Where is the Mahatma Gandhi District?
The Mahatma Gandhi District is a South Asian business district in southwest Houston, near Sharpstown. It centers on Hillcroft Avenue and Harwin Drive, between the Southwest Freeway (US 59) and the Westpark Tollway. The area lies outside Loop 610 and inside Beltway 8. It is often called Little India.
When was the district named?
The City of Houston designated the area the Mahatma Gandhi District at a ceremony on January 16, 2010, led by the mayor at the time. The mayor also declared that day Mahatma Gandhi District Day. Local business owners had first sought to rename Hillcroft Avenue as Mahatma Gandhi Avenue. That effort failed, and organizers pursued street signs instead. Red-trimmed street toppers with an engraving of Gandhi now mark the main streets.
How did the district develop?
The district grew in the 1980s along Hillcroft Avenue, during a wave of South Asian immigration and strip-mall building. It was first known as the South Asia Zone.
- In 1983, an Indian grocery moved to Hillcroft from Rice Village.
- In 1984, Karat 22 jewelers opened at 5623 Hillcroft.
- In 1986, the Gahunia family opened Raja Sweets, one of Houston’s early Indian eateries.
Indian and Pakistani restaurants, sari shops and jewelers followed. Joginder “Yogi” Gahunia, founder of Raja Sweets, worked to formalize the district. He died in 2002, eight years before the designation.
What kinds of businesses are there?
The district holds Indian and Pakistani restaurants and sweet shops, specialty grocers, sari and clothing boutiques, jewelry stores and salons. Temples and media offices were among its early tenants. Several foreign consulates are nearby.
Who manages the area?
The district is part of the Southwest Management District, which lists it as its South Asia zone. The management district also covers the Chinatown area along Bellaire Boulevard.