Looking today at the bustling economies, robust social safety nets, stable governments, and overall quality of life of the Scandinavian countries, it’s hard to believe that only a little more than a century ago, northern Europe was an economic, political and religious basket case. Back in the 1880s, when Aldine was first coming together, only [...]
As with so many fast-growing cities in the 1950s south, Greater Houston and especially Aldine saw much of its population growth coming from country folk moving in from the backwoods, seeking better job and educational opportunities and a little more excitement. For teenagers in the early 1950s, a good deal of those thrills came from [...]
Watching the slow expansion of a Houston-area Mexican dining establishment is one of the joys of long-term life in the metropolis. Today, La Mexicana is an institution in the Montrose area, complete with three indoor and one outdoor eating areas and a bar. On my first visit there, in the 1980s, it was a cramped [...]
By Christina Autry Diego and his wife Clarissa Rodriguez are the friendly faces behind East Aldine’s yellow Latin Roots food truck. “Latin Roots isn’t trying to be the next super trendy truck in the city. There’s no twist or fusion,” says Clarissa. “The food we make is what people are eating for lunch and dinner [...]
Participatory democracy can be an emotional affair, and few aspects of it elicit quite as much primal passion as the education of our children. Aldine is no exception, and about 60 years ago, its tempestuous school board meetings made national news, and in its resolution, Aldine ISD found a hero in W.W. Thorne whose name [...]
Already home to two community centers, ballfields, covered and lit basketball courts, and a supercool modern playground, shaded by grape-purple and lime-green sunsails and complete with slides kids actually have fun on, James Driver Park strives only to get better. Last summer, Harris County Precinct 2 commissioner Adrian Garcia announced plans for James Driver [...]
If you’ve ever lived or traveled abroad for an extended period of time, one of the things you miss most keenly from back home is your comfort foods. While those items might be available in foreign lands, anyone who has ever tried Polish Tex-Mex, a British hamburger, or even Colorado beef brisket barbecue will tell [...]
By Christina Autry Gilbert Hoffman has served on the East Aldine District Board for the past 15 years. Aldine residents may recognize him as the man behind the Northeast News, the local paper delivered to their doorsteps every week. Having grown up in a family of architects, Hoffman relocated from Pennsylvania to Houston in 1980 [...]
By Christina Autry After 19 years, the goal of the East Aldine District remains “to keep the area clean, safe, attractive, and to promote a thriving business environment, and an economically vibrant community,” says Richard Cantu, Deputy Executive Director. While oftentimes this mission materializes in high-profile projects such as the Town Center development, much diligence [...]
Well it’s the first year of a new decade, so it’s a good time to check in on some of East Aldine’s big picture trends and the economic development of the business community. Who better to check in with than Joyce Wiley, East Aldine District board member and chair of the District’s Business and Economic [...]
