Final answer:
Houston's growth as a major trade hub and one of the country's largest ports is attributed to its location at a break of bulk point, with efficient port facilities that handle significant volumes of cargo, attracting industries and contributing to its economic success.
Step-by-step explanation:
Houston has become one of the country's largest ports due to its strategic location at a break of bulk point where multiple modes of transportation intersect, including ship, truck, barge, or train. This facilitates the breaking bulk process, where cargo is efficiently unloaded from one type of transport and reloaded onto another, creating a hub of economic activity.
The growth of Houston as a key trade site location is paralleled by other cities like New York and Los Angeles, which also developed due to additional transportation options, like good port facilities. Houston's port facilities have been scaled to handle vast volumes of overseas Ballast Water (BW) discharged, as indicated by Houston ranking second in the total volume of overseas BW discharged from 2011-2013. This capability to handle huge amounts of shipping cargo efficiently has attracted many industries, including Fortune 500 companies, and contributed to Houston's rapid population growth, making it a global and multicultural city.
Additionally, advancements in technology now allow a small crew to unload significantly more cargo at modern ports, further enhancing the efficiency and attractiveness of these locations for doing business.