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary, Austria was thus the first to go to war in the July Crisis, which would ultimately escalate into World War I. The First Austrian Republic was established in 1919, in 1938 Nazi Germany annexed Austria in the Anschluss. This lasted until the end of World War II in 1945, after which Germany was occupied by the Allies, in 1955, the Austrian State Treaty re-established Austria as a sovereign state, ending the occupation. In the same year, the Austrian Parliament created the Declaration of Neutrality which declared that the Second Austrian Republic would become permanently neutral, today, Austria is a parliamentary representative democracy comprising nine federal states. The capital and largest city, with a population exceeding 1.7 million, is Vienna, other major urban areas of Austria include Graz, Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Austria is one of the richest countries in the world, with a nominal per capita GDP of $43,724, the country has developed a high standard of living and in 2014 was ranked 21st in the world for its Human Development Index. Austria has been a member of the United Nations since 1955, joined the European Union in 1995, Austria also signed the Schengen Agreement in 1995, and adopted the euro currency in 1999. The German name for Austria, Österreich, meant eastern realm in Old High German, and is cognate with the word Ostarrîchi and this word is probably a translation of Medieval Latin Marchia orientalis into a local dialect. Austria was a prefecture of Bavaria created in 976, the word Austria is a Latinisation of the German name and was first recorded in the 12th century. Accordingly, Norig would essentially mean the same as Ostarrîchi and Österreich, the Celtic name was eventually Latinised to Noricum after the Romans conquered the area that encloses most of modern-day Austria, around 15 BC. Noricum later became a Roman province in the mid-first century AD, heers hypothesis is not accepted by linguists. Settled in ancient times, the Central European land that is now Austria was occupied in pre-Roman times by various Celtic tribes, the Celtic kingdom of Noricum was later claimed by the Roman Empire and made a province
5.
Czech Texans
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Czech Texans are residents of the state of Texas who are of Czech ancestry. As of the 2000 U. S. Census, there are 187,729 Czech-Americans living in Texas, historically, Czech Moravian settlements were found in Central Texas. Czechs first settled in Texas in the 1840s, traveling from Bohemia, Moravia, Czech settlers usually identified themselves as Austrian, German, Bohemian, Slovak or Moravian. Although many Czech-Texans have experienced cultural assimilation, Czech celebrations and events continue to be held, Temple is home to the Czech Heritage Museum. A Fayetteville museum celebrates Texass Czech settlement, in Caldwell is the Burleson County Czech Heritage Museum. In 2004, the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center was opened in LaGrange, houstons Czech Cultural Center promotes research of Czech history. Praha hosts the Praha Homecoming, also known as the Prazska Pout, the city of West hosts Westfest every Labor Day, which includes a Koláče baking contest and a Taroky tournament. Crosby, northeast of Houston, hosts a Czech Fest and a Koláče Bake, the Czech Heritage Society of Texas has developed 14 chapters throughout the state. The National Polka Festival is a parade and festival held in Ennis. The 3-day festival is held every Memorial Day weekend, most of the party halls offer a lunch or dinner with Czech foods such as klobása, sauerkraut, and koláče, as well as live entertainment with traditional polka music and dancing. The available literature about Texas Czechs and their history has expanded with advent of self-publishing, one author has declared Mr. Albert Blaha of Houston the Father of Texas Czech History, saying that He is our own František Palacký. Naše Dějiny, a magazine of Texas Czech genealogy, history, the Library of the SPJST, founded in Temple in 1963, has holdings which include over 20,000 volumes, the vast majority of which deal with Czech or Texas Czech topics. In 2013, The Texas Czech Genealogical Society hosted the From Generation to Generation Research Conference for those interested in exploring Czech ancestry,12,805 Texans can speak the Czech language. Czech-language journalism has been active in the state over the years. Thirty-three newspapers and periodicals have been published, as of 1993 one weekly newspaper, Našinec, published at Granger, and one monthly, Hospodář, published at West, were still being published entirely in Czech. Other periodicals such as Věstník and the Brethren Journal contained sections printed in Czech, language change, The testimony of Czech tombstone inscriptions in Praha, Texas. In E. Eckert, Varieties in Czech, Czechs, Texas State Historical Association Czech Texans. The Czech Heritage Society of Texas, welcome Czechs of Texas and Czechs worldwide
6.
Kolach
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A Kolach is a type of pastry that holds a dollop of fruit, rimmed by a puffy pillow of supple dough. Originating as a semisweet wedding dessert from Central Europe, they have become popular in parts of the United States, the name originates from the Czech, and originally Old Slavonic word kolo meaning circle, wheel. The word kolache may also be used to describe a meat filled pastry, however, this probably refers to a klobasnek. A klobasnek is often thought to be a variation of the kolach, however, unlike kolache, which came to the United States with Czech immigrants, klobasniky were first made by Czechs that settled in Texas. Montgomery, Minnesota, is the Kolacky capital of the world, verdigre, Nebraska, stakes the same claim with their Kolach Days. Prague, Nebraska, claims to be known as the home of the worlds largest kolache, both Caldwell and West, Texas, claim the title of Kolache Capital of the state. Haugen, Wisconsin is the Kolache Capital of Wisconsin, the village is a Bohemian settlement that celebrates its Czech Heritage during an annual festival. Kolaches are a staple of the festival with Kolache sales, bake-offs. Still other communities in the United States hold Czech-American festivals, where kolache may be found and it was the sweet chosen to represent the Czech Republic in the Café Europe initiative of the Austrian presidency of the European Union, on Europe Day 2007. A related dish is a klobasnek, which is popular in central and it often uses similar bread but is filled with a link of sausage or ground sausage. Some people also refer to these as kolaches, but they are accurately referred to as a pig in a blanket. They may also contain ham, cheese, jalapeño, eggs and bacon/sausage, potato, etc. Czech settlers created klobasniky after they immigrated to Texas. Kalach, East Slavic, Southern Slavic and Romanian bread Kołacz, Polish pastry Koloocheh, Iranian pastry Vatrushka, East Slavic pastry Kolach Video produced by Wisconsin Public Television
7.
U.S. Route 90
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U. S. Route 90 is an east–west United States highway. US90 has seven exits on I-10 in the State of Florida and it also includes part of the DeSoto Trail between Tallahassee and Lake City, Florida. The highways eastern terminus is in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, at an intersection with Florida State Road A1A three blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and its western terminus is in Van Horn, Texas at an intersection with Bus. I-10, just north of I-10 and just west of State Highway 54 and this was its former intersection with US80, but the western segments of US80 have been decommissioned in favor of I-10 and I-20. US90 begins at an intersection with BL I-10 and SH54 in downtown Van Horn and it then heads south-southeast towards Marfa, where the route begins to head generally east. The route is two lanes west of Uvalde. At this point, it becomes a surface road until it reaches western Bexar County where it becomes a freeway. This concurrency with I-10 continues intermittently into western Houston, where US90 follows the Katy Freeway, the section of US90 that is multiplexed with I-10 through Houston is the only section of the route that is unsigned. In eastern Houston, US90 splits from I-10 and heads northeast towards Liberty, the speed limit on US90 between Van Horn and Del Rio is mainly 75 miles per hour. Beginning at Seguin, US90 Alternate splits from US90 and travels parallel to the south, rejoining the main route in northeast Houston. In 1991, the construction on a four- to six-lane freeway northeast of Houston in Harris County was completed along a new routing for US90 and this segment traveled from just inside Beltway 8 to east of the town of Crosby. Construction began in 2006 to extend the freeway westward to the intersection of I-10, on January 24,2011, the new extension officially opened. Due to lack of funds, overpasses were not built over Greens Bayou and over future Purple Sage Road, entering Louisiana from the west, US90 and I-10 travel side by side through Lake Charles to Lafayette. The portion of US90 from Lafayette to New Orleans is designated to become the corridor for I-49, in New Orleans, US90 again meets up with I-10, and the two highways follow a similar path into Mississippi. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Mississippis portion of US90 was entirely four-laned except for a short segment at the states west end leading to the old Pearl River Bridge into Louisiana. That segment of old highway is obviated for most purposes by an extension of the roadway from its split with US90 to I-10 just east of the much newer Pearl Bridge. Before Katrina, the 26-mile stretch of US90 traveling from the St, the median featured many old, stately oak trees, a good number of which survived the storm. Many segments and important bridges were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005
8.
Flatonia, Texas
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Flatonia is a town in southwestern Fayette County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 10 and the Southern Pacific Railroad,12 miles west of Schulenburg, the population was 1,383 at the 2010 census. Flatonia was established on April 8,1874, on land that the Galveston, Harrisburg, the community, originally made up of Anglo American settlers, was named after F. W. Flato, a local merchant and one of the first settlers. Residents placed their homes in the former Flatonia settlement, one mile southeast of the current Flatonia, the post office, established in the former Flatonia in 1870, moved to the new Flatonia with the same name. Flatonia was incorporated on November 10,1875, and held its first election on December 6 of that year, in 1878 the town had 800 residents and an economy dependent on cattle and cotton. The location of the railway and inexpensive real estate led to the arrival of Arab, Bohemian, German, Greek, the north-south line of the Waco branch of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway opened in the mid-1880s, leading to new settlements of Muldoon and Moulton. Competition from the settlements, respectively north and south of Flatonia, by 1900 Flatonia had a significant population decrease. During the first half of the 20th century Flatonias prospects increased and decreased according to the economy and cattle. In 1950 Flatonia had 1,024 residents,50 businesses, in the 1960s cotton no longer was a substantial aspect of the area economy, therefore many area farms began to ranch cattle. During that time the population was between 1,000 and 1,500, Interstate 10 opened in the 1970s, leading many tourist businesses to move from U. S. Highway 90 to I-10, one mile north of Highway 90. In 1985 Flatonia had six businesses, in 1990 Flatonia had 1,295 residents. Flatonia is located in southwestern Fayette County at 29°41′13″N 97°6′28″W, U. S. Route 90 passes through the center of town as Main Street, leading east 12 miles to Schulenburg and west 12 miles to Waelder. Texas State Highway 95 intersects US90 in the center of Flatonia, entering from the south as Faires Street, Highway 95 leads south 19 miles to Shiner and north 26 miles to Smithville. Interstate 10 passes through the side of Flatonia, with access from Exit 661. I-10 leads east 108 miles to Houston and west 90 miles to San Antonio, according to the United States Census Bureau, Flatonia has a total area of 1.6 square miles, of which 0.02 square miles, or 1. 01%, is water. Flatonia has hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, summers range in the 90s with a few days in July and August reaching 100. Winters can be chilly but rarely reach below freezing, low temperatures are mostly in the fifties or forties. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,377 people,504 households, the population density was 850.8 people per square mile
9.
Victoria, Texas
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Victoria is the largest city and county seat of Victoria County, Texas. The population was 62,592 as of the 2010 census, the three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 as of the 2000 census. Victoria is located 30 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, the city is a regional hub for a seven-county area known as the Golden Crescent, and serves a retail trade area of over 250,000 people. Victoria is known as The Crossroads because of its location within a two-hour drive of Corpus Christi, Houston, San Antonio, Victoria is named for General Guadalupe Victoria, who became the first president of independent Mexico. Victoria is the city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria in Texas. The city of Guadalupe Victoria was founded in 1824 by Martín De León, a Mexican empresario, in honor of Guadalupe Victoria, Victoria was initially part of De Leóns Colony, which had been founded that same year. By 1834, the town had a population of approximately 300, during the Texas Revolution, Guadalupe Victoria contributed soldiers and supplies to pro-revolutionary forces. However, after James Fannin was defeated by the Mexican army at the Battle of Coleto, after Santa Ana was defeated at the Battle of San Jacinto, the towns Mexican residents were driven out by Anglo settlers, who renamed it Victoria. In 1840, a Comanche raid on nearby Linnville killed many residents of the town, a cholera outbreak occurred in 1846. During the mid-19th century, the city developed a population of European immigrants. By the turn of the 20th century, Victoria was experiencing population growth thanks to its position as a regional trade center. The University of Houston–Victoria was founded in 1971, Victoria is located on the coastal plains of Texas about 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and 20 miles from the nearest bay waters. It lies along and just to the east of the Guadalupe River, the topography is mostly flat to slightly rolling with an average elevation of 95 feet. Vegetation in better-drained areas consists primarily of grasses with post oaks and other small timber. Moist sites can grow tall forests dominated by elm and pecan, Victoria is classified as humid subtropical. June through August is very hot and humid with temperatures regularly exceeding 90 °F. The record high temperature of 111 °F. was recorded in September 2000, spring and autumn are generally mild to warm with lower humidity. Winters are mild with cold spells
10.
Interstate 10
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Interstate 10 is the southernmost cross-country interstate highway in the American Interstate Highway System. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica, California, to I-95 in Jacksonville and this freeway is part of the originally planned Interstate Highway network that was laid out in 1956, and its last section was completed in 1990. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following I-90, I-80, about one-third of its length is within the state of Texas, where the freeway spans the state at its widest breadth. Between its west terminus in Santa Monica, California, and the major East Los Angeles Interchange, the Santa Monica Freeway is also called the Rosa Parks Freeway for the segment beginning at I-405, and ending at I-110/SR110. The segment between the East Los Angeles Interchange and the city of San Bernardino,63 miles long, is called the San Bernardino Freeway, for example, a sign near the western terminus of the highway in Santa Monica proclaims this highway the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway. I-10 is known to a lesser degree as the Veterans Memorial Highway. In Palm Springs, I-10 is also named the Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway as a tribute to the late entertainer who served both as the mayor and as a U. S. Congressman, another stretch a short distance east in Indio is proclaimed the Doctor June McCarroll Memorial Freeway. In Arizona, the highway is designated the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway, the portion through Phoenix is named the Papago Freeway, and it is a vital piece of the metropolitan Phoenix freeway system. This designation starts at Loop 101, near 99th Avenue, from the southern terminus of I-17 to the southernmost junction with Loop 202, the highway is signed as the Maricopa Freeway. This name holds true as well for I-17 from its terminus to the Durango Curve south of Buckeye Road. From Loop 202 south to the terminus of I-8 just southeast of Casa Grande. The Arizona Department of Transportation also has maps that show it as the Maricopa Freeway, while the American Automobile Association, the latters name is used on a stretch of Loop 101 from Loop 202 to I-17. Between I-17 in Phoenix and the I-19 interchanges in Tucson, I-10 is included in the federally designated CANAMEX Corridor, extending from Mexico City to Edmonton, in Tucson, Arizona, between I-10 mileposts 259 and 260 are interchange ramps connecting I-10 with the northern terminus of I-19. The highest elevation along I-10 occurs just east of Tucson,20 miles west of Willcox, at the mile marker 320 exit for the Amerind Foundation, the westbound lanes of I-10 briefly cross above 5,000 feet above sea level. I-10 passes through three Southern New Mexico municipalities of regional significance before the junction with I-25, Lordsburg, Deming, most of I-10 in New Mexico, between Exit 24 and Exit 135, is concurrent with US70. At Lordsburg is the junction of US70 and a concurrency. Several exits between Lordsburg and Deming are either for former towns or lack any town at all, at Deming is the western junction of US180, which also forms a concurrency with I-10 all the way to El Paso. One mile north of Deming on US180 is New Mexico State Road 26 which serves as a cut to north I-25
11.
Houston
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Houston is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth-most populous city in the United States. With a census-estimated 2014 population of 2.239 million within an area of 667 square miles, it also is the largest city in the southern United States and the seat of Harris County. Located in Southeast Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, it is the city of Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land. Houston was founded on August 28,1836, near the banks of Buffalo Bayou and incorporated as a city on June 5,1837. The city was named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had commanded, the burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the citys population. Houstons economy has an industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics. Leading in health care sectors and building equipment, Houston has more Fortune 500 headquarters within its city limits than any city except for New York City. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled, the city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. Houston is the most diverse city in Texas and has described as the most diverse in the United States. It is home to cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District. Houston has a visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District. In August 1836, two real estate entrepreneurs from New York, Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen, purchased 6,642 acres of land along Buffalo Bayou with the intent of founding a city. The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the general at the Battle of San Jacinto. The great majority of slaves in Texas came with their owners from the slave states. Sizable numbers, however, came through the slave trade. New Orleans was the center of trade in the Deep South. Thousands of enslaved African Americans lived near the city before the Civil War, many of them near the city worked on sugar and cotton plantations, while most of those in the city limits had domestic and artisan jobs. Houston was granted incorporation on June 5,1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor, in the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas
12.
Marriage
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The definition of marriage varies according to different cultures, but it is principally an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually sexual, are acknowledged. In some cultures, marriage is recommended or considered to be compulsory before pursuing any sexual activity, when defined broadly, marriage is considered a cultural universal. Individuals may marry for several reasons, including legal, social, libidinal, emotional, financial, spiritual, whom they marry may be influenced by socially determined rules of incest, prescriptive marriage rules, parental choice and individual desire. In some areas of the world, arranged marriage, child marriage, polygamy, conversely, such practices may be outlawed and penalized in parts of the world out of concerns for womens rights and because of international law. These trends coincide with the human rights movement. Marriage can be recognized by a state, an organization, an authority, a tribal group. It is often viewed as a contract, Marriages can be performed in a secular civil ceremony or in a religious setting via a wedding ceremony. The act of marriage usually creates normative or legal obligations between the individuals involved, and any offspring they may produce, some cultures allow the dissolution of marriage through divorce or annulment. In some areas, child marriages and polygamy may occur in spite of laws against the practice. For example, the number of marriages in Europe decreased by 30% from 1975 to 2005 and these changes have occurred primarily in Western countries. The word marriage derives from Middle English mariage, which first appears in 1250–1300 CE and this in turn is derived from Old French, marier, and ultimately Latin, marītāre, meaning to provide with a husband or wife and marītāri meaning to get married. The adjective marīt-us -a, -um meaning matrimonial or nuptial could also be used in the form as a noun for husband. Anthropologists have proposed several competing definitions of marriage in an attempt to encompass the wide variety of marital practices observed across cultures, even within Western culture, definitions of marriage have careened from one extreme to another and everywhere in between. The anthropological handbook Notes and Queries defined marriage as a union between a man and a such that children born to the woman are the recognized legitimate offspring of both partners. In recognition of a practice by the Nuer people of Sudan allowing women to act as a husband in certain circumstances, Kathleen Gough suggested modifying this to a woman, none of these men had legal rights to the womans child. Economic anthropologist Duran Bell has criticized the definition on the basis that some societies do not require marriage for legitimacy. He argued that a definition of marriage is circular in societies where illegitimacy has no other legal or social implications for a child other than the mother being unmarried. In 1955 article in Man, Leach argued that no one definition of marriage applied to all cultures and he offered a list of ten rights associated with marriage, including sexual monopoly and rights with respect to children, with specific rights differing across cultures
