1.1 Houston's turbulent beginning In 1853 the first execution in Houston took place in public at Founder's Cemetery in the Fourth Ward; initially the cemetery was the execution site but post-1868 executions took place in the jail facilities, (33.7) 89.1 Skyline in 1971 after completion of One Shell Plaza Historical population. By 1860 Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of cotton. Railroad spurs from the Texas inland converged in Houston where they met rail lines to the ports of Galveston and Beaumont During the American Civil War Houston served as a headquarters for General John Magruder who used the city as an organization point for the Battle of Galveston. After the Civil War Houston businessmen initiated efforts to widen the city's extensive system of bayous so the city could accept more commerce between Downtown and the nearby port of Galveston by 1890 Houston was the railroad center of Texas. While there are a few examples in the Heights of the columned Colonial Revival the most popular "elite" house type in the 1910 era other upscale houses were adapted from specific historical models popular in the 1920s such as the Shefer House with its Dutch Colonial gambrel roof and the stucco-surfaced Mediterranean villa-type Tibbott House on Harvard Street with French doors opening the interior of the house to its site and an east side loggia replacing the old-fashioned front porch. Since deed-restriction enforcement is mandated in the Heights area a majority of the houses built at the start of the 20th century and early 20th century still retain the old Heights character. ; Texans took advantage of the lack of oversight to agitate for more political freedom resulting in the Convention of 1832 Among other issues the convention demanded that U.S citizens be allowed to immigrate into Texas and requested independent statehood for the area the following year Texians reiterated their demands at the Convention of 1833 After presenting their petition courier Stephen F Austin was jailed for the next two years in Mexico City on suspicion of treason. Although Mexico implemented several measures to appease the colonists President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's measures to transform Mexico from a federalist to a centralist state provided an excuse for the Texan colonists to revolt. .
; 4 Economy 8.1 Migration Obesity prevention In 1950 the availability of air conditioning provided impetus for many companies to relocate to Houston where wages were lower than those in the North; this resulted in an economic boom and produced a key shift in the city's economy toward the energy sector.
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