Throughout its history the Astrodome was known as a pitcher's park the power alleys were never shorter than 370 feet (113 m) from the plate; on at least two occasions they were as far as 390 feet (119 m) Over time it gave up fewer home runs than any other park in the National League the Astrodome's reputation as a pitcher's park continued even in the mid-1980s when the fences were moved in closer than the Metrodome which was long reckoned as a hitter's park, After the failed bond election of 2013 the county went back to the drawing board and in August 2014 the County Commissioners Court announced a new plan to save and rejuvenate the Astrodome the new concept centered around leaving the Dome's roof intact and converting the Astrodome's vast central space into a covered semi-climate-controlled city park that could have flexible uses for both public recreation and gatherings such as festivals and concerts the remainder of the complex would have been redeveloped over time using a combination of public and private funds and include elements such as an educational exploration area to encourage students to learn about the sciences and engineering and possibly meeting exhibition and restaurant areas that would not only serve the general public but could also add value to the Houston Texans' Game Day Experiences and be used by the Rodeo a key element of this proposal centered around the ability for the county to proceed with the initial phases of the project using existing funds without having to seek voter approval for an expensive bond referendum. However this plan failed as well, The Astrodome held several motorsports events throughout its lifetime the AMA Grand National Championship held events starting in 1968 and running for 18 years utilizing the Short Track and TT Steeplechase track configurations in their visits the AMA Supercross Championship held its first ever indoor Supercross at the Astrodome in 1974 won by Jim Pomeroy in the mid-1980s the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group held several Stadium Off-Road Racing Series events showcasing such drivers as Ivan Stewart Robby Gordon and Walker Evans Beginning in the early 1980s both TNT Motorsports and the United States Hot Rod Association held events showcasing mud bogging truck and tractor pulling and monster trucks in the Astrodome After a buy-out of TNT Motorsports the USHRA continued holding events that would later transform into the current Monster Jam events. . The new state grew rapidly as migrants poured into the fertile cotton lands of east Texas. With their investments in cotton lands and slaves Texas planters established cotton plantations in the eastern districts the central area of the state was developed more by subsistence farmers who seldom owned slaves, Ethnicity Johnson Space Center 1989 The economy which had experienced significant recovery since the Civil War was dealt a double blow by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl After the Stock Market Crash of 1929 the economy suffered significant reversals Thousands of city workers became unemployed many of whom depended on federal relief programs such as FERA WPA and CCC Thousands of unemployed Mexican citizens received one-way bus tickets to their home villages in Mexico.
The University of Houston System's annual impact on the Houston-area's economy equates to that of a major corporation: $1.1 billion in new funds attracted annually to the Houston area $3.13 billion in total economic benefit and 24,000 local jobs generated. This is in addition to the 12,500 new graduates the UH System produces every year who enter the workforce in Houston and throughout Texas These degree-holders tend to stay in Houston After five years 80.5 percent of graduates are still living and working in the region. . . Car culture is often celebrated by residents especially during the annual Art Car Parade where many uniquely modified cars are paraded through the Heights neighborhood Another car culture celebrated in Houston is the slab culture usually found in Houston's inner city neighborhoods (including former Houston-area suburban communities e.g South Park Sunnyside Acres Homes and enclaves in Missouri City) the cars used for slabs are usually restored and/or customized full-size GM vehicles (Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado Buick or a restored Oldsmobile e.g Cutlass Delta 88) the slab culture is associated with Houston hip-hop musicians; Within the Republican Party the Lily-white movement emerged a movement to wrest control of the party by whites and eliminate black influence altogether the movement had its origins in Texas but spread across the nation This in addition to wider efforts to restrict the influence of non-whites rapidly reversed the fortunes of the black population.
Roger Druckman DDS DAAPM FICCMO