<P> Despite Beaumont's importance during the early boom period, the nearby and already - established commercial center of Houston became the leading city of the period . Houston's status was boosted by the 1914 completion of the Houston Ship Channel, allowing the Port of Houston to service large ships . Refineries and related operations were built along the Houston Ship Channel between Houston and Goose Creek . Heavy industry grew in the area and gradually created one of the world's largest industrial complexes . By the 1930s, Houston emerged as the state's largest city and the hub of the rail and road network . The effects of the petroleum - related growth helped offset the effects of the Great Depression substantially, particularly after the discovery of the East Texas field . Texans who became wealthy from the boom established upscale communities including River Oaks, which became a model for community planning in the U.S. Oil - related growth led to the creation of many new institutions, including the University of Houston, the Museum of Fine Arts, Hermann Park, the Houston Zoo, and the Houston Symphony Orchestra . </P> <P> Dallas and Fort Worth experienced one of their greatest oil - related construction booms in 1930 and 1931, when the opening of the East Texas oil field helped establish Dallas as the financial center for the oil industry in Texas and Oklahoma . New business offices and municipal buildings appeared in the city, including the Highland Park Village shopping center, one of the nation's earliest shopping malls . The Depression slowed population growth in the Dallas area somewhat during the later 1930s, but rapid growth patterns returned again during the 1940s . By this time, though, Dallas had already begun to rediversify, becoming a center for aircraft manufacturing and electronics technology in addition to a variety of other industries . </P> <P> Cheap gasoline encouraged automobile ownership, which provided a substantial revenue source to the government, leading to the rapid expansion of highway development . Despite the state's geographical size and its rural nature at the turn of the century, the state's road systems developed to a level comparable with the more established industrial areas of the United States . </P> <P> The oil boom helped expansion of several Texas ports including four ports currently ranked as the top twenty busiest ports in the United States in terms of cargo tonnage . The Houston Ship Channel and Port of Houston became the state's busiest shipping resources . As of 2013, the Port of Houston ranks second in the United States in terms of cargo tonnage (and first in foreign trade). Although Houston took the lead, the oil boom benefited other areas . The Sabine--Neches Waterway, located in the Beaumont / Port Arthur area, saw growth as a result of the oil boom . The existing ship channel was deepened following the 1901 Spindletop discovery and has been deepened several times since then . That waterway serves two of the United States's ports ranked in the top twenty in terms of cargo tonnage . The Port of Beaumont is ranked 4th and the Port of Port Arthur is ranked 18th . As of December 2013, The Sabine--Neches Waterway is the third - busiest waterway in the United States in terms of tons of cargo behind the Port of South Louisiana and the Houston Ship Channel . The Sabine--Neches Waterway is also the top bulk crude oil importer, the top bulk liquid waterway, and is projected to become the largest LNG exporter in the United States . Discovery of oil also helped the eighth (8th) ranked Port of Corpus Christi . Oil discoveries in nearby counties in the early 1930s resulted in the construction of refineries near the port . The principle cargo shifted from cotton to petroleum products . The Port of Texas City was another port which benefited from the oil boom . That port is currently ranked 14th in terms of cargo tonnage . </P>

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