Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas

The Fifth Ward is the area of Houston, Texas north of Buffalo Bayou, east of U.S. Highway 59 and in the Inner Loop.

Related Topics:
Houston, Texas - U.S. Highway 59

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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 a 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. Over the years it had been home to the city's minority and immigrant population. Although it has been a mostly black area, Latinos and Italian Catholics also moved there.

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Once a strong neighborhood with a thriving business district, it became a violent ghetto with poor schools, widespread poverty, and drug addiction. The ward lost population as citizens left seeking better lives. The Fifth Ward is rebounding to be a strong neighorhood as property values around Downtown Houston increase.

Related Topics:
Ghetto - Downtown Houston

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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.

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The neighborhood is served by several Houston ISD schools, including Atherton Elementary, Bruce Elementary, Dogan Elementary, N.Q. Henderson Elementary, E.O. Smith Education Center (1-8), and Phillis Wheatley High School.

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The neighborhood produced members of Congress Barbara Jordan and Mickey Leland, singers like Arnett Cobb, Milton Larkin, Illinois Jacquet, and The Geto Boys, and athletes like George Foreman.

Related Topics:
Barbara Jordan - Mickey Leland - Arnett Cobb - Milton Larkin - Illinois Jacquet - The Geto Boys - George Foreman

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