Mahatma Gandhi District, Houston
Houston's South Asian dining and shopping hub.
The Mahatma Gandhi District is an ethnic enclave in Houston, Texas, named after Mahatma Gandhi, with a large South Asian population and a concentration of Indian and Pakistani restaurants and shops. It is commonly called Harwin or Hillcroft by locals, after Harwin Drive and Hillcroft Avenue, the latter being the main entrance for residents of Sugar Land and Missouri City.
Quick Facts
- Official naming date
- January 16, 2010
- Named by
- Mayor Annise Parker and Consul General of India in Houston Sanjiv Arora
- Major thoroughfares
- Harwin Drive, Hillcroft Avenue
- Bordering roads
- U.S. Highway 59 (Southwest Freeway) to the south, Westpark Tollway to the north
- Cost of street signage
- $10,000
- Year raja sweets opened
- 1985
- Founder of raja sweets
- Joginder 'Yogi' Gahunia
Facts from the source article.
History
In 1983 Rupa Vyas, owner of Indian-American grocery store Jay Stores, relocated the business from Rice Village to the Hillcroft area. Two years later, the Gahunia family opened Raja Sweets, founded by Joginder 'Yogi' Gahunia, who died in 2002. Within three years, India Grocers established a location in the area, and over time more Indian American and Pakistani American businesses moved in, while existing ones expanded. The Indian American community had proposed marking the area as a South Asian enclave for seven years prior. The India Culture Center and several South Asian merchants originally sought to rename a stretch of Hillcroft Avenue to Mahatma Gandhi Avenue, but could not obtain signatures from 75% of commercial property owners. In 2009, the head members of the India Culture Center and several merchants paid $10,000 for the street signage designating the district.
Cityscape
The district lies along Hillcroft Avenue, bordered by U.S. Highway 59 (Southwest Freeway) to the south and the Westpark Tollway to the north, forming a small triangle within a tangle of streets and strip malls. Aku Patel, owner of jewelry store Karat 22, stated that continued development along Hillcroft was expected, but expansion across U.S. Highway 59 would be difficult due to a large Hispanic and Latino American population there; instead, the district would expand along Harwin Drive in an east-west direction. The district's central location within Houston, its increased visibility, and the growth of the city's Indian American and Pakistani American population contributed to its prosperity, according to Katharine Shilcut. Yatin Patel, owner of India Grocers, noted that originally the district had little Indian-American presence and consisted of only a few Indian stores and restaurants.
Economy
Katharine Shilcutt attributed the thriving businesses to the high education and income levels of Indian Americans, and noted that the rest of the city took notice when the district received its formal name. Lynn Ghose Cabrera, cofounder of the blog 'Desi Living,' called the establishment of the Hillcroft area as the Gandhi District a milestone signifying the community's coming of age. Yatin Patel reported in 2011 that about 20–25% of his business came from non-ethnic Indians, due to increased exposure of Indian cuisine and his store's Caribbean and English products. Sharan Gahunia stated that by 2011 Raja Sweets attracted many African American, Chinese American, and Latino American customers without Americanizing its food. In 2016 Emma Green wrote that high competition led restaurants to focus on employing family members.
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