Neartown Houston - History

History

Neartown has many of Houston's oldest neighborhoods. The Neartown Association began in 1963.

Houston's urban real estate boom starting in the 1990s transformed Neartown and significantly increased property values. The area around the intersection of Montrose Boulevard and Westheimer Road went from being a place of abandoned buildings, sexually-oriented businesses, and low rent; to a neighborhood of yuppies and new condominium construction.

Before the Westheimer Street Festival's demise in the early 2000s (decade), some Neartown residents voiced concerns about the festival affecting their quality of life, ranging from street parking to traffic gridlock.

From the United States Census 2000 demographics, about one-quarter of the residents are homeowners. Three quarters are renters including many students from the University of Houston, Rice University, and the University of Saint Thomas, and employees working at the Texas Medical Center, Downtown Houston, and Greenway Plaza. The area is ethnically diverse, with primarily Latinos, Filipinos, and Whites living in the area.

The City of Houston's Planning Department refers to Neartown as a mixed-use community. Since the 1990s gentrification, musicians and artists are being replaced with higher paid professionals (attorneys, educators, medical professionals) due to higher rents. Neartown has "wound a tortuous course from Silk Stocking and Low Rent and back again."