The 5th Ward dates back to the late 19th century. After the Civil War (1861-1865) the freed slaves started settling in the sparsely populated area North of Houston, which is known today as the 5th Ward. In 2000, the median income was $8,900.
During the 70s and 80s of the 20th century, the 5th Ward was notorious for its high crime rate. When I checked the number at the Houston Police Department website, I couldn't find that much of a difference with other areas in Houston. My colleagues were surprised when they learned where I went for the weekend, but I guess they still remembered the stories from the last century. I didn’t feel unsafe in the 5th Ward.
From a distance it looked like this lady was drying her laundry, until I got closer and realized ‘no one has this much laundry’.
Unlike other cities around the world, Houston doesn’t know zoning laws.
All these houses seem to be abandoned.
These houses seem to be constructed later in the 20th century. Unfortunately the battery in my gps logger ran out of power, therefore these photos don’t have a geotag.
Houston and Galveston were an important stop for many railroad companies. Most of these companies had their own tracks which resulted in many rail intersections and rail tracks in parallel. Especially the north side of Houston has many railway tracks. Today, many freight trains use the tracks.
This photo shows three level crossings in a row.
The 5th Ward is about a few decades older than construction of railroad. Looking at the map, it can be observed that the railway tracks followed the street pattern, where in other neighborhoods the street pattern is laid out around the railway tracks. I wouldn’t be surprised when the stop sign at the railroad crossing below dates back to the years when verhicles and train made use of the same road. Today the stop sign has no function anymore.
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