Houston is the most populous city in Texas, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the Southern United States, and the sixth-most populous in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in 2020. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the seat and largest city of Harris County and the principal city of the Greater Houston metropolitan area, which is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the second-most populous in Texas after Dallas–Fort Worth. Houston is the southeast anchor of the greater megaregion known as the Texas Triangle.
Montrose is an area located in west-central Houston, Texas, United States and is one of the city's major cultural areas. Montrose is a 7.5 square miles (19 km2) area roughly bounded by Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 to the south, Allen Parkway to the north, South Shepherd Drive to the west, and Taft to Fairview to Bagby to Highway 59 to Main to the east. Montrose neighborhoods include Cherryhurst, Courtlandt Place, Hyde Park, Montrose, Vermont Commons, North and East Montrose, Mandell Place and Winlow Place. Montrose is also less well known by the moniker Neartown, encompassing Superneighborhood #24.
Westbury is a neighborhood in the Brays Oaks district of Southwest Houston, Texas, United States. It is located east of Bob White Road, north of U.S. Highway 90 Alternate, and west of South Post Oak Road, adjacent to the Fondren Southwest and Meyerland neighborhoods, just west of the southwest corner of the 610 Loop.
Annise Danette Parker is an American politician who served as the 61st Mayor of Houston, Texas, from 2010 until 2016. She also served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council from 1998 to 2003 and city controller from 2004 to 2010.
The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.
Edgar Gregory-Abraham Lincoln Education Center (GLEC) is a K-8 school located at 1101 Taft in the Fourth Ward area of Houston, Texas, United States. Gregory-Lincoln is a part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and has a fine arts magnet program that takes students in both the elementary and middle school levels. Originally built in 1966 as Lincoln Junior and Senior High School, it later operated as Lincoln Junior High School until Gregory Elementary School merged into it in 1980, forming Gregory-Lincoln. The school moved into its current building in 2008; the rebuilding was delayed due to concerns that U.S. Civil War-era graveyards would be disturbed by the rebuilding process.
Montrose is a neighborhood located in west-central Houston, Texas, United States. Montrose is a 7.5-square-mile (19 km2) area roughly bounded by Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 to the south, Allen Parkway to the north, South Shepherd Drive to the west, and Taft to Fairview to Bagby to Highway 59 to Main to the east. The area is also referred to as Neartown or Neartown / Montrose.
South Beach is a nightclub with after hours located in Houston, Texas within the Neartown area which opened in 2001 on the former site of Club Heaven. The 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) dance club located at 810 Pacific Street was popular among the city's gay community. Among South Beach’s many features was a full-color water-cooled matrix laser light show utilizing Kryogen Ifex liquid ice jets that spray out a thick cloud of liquid Ice. The ice jets had the ability to reduce the temperature of the club by 20 °F (−7 °C) in a few seconds. Additionally, the club also featured go-go boys.
Mary's, originally called Mary's, Naturally and sometimes referred to as Mary's Lounge, was an iconic gay bar located in the Montrose neighborhood in Houston, Texas, in the United States. The bar opened in 1968, and by the time of its permanent closing in November 2009, it was the oldest gay bar in Houston and one of the oldest in Texas. In addition to being one of the most popular and well-known gay bars in Montrose, Mary's was a hub for gay political activism. In 2011, OutSmart said that the bar "anchored" Houston's gay community in Montrose during its nearly forty-year history.
Houston has a large and diverse LGBT population and is home to the 4th largest gay pride parade in the nation. Houston has the largest LGBT population of any city in the state of Texas.
Chances Bar was a nightclub in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, Texas, which catered to the local LGBT community, particularly lesbians. According to the Chances Bar Tribute Site, the bar opened in August 1994. The space had been owned by the Vastakis family since it was Charlie's Coffee Shop in the 1970s.
Hyde Park is a historic community located in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, Texas. Its southeast boundary is the intersection Montrose Boulevard and Westheimer. The neighborhood was established in the late 1800s on the summer farm of the second President of the Republic of Texas, Mirabeau Lamar. In the 1970s, Hyde Park became a central part of the Gay Rights Movement in Houston. Like much of Montrose, the neighborhood is now experiencing significant gentrification, and is home to an abundance of restaurants, including Mexican, Italian, Greek, American, Lebanese, coffee houses, and numerous bars.
Montrose Mining Company was a gay bar in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, Texas, United States. Having opened in March 1978, it was the oldest gay bar in Houston since the closing of EJ's in June 2014. Although it mainly catered to the leather and Levi's subcultures, it was regularly attended by all members of the LGBT community.
Rich's Houston, or simply Rich's, is a gay nightclub in Midtown, Houston, Texas, in the United States. It was established in 1980s, closed in 2013, then re-opened in 2016.
Meteor, also known as Meteor Houston, Meteor Nightclub, or Meteor Urban Video Lounge, was a gay bar and nightclub in Neartown, Houston, Texas, in the United States. The bar hosted an annual Mr. Gay Pride Houston competition.
Agora is a Greek-themed coffeehouse and bar along Westheimer in Houston's Montrose district, in the U.S. state of Texas.
Brasil, also known as Cafe Brasil, is a coffeehouse and restaurant serving American cuisine in Houston's Montrose district, in the U.S. state of Texas. The business is owned by Dan Fergus. Thrillist says, "Keeping Westheimer cool since the early '90s, this stalwart offers an eclectic range of cafe fare, plus one of the most pleasant patios in Montrose. Burgers, tacos, and sandwiches sit alongside bistro eats, and craft beer and wine are available to round things out."
Dolce Vita was a pizzeria in Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas. Known for Neapolitan pizzas, pastas, and antipasti, the restaurant opened in January 2006 and closed in May 2020, after owner Marco Wiles announced plans to sell the building and property in mid 2019. The restaurant was sold to an investment group and employees were relocated to other restaurants owned by Wiles. Wiles kept the rights to the "Dolca Vita concept".
Chapultepec Lupita is a Tex-Mex restaurant in Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas.
JR's Bar and Grill is a gay bar in Neartown, Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas. Charles Armstrong is the owner.
