Magnolia Park, Houston

In 1890 Magnolia Park was laid out on a site on Harrisburg Road across Brays Bayou from Harrisburg and downstream from Houston. The plot was owned by Thomas M. Brady, and the community was named for the 3,750 magnolias planted by developers. The Magnolia Park community was organized in 1909. , which also indicates Magnolia Park Magnolia Park originally had non-Hispanic White Americans. Mexican-Americans from South Texas started to settle in Magnolia Park in 1911. many Mexicans fleeing the Mexican Revolution settled in Magnolia Park. Magnolia Park was annexed to Houston in October 1926. By 1929 it was the largest Mexican settlement in Houston. Magnolia Park had 14,000 residents in 1990. The Magnolia Park community celebrated the neighborhood's 100 year anniversary on Saturday October 17, 2009. Many of the Historical Buildings are still there and can be seen throughout all of Harrisburg and Canal St. ==Cityscape==

In the 1920s the surrounding area had factories, industrial plants, refineries, textile mills, and wharves, giving employment opportunities to area residents. ==Government and infrastructure==

Magnolia Park is in Houston City Council District I. The City of Houston operates the Magnolia Multi-Service Center. The Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated the Ripley Health Center for the ZIP codes 77011 and 77012. In 2000 Ripley was replaced by the Gulfgate Health Center. The designated public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. ==Demographics==

In 2015 the City of Houston-defined Magnolia Park Super Neighborhood had 16,999 residents. 95% were Hispanic, 3% were non-Hispanic white, and 1% was non-Hispanic black. The percentages of non-Hispanic Asians and others were both zero. In 2000 the super neighborhood had 21,302 residents. 96% were Hispanic, 3% were non-Hispanic white, and 1% was non-Hispanic black. The percentages of non-Hispanic Asians and others were both zero. ==Media==

In the 1970s Papel Chicano, a newspaper that reported on activism in the Houston area, had its offices in Magnolia Park. ==Education==

Residents are zoned to Houston ISD schools. DeZavala, Franklin, Gallegos, Tijerina, and Edna M. Carrillo (outside of Magnolia Park). All of Magnolia Park is zoned to Edison Middle School. Some of Magnolia Park is zoned to Milby High School. Some of Magnolia Park is zoned to Austin High School. History of education Originally the area was within the Harrisburg Independent School District. Park Junior High School opened on December 14, 1925. A school named after Lorenzo De Zavala was first established in 1926, In 1930 a private school called Escuela Mexicana Hidalgo ("Hidalgo Mexican School") was established. Its goal was to preserve Mexican culture. Prior to 1997 residents zoned to Furr also had the option to attend Austin and Milby high schools; in 1997 the school district canceled the option. ==Transportation==

METRO maintains the Magnolia Park Transit Center, which is on the METRORail Green Line. Greyhound Bus Lines and Autobuses Americanos maintain services at a bus station next to the transit center. On December 1, 2023, Greyhound moved its remaining services from Midtown to the Magnolia Park bus stop. This station has four bays for buses, less than the previous station. There were area residents who stated that they did not want the type of criminal activity that had occurred around the Midtown station. ==Culture==

Salon Juárez, built in 1928, is a by two-story building that served as the meeting house for the Sociedad Mutualista Benito Juárez, a mutual aid society formed in Magnolia Park in 1919. According to Stephen Fox, who specializes in the history of architecture, this is the city's first ethnic Mexican-oriented public building not made for religious purposes. Due to financial problems during the Great Depression the society no longer managed the building after 1932. After multiple changes in ownership, the physical plant began to suffer from maintenance issues in the 1980s and 1990s because the old roof was removed but a new roof was not put on it. Because the owner had not paid $20,000 in back taxes, the building was to be sold in a July 6, 2004 auction, but the taxes were paid before the auction occurred, so the owner kept the property. The Greater Houston Preservation Alliance classified it as an endangered building. ==Gallery==

File:HoustonWards1920.jpg|1920 six wards of Houston map, which also indicates Magnolia Park File:EdisonMSHouston.JPG|Thomas A. Edison Middle School ==Notable residents==

• Texas Senator Mario Gallegos ==See also==