Lower Westheimer is an area in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States. It is centered on

Westheimer Road Westheimer Road () is an arterial east–west road in Houston, Texas, United States. It runs from Bagby Street in Downtown and terminates at the Westpark Tollway on the southern edge of George Bush Park, stretching about long. The street was n ...

, and is considered to be East of Shepherd, and West of Midtown. Several historic neighborhoods are partially or completely located within the area including Montrose and Hyde Park. Lower Wertheimer is known for its hipster culture, nightlife, arts, and food scene.

Location

While there are no formal borders of Lower Westheimer, the East-West borders are respectively known to be Shepherd Dr to the west, and Bagby St to the east. This is also where Westheimer turns into Elgin St, as well as

Midtown Houston Midtown is a central neighborhood of Houston, located west-southwest of Downtown. Separated from Downtown by an elevated section of Interstate 45 (the Pierce Elevated), Midtown is characterized by a continuation of Downtown's square grid street ...

. The southern border is usually considered Interstate 69, and the northern borders are thought to be Gray St. This puts Lower Westheimer entirely within the Montrose Management District (not to be confused with the neighborhood of Montrose).

Culture

Lower Wertheimer is considered the center of Houston’s hipster community. Street art plays a big role, and can be found throughout the area. In 2012, Forbes named Lower Westheimer as one of “America's Hippest Hipster Neighborhoods”.

Food scene

Lower Westheimer is known for its diverse food scene ranging from Tex-Mex, Puerto Rican, Kolaches, Greek, burger joints, Sichuan, sushi, Lebanese, Vietnamese, and Thai. Food trucks also have a large presence in the area. El Real Tex Mex restaurants is considered a landmark, and is well-known both for its food and its architecture. One of the most popular restaurants, Underbelly, is known for bringing Houston's ethnic diversity together in its food. Among other popular restaurants in the area include Tex Chick, Gusto Gourmet, Mala Sichuan, UB Preserve, Rosie Cannonball, Niko Niko's, Les Noo'dle, Empire Cafe, Uchi, Hugo's, Ramen Tatsuya and more.

Art

Visial arts

Art businesses have been present in the area dating as far back as the 1970s. Lower Westheimer was also the location of the Westheimer Street Festival, which eventually absorbed into the Free Press Summer Festival. Since the 70s, the community has grown, and currently, one can find art galleries across the neighborhood. Famed art collectors John de Menil and Dominique de Menil opened the Menil Collection is located within the area, and it now operates as a museum.

Music

Throughout its history, Lower Westheimer has been a major area for live music. Many of the bars and restaurant feature live musical performances.

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

and

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

performed in the area before their fame, where their usual stage was ''Headliners'' which has since left the neighborhood. Popular pop country singer

Lyle Lovett Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957) Lyle Lovett Pageat Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007 is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Active since 1980, he has recorded 13 albums and relea ...

also had his first performance in the ''Anderson Fair Retail Restaurant'' which is still in the area. Other popular venues for in the area include ''Boondocks'', ''Numbers'', ''Rudyard's'', and ''Brasil Cafe''.

Education

The

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and ...

operates all public schools. Most of the area falls in the zone of Lamar High School.Lamar High School Attendance Zone
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. Retrieved on October 18, 2011.