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When the city of Houston was founded in 1836 and incorporated in 1837, its founders—John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen—divided it into political geographic districts called "wards." The ward system, a precursor to today's City Council districts, was a common political tool of the early 19th century, and is still used in some American cities, including Chicago.

In 1839, Houston's civic leaders divided the city into four wards. The Fifth Ward was added in 1866 to accommodate the city's growth, and by the Sixth Ward in the following decade. The idea was not to have an equal number of residents in each but rather, to draw lines were along natural boundaries: Buffalo Bayou, Main Street, and Congress Street.

Today, the wards are a civic phenomenon, loosely defined by geography and with no direct bearing on city government.

Contents 1 First Ward 2 Second Ward 3 Third Ward 3.1 Politics in the Third Ward 3.2 Education in the Third Ward 3.2.1 Colleges and universities in the Third Ward 3.2.2 Primary and secondary schools in the Third Ward 3.2.2.1 Public schools in the Third Ward 3.2.2.2 Private schools in the Third Ward 3.2.3 Public libraries in the Third Ward 3.3 Community services in the Third Ward 3.4 Police services in the Third Ward 3.5 Fire services in the Third Ward 3.6 Parks in the Third Ward 3.7 Notable residents of the Third Ward 4 Fourth Ward 5 Fifth Ward 5.1 History 5.2 Notable residents 5.3 Education 5.3.1 Primary and secondary schools 5.3.1.1 Public schools 5.3.1.2 Private schools 5.3.2 Public libraries 5.4 Community services 5.5 Frenchtown 5.6 Trivia 6 Sixth Ward 6.1 Old Sixth Ward 6.2 Architecture styles 7 References 8 External links

The First Ward, which is located inside the 610 Loop, is one of the city's historic wards. It was originally the center of the business district for the city, and was strategically located at the intersection of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou, near an area known as Allen's Landing. It was one of the original four wards in Houston when it was created in 1840. It was defined as all area within the city limits of Houston (which was much smaller at the time) north of Congress Street and west of Main Street[1].

In later years, all land in the First Ward to the north and east of White Oak Bayou and Little White Oak Bayou was split off to create part of the Fifth Ward. Today, the area is part of the Historic District along Buffalo Bayou, with many of the oldest buildings in Houston. The University of Houston–Downtown is also located in this area. It is considered to be the most affluent out of all the wards today.

The Second Ward (often considered to be a part of the East End) is a historical political district ward in Houston, Texas. It was one of the four original wards of the city in the nineteenth century. The community known as the Second Ward today is roughly bounded by Buffalo Bayou to the north, Lockwood Avenue to the east, and railroad tracks to the south and west, although the City of Houston's "Super Neighborhood" program includes a section east of Lockwood [2].

The Second Ward today has mainly Hispanic residents, primarily Mexican Americans who moved into the area following World War II and the subsequent white flight from the area. One of Houston's first master-planned communities, Eastwood, where Howard Hughes lived as a child, is located in this ward[3]. The northern end of the community is largely industrial, leading to massive warehouse complexes along the Bayou. There are also many industrial buildings, some of which have found new life as lofts, on the western edge of the neighborhood nearest to Downtown and Minute Maid Park.

Many buildings in the community, including the local high school, Stephen F. Austin High School, were constructed in the 1920s and bear the art deco style. While perceived as rundown and neglected in the 1970s and 1980s, recent years have seen major civic improvements including new street lights and pavement, as well as the beginnings of gentrification as professionals and others move from both the far-flung suburbs and other, more expensive Inner Loop neighborhoods. The area attracts artistic talent through venues such as Talento Bilingüe de Houston, and residents of all ages frequent the Ripley House Community Center.

The Second Ward is in the early stages of revitalization, drawing new residents with its proximity to downtown.

The Second Ward is in Texas's 18th congressional district [4]. Its current Representative is Sheila Jackson Lee.

Area students attend schools in the Houston Independent School District, including Jackson Middle School and Austin High School.

The Our Lady of Guadalupe School, a Kindergarten through 8 Roman Catholic school that is a part of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, is in the Second Ward area [5].

The Second Ward is served by the Houston Public Library Flores Branch [6].

The Houston Police Department's South Central Patrol Division [7] serves the neighborhood.

The Third Ward, which is located inside the 610 Loop, is one of the city's historic wards. It is immediately southeast of downtown and to the east of the Texas Medical Center. The ward became the center of Houston's Black community. Some portions of the 3rd Ward are working class, working poor, and are deeply impoverished. However, many social groups have been working to try and make Third Ward a more safe place to live. As of recently, much of Third Ward is becoming rebuilt by Town Homes and Apartment Complexes.

The People's Party II, an activist group led by Carl Hampton was organized in the Third Ward in the Spring of 1970 to address Police brutality on Blacks in the community.

The Third Ward is in Texas's 18th congressional district [8]. Its current representative as of 2007 is Sheila Jackson Lee.

The Greater Third Ward area is home to two universities: the University of Houston and Texas Southern University.

Area students attend schools in the Houston Independent School District, including Ryan Middle School and Yates High School.

Contemporary Learning Center is west of the third ward on the other side of State Highway 288.

KIPP: the Knowledge Is Power Program operates the KIPP Liberation College Preparatory School, a middle school charter school, in the Third Ward.

The University of Houston operates the University of Houston Charter School, a charter elementary school.

Two Roman Catholic schools, St. Mary of the Purification School (Kindergarten through grade 5 [9]), St. James Elementary School (Pre Kindergarten through 5th grade), St. James Middle School (6th through 8th grade) and St. Peter the Apostle Middle School (grades 6 through 8 [10]), are in the area.

The Third Ward is served by the Houston Public Library Smith Branch [11].

The Quentin Mease Community Hospital, operated by the Harris County Hospital District, is located in the Third Ward.

In addition, the district operates the Martin Luther King Health Center at 3601 North MacGregor Way in Houston.

The Houston Police Department's South Central Patrol Division [12] serves the neighborhood.

Fire and Emergency Medical Services are provided by Houston Fire Department station #25.

Herman Park, Emancipation Park and Emancipation Community Center are located at 3018 Dowling [13].

Famous people to have lived in Third Ward include Debbie Allen, Phylicia Rashad (Formerly Phylicia Ayers-Allen), Beyoncé, Barbara Jordan, Dexter Manley,Big Moe, and many other SUC members

The Fourth Ward, which is located inside the 610 Loop, is one of the city's historic wards. The historical definition of the Fourth Ward, when it was created in 1840[14] is all parts within the city limits of Houston (at the time) south of Congress Street and west of Main Street. The area was the site of Freedman's Town, composed of recently freed slaves. Construction of the Pierce Elevated through the middle of the area divided the area and led to deterioration of the area. A portion of the Fourth Ward to the southwest of Interstate 45 is now known as Midtown and redevelopment of the area is underway. The area of the historic Fourth Ward inside Downtown is now filled with many skyscrapers, including Enron Tower, 1500 Louisiana, and the Continental Tower.

In the late 1990s and 2000s, the area has been undergoing gentrification, with many new mid-rise apartment complexes and upscale townhomes being built. Many long-time residents, mostly renters, have moved out, unable to afford the increasing rent due to rising property values. While the area around Freedman's town is traditionally black, Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites have moved to the area in recent years. There were 1,421 blacks living in the Fourth Ward census tract in 1990, but only 635 remained in 2000.^[1]

The Fourth Ward is in Texas's 7th congressional district [15].

Area students attend schools in the Houston Independent School District, including Gregory-Lincoln Education Center and Reagan High School. The Houston Police Department's Central Patrol Division [16] serves the Fourth Ward.

The Fifth Ward is a historical political district ward of Houston, Texas northeast of downtown Houston. The Fifth Ward was created partly from two other wards, the First Ward, which ceded the area to the north and east of White Oak Bayou and Little White Oak Bayou, and the Second Ward, which ceded all land within the Houston city limits to the north of Buffalo Bayou.

A section of the Fifth Ward, Emile Street at Clinton Drive (two blocks east of Hirsch Road/Waco Street), was the Houston Press 2004 "Best Hidden Neighborhood" [17].

After the U.S. Civil War, newly freed slaves (freemen) began settling in the sparsely settled area. In 1866, it became the Fifth Ward and an alderman from the ward was elected to Houston's City Council. By the mid-1880s, it was virtually all black, home to working class people who made their livings in Houston's eastside ship channel and industrial areas or as domestics for wealthy Houstonians. Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, founded in 1865 by a former slave, is the oldest church in the ward. Five other churches are over a hundred years old. Also home to the famous "Island of Hope (Anderson Memorial Temple) COGIC" the oldest Pentecostal church in Fifth Ward. Over the years it had been home to the city's minority and immigrant population. Although it had been a mostly black area, Latinos, Filipino Americans, Pakistani Americans, and Italian Catholics also moved there.

Once a strong community with a thriving business district, it turned into a notorious ghetto with under-served low performing schools, rampant drug activity, widespread poverty, and a declining population as residents seeking better lives left. Fifth Ward is currently located in District B in the City of Houston; it was once known for the record number of derelict and abandoned buildings, most of which were recently demolished. KBR is headquartered in the Fifth Ward off Clinton Street.

These people have at one point in time resided in the ward:

• George Foreman - professional boxer
• The Geto Boys - Bushwick Bill, Willie Dee, Scarface, and DJ Dave Russell - rap group
• Barbara Jordan and Mickey Leland - United States representatives
• Arnett Cobb and Illinois Jacquet - musicians
• Charles "Charlie" Robinson - Actor

Area students attend schools in the Houston Independent School District, including E.O. Smith Education Center and Wheatley High School.

A Kindergarten through 8 Roman Catholic school called Our Mother of Mercy School is in the area [18].

The Fifth Ward is served by the Houston Public Library Fifth Ward Branch [19].

The Houston Fire Department operates Station 19 Fifth Ward on 1811 Gregg Street, and the Houston Police Department's Northeast Patrol Division [20] serves the neighborhood.

The Swiney Community Center is located in the Fifth Ward.

Legacy Community Health Services [21]is located at the Lyons Avenue Health Center.

In 1922, a group of Louisiana Creoles organized the Fifth Ward community of "Frenchtown," which contained a largely Roman Catholic and Creole culture. When new residents no longer resided in Frenchtown, the neighborhood culturally merged with the greater Fifth Ward [22]. The Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church, completed in 1930 by Creoles for Creoles, serves as a social center for the neighborhood [23]. The Frenchtown Community Association exists as of 2006 [24].

The fictional hard-boiled "detective" Easy Rawlins (created by author Walter Mosley) was raised in Houston's "notorious" Fifth Ward.

The February 21, 2007 episode of the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds was set in the Fifth Ward.

The Sixth Ward was created out of part of the northern Fourth Ward in 1876, and is the only ward that does not extend into downtown Houston's historical center, although a fraction of the ward is considered to be within the boundaries of downtown.

The Sixth Ward is in Texas's 18th congressional district.[25] Its current U.S. Representative is Sheila Jackson Lee.

The Sixth Ward is zoned to Houston ISD schools, which include Crockett Elementary School, Hogg Middle School, and Reagan High School. The Houston Police Department's Central Patrol Division [26] serves the neighborhood, and the Houston Fire Department operates Station 6 Sixth Ward.

The Sixth Ward is home to the oldest intact neighborhood in Houston, known as the "Old Sixth Ward." Apart from Galveston, the Old Sixth Ward has the greatest concentration of Victorian homes in the region.

Old Sixth Ward lies on the western edge of downtown Houston, bounded by Memorial Drive to the south, Glenwood Cemetery to the west, Washington Avenue to the north, and Houston Avenue to the east.

Old Sixth Ward is recognized for its historic homes. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, making it the first neighborhood in Houston to be placed on the Register. The Houston City Council followed suit on June 25, 1998, designating Old Sixth Ward a Historic District.

Although Old Sixth Ward contains many homes from the late 1800s, Houston's lax preservation laws [27], allowing demolition of most historic properties after a 90-day wait, may eventually eliminate this historic area. Many homes considered teardowns have been restored [28]. The Old Sixth Ward Neighborhood Association is working to save the historic housing stock for generations of Houstonians to come.

The Houston Press dubbed the Old Sixth Ward the 2006 "Best Hidden Neighborhood" [29].

Old Sixth Ward housing stock evidences five main architectural styles:

Gulf Coast Colonial/Greek Revival Style (1850-1890). These houses are usually five bay cottages with a full-length front porch tucked in under the main roof line. This style of house is predominantly found in southern Louisiana and coastal Texas. The style represents an adaptation of Greek Revival architecture popular in the northeast to the gulf coast climate.

Folk Victorian Style (1870-1910). These houses represent a vernacular attempt to adapt Victorian style architecture to the gulf coast climate. The houses featured locally made porch posts and gingerbread. In many cases the Folk Victorian house is actually a Gulf Coast Colonial cottage draped or altered with later Victorian elements.

Queen Anne Style (1880-1910). These houses are noted for their prominent gables, variety of shingle treatments, ornate factory-made millwork, abundance of stained-glass windows, and tall roof lines. These houses reflect a national trend in architecture that took the country by storm at the end of the 19th century.

Classical Revival Style (1895-1920). These houses are characterized by simple Greek columns, restrained exterior ornament, and wide roof overhangs. The period during which they were built is marked by the decline of Victorian extravagance and a new interest in the antiquities of Greece and Rome.

Bungalow Style (1900-1940). These houses reflect a new utilitarian trend in architecture. Bungalows are noted for their prominent porches, their lack of foyers, and their perfectly proportioned rooms.

• Pride lives on in city's six historical wards. Jeannie Kever, Houston Chronicle. February 8, 2006. Last accessed November 19, 2006.
• Where the Wards are. Houston Chronicle. September 7, 2004. Last accessed November 19, 2006.
• Super Neighborhood # 63 Second Ward. Officially Recognized Super Neighborhood Councils, City of Houston. Last accessed November 19, 2006.
• About TSU > Community > Third Ward. Texas Southern University. Last accessed November 19, 2006.
• Super Neighborhood #67 Greater Third Ward
• Fourth Ward, Houston from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Fifth Ward, Houston from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Sixth Ward, Houston from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Frenchtown, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Fifth Ward Community Website
• First Ward Neighborhood Portrait
• OSWNAOSW Neighborhood Assoc.
• Sixth Ward

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