Houston, TX

With a population of more than 2.2 million, Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, after New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The city has more than 40 colleges, universities and institutions. It is also is home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. Houston is considered to be the Energy Capital of the world, as more than 5,000 energy related firms are located in the city.

Houston is a low-lying city just 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and just 50 feet above sea level in its downtown area. The city's climate is categorized as "humid subtropical," with hot, humid summers and mild winters; the average January low is 41 degrees. Rain and thunderstorms are common, and hurricanes that make landfall in nearby Galveston can cause major damage to the city. Hurricane Ike, which hit Houston in 2008, was the third-costliest and the third-most destructive hurricane in U.S. history.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

The Houston metropolitan area is home to 26 Fortune 500 companies, including:

• ConocoPhillips
• Continental Airlines
• Sysco
• Boeing
• Lockheed-Martin
• Schlumberger

Houston is known for its role in the energy industry and oil and natural gas are major area industries. In addition to ConocoPhillips, Houston is the U.S. operational headquarters for ExxonMobil and the U.S. headquarters for Shell Oil and BP. The city is also a leader in the chemical industry, with over 400 chemical plants employing more than 30,000 people.

The city also plays an important role in the aerospace industry. NASA's Johnson Space Center, which has more than 17,000 employees and is located in the master-planned community of Clear Lake, is the primary location for research, design, and development of the space shuttle.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Houston is an vibrant city with a lot going on across its many and varied neighborhoods. The city hosts about 400 events throughout the year and has about 11,000 restaurants. About half of the houses in Houston are rented and half owner-occupied; housing density is about 1,370 houses per square mile.

Some of Houston's better-known neighborhoods are:

• Galleria and Uptown: offices and urban living centered around a huge shopping mall, The Galleria.
• River Oaks: lavish mansions on tree-lined streets, the home to Houston's elite.
• Museum District: the Museum of Natural Sciences and other museums, Rice University, the zoo and Hermann Park in the cultural heartland of the city.
• The Heights: funky neighborhood of restored Victorian homes and some of the best bars and nightclubs in town.

GETTING AROUND

• Houston is served by two major airports: Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport.
• METRORail is the city's new 7.5-mile rail line.
• METRO operates more than 1,400 buses.
• There are nearly 600 miles of freeways and expressways in Houston's freeway system, with multiple loops surrounding the city in a hub-and-spoke structure. I-610 is the innermost loop, encircling downtown, and Beltway 8 and the Sam Houston Tollway form the middle loop. State Highway 99, currently under construction, will form an outer loop.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Houston is one of just five cities in the country that have their own companies in all four performing arts disciplines:

• Alley Theatre
• Houston Ballet
• Houston Symphony
• Houston Grand Opera

Houston is also home to 15 museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston-the sixth-largest museum in the country-and the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

BEST BETS

• Space Center Houston is the official visitors' center for the Johnson Space Center. It offers many interactive exhibits and a shuttle simulator.
• SplashTown Water Park is located just north of Houston. It has several water slides, a wave pool, and a children's area.
• Downtown Aquarium has more than 500,000 gallons of underwater tanks, as well as amusement rides, midway games, and restaurants.
• Houston Zoo is located in Hermann Park. It features 500 species of animals, as well as a train that children and their parents can ride around the park.
• Sam Houston Race Park offers horse racing year-round.
• Kemah Boardwalk features a wooden roller coaster, Ferris wheel, midway games, and restaurants.
• San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site is located off the Houston Ship Channel. It is the location of the battleship USS Texas, and the location of the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution.

EVENTS

• Bayou City Art Festival: Held biannually in the spring and fall, this is one of the largest art festivals in the United States.
• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo: Also called Rodeo Houston, this is the world's largest livestock exhibition and rodeo. It is held over a 20-day period from late February through early March and features a series of concerts, carnival rides, and, of course, livestock and rodeo shows.

FAMILY FUN

Of the nation's ten-most populous cities, Houston has the most total area of parks and green space, with more than 56,000 acres. Houston maintains more than 100 miles of hiking and bike trails, has 337 parks, and more than 20 golf courses.

SPORTS TEAMS

Houston is home to a major league team in almost every sport:

• Baseball: Houston Astros
• Basketball: Houston Rockets
• Football: Houston Texans
• Hockey: Houston Aeros (an American Hockey League team, an affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild)
• Soccer: Houston Dynamo

EDUCATION

Houston's public schools involve 19 separate school districts. The Houston Independent School District is the seventh-largest in the country.

Institutions of higher learning include:

• University of Houston
• Rice University
• Texas Southern University
• Baylor College of Medicine
• University of St. Thomas
• Houston Baptist University
• South Texas College of Law

The city is also home to numerous community and junior colleges.