Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest in the United States. It is also home to the sixth largest port in the world. That port is the world leader in international trade. Houston houses more Fortune 500 companies than any other city in the United States, except New York and is the hub of medical research at the Texas Medical Center, a non-profit medical system. Though Houston has seen both economic peaks and recessions with regard to the oil industry, its theater and museum districts continue to thrive, making Houston a great city in which to spend your vacation.
Houston City Info:
- Land Area: 601.7 sq. miles (1600 sq. kilometers)
- Number of English radio stations: 14 AM; 28 FM
- Number of English television stations: 27
Houston Weather and Climate:
- Average daily temperature — Jan: 61?F; July: 94?F
- Average annual rainfall — 48 inches
- Average annual snowfall — 0 inches
Distances to other Metropolitan Areas from Houston:
- Albuquerque, NM — 771.8 miles (1242.1 km)
- Denver, CO — 894.4 miles (1439.3 km)
- New Orleans, LA — 310.3 miles (499.4 km)
- Las Vegas, NV — 1247.7 miles (2008.0 km)
- Brooklyn, NY — 1417.3 miles (2281.0 km)
- Portland, OR — 1852.6 miles (2981.5 km)
- San Antonio, TX— 201.5 miles (324.3 km).
- San Francisco, CA — 1661.3 miles (2673.5 km)
- St. Louis - 686.5 miles (1104.8 km).
- Washington, DC — 1215.3 miles (1955.8 km)
Houston Safety Phone # and Major Hospitals:
- Ambulance/Police/Fire: 911
- Bellaire Medical Center
- Ben Taub General Hospital
- East Houston Regional Medical Center
- Houston Northwest Medical Center
- Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital
- Memorial Hermann Hospital
- The Methodist Hospital
- St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital
- Texas Children's Hospital
- Texas Orthopedic Hospital
- Tomball Regional Hospital
- University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston Top Tourism Draws and Seasons:
Houston Major Shopping Areas:
Houston Major Dining Areas:
- Chinatown
- Uptown Houston
- Downtown Houston
- Heights/ Memorial Area
- Medical Center Area
- Rice Village
- River Oaks
- Montrose
- Reliant Park
- Upper Kirby District
- Theater District
Houston Famous Landmarks & Historic Places:
Houston Famous Natives and Residents:
- Dan Rather (anchorman)
- Abby Terrell (journalist)
- Beyoncé Knowles (singer/actress)
- Sheryl Swoopes (WNBA basketball player)
- Clint Black (singer)
- Roger Clemens (baseball player)
- Walter Cronkite (anchorman)
- George Foreman (boxer)
- Howard Hughes (aviator, engineer, movie producer, industrialist)
- Tara Lipinski (figure skater)
- ZZ Top (band)
- Renee Zellweger (actress)
- Andy Pettitt (baseball player)
Notable Moments in Houston History
- 1836 — Founded by John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen
- 1837 — Houston incorporated as a city
- 1839 — Became temporary capital of Texas
- 1901 — Oil discovered in the area
- 1914 — Port of Houston opened
- 1945 — Texas Medical Center founded
- 1960's — Stonewall Riots
- 1969 — NASA's Mission Control coordinates the Moon Landing.
- 1994 — Northridge earthquake
- 2001 — Tropical Storm Allison caused the worst flooding in Houston history
- 2005 — Houston housed thousands of refugees from Hurricane Katrina
Interesting facts about Houston:
- Houston is home to the largest concentration of medical research institutions and healthcare buildings in the nation, the Texas Medical Center.
- Houston, although it is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, has no zoning laws.
- Houston is famous not only for its oil production, but also for its major role in the biomedical, manufacturing and petrochemical industries.
- In 2005, the Gross Area Product for the Houston Metro Area was higher than the entire Gross Domestic Product for the country of Austria.
- Houston is second only to New York City in number of Fortune 500 companies.
- In 2006, Forbes ranked Houston as first in Texas and third in the US for being one of the "Best Places for Business and Careers"
- The city has the highest population in Texas and the third highest in the US. Of Vietnamese Americans.
- In some areas of Houston, the Chinese and Vietnamese populations are so dense, the street signs are written in English as well as Chinese and Vietnamese.
- "Houston" was the first word spoken on the moon.
- Houston's official nickname is "Space City" due to the presence of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (aka NASA's Mission Control).
- Houston's Theater District is ranked second in the country behind New York City.
- Houston is one of only 5 cities in the United States to have professional companies in five performance disciplines.
Houston Population and Demographics:
- Houston Population — 1,953,631 (as of the 2000 census)
- White — 49.27%
- Black — 25.31%
- American Indian and Alaska Native — .44%
- Asian — 5.31%
- Other race — 16.46%
- Two or more races — 3.15%
- Hispanic/Latino — 37%
- 2000 percent population 18 and under — 27.5%
- 65 and over — 8.4%
- Median age — 31
- Median household income - $36,616
Houston Colleges and Universities:
- University of Houston System
- Texas Southern University
- Rice University
- South Texas College of Law
- University of St. Thomas
- Houston Baptist University
- Houston Community College System
- North Harris Montgomery Community College District
- San Jacinto College
Houston Economy & Business — Notable Companies based in Houston:
- JP Morgan Chase
- Texaco
- Wells Fargo Banks
- Shell Oil Company
- NASA
- Citgo
- Continental Airlines
- Enron
- Men's Wearhouse
- Boeing
- Lyondell Chemical Company
- Sysco
- Smith International
- Waste Management, Inc.
- Cooper Industries
- ConocoPhillips
- A.D. Vision
- American General
Houston Hispanic Community Media:
- KEYH 850 AM
- FYST 920 FM
- KRTX 980 AM
- KLAT 1010 AM
- KQUE 1230 AM
- KLVL 1480 AM
- KYND 1520 AM
- KROI 92.1 FM
- KQBU 93.3 FM
- KTJM 98.5 FM
- KLTN 102.9 FM
- KJOJ 103.3 FM
- KOVE 106.5 FM
- KQQK 107.9 FM
- Univision
- Telemundo
- Azteca America
