Living in the Alief Area of Houston
Recognized as a town in 1894, Alief is named after its first postmistress, Alief Ozelda Magee, who was part of the first family to settle in the area. Today, the original 1,250-acre town is located mostly within the city limits of Houston, with some of its area in unincorporated Harris County. Alief ’s boundaries include Westheimer on the north, Sam Houston Tollway on the east, the Fort Bend County line on the west, and U.S. 59 South on the south. The boundaries of the Alief Independent School District are roughly equivalent. In the early 20th century, Alief flourished as a rice- and cottongrowing town and new settlers included German immigrants and African-Americans. Alief grew rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s and soon became home to a diverse population. Today, it is home to Houston’s thriving Chinatown community and the desirable Westchase business district.
