Most of Gulfton was originally developed as a rural subdivision called Westmoreland Farms. The large acreage parcels and widely spaced grid pattern of roads made it possible for very large apartment complexes to be built in the area starting in the 1960s.

Often described as the Ellis Island of current time, Gulfton is the most densely populated community in Houston, with about 90 apartment complexes with more than 15,000 units and 71 percent Hispanic residents including immigrants from Mexico and Central America. Although traditionally a Salvadoran and Mexican neighborhood, many immigrants have begun coming from different Latin-American and Middle Eastern countries.