Humble, Texas

History

The first settlers began moving into the Humble area in the early 19th century. Joseph Dunman was thought to be the first person to settle here and was believed to have arrived in 1828. A ferry was built nearby, over the San Jacinto River, and the area of Humble became a center for commercial activity due to the region's large oil industry.

The city got its name from one of the original founders/settlers, Pleasant Smith "Plez" Humble, who opened the first post office in his home and later served as justice of the peace. In 1883 a city directory reported that he operated a fruit stand. In 1885, he was a wood dealer, and in 1900, the District 99, Justice Pct. 4, Harris Co., Texas Census reports his occupation as attorney at law.

Humble became an oil boomtown in the early 20th century when oil was first produced there. The first oil was produced a couple years after the famous Spindletop discovery in Beaumont, Texas. Railroad linkage was established in 1904, and shortly thereafter the first tank car of oil was shipped out of Humble's oil field. By 1905 the Humble oilfield was the largest producing field in Texas. The Humble oil fields are still active and have produced over 138,835,590 barrels (22,073,095 m³) of oil. The town was the home of the Humble Oil & Refining Company, founded in 1911, a predecessor of Exxon. When the oil boom receded, many land owners returned to truck farming, dairy farming and the timber industry.

Humble remained a rather small, quiet city until the opening of the Houston Intercontinental Airport in 1969.

Humble City Council passed a public smoking ban February 23, 2012.

Geography

Humble is located at 29°59′42″N 95°15′54″W (29.994920, -95.264873).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.9 square miles (26 km²), of which 9.9 square miles (26 km²) is land and 0.10% is water.

Downtown Humble is located on a salt dome. Most of the petroleum production is shallow and encircles the city by about a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) radius.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Humble has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,579 people, 5,460 households, and 3,652 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,477.5 people per square mile (570.3/km²). There were 5,908 housing units at an average density of 598.7 per square mile (231.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.24% White, 14.49% African American, 0.68% Native American, 3.22% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 9.07% from other races, and 3.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.36% of the population.

There were 5,460 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,834, and the median income for a family was $46,399. Males had a median income of $34,434 versus $26,988 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,678. About 12.2% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

CityData.com states that the crime rates for Humble were higher than the average United States crime rate. The average crime rate for cities with under 30,000 people was 294.7; Humble's crime rate was at 593.7.

Economy

Petroleum has been the basis of Humble's economy since its beginning. The city was the namesake for Humble Oil and Refining Company, which later merged with the Exxon corporation.

Museums and other points of interest

Parks and recreation

The Shell Houston Open, an annual PGA Tour event is played at Golf Club of Houston, located in an unincorporated area near Humble. The event takes place at the end of March-beginning of April. The event has historically been one week before the Masters Tournament, the season's first major.

County, state, and federal representation

Harris County operates a tax office at 7900 Will Clayton Parkway in Humble.

Primary and secondary schools

Humble is served by the Humble Independent School District.

The city of Humble has four public elementary schools:

Humble is served by Ross Sterling Middle School (formerly by Humble Middle School), Humble High School, Atascocita High School and Summer Creek High School. All students attending the Humble Independent School District have the option to attend Quest High School, a magnet high school in the Atascocita section of unincorporated Harris County.

Humble is served by the Lone Star College System (formerly North Harris Montgomery Community College District).

Community colleges

Lone Star College System (formerly the North Harris Montgomery Community College District) serves the area. In 1972, residents of Humble ISD and two other K–12 school districts voted to create the North Harris County College District. The community college district began operations in the Harris County/Montgomery County's northern hemisphere in the fall of 1973. The Humble area is currently served by Lone Star College, Kingwood.

Public libraries

The Harris County Public Library Octavia Fields Branch Library is located at 1503 South Houston Avenue in Humble. Humble's first public library opened in 1921 with the books stored in the high school. In 1923 the library was split between the Humble High School and the Woodward School at Moonshine Hill. In 1926 the library moved to a church. In 1928 the library moved into the then-new Humble courthouse. In the early 1930s the library moved to city hall. In 1932 the city hall courtroom became a reading room. In the early 1960s a man named Tom Shelton donated a house and lot at the intersection of First Street and Avenue D. The house was remodeled and opened as the Shelton Memorial Library. On October 9, 1969 the library moved to 111 West Higgins Street. It received the name Octavia Fields Memorial Library from Octavia Fields, the grandmother of Jack Fields, a former Congress member. The current 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m²) branch opened on June 27, 2001.

Some areas outside of Humble with Humble, TX postal addresses are in proximity to the Baldwin Boettcher Branch Library at Mercer Park. The 10,137-square-foot (941.8 m²) branch opened in 1986. It was constructed on donated land. It was named after Baldwin Boettcher, a German settler. His descendants deeded the homestead to Harris County. The plans stated that the Boettcher staff would assist the Mercer Park staff in finding any botanical reference books that they or the public need.

Media

Humble news is covered by three community newspapers: Community Impact Newspaper Lake Houston/Humble/Kingwood edition (website), The Tribune Newspaper (website) and The Observer Newspaper. Community Impact Newspaper is owned by John and Jennifer Garrett and covers several Houston Metro suburban areas as well as Austin and DFW Metro markets. The Tribune is locally owned and operated by Cynthia Calvert and Larry Shiflet. The Observer is owned by the Hearst Publications. It is also the business location of Christian Radio Station KSBJ Template:Ksbj.org, call sign 89.3 FM radio.

Health care

Harris County Hospital District operates the E. A. "Squatty" Lyons Health Center in Humble. The clinic opened in 1991, replacing a clinic in Bordersville.

Humble Surgical Hospital is a multi-specialty, physician-owned surgical hospital offering a variety of surgical procedures. The hospital is located just off the freeway near downtown Humble, Texas, and serves the population of greater Houston, including the communities of Humble, Kingwood, Atascocita and The Woodlands. Humble Surgical Hospital opened in 2010.

Postal service

The United States Postal Service Humble Post Office is located at 1202 1st Street East. The Foxbrook Finance Unit is located near Humble in an unincorporated area; On Monday May 10, 2008, the Foxbrook post office was dedicated as the "Texas Military Veterans Post Office" in a ceremony hosted by U.S. Congressperson Ted Poe.

Prison system

Notable people

David Kersh - country singer