Manchester, Houston Explained

Manchester is a community in southeastern Houston, Texas, United States.

Manchester has 6sqmi of area.^[1] It is located in close proximity to the Houston Ship Channel,^[2] and many chemical plants, refineries, and sewage facilities.

History

Manchester began in the 1860s as a railroad switch. By the 1970s the area became predominantly industrial and by the 1980s the area became predominantly Hispanic.

The State of Texas concluded that, since 2000, the area had the highest annual averages of 1,3-Butadiene of any area in Texas.^[3] On May 27, 2005, the State opened a pollution monitor in Manchester.^[4]

In 2019 Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner added Manchester to the Complete Communities program.^[5]

Cityscape

About 455 houses combined are in Harrisburg and Manchester. Area features include chemical plants, refineries, sewage facilities,^[6] car crushing facilities, and hazardous cargo areas. Nearby plants are owned by Goodyear, LyondellBasell, Texas Petro-Chemicals, and Valero.^[7]

It is near Magnolia Park.^[2]

Government and infrastructure

Manchester is in Houston City Council District I.^[8]

The Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated the Ripley Health Center for the ZIP code 77012.^[9] In 2000 Ripley was replaced by the Gulfgate Health Center.^[10] The designated public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.^[9]

Demographics

about 4,000 people lived around Manchester.^[1] almost 2,000 people live in the Harrisburg/Manchester area, with 98% being Hispanic or Latino.^[6]

In the city of Houston-defined Harrisburg/Manchester Super Neighborhood, which also includes Harrisburg, there were 2,926 residents in 2015. 82% were Hispanics, 14% were non-Hispanic blacks, and 3% were non-Hispanic whites. The percentages of non-Hispanic Asians and others were both zero. In 2000 the super neighborhood had 3,768 residents. 88% were Hispanics, 6% were non-Hispanic blacks, and 5% were non-Hispanic whites. The percentages of non-Hispanic Asians and others were both zero.^[11]

Crime, poverty, and illness

Kristin Moe of Yes! stated that occasional bouts of illness occur due to the chemical plants, and that "Drugs, unemployment, and gangs are a problem."^[7] Dina Capello of the Houston Chronicle stated in 2005 that drug dealers and prostitutes reside in the area.^[12]

Education

Manchester is within the Houston Independent School District.^[13] Zoned schools include:

• J. R. Harris Elementary School^[14]
• Deady Middle School^[15]
• Milby High School^[16]

Parks and recreation

Hartman Park is located in Manchester.^[17]

External links

• Web site: 1999-2003 Community Health Profiles: Harrisburg/Manchester Super Neighborhood. City of Houston.
• Web site: Sansom, Garett Thomas. ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK PERCEPTIONS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF MANCHESTER, HOUSTON, TX. Texas A&M University. May 2016. (public health PhD thesis) - info page
• Horney, Jennifer A.. Gaston A. Casillas. Erin Baker. Kahler W. Stone. Katie R. Hirsch. Krisa Camargo. Terry L. Wade. Thomas J. McDonald. Comparing residential contamination in a Houston environmental justice neighborhood before and after Hurricane Harvey. PLOS One. 13. 2. e0192660. 10.1371/journal.pone.0192660. 2018. 29420658. 5805347. 2018PLoSO..1392660H. free.
• Sansom, Garett. Philip Berke. Thomas McDonald. Eva Shipp. Jennifer Horney. Confirming the Environmental Concerns of Community Members Utilizing Participatory-Based Research in the Houston Neighborhood of Manchester. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2016. 13. 9. 839. 10.3390/ijerph13090839. 27563915. 5036672. 20401338. free.
• Web site: Trovall, Elizabeth. Along Ship Channel, Houston's Manchester Neighborhood Grapples With Poor Air Quality. Houston Public Media. 2018-06-22.
• Web site: Double Jeopardy in Houston: Acute and Chronic Chemical Exposures Pose Disproportionate Risks for Marginalized Communities (2016). Union of Concerned Scientists. - Summaries in English and Spanish, with the full report in English
• Web site: Air Toxics and Health in the Houston Community of Manchester. Union of Concerned Scientists.

29.718°N -95.26°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Manjad, Raj. As Houston plots a sustainable path forward, it's leaving this neighborhood behind. Grist. 2017-08-15. 2019-04-02.
2. Web site: TEJAS: Environmental Justice Texas Style. Houston History Magazine. 10. 2. 2019-04-02. 22 (PDF p. 4/5). - From "Where is Manchester?"
3. "State Results: Pollution Glance." Houston Chronicle.
4. "Area residents welcome state pollution monitor / Manchester's air will be tested round-the-clock." Houston Chronicle. (Alternate version http://130.80.24.5:8081/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/special/04/toxic/3201878).
5. Web site: Scherer, Jasper. Turner adds five neighborhoods to Complete Communities program. 20 June 2019.
6. Web site: Environmental Racism in Houston's Harrisburg/Manchester Neighborhood. Stanford University. 2019-04-02.
7. Moe, Kristin. Houston's Most Polluted Neighborhood Draws the Line at Alberta Tar Sands. Yes! Magazine. Yes. 2013-04-22. 2019-04-02.
8. http://www.houstontx.gov/council/maps2012/i.pdf City of Houston, Council District Maps, District I
9. Web site: Clinic/Emergency/Registration Center Directory By ZIP Code. https://web.archive.org/web/20011119141023/http://www.tmc.edu/hchd/LOCATE.HTM. dead. 2001-11-19. Harris County Hospital District. 2001-11-19. 2021-04-08. - See ZIP code 77012. See this map for relevant ZIP code.
10. "Gulfgate Health Center" (Archive). Harris County Hospital District. Accessed October 17, 2008.
11. Web site: Super Neighborhood Resource Assessment No. 65 Harrisburg/Manchester. City of Houston. 2019-08-15.
12. Web site: Capello, Dina. Chronicle cross-county study reveals risky load of 'air toxics'. Houston Chronicle. 2005-01-16. 2019-04-02.
13. Harris County block book maps:
    • 4: http://books.tax.hctx.net/BlockBooksPDF/v053/AE1997_Vol_52-53_0301.pdf and http://books.tax.hctx.net/v053/AE1997_Vol_52-53_0301.jpg
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14. "J. R. Harris Elementary Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District.
15. "Deady Middle Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District.
16. "Milby High School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District.
17. Web site: As Houston plots a sustainable path forward, it's leaving this neighborhood behind. Texas Tribune. 2017-08-23. 2019-04-02.