Buffalo Speedway
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Houston_sw21.jpg/250px-Houston_sw21.jpg)
Buffalo Speedway is a street in Houston, Texas. It starts in the upper class River Oaks neighborhood on the west side of Houston at an intersection with Westheimer Road.[1] The south terminus was previously located at West Bellfort Street on the southwest side. An extension farther south to Holmes Road was proposed in late 2014.[2] The extension to Holmes Road finished construction in the first quarter of 2015.[citation needed] In 2016, a further extension southward to West Airport Boulevard was already underway.[3]
According to some, the "speedway" part of the name comes from a section of the road that was long and straight where it was possible to attain high speeds. When Buffalo Drive's name became Allen Parkway, the "Buffalo" name was open to use on another street.[4] Explanations of the "buffalo" part of the name include the popularity of the word buffalo around the time of the road's naming and the replacement of Buffalo Drive by the Allen Parkway.[4] Old USGS maps suggest the existence of a race track where Buffalo Speedway would later be built.[5] Historian and retired land researcher Ann Quin Wilson says that a speedway existed near the site of today's Lamar High School, which would have been at the intersection of Buffalo Drive (now Allen Parkway) and where the Buffalo Speedway would later be built.[citation needed]
The race track indicated on the 1922 map attached was a horse racing track owned by Mitchell Louis Westheimer, a German immigrant and businessman who sold that portion of his farm for the construction of Lamar High School in 1937. Since the track was built for horses and predated most organized dirt-oval motor racing in the United States, it is unlikely that the "speedway" name descended from the track itself.[6]
A more fanciful theory is that the name is a humorous reference to the fact that it crosses Bissonnet Street. The need for a "bison net" at this location is explained by the name Buffalo Speedway.
Some road signs refer to it as Buffalo Spdwy or Buffalo Spwy, with speedway taking the place of other designations like road or street.[citation needed]
Graphic novel
Buffalo Speedway is the title of a graphic novel about pizza delivery drivers in Houston. Written and Illustrated by Yehudi Mercado.
See also
Texas portal
U.S. Roads portal
References
- ^ Google Maps
- ^ https://www.txdot.gov/projects/hearings-meetings/houston/archive/120914-buffalo.html
- ^ https://www.rebuildhouston.org/images/pdf/rebuild_houston_projects.pdf
- ^ a b Salee, Rad. "Why did the Buffalo cross the speedway?" Houston Chronicle. Monday October 1, 2007. B2. Retrieved on November 1, 2009.
- ^ Sallee, Rad. "Looking at overpasses, one at a time." Houston Chronicle. October 15, 2007. Retrieved on November 2, 2009.
- ^ Westheimer, Mitchell Louis from the Handbook of Texas Online
External links
- v
- t
- e
![Flag of Houston](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Flag_of_Houston%2C_Texas.svg/25px-Flag_of_Houston%2C_Texas.svg.png)
- Architecture
- Climate
- Culture
- Demographics
- Economy
- Geography
- History
- timeline
- Media
- Transportation
- Sister cities
![Seal of Houston](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Seal_of_Houston%2C_Texas.svg/80px-Seal_of_Houston%2C_Texas.svg.png)
- Anime Matsuri
- Art Car Parade
- Astroworld Festival
- Bayou Place
- Buffalo Bayou Park
- Comicpalooza
- Discovery Green
- Downtown Aquarium
- The Galleria
- Hermann Park
- Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
- Houston Zoo
- Kemah Boardwalk
- Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark
- Memorial Park
- Museum District
- The Orange Show
- San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site
- Space Center Houston
- Splashtown
- Theater District
- Waterwall Park
districts
- Acres Homes
- Addicks
- Alief
- Almeda
- Bordersville
- Boulevard Oaks
- Braeburn
- Braeswood Place
- Brays Oaks
- Briargrove
- Blue Ridge
- Chinatown
- Clear Lake City
- Denver Harbor
- East Downtown
- East End
- East Houston
- Fairbanks
- Five Corners
- Forum Park
- Genoa
- Glenbrook Valley
- Gulfton
- Harrisburg
- Hiram Clarke
- Houston Heights
- Independence Heights
- Inwood Forest
- Kingwood
- Link Valley
- Lower Westheimer
- Magnolia Park
- Mahatma Gandhi District
- Maplewood
- Memorial
- Meyerland
- Midtown
- Montrose District
- Museum District
- Neartown
- Near Northwest
- North Shore
- Northside
- Oak Forest
- River Oaks
- Riverside Terrace
- Southwest Management District
- South Park
- Spring Branch
- Sunnyside
- Upper Kirby
- Health institutions
- Baylor College of Medicine
- UH College of Medicine
- UTHealth
- MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Texas A&M Health Science Center
- State universities
- University of Houston
- University of Houston–Clear Lake
- University of Houston–Downtown
- Texas Southern University
- Private universities
- Houston Christian University
- Rice University
- University of St. Thomas
- Community colleges
- Houston Community College
- Lone Star College
- San Jacinto College
- Lee College
- Afton Oaks
- Brentwood
- Briargrove Park
- Briarhills
- Broadacres
- City Park
- Clinton Park
- Cloverland
- Corinthian Pointe
- Cottage Grove
- Crestwood/Glen Cove
- Eastwood
- Garden Oaks
- Glenshire
- Highland Village
- Houston Gardens
- Idylwood
- Kashmere Gardens
- Knollwood Village
- Lakes of Parkway
- Larchmont
- Magnolia Grove
- Montrose
- Morningside Place
- Near North Side
- Nottingham Forest
- Old Braeswood
- Parkway Villages
- Pecan Park
- Port Houston
- Rice Military
- Richmond Strip
- Robindell
- Royal Oaks Country Club
- Sagemont
- Scenic Woods
- Settegast
- Shadyside
- Sharpstown
- Shenandoah
- Somerset Green
- Southampton
- Southbelt/Ellington
- Southcrest
- Southgate
- Stablewood
- St. George Place (Lamar Terrace)
- Sunset Heights
- Sunset Terrace/Montclair
- Tanglewood
- University Oaks
- Village at Glen Iris
- Walnut Bend
- Westbury
- West End
- West Oaks
- Westwood (subdivision)
- Westmoreland
- Willow Meadows
- Willowbend
- Windsor Village
- Woodland Heights
Category
Texas portal