Comprising a land area of 640.4 square miles (1,659 km2),[9] Houston is theninth-most expansive city in the United States (includingconsolidated city-counties). It is the largest city in the United States by total area whose government is not consolidated with a county, parish, or borough. Though primarily in Harris County, small portions of the city extend intoFort Bend andMontgomery counties, bordering other principal communities of Greater Houston such asSugar Land andThe Woodlands.
Since the late 19th century,Houston's economy has had a broad industrial base inenergy,manufacturing, aeronautics, andtransportation. Leading in healthcare sectors and building oilfield equipment, Houston has the second-mostFortune 500 headquarters of any U.S. municipality within its city limits.[14][15] ThePort of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled.[16]
Nicknamed the "Bayou City", "Space City", "H-Town", and "the713", Houston has become aglobal city, with strengths in culture, medicine, and research. The city's population comprises various ethnic and religious backgrounds, as well as a large and growing international community. Houston is themost diverse metropolitan area in Texas and has been described as the most racially and ethnically diverse major city in the U.S.[17][18] It is home to many cultural institutions and exhibits, such as theHouston Museum District and theHouston Theater District.[19]
Present-day Houston sits on land that was once occupied by theKarankawa and theAtakapa indigenous peoples for at least 2,000 years before the first known settlers arrived.[20][21][22] These tribes are almost nonexistent today; this was most likely caused by foreign disease, and competition with various settler groups in the 18th and 19th centuries.[23] However, the land then remained largelyuninhabited from the late 1700s until settlement in the 1830s.[24]
Early settlement to the 20th century
The Allen brothers—Augustus Chapman andJohn Kirby—explored town sites on Buffalo Bayou andGalveston Bay. According to historian David McComb, "[T]he brothers, on August 26, 1836, bought from Elizabeth E. Parrott, wife of T.F.L. Parrott and widow of John Austin, the south half of the lower league [2,214-acre (896 ha) tract] granted to her by her late husband. They paid $5,000 total, but only $1,000 of this in cash; notes made up the remainder." This was financed by assets inherited by Augustus's wife,Charlotte Baldwin Allen.[25]
The Allen brothers ran their first advertisement for Houston just four days later in theTelegraph and Texas Register, naming the notional town in honor of Sam Houston, who would becomePresident later that year.[12] They successfully lobbied theRepublic of Texas Congress to designate Houston as the temporary capital, agreeing to provide the new government with a state capitol building.[26] About a dozen persons resided in the town at the beginning of 1837, but that number grew to about 1,500 by the time the Texas Congress convened in Houston for the first time that May.[12] The Republic of Texas granted Houston incorporation on June 5, 1837, asJames S. Holman became its first mayor.[12] In the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County (now Harris County).[27]
In 1839, the Republic of Texas relocated its capital toAustin. The town suffered another setback that year when a yellow fever epidemic claimed about one life for every eight residents, yet it persisted as a commercial center, forming a symbiosis with its Gulf Coast port, Galveston. Landlocked farmers brought their produce to Houston, using Buffalo Bayou to gain access to Galveston and the Gulf of Mexico. Houston merchants profited from selling staples to farmers and shipping the farmers' produce to Galveston.[12]
The great majority of enslaved people in Texas came with their owners from the older slave states. Sizable numbers, however, came through the domestic slave trade.New Orleans was the center of this trade in the Deep South, but slave dealers were in Houston. Thousands ofenslaved black people lived near the city before theAmerican Civil War. Many of them near the city worked on sugar and cotton plantations,[28] while most of those in the city limits had domestic and artisan jobs.[29]
In 1840, the community established a chamber of commerce, in part to promote shipping and navigation at the newly created port on Buffalo Bayou.[30]
By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial andrailroad hub for the export of cotton.[27] Railroad spurs from the Texas inland converged in Houston, where they met rail lines to the ports of Galveston andBeaumont. During the American Civil War, Houston served as a headquarters for Confederate Major GeneralJohn B. Magruder, who used the city as an organization point for theBattle of Galveston.[31] After the Civil War, Houston businessmen initiated efforts to widen the city's extensive system of bayous so the city could accept more commerce between Downtown and the nearby port of Galveston. By 1890, Houston was the railroad center of Texas.[32]
In 1900, after Galveston was struck by a devastatinghurricane, efforts to make Houston into a viable deep-water port were accelerated.[33] The following year, the discovery ofoil at theSpindletopoil field near Beaumont prompted the development of the Texas petroleum industry.[34] In 1902, PresidentTheodore Roosevelt approved a $1 million improvement project for the Houston Ship Channel. By 1910, the city's population had reached 78,800, almost doubling from a decade before. African Americans formed a large part of the city's population, numbering 23,929 people, which was nearly one-third of Houston's residents.[35]
PresidentWoodrow Wilson opened the deep-water Port of Houston in 1914, seven years after digging began. By 1930, Houston had become Texas's most populous city and Harris County the most populous county.[36] In 1940, theU.S. Census Bureau reported Houston's population as 77.5% White and 22.4% black.[37]
World War II to the late 20th century
WhenWorld War II started, tonnage levels at the port decreased and shipping activities were suspended; however, the war did provide economic benefits for the city. Petrochemical refineries and manufacturing plants were constructed along the ship channel because of the demand for petroleum and synthetic rubber products by the defense industry during the war.[38]Ellington Field, initially built duringWorld War I, was revitalized as an advanced training center for bombardiers and navigators.[39] TheBrown Shipbuilding Company was founded in 1942 to build ships for theU.S. Navy during World War II. Due to the boom in defense jobs, thousands of new workers migrated to the city, both black, and white people competing for the higher-paying jobs. President Roosevelt had established a policy ofnondiscrimination for defense contractors, and black people gained some opportunities, especially in shipbuilding, although not without resistance from white people and increasing social tensions that erupted into occasional violence. Economic gains of black people who entered defense industries continued in the postwar years.[40]
In 1945, the M.D. Anderson Foundation formed theTexas Medical Center. After the war, Houston's economy reverted to being primarily port-driven. In 1948, the city annexed several unincorporated areas, more than doubling its size. Houston proper began to spread across the region.[12][41] In 1950, the availability of air conditioning provided impetus for many companies to relocate to Houston, where wages were lower than those inthe North; this resulted in an economic boom and produced a key shift in the city's economy toward the energy sector.[42][43]
The increased production of the expanded shipbuilding industry during World War II spurred Houston's growth,[44] as did the establishment in 1961 of NASA's "Manned Spacecraft Center" (renamed theLyndon B. Johnson Space Center in 1973). This was the stimulus for the development of the city's aerospace industry. TheAstrodome, nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World",[45] opened in 1965 as the world's first indoor domed sports stadium.
During the late 1970s, Houston had a population boom as people from theRust Belt states moved to Texas in large numbers.[46] The new residents came for numerous employment opportunities in the petroleum industry, created as a result of theArab oil embargo. With the increase in professional jobs, Houston has become a destination for many college-educated persons, most recently including African Americans in areverse Great Migration from northern areas.
In 1997, Houstonians electedLee P. Brown as the city's first African American mayor.[47]
Early 21st century
Houston has continued to grow into the 21st century, with the population increasing 15.7% from 2000 to 2022.[48]
Oil and gas have continued to fuel Houston's economic growth, with major oil companies includingPhillips 66,ConocoPhillips,Occidental Petroleum,Halliburton, andExxonMobil having their headquarters in the Houston area. In 2001,Enron Corporation, a Houston company with $100 billion in revenue, became engulfed in anaccounting scandal which bankrupted the company in 2001.[49] Healthcare had also emerged as a major industry in Houston. TheTexas Medical Center is now the largest medical complex in the world and employs over 120,000 people.[50]
Flooding has been a recurring problem in the Houston area. In June 2001,Tropical Storm Allison dumped up to 40 inches (1,000 mm) of rain on parts of Houston, causing what was then the worst flooding in the city's history and billions of dollars in damage, and killed 20 people in Texas.[51] In August 2005, Houston became a shelter to more than 150,000 people from New Orleans, who evacuated fromHurricane Katrina.[52] One month later, about 2.5 million Houston-area residents evacuated whenHurricane Rita approached theGulf Coast, leaving little damage to the Houston area. This was the largest urban evacuation in the history of the United States.[53][54]
In May 2015, seven people died after 12 inches of rain fell in 10 hours during what is known as the Memorial Day Flood. Eight people died in April 2016 during a storm that dropped 17 inches of rain.[55] The worst came in late August 2017, whenHurricane Harvey stalled over southeastern Texas, much like Tropical Storm Allison did sixteen years earlier, causing severe flooding in the Houston area, with some areas receiving over 50 inches (1,300 mm) of rain.[56] The rainfall exceeded 50 inches in several areas locally, breaking the national record for rainfall. The damage for the Houston area was estimated at up to $125 billionU.S. dollars,[57] and was considered to be one of the worstnatural disasters in the history of the United States,[58] with the death toll exceeding 70 people. Houston's lack of zoning laws allowed unregulated building of residential homes and other structures in flood-prone areas.[59] However, it also resulted in more concentrated development in already urban areas than in wetlands and suburbs.[60] Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted of Hurricane Harvey that "zoning wouldn't have changed anything. We would have been a city with zoning that flooded."[61]
On May 16, 2024, a strongderecho caused widespread damage across the city and surrounding metropolitan area.[62][63][64]
Houston is 165 miles (266 km) east ofAustin,[65] 88 miles (142 km) west of theLouisiana border,[66] and 250 miles (400 km) south ofDallas.[67] The city has a total area of 637.4 square miles (1,651 km2);[9] this comprises over 599.59 square miles (1,552.9 km2) of land and 22.3 square miles (58 km2) covered by water.[68] Most of Houston is on thegulf coastal plain, and its vegetation is classified asWestern Gulf coastal grasslands while further north, it transitions into a subtropical jungle, theBig Thicket.
Much of the city was built on forested land, marshes, or swamps, and all are still visible in surrounding areas.[69] Flat terrain and extensive greenfield development have combined to worsen flooding.[70] Downtown stands about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level,[71] and the highest point in far northwest Houston is about 150 feet (46 m) in elevation.[72] The city once relied on groundwater for its needs, but landsubsidence forced the city to turn to ground-level water sources such asLake Houston,Lake Conroe, andLake Livingston.[12][73] The city owns surface water rights for 1.20 billion U.S. gallons (4.5 Gl) of water a day in addition to 150 million U.S. gallons (570 Ml) a day of groundwater.[74]
Houston has four majorbayous passing through the city that accept water from the extensive drainage system. Buffalo Bayou runs through Downtown and theHouston Ship Channel, and has three tributaries: White Oak Bayou, which runs through the Houston Heights community northwest of Downtown and then towards Downtown;Brays Bayou, which runs along the Texas Medical Center;[75] andSims Bayou, which runs through the south of Houston and Downtown Houston. The ship channel continues past Galveston and then into the Gulf of Mexico.[38]
Geology
Aerial view of central Houston, showing Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, March 2018
Houston is a flat,marshy area where an extensive drainage system has been built. The adjoining prairie land drains into the city, which is prone to flooding.[76] Underpinning Houston's land surface areunconsolidated clays, clay shales, and poorly cemented sands up to several miles deep. The region's geology developed from river deposits formed from the erosion of theRocky Mountains. Thesesediments consist of a series of sands and clays deposited on decaying organic marine matter, that over time, transformed into oil and natural gas. Beneath the layers of sediment is a water-deposited layer ofhalite, a rock salt. The porous layers were compressed over time and forced upward. As it pushed upward, the salt dragged surrounding sediments intosalt dome formations, often trapping oil and gas that seeped from the surrounding porous sands. The thick, rich, sometimes black, surface soil is suitable for rice farming in suburban outskirts where the city continues to grow.[77][78]
The Houston area has over 150 activefaults (estimated to be 300active faults) with an aggregate length of up to 310 miles (500 km),[79][80][81] including theLong Point–Eureka Heights fault system which runs through the center of the city. Land in some areas southeast of Houston is sinking because water has been pumped out of the ground for many years. It may be associated with slip along the faults; however, the slippage is slow and not considered an earthquake, where stationary faults must slip suddenly enough to create seismic waves.[82] These faults also tend to move at a smooth rate in what is termed "fault creep",[73] which further reduces the risk of an earthquake.
The city of Houston was incorporated in 1837 and adopted award system of representation shortly afterward, in 1840.[83] The six original wards of Houston are the progenitors of the 11 modern-day geographically orientedHouston City Council districts, though the city abandoned the ward system in 1905 in favor of acommission government, and, later, the existingmayor–council government.
Intersection of Bagby and McGowen streets in western Midtown, 2016
Locations in Houston are generally classified as either being inside or outside theInterstate 610 loop. The "Inner Loop" encompasses a 97-square-mile (250 km2) area which includes Downtown, pre–World War II residential neighborhoods andstreetcar suburbs, and newer high-density apartment and townhouse developments.[84] Outside the loop, the city's typology is moresuburban, though many major business districts—such asUptown,Westchase, and theEnergy Corridor—lie well outside the urban core. In addition to Interstate 610, two additional loop highways encircle the city:Beltway 8, with a radius of approximately 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown, andState Highway 99 (the Grand Parkway), with a radius of 25 miles (40 km). Approximately 470,000 people lived within the Interstate 610 loop, while 1.65 million lived between Interstate 610 and Beltway 8 and 2.25 million lived within Harris County outside Beltway 8 in 2015.[85]
Though Houston is the largest city in the United States without formalzoning regulations, it has developed similarly to otherSun Belt cities because the city's land use regulations andlegal covenants have played a similar role.[86][87] Regulations include mandatory lot size for single-family houses and requirements that parking be available to tenants and customers. In 1998, Houston relaxed its mandatory lot sizes from 5,000 square feet to 3,500 square feet, which spurred housing construction in the city dramatically.[88]
Such restrictions have had mixed results. Though some have blamed the city's low density,urban sprawl, and lack of pedestrian-friendliness on these policies, others have credited the city's land use patterns with providing significant affordable housing, sparing Houston the worst effects of the2008 real estate crisis. The city issued 42,697 building permits in 2008 and was ranked first in the list of healthiest housing markets for 2009.[89] In 2019, home sales reached a new record of $30 billion.[90]
In referendums in 1948, 1962, and 1993, voters rejected efforts to establish separate residential and commercial land-use districts. Consequently, rather than a single central business district as the center of the city's employment, multiple districts and skylines have grown throughout the city in addition toDowntown, which include Uptown, theTexas Medical Center,Midtown,Greenway Plaza,Memorial City, the Energy Corridor,Westchase, andGreenspoint.[91]
Houston had the fifth-tallest skyline in North America (after New York City,Chicago,Toronto andMiami) and 36th-tallest in the world in 2015.[92] A seven-mile (11 km)system of tunnels and skywalks links Downtown buildings containing shops and restaurants, enabling pedestrians to avoid summer heat and rain while walking between buildings. In the 1960s,Downtown Houston consisted of a collection of mid-rise office structures. Downtown was on the threshold of an energy industry–led boom in 1970. A succession of skyscrapers was built throughout the 1970s—many by real estate developerGerald D. Hines—culminating with Houston's tallest skyscraper, the 75-floor, 1,002-foot (305 m)-tallJPMorgan Chase Tower (formerly the Texas Commerce Tower), completed in 1982. It is the tallest structure in Texas,19th tallest building in the United States, and was previously85th-tallest skyscraper in the world, based on highest architectural feature. In 1983, the 71-floor, 992-foot (302 m)-tallWells Fargo Plaza (formerly Allied Bank Plaza) was completed, becoming the second-tallest building in Houston and Texas. Based on highest architectural feature, it is the 21st-tallest in the United States. In 2007, Downtown had over 43 million square feet (4,000,000 m2) of office space.[93]
Centered on Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road, theUptown District boomed during the 1970s and early 1980s when a collection of midrise office buildings, hotels, and retail developments appeared along I-610 West. Uptown became one of the most prominent instances of anedge city. The tallest building in Uptown is the 64-floor, 901-foot (275 m)-tall,Philip Johnson andJohn Burgee designed landmarkWilliams Tower (known as the Transco Tower until 1999). At the time of construction, it was believed to be the world's tallest skyscraper outside a central business district. The new 20-story Skanska building[94] and BBVA Compass Plaza[95] are the newest office buildings built in Uptown after 30 years. The Uptown District is also home to buildings designed by noted architectsI. M. Pei,César Pelli, and Philip Johnson. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a mini-boom of midrise and highriseresidential tower construction occurred, with several over 30 stories tall.[96][97][98] Since 2000 over 30 skyscrapers have been developed in Houston; all told, 72 high-rises tower over the city, which adds up to about 8,300 units.[99] In 2002, Uptown had more than 23 million square feet (2,100,000 m2) of office space with 16 million square feet (1,500,000 m2) ofclass A office space.[100]
The Niels Esperson Building stood as the tallest building in Houston from 1927 to 1929.
TheJPMorgan Chase Tower is the tallest building in Texas and the tallest 5-sided building in the world.
TheWilliams Tower is the tallest building in the US outside a central business district.
During the summer, temperatures reach or exceed 90 °F (32 °C) an average of 106.5 days per year, including a majority of days from June to September. Additionally, an average of 4.6 days per year reach or exceed 100 °F (37.8 °C).[103] Houston's characteristic subtropical humidity often results in a higherapparent temperature, and summer mornings average over 90%relative humidity.[104]Air conditioning is ubiquitous in Houston; in 1981, annual spending on electricity for interior cooling exceeded $600 million (equivalent to $2.08 billion in 2024), and by the late 1990s, approximately 90% of Houston homes featured air conditioning systems.[105][106] The record highest temperature recorded in Houston is 109 °F (43 °C) at Bush Intercontinental Airport, on four occasions: September 4, 2000; August 27, 2011; and August 24 and August 27, 2023.[103]
Houston has mild winters, with occasional cold spells. In January, the normal mean temperature at George Bush Intercontinental Airport is 53 °F (12 °C), with an average of 13 days per year with a low at or below 32 °F (0 °C), occurring on average between December 3 and February 20, allowing for a growing season of 286 days.[103] Twenty-first century snow events in Houston include a storm onDecember 24, 2004, which saw 1 inch (3 cm) of snow accumulate in parts of the metro area,[107] and an event on December 7, 2017, which precipitated 0.7 inches (2 cm) of snowfall.[108][109] Snowfalls of at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) on both December 10, 2008, and December 4, 2009, marked the first time measurable snowfall had occurred in two consecutive years in the city's recorded history. Overall, Houston has seen measurable snowfall 38 times between 1895 and 2018. On February 14 and 15, 1895, Houston received 20 inches (51 cm) of snow, its largest snowfall from one storm on record.[110] The coldest temperature officially recorded in Houston was 5 °F (−15 °C) on January 18, 1930.[103] The last time Houston saw single digit temperatures was on December 23, 1989. The temperature dropped to 7 °F (−14 °C) at Bush Airport, marking the coldest temperature ever recorded there. 1.7 inches of snow fell at George Bush Intercontinental Airport the previous day.[111]
Houston generally receives ample rainfall, averaging about 49.8 in (1,260 mm) annually based on records between 1981 and 2010. Many parts of the city have a high risk of localized flooding due to flat topography,[112] ubiquitous low-permeability clay-silt prairie soils,[113] and inadequate infrastructure.[112] During the mid-2010s, Greater Houston experienced consecutive major flood events in 2015 ("Memorial Day"),[114] 2016 ("Tax Day"),[115] and 2017 (Hurricane Harvey).[116] Overall, there have been more casualties and property loss from floods in Houston than in any other locality in the United States.[117] The majority of rainfall occurs between April and October (the wet season of Southeast Texas), when the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico evaporates extensively over the city.[114][117]
Houston has excessiveozone levels and is routinely ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States.[118] Ground-level ozone, or smog, is Houston's predominant air pollution problem, with theAmerican Lung Association rating the metropolitan area's ozone level twelfth on the "Most Polluted Cities by Ozone" in 2017, after major cities such asLos Angeles,Phoenix,New York City, andDenver.[119] The industries along the ship channel are a major cause of the city's air pollution.[120] The rankings are in terms of peak-based standards, focusing strictly on the worst days of the year; the average ozone levels in Houston are lower than what is seen in most other areas of the country, as dominant winds ensure clean, marine air from the Gulf.[121] Excessive man-made emissions in the Houston area led to a persistent increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide over the city. Such an increase, often regarded as "CO2 urban dome", is driven by a combination of strong emissions and stagnant atmospheric conditions. Moreover, Houston is the only metropolitan area with less than ten million citizens where such a CO2 dome can be detected by satellites.[122]
Flooded parking lot during Hurricane Harvey, August 2017
Because of Houston'swet season and proximity to theGulf Coast, the city is prone to flooding from heavy rains; the most notable flooding events includeTropical Storm Allison in 2001 andHurricane Harvey in 2017, along with most recentTropical Storm Imelda in 2019 andTropical Storm Beta in 2020. In response to Hurricane Harvey, Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston initiated plans to require developers to build homes that will be less susceptible to flooding by raising them two feet above the500-year floodplain. Hurricane Harvey damaged hundreds of thousands of homes and dumped trillions of gallons of water into the city.[129] In places this led to feet of standing water that blocked streets and flooded homes. The Houston City Council passed this regulation in 2018 with a vote of 9–7. Had these floodplain development rules had been in place all along, it is estimated that 84% of homes in the 100-year and 500-year floodplains would have been spared damage.[dubious –discuss][129]
In a recent case testing these regulations, near the Brickhouse Gulley, an old golf course that long served as a floodplain and reservoir for floodwaters, announced a change of heart toward intensifying development.[130] A nationwide developer,Meritage Homes, bought the land and planned to develop the 500-year floodplain into 900 new residential homes. Their plan would bring in $360 million in revenue and boost city population and tax revenue. In order to meet the new floodplain regulations, the developers needed to elevate the lowest floors two feet above the 500-year floodplain, equivalent to five or six feet above the 100-year base flood elevation, and build a channel to direct stormwater runoff toward detention basins. Before Hurricane Harvey, the city had bought $10.7 million in houses in this area specifically to take them out of danger. In addition to developing new streets and single-family housing within a floodplain, a flowing flood-water stream termed a floodway runs through the development area, a most dangerous place to encounter during any future flooding event.[131]Harris County, like other more rural counties, cannot direct developers where to build or not build via land use controls such as a zoning ordinance by Texas law, and instead can only impose general floodplain regulations for enforcement during subdivision approvals and building permit approvals.[131]
Map of ethnic distribution in Houston, 2010 U.S. census. Each dot is 25 people:⬤ White⬤ Black⬤ Asian⬤ Hispanic⬤ Other
The2020 U.S. census determined Houston had a population of 2,304,580.[2] In 2017, the census-estimated population was 2,312,717, and in 2018 it was 2,325,502.[2] An estimated 600,000undocumented immigrants resided in the Houston area in 2017,[146] comprising nearly 9% of the city's metropolitan population.[147] At the2010 United States census, Houston had a population of 2,100,263 residents,[148] up from the city's 2,396 at the1850 census.
Per the 2019American Community Survey, Houston's age distribution was 482,402 under 15; 144,196 aged 15 to 19; 594,477 aged 20 to 34; 591,561 aged 35 to 54; 402,804 aged 55 to 74; and 101,357 aged 75 and older. The median age of the city was 33.4.[149] At the 2014-2018 census estimates, Houston's age distribution was 486,083 under 15; 147,710 aged 15 to 19; 603,586 aged 20 to 34; 726,877 aged 35 to 59; and 357,834 aged 60 and older.[150] The median age was 33.1, up from 32.9 in 2017 and down from 33.5 in 2014; the city's youthfulness has been attributed to an influx of an African AmericanNew Great Migration, Hispanic and Latino American, and Asian immigrants into Texas.[151][152][153] For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males.[150]
There were 987,158 housing units in 2019 and 876,504 households.[149][154] An estimated 42.3% of Houstonians owned housing units, with an average of 2.65 people per household.[155] The median monthly owner costs with a mortgage were $1,646, and $536 without a mortgage. Houston's median gross rent from 2015 to 2019 was $1,041. The median household income in 2019 was $52,338 and 20.1% of Houstonians lived at or below thepoverty line.
Houston is amajority-minority city. The Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, athink tank, has described Greater Houston as "one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse metropolitan areas in the country".[162] Houston's diversity, historically fueled by large waves of Hispanic and Latino Americans, and Asian immigrants, has been attributed to its relatively lowercost of living compared to most major cities, strong job market, and role as a hub forrefugee resettlement.[163][164]
Houston has long been known as a popular destination for African Americans due to the city's well-established and influential African American community. Houston has become known as ablack mecca akin toAtlanta because it is a major living destination for black professionals and entrepreneurs.[165] The Houston area is home to thelargest African American community in Texas andwest of theMississippi River.[166][167][168] A 2012 Kinder Institute report found that, based on the evenness of population distribution between the four major racial groups in the United States (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic or Latino, and Asian), Greater Houston was the most ethnically diverse metropolitan area in the United States, ahead ofNew York City.[169]
In 2019, according to theU.S. Census Bureau,non-Hispanic whites made up 23.3% of the population of Houston proper, Hispanics and Latino Americans 45.8%, blacks or African Americans 22.4%, and Asian Americans 6.5%.[149] In 2018, non-Hispanic whites made up 20.7% of the population, Hispanics or Latino Americans 44.9%, blacks or African Americans 30.3%, and Asian Americans 8.2%.[150] The largest Hispanic or Latino American ethnic groups in the city wereMexican Americans (31.6%),Puerto Ricans (0.8%), andCuban Americans (0.8%) in 2018.[150]
As documented, Houston has a higher proportion of minorities than non-Hispanic whites; in 2010,whites (including Hispanic whites) made up 57.6% of the city of Houston's population; 24.6% of the total population was non-Hispanic white.[170] Blacks or African Americans made up 22.5% of Houston's population,American Indians made up 0.3% of the population, Asians made up 6.9% (1.7%Vietnamese, 1.3%Chinese, 1.3%Indian, 0.9%Pakistani, 0.4%Filipino, 0.3%Korean, 0.1%Japanese) andPacific Islanders made up 0.1%. Individuals from some other race made up 15.69% of the city's population.[157] Individuals fromtwo or more races made up 2.1% of the city.[170]
At the2000 U.S. census, the racial makeup of the city was 49.3% White, 25.3% black or African American, 5.3% Asian, 0.7% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 16.5% from some other race, and 3.1% from two or more races. In addition, Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 37.4% of Houston's population in 2000, while non-Hispanic whites made up 30.8%.[171] The proportion of non-Hispanic whites in Houston has decreased significantly since 1970, when it was 62.4%.[37]
Houston is home to one of the largestLGBT communities andpride parades in the United States.[172][173][174] In 2018, the city scored a 70 out of 100 for LGBT friendliness.[175] Jordan Blum of theHouston Chronicle stated levels of LGBT acceptance and discrimination varied in 2016 due to some of the region's traditionally conservative culture.[176]
Before the 1970s, the city'sgay bars were spread around Downtown Houston and what is nowmidtown Houston. LGBT Houstonians needed to have a place to socialize after the closing of the gay bars. They began going to Art Wren, a 24-hour restaurant in Montrose. LGBT community members were attracted to Montrose as a neighborhood after encountering it while patronizing Art Wren, and they began togentrify the neighborhood and assist its native inhabitants with property maintenance. Within Montrose, new gay bars began to open.[177] By 1985, the flavor and politics of the neighborhood were heavily influenced by the LGBT community, and in 1990, according to Hill, 19% of Montrose residents identified as LGBT.Paul Broussard was murdered in Montrose in 1991.[178]
Houston and its metropolitan area are the third-most religious and Christian area by percentage of population in the United States, and second in Texas behind the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.[182][183] Historically, Houston has been a center ofProtestant Christianity, being part of theBible Belt.[184] Other Christian groups includingEastern andOriental Orthodox Christianity, and non-Christian religions did not grow for much of the city's history because immigration was predominantly fromWestern Europe (which at the time was dominated byWestern Christianity and favored by the quotas in federal immigration law). TheImmigration and Nationality Act of 1965 removed the quotas, allowing for the growth of other religions.[185]
According to a 2014 study by thePew Research Center, 73% of the population of the Houston area identified themselves asChristians, about 50% of whom claimed Protestant affiliations and about 19% claimedRoman Catholic affiliations. Nationwide, about 71% of respondents identified as Christians. About 20% of Houston-area residents claimedno religious affiliation, compared to about 23% nationwide.[186] The same study says area residents who identify with other religions (includingJudaism,Buddhism,Islam, andHinduism) collectively made up about 7% of the area population.[186]
Lakewood Church in Houston, led by PastorJoel Osteen, is the largest church in the United States. Amegachurch, it had 44,800 weekly attendees in 2010, up from 11,000 weekly in 2000.[189] Since 2005, it has occupied the former Compaq Center sports stadium. In September 2010,Outreach magazine published a list of the 100 largest Christian churches in the United States, and on the list were the following Houston-area churches: Lakewood,Second Baptist Church Houston, Woodlands Church, Church Without Walls, and First Baptist Church.[189] According to the list, Houston and Dallas were tied as the second-most popular city for megachurches.[189]
Debre Selam Medhanealem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church
A variety of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches can be found in Houston. Immigrants from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Ethiopia, India, and other areas have added to Houston's Eastern and Oriental Orthodox population. As of 2011 in the entire state, 32,000 people actively attended Orthodox churches.[192] In 2013 Father John Whiteford, the pastor of St. Jonah Orthodox Church nearSpring, stated there were about 6,000-9,000 Eastern Orthodox Christians in Houston.[193] The Association of Religion Data Archives numbered 16,526 Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Houstonians in 2020.[188] The most prominent Eastern and Oriental Orthodox jurisdictions are theGreek Orthodox Archdiocese of America,[194] theAntiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America,[195] theCoptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria,[196] andEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.[197]
Houston's Jewish community, estimated at 47,000 in 2001, has been present in the city since the 1800s. Houstonian Jews have origins from throughout the United States, Israel, Mexico, Russia, and other places. As of 2016, over 40 synagogues were in Greater Houston.[185] The largest synagogues areCongregation Beth Yeshurun, aConservative Jewish temple, and theReform Jewish congregationsBeth Israel and Emanu-El. According to a study in 2016 byBerman Jewish DataBank, 51,000 Jews lived in the area, an increase of 4,000 since 2001.[198]
Houston has a large and diverse Muslim community; it is the largest in Texas and the Southern United States, as of 2012.[199] It is estimated that Muslims made up 1.2% of Houston's population.[199] As of 2016, Muslims in the Houston area includedSouth Asians,Middle Easterners,Africans,Turks, andIndonesians, as well as a growing population of Latino Muslim converts. In 2000 there were over 41 mosques and storefront religious centers, with the largest being theAl-Noor Mosque (Mosque of Light) of theIslamic Society of Greater Houston.[200]
Houston is recognized worldwide for its energy industry—particularly for oil and natural gas—as well as for biomedical research and aeronautics. Renewable energy sources—wind and solar—are also growing economic bases in the city,[205][206] and the City Government purchases 90% of its annual 1TWh power mostly from wind, and some from solar.[207][208] Since the 2020s Houston has become a growing hub for technology startup firms and is the fastest growing sector of the city's economy.[209] Major technology and software companies within Greater Houston includeCrown Castle,KBR,FlightAware,Cybersoft, Houston Wire & Cable, andHostGator.Aylo,Go Daddy, andByteDance have offices in the Houston area. On April 4, 2022,Hewlett Packard Enterprise relocated its global headquarters from California to the Greater Houston area.[210] TheHouston Ship Channel is also a large part of Houston's economic base.
Because of these strengths, Houston is designated as aglobal city by theGlobalization and World Cities Study Group and Network and global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney.[15] The Houston area is the top U.S. market for exports, surpassing New York City in 2013, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. In 2012, the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land area recorded $110.3 billion in merchandise exports.[211] Petroleum products, chemicals, and oil and gas extraction equipment accounted for roughly two-thirds of the metropolitan area's exports last year. The top three destinations for exports were Mexico, Canada, and Brazil.[212]
The Houston area is a leading center for building oilfield equipment.[213] Much of its success as a petrochemical complex is due to its busy ship channel, thePort of Houston.[214] In the United States, the port ranks first in international commerce and 16th among the largest ports in the world.[215] Unlike most places, high oil and gasoline prices are beneficial for Houston's economy, as many of its residents are employed in the energy industry.[216] Houston is the beginning or end point of numerous oil, gas, and products pipelines.[217]
The Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metro area's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022 was $633 billion, making it the seventh-largest of any metropolitan area in the United States and larger thanIran's,Colombia's, or theUnited Arab Emirates' GDP.[218] Only 27 countries other than the United States have a gross domestic product exceeding Houston's regional gross area product (GAP).[219] In 2010, mining (which consists almost entirely of exploration and production of oil and gas in Houston) accounted for 26.3% of Houston's GAP up sharply in response to high energy prices and a decreased worldwide surplus of oil production capacity, followed by engineering services, health services, and manufacturing.[220]
TheUniversity of Houston System's annual impact on the Houston area's economy equates to that of a major corporation: $1.1 billion in new funds attracted annually to the Houston area, $3.13 billion in total economic benefit, and 24,000 local jobs generated.[221][222] This is in addition to the 12,500 new graduates the U.H. System produces every year who enter the workforce in Houston and throughout Texas. These degree-holders tend to stay in Houston. After five years, 80.5% of graduates are still living and working in the region.[222]
Ninety-one foreign governments have established consular offices in Houston's metropolitan area, the third-highest in the nation.[223] Forty foreign governments maintain trade and commercial offices here with 23 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations.[224] Twenty-five foreign banks representing 13 nations operate in Houston, providing financial assistance to the international community.[225]
In 2013, Houston was identified as the number one U.S. city for job creation by the U.S. Bureau of Statistics after it was not only the first major city to regain all the jobs lost in the preceding economic downturn, but also after the crash, more than two jobs were added for every one lost. Economist and vice president of research at the Greater Houston Partnership Patrick Jankowski attributed Houston's success to the ability of the region's real estate and energy industries to learn from historical mistakes. Furthermore, Jankowski stated that "more than 100 foreign-owned companies relocated, expanded or started new businesses in Houston" between 2008 and 2010, and this openness to external business boosted job creation during a period when domestic demand was problematically low.[226]
Located in theAmerican South, Houston is a diverse city with a large and growing international community.[227] The Greater Houston metropolitan area is home to an estimated 1.1 million (21.4 percent) residents who were born outside the United States, with nearly two-thirds of the area's foreign-born population from south of theUnited States–Mexico border since 2009.[228] Additionally, more than one in five foreign-born residents are from Asia.[228] The city is home to the nation's third-largest concentration of consular offices, representing 92 countries.[229]
Houston is highly regarded for its diverse food and restaurant culture.[236] Houston received the official nickname of "Space City" in 1967 because it is the location of NASA'sLyndon B. Johnson Space Center.Other nicknames often used by locals include "Bayou City", "Clutch City", "Crush City", "Magnolia City", "H-Town", and "Culinary Capital of the South".[237][238][239]
TheHouston Theater District, in Downtown, is home to nine major performing arts organizations and six performance halls. It is the second-largest concentration of theater seats in a Downtown area in the United States.[240][241][242]
Bayou Bend is a 14-acre (5.7 ha) facility of the Museum of Fine Arts that houses one of America's most prominent collections of decorative art, paintings, and furniture. Bayou Bend is the former home of Houston philanthropistIma Hogg.[251]
The National Museum of Funeral History is in Houston near theGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airport. The museum houses the originalPopemobile used byPope John Paul II in the 1980s along with numerous hearses, embalming displays, and information on famous funerals.
TheTheater District is a 17-block area in the center of Downtown Houston that is home to theBayou Place entertainment complex, restaurants, movies, plazas, and parks. Bayou Place is a large multilevel building containing full-service restaurants, bars, live music, billiards, andSundance Cinema. TheBayou Music Center stages live concerts, stage plays, and stand-up comedy.
Space Center Houston is the official visitors' center of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The Space Center has many interactive exhibits includingMoon rocks, aSpace Shuttle simulator, and presentations about the history of NASA's crewed space flight program. Other tourist attractions include theGalleria (Texas'slargest shopping mall, in the Uptown District), Old Market Square, theDowntown Aquarium, andSam Houston Race Park.
Houston'scurrent Chinatown and theMahatma Gandhi District are two majorethnic enclaves, reflecting Houston's multicultural makeup. Restaurants, bakeries, traditional-clothing boutiques, and specialty shops can be found in both areas.
Of the 10 most populous U.S. cities, Houston has the largest total area of parks and green space, 56,405 acres (228 km2).[255] The city also has over 200 additional green spaces—totaling over 19,600 acres (79 km2) that are managed by the city—including theHouston Arboretum and Nature Center. TheLee and Joe Jamail Skatepark is a publicskatepark owned and operated by the city of Houston, and is one of the largest skateparks in Texas consisting of a 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2) in-ground facility.
TheGerald D. Hines Waterwall Park in the Uptown District of the city serves as a popular tourist attraction and for weddings and various celebrations. A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Houston the 23rd most walkable of the 50 largest cities in the United States.[256]
The city has hosted several major professional and college sporting events, including the annualHouston Open golf tournament. Houston hosts the annualHouston College Classic baseball tournament every February, and theTexas Kickoff andBowl in September and December, respectively.[267]
TheGrand Prix of Houston, an annual auto race on theIndyCar Series circuit was held on a 1.7-mile temporary street circuit inNRG Park. The October 2013 event was held using a tweaked version of the 2006–2007 course.[268] The event had a five-year race contract through 2017 with IndyCar.[269] In motorcycling, the Astrodome hosted anAMA Supercross Championship round from 1974 to 2003 and the NRG Stadium since 2003.
Houston is also one of the first cities in the world to have a majoresports team represent it, in the form of theHouston Outlaws. The Outlaws play in theOverwatch League and are one of two Texan teams, the other being theDallas Fuel.
The city of Houston has astrong mayoral form of municipal government.[270] Houston is ahome rule city and all municipal elections in Texas arenonpartisan.[270][271] The city's elected officials are the mayor, city controller and 16 members of theHouston City Council.[272] The current mayor of Houston isJohn Whitmire, a Democrat elected on a nonpartisan ballot. Houston's mayor serves as the city's chief administrator, executive officer, and official representative, and is responsible for the general management of the city and for seeing all laws and ordinances are enforced.[273]
The original city council line-up of 14 members (nine district-based and five at-large positions) was based on a U.S. Justice Department mandate which took effect in 1979.[274] At-large council members represent the entire city.[272] Under the city charter, once the population in the city limits exceeded 2.1 million residents, two additional districts were to be added.[275] The city of Houston's official 2010 census count was 600 shy of the required number; however, as the city was expected to grow beyond 2.1 million shortly thereafter, the two additional districts were added for, and the positions filled during, the August 2011 elections.
The citycontroller is elected independently of the mayor and council. The controller's duties are to certify available funds prior to committing such funds and processing disbursements. The city's fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. Chris Brown is the city controller, serving his first term as of January 2016[update].
As the result of a 2015 referendum in Houston, a mayor is elected for a four-year term and can be elected to as many as two consecutive terms.[276] The term limits were spearheaded in 1991 by conservative political activistClymer Wright.[277] During 1991–2015, the city controller and city council members were subjected to a two-year, three-term limitation–the 2015 referendum amended term limits to two four-year terms. As of 2017[update] some council members who served two terms and won a final term will have served eight years in office, whereas a freshman council member who won a position in 2013 can serve up to two additional terms under the previous term limit law–a select few will have at least 10 years of incumbency once their term expires.
Houston is considered to be a politically divided city whose balance of power often sways betweenRepublicans andDemocrats. According to the 2005 Houston Area Survey, 68 percent of non-Hispanic whites in Harris County are declared or favor Republicans while 89 percent of non-Hispanic blacks in the area are declared or favor Democrats. About 62 percent of Hispanics (of any nationality) in the area are declared or favor Democrats.[278] The city has often been known to be the most politically diverse city in Texas, a state known for being generally conservative.[278] As a result, the city is often a contested area in statewide elections.[278] In 2009, Houston became the first U.S. city with a population over 1 million citizens to elect a gay mayor, by electingAnnise Parker.[279]
Houston's crime rate is one of the top three in Texas and notably higher than the national average.[282][283] Houston's murder rate jumped significantly since 2020. In 2021, nearly 500 people were murdered in the city which was almost double the murdered count in 2019.[284] Rising gang activity is blamed for the increased crime rates in the city.[285] Houston leaders are continually discussing and implementing strategies to combat crime in the city.[286][287]
Houston is a significant hub for trafficking ofcocaine,cannabis, heroin,MDMA, andmethamphetamine due to its size and proximity to major illegal drug exporting nations.[288]
In 1853, the first execution in Houston took place in public at Founder's Cemetery in theFourth Ward; initially, the cemetery was the execution site, but post-1868 executions took place in the jail facilities.[291] In 2023, the city of Houston made enforcement of an anti-food sharing ordinance a priority. This has resulted in volunteers receiving over 80 tickets, and a federal lawsuit to be filed against the city of Houston.[292][293][294][295][296]
Politics
Houston 2024 Presidential Election Results
Houston City Presidential Election Results
Houston city vote by party in Presidential elections[297]
The first Hattie Mae White Administration Building; it has been sold and demolished.
Nineteen school districts exist within the city of Houston. TheHouston Independent School District (HISD) is the seventh-largest school district in the United States and the largest in Texas.[298] HISD has over100 campuses that serve as magnet or vanguard schools—specializing in such disciplines as health professions, visual and performing arts, and the sciences. There are also many charter schools that are run separately from school districts. In addition, some public school districts also have their own charter schools.
The Houston area encompasses more than 300 private schools,[299][300][301] many of which are accredited by Texas Private School Accreditation Commission recognized agencies. The Greater Houston metropolitan area's independent schools offer education from a variety of different religious as well as secular viewpoints.[302] The Greater Houston area's Catholic schools are operated by theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
Several private institutions of higher learning are within the city.Rice University, the most selective university in Texas and one of the most selective in the United States,[308] is a private, secular institution with a high level of research activity.[309] Founded in 1912, Rice's historic, heavily wooded 300-acre (120-hectare)campus, adjacent toHermann Park and theTexas Medical Center, hosts approximately 4,000 undergraduate and 3,000 post-graduate students. To the north inNeartown, theUniversity of St. Thomas, founded in 1947, is Houston's only Catholic university. St. Thomas provides aliberal arts curriculum for roughly 3,000 students at its historic 19-block campus along Montrose Boulevard. In southwest Houston,Houston Christian University (formerly Houston Baptist University), founded in 1960, offers bachelor's and graduate degrees at itsSharpstown campus. The school is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and has a student population of approximately 3,000.
Three community college districts have campuses in and around Houston. TheHouston Community College System (HCC) serves most of Houston proper; its main campus and headquarters are inMidtown. Suburban northern and western parts of the metropolitan area are served by various campuses of theLone Star College System, while the southeastern portion of Houston is served bySan Jacinto College, and a northeastern portion is served byLee College.[310] The Houston Community College and Lone Star College systems are among the10 largest institutions of higher learning in the United States.
The Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area is served by one public television station and two public radio stations.KUHT channel 8 (Houston Public Media) is aPBS member station and is the first public television station in the United States. Houston Public Radio is listener-funded and comprises oneNPR member station,KUHF (News 88.7). The University of Houston System owns and holds broadcasting licenses to KUHT and KUHF. The stations broadcast from the Melcher Center for Public Broadcasting on the campus of the University of Houston. Houston additionally is served by thePacifica Foundation public radio stationKPFT. Commercial radio stations includeKKBQ (92.9 FM),KILT (610 AM),KILT-FM (100.3 FM),KKHH (95.7 FM),KTRH (740 AM),KROI (92.1 FM),KODA (99.1 FM),KMJQ (102.1 FM), andKBXX (97.9 FM).
Houston and its metropolitan area are served by theHouston Chronicle, its only major daily newspaper with wide distribution.Hearst Communications, which owns and operates theHouston Chronicle, bought the assets of theHouston Post—its long-time rival and main competition—whenHouston Post ceased operations in 1995. TheHouston Post was owned by the family of former Lieutenant GovernorBill Hobby of Houston. The only other major publication to serve the city is theHouston Press—which was a free alternative weekly newspaper before the destruction caused byHurricane Harvey resulted in the publication switching to an online-only format on November 2, 2017.[317] Other notable publications includeHouston Forward Times,OutSmart, andLa Voz de Houston.Houston Forward Times is one of the largestblack-owned newspapers in the metropolitan area and owned by Forward Times Publishing Company.[318]La Voz de Houston is theHouston Chronicle's Spanish-language newspaper and the largest in the area.
Houston is the seat of the Texas Medical Center, which is the largest medical center in the world,[319] and which describes itself as containing the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions.[320] All 49 member institutions of the Texas Medical Center are non-profit organizations. They provide patient and preventive care, research, education, and local, national, and international community well-being. Employing more than 73,600 people, institutions at the medical center include 13 hospitals and two specialty institutions, two medical schools, four nursing schools, and schools of dentistry, public health, pharmacy, and virtually all health-related careers. It is where one of the first—and still the largest—air emergency service,Life Flight, was created, and an inter-institutional transplant program was developed.[citation needed] Around 2007, more heart surgeries were performed at the Texas Medical Center than anywhere else in the world.[321]
TheMenninger Clinic, a psychiatric treatment center, is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston Methodist Hospital System.[322] With hospital locations nationwide and headquarters in Houston, the Triumph Healthcare hospital system was the third largest long term acute care provider nationally in 2005.[323]
Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District), the hospital district for Harris County, operates public hospitals (Ben Taub General Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital) and public clinics. The City of Houston Health Department also operates four clinics.[324] As of 2011[update] the dental centers of Harris Health System take patients of ages 16 and up with patients under that age referred to the City of Houston's dental clinics.[325] Montgomery County Hospital District (MCHD) serves as the hospital district for Houstonians living in Montgomery County. Fort Bend County, in which a portion of Houston resides, does not have a hospital district. OakBend Medical Center serves as the county's charity hospital which the county contracts with.[326]
Houston is considered anautomobile-dependent city, with an estimated 77.2% of commuters driving alone to work in 2016,[327] up from 71.7% in 1990[328] and 75.6% in 2009.[329] In 2016, another 11.4% of Houstonianscarpooled to work, while 3.6% used public transit, 2.1% walked, and 0.5% bicycled.[327] A commuting study estimated the median length of commute in the region was 12.2 miles (19.6 km) in 2012.[330] According to the 2013 American Community Survey, the average work commute in Houston (city) takes 26.3 minutes.[331] A 1999Murdoch University study found Houston had both the lengthiest commute and lowesturban density of 13 large American cities surveyed.[332] Harris County is one of the largest consumers ofgasoline in the United States, ranking second (behindLos Angeles County) in 2013.[333]
Despite the region's high rate of automobile usage, attitudes towards transportation among Houstonians indicate a growing preference forwalkability. A 2017 study by theRice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research found 56% of Harris County residents have a preference for dense housing in a mixed-use, walkable setting as opposed to single-family housing in a low-density area.[334] A plurality of survey respondents also indicated traffic congestion was the most significant problem facing the metropolitan area.[334] In addition, many households in the city of Houston have no car. In 2015, 8.3 percent of Houston households lacked a car, which was virtually unchanged in 2016 (8.1 percent). The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Houston averaged 1.59 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8.[335]
The eight-county Greater Houston metropolitan area contains over 25,000 miles (40,000 km) of roadway, of which 10%, or approximately 2,500 miles (4,000 km), islimited-access highway.[336] The Houston region's extensive freeway system handles over 40% of the regionaldaily vehicle miles traveled (VMT).[336]Arterial roads handle an additional 40% of daily VMT, whiletoll roads, of which Greater Houston has 180 miles (290 km), handle nearly 10%.[336]
Greater Houston possesses ahub-and-spoke limited-access highway system, in which a number of freeways radiate outward from Downtown, withring roads providing connections between these radial highways at intermediate distances from the city center. The city is crossed by threeInterstate highways,I-10,I-45, andI-69 (commonly known asUS 59), as well as a number of otherUnited States routes andstate highways. Major freeways in Greater Houston are often referred to by either the cardinal direction or geographic location they travel towards. Highways that follow the cardinal convention includeUS 290 (Northwest Freeway), I-45 north of Downtown (North Freeway), I-10 east of Downtown(East Freeway),SH 288 (SouthFreeway), and I-69 south of Downtown (Southwest Freeway). Highways that follow the location convention include Interstate 10 west of Downtown (Katy Freeway), Interstate 69 north of Downtown (Eastex Freeway), I-45 south of Downtown (Gulf Freeway), andSH 225 (Pasadena Freeway).[citation needed]
Three loop freeways provide north–south and east–west connectivity between Greater Houston's radial highways. The innermost loop isI-610, commonly known as theInner Loop, which encircles Downtown, theTexas Medical Center,Greenway Plaza, the cities ofWest University Place andSouthside Place, and many core neighborhoods. The 88-mile (142 km)Beltway 8, often referred to asthe Beltway, forms the middle loop at a radius of roughly 10 miles (16 km). A third, 180-mile (290 km) loop with a radius of approximately 25 miles (40 km),SH 99 (theGrand Parkway), is currently under construction, with eight of eleven segments completed as of 2018[update].[337] Completed segments D through I-2 provide a continuous 123-mile (198 km) limited-access tollway connection betweenSugar Land,Richmond,Katy,Cypress,Spring,Porter,New Caney,Cleveland,Dayton,Mont Belvieu, andBaytown .[337]
A system of toll roads, operated by theHarris County Toll Road Authority andFort Bend County Toll Road Authority, provides additional options for regional commuters. The Sam Houston Tollway, which encompasses the mainlanes of Beltway 8 (as opposed to thefrontage roads, which are untolled), is the longest tollway in the system, covering the entirety of the Beltway with the exception of a free section between I-45 and I-69 near George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The region is serviced by four spoke tollways: a set ofmanaged lanes on the Katy Freeway; theHardy Toll Road, which parallels I-45 north of Downtown up toSpring; theWestpark Tollway, which services Houston's western suburbs out toFulshear; andFort Bend Parkway, which connects toSienna Plantation. Westpark Tollway and Fort Bend Parkway are operated conjunctly with the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority.
Greater Houston's freeway system is monitored by Houston TranStar, a partnership of four government agencies which is responsible for providing transportation andemergency management services to the region.[338]
Greater Houston'sarterial road network is established at the municipal level, with the City of Houston exercising planning control over both itsincorporated area andextraterritorial jurisdiction. Therefore, Houston exercises transportation planning authority over a 2,000-square-mile (5,200 km2) area over five counties, many times larger than its corporate area.[339] TheMajor Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan, updated annually, establishes the city'sstreet hierarchy, identifies roadways in need of widening, and proposes new roadways in unserved areas. Arterial roads are organized into four categories, in decreasing order of intensity:major thoroughfares,transit corridor streets,collector streets, andlocal streets.[339] Roadway classification affects anticipated traffic volumes, roadway design, andright of way breadth. Ultimately, the system is designed to ferry traffic from neighborhood streets to major thoroughfares, which connect into the limited-access highway system.[339] Notable arterial roads in the region includeWestheimer Road,Memorial Drive,SH 6,FM 1960,Bellaire Boulevard, andTelephone Road.
METRO's local bus network services approximately 275,000 riders daily with a fleet of over 1,200 buses.[340] The agency's 75 local routes contain nearly 8,900 stops and saw nearly 67 million boardings during the 2016 fiscal year.[340] Apark and ride system provides commuter bus service from 34 transit centers scattered throughout the region's suburban areas; these express buses operate independently of the local bus network and utilize the region's extensive system of HOV lanes.[341] Downtown and the Texas Medical Center have the highest rates of transit use in the region, largely due to the park and ride system, with nearly 60% of commuters in each district utilizing public transit to get to work.[341]
METRO began light rail service in 2004 with the opening of the 8-mile (13 km) north-southRed Line connecting Downtown, Midtown, the Museum District, the Texas Medical Center, andNRG Park. In the early 2010s, two additional lines—theGreen Line, servicing theEast End, and thePurple Line, servicing theThird Ward—opened, and the Red Line was extended northward toNorthline, bringing the total length of the system to 22.7 miles (36.5 km). Two light rail lines outlined in a five-line system approved by voters in a 2003 referendum have yet to be constructed.[342] TheUptown Line, which runs along Post Oak Boulevard inUptown,[343] was under construction as abus rapid transit line—the city's first—while theUniversity Line has been postponed indefinitely.[344] The light rail system saw approximately 16.8 million boardings in fiscal year 2016.[340]
Amtrak's thrice-weekly Los Angeles–New OrleansSunset Limited serves Houston at astation northwest of Downtown. There were 14,891 boardings and alightings in FY2008,[345] 20,327 in FY2012,[346] and 20,205 in FY2018.[347] A dailyAmtrak Thruway connects Houston with Amtrak's Chicago–San AntonioTexas Eagle atLongview.[348]
Cycling
Houston has the largest number of bike commuters in Texas with over 160 miles of dedicated bikeways.[349] In 2015, Downtown Houston added a cycle track on Lamar Street, running fromSam Houston Park toDiscovery Green.[350] Houston City Council approved the Houston Bike Plan in March 2017, at that time entering the plan into the Houston Code of Ordinances.[351] In August 2017, Houston City Council approved spending for construction of 13 additional miles of bike trails.[352]
Houston had abicycle sharing system until June 2024.[353]Houston Bcycle (also known as B-Cycle), a local non-profit, ran the subscription program, supplying bicycles and docking stations, while partnering with other companies to maintain the system.[354] The network expanded to 29 stations and 225 bicycles in 2014, registering over 43,000 checkouts of equipment during the first half of the same year.[355] In 2017, Bcycle logged over 142,000 check outs while expanding to 56 docking stations.[356]
Airports
Newest part ofTerminal C, used exclusively byUnited Airlines, at George Bush Intercontinental Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), 23 miles (37 km) north of Downtown Houston between Interstates 45 and 69, is the eighth busiest commercial airport in the United States (by total passengers and aircraft movements) and forty-third busiest globally.[358][359] The five-terminal, five-runway, 11,000-acre (4,500-hectare) airport served 40 million passengers in 2016, including 10 million international travelers.[358] In 2006, theUnited States Department of Transportation named IAH the fastest-growing of the top ten airports in the United States.[360] TheHouston Air Route Traffic Control Center is at Bush Intercontinental.
Houston was the headquarters ofContinental Airlines until its 2010 merger withUnited Airlines with headquarters in Chicago; regulatory approval for the merger was granted in October of that year. Bush Intercontinental is currently United Airlines' second largesthub, behindO'Hare International Airport.[361] United Airlines' share of the Houston Airport System's commercial aviation market was nearly 60% in 2017 with 16 million enplaned passengers.[362] In early 2007, Bush Intercontinental Airport was named a model "port of entry" for international travelers byU.S. Customs and Border Protection.[363]
William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), known as Houston International Airport until 1967, operates primarily short- to medium-haul domestic and international flights to 60 destinations.[358] The four-runway, 1,304-acre (528-hectare) facility is approximately 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Downtown Houston. In 2015,Southwest Airlines launched service from a new international terminal at Hobby to several destinations in Mexico, Central America, andthe Caribbean. These were the first international flights flown from Hobby since the opening of Bush Intercontinental in 1969.[364] Houston's aviation history is showcased in the1940 Air Terminal Museum in the old terminal building on the west side of the airport. In 2009, Hobby Airport was recognized with two awards for being one of the top five performing airports globally and for customer service byAirports Council International.[365] In 2022 Hobby Airport was certified as the first 5-Star Airport in North America by Skytrax. It became the first Airport in North America to do so and just the 16th airport worldwide to receive the accomplishment.[366]
Houston's third municipal airport isEllington Airport, used by the military, government (includingNASA) and general aviation sectors.[367]
The Mayor's Office of Trade and International Affairs (MOTIA) is the city's liaison to Houston's sister cities and to the national governing organization,Sister Cities International. Through their official city-to-city relationships, these volunteer associations promote people-to-people diplomacy and encourage citizens to develop mutual trust and understanding through commercial, cultural, educational, and humanitarian exchanges.[368]
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Official records for Houston were kept at the Weather Bureau in downtown from July 1888 to May 1969, and at Intercontinental since June 1969.[123]
^abcdefghMcComb, David G. (January 19, 2008)."Houston, Texas".Handbook of Texas Online.Archived from the original on April 12, 2011. RetrievedJune 1, 2008.
^"Austin, John".tshaonline.org. June 9, 2010. RetrievedJuly 29, 2020.
^McComb, David G. (1981).Houston: A History (2nd ed.). Austin: University of Texas Press. p. 11.
^Williams, Amelia W. (August 24, 2016)."Allen, Augustus Chapman". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. RetrievedApril 12, 2018.
^abLooscan, Adele B. (1914)."Harris County, 1822–1845".Southwestern Historical Quarterly.19:37–64.Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. RetrievedMarch 18, 2016.
^"Blood and Sugar".Texas Monthly. December 21, 2016. RetrievedJuly 29, 2020.
^Collins, William J. (March 2001). "Race, Roosevelt, and Wartime Production: Fair Employment in World War II Labor Markets".The American Economic Review.91 (1). American Economic Association:272–286.doi:10.1257/aer.91.1.272.ISSN0002-8282.JSTOR2677909.
^Streetman, Ashley."Houston Timeline".Houston Institute for Culture.Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. RetrievedFebruary 6, 2007.
^Frontain, Michael (February 9, 2017)."Enron Corporation". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived fromthe original on October 9, 2018. RetrievedApril 28, 2018.
^"About Us".Texas Medical Center. RetrievedJuly 8, 2023.
^Davis, Aaron; Gillum, Jack; Tran, Andrew."How Houston's 'Wild West' growth may have contributed to devastating flooding".Washington Post.Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. RetrievedSeptember 10, 2018.Growth that is virtually unchecked, including in flood-prone areas, has diminished the land's already-limited natural ability to absorb water, according to environmentalists and experts in land use and natural disasters. ... Since 2010, at least 7,000 residential buildings have been constructed in Harris County on properties that sit mostly on land the federal government has designated as a 100-year flood plain, according to aWashington Post review of areas at the greatest risk of flooding.
^Lomax, John Nova."This Is Texas".Archived May 1, 2015, at theWayback MachineTexas Monthly. February 2013. Retrieved on April 30, 2013. "No, the rightful standard-bearer of our state—the city with the greatest number of people, of cultural happenings, of medical facilities, of gangbuster enterprises—is located 165 miles to the east of Texas's pink-granite dome." – The first part is discussing Houston. The "pink granite dome" is theTexas State Capitol in Austin.
^"Houston's Loop 610: Population".City of Houston. City of Houston Planning and Development Department. 2013.Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. RetrievedMarch 19, 2018.
^National Weather Service Forecast Office, Houston/Galveston, Texas."Public Information Statement". Archived fromthe original on December 12, 2006. RetrievedDecember 1, 2006. Retrieved on December 1, 2006.
^Labzovskii, Lev; Jeong, Su-Jong; Parazoo, Nicholas C. (2019). "Working towards confident spaceborne monitoring of carbon emissions from cities using Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2".Remote Sensing of Environment.233. 111359.Bibcode:2019RSEnv.23311359L.doi:10.1016/j.rse.2019.111359.S2CID202176909.
^Klineberg, Stephen (April 2018)."The 2018 Kinder Houston Area Survey"(PDF).Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research.Archived(PDF) from the original on April 28, 2018. RetrievedMay 28, 2018.
^Haley, John H. (Summer 1993). "Reviewed Work:Black Dixie: Afro-Texan History and Culture in Houston by Howard Beeth, Cary D. Wintz".The Georgia Historical Quarterly.77 (2):412–413.JSTOR40582726. CITED: p. 412.
^"Discover: The Astrodome". National Trust for Historic Preservation. March 28, 2013.Archived from the original on November 27, 2013. RetrievedDecember 12, 2013.
^Allen, Carol M. "What Came Before" (Chapter 1). In: Allen, Carol M. (editor).Ending Racial Preferences: The Michigan Story (Lexington Studies in Political Communication).Lexington Books, February 5, 2009.ISBN0739138294, 9780739138298, p. 23.
^"HCHD Dental Program". Harris County Hospital District. October 11, 2011. Archived fromthe original on October 11, 2011. RetrievedApril 6, 2021.
^Knipp, Bethany (November 2, 2016)."Fort Bend County lacks hospital district".Community Impact Newspaper. RetrievedOctober 18, 2021.Despite being the fastest-growing county in the state, Fort Bend County ... Harris and Montgomery counties have hospital districts, which provide a medical home
Phelps, Wesley G.A People's War on Poverty: Urban Politics and Grassroots Activists in Houston. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2014.
Pruitt, Bernadette.The Other Great Migration: The Movement of Rural African-Americans to Houston, 1900–1941. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2013.
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties ±Former CDP annexed by Missouri City ^Former CDP annexed by Sugar Land #Still active as a community, but is no longer listed as a census-designated place
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
![Texas Southern University, in the Third Ward, is the first public institution of higher education in Houston and the most comprehensive HBCU in Texas.[311][312]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNew_library_35.jpg)
![The University of Houston–Downtown, in Downtown, is the second-largest institution of higher education in Houston.[313]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aUniversity_of_Houston-Downtown_Commerce_Building.jpg)
![The University of Houston, in the Third Ward, is a public research university and the third-largest institution of higher education in Texas.[314]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aRoy_Gustav_Cullen_Building.JPG)
![Rice University, near the Museum District and Texas Medical Center, is the most selective private institution in Texas.[315]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aLovett_Hall.jpg)
.jpg)
.svg)
