Houston is amulticultural city with a thriving international community supported by the third largest concentration of consular offices in the United States, representing 86 nations.[1] In addition to historicalSoutheast Texas culture, Houston became thefourth-most populous city in the United States.[1] Officially, Houston isnicknamed the"Space City" as it is home toNASA'sLyndon B. Johnson Space Center, whereMission Control Center is located. "Houston" was the first word spoken on theMoon.[2] Many locals refer to Houston as"Bayou City." Other nicknames include"H-Town","Clutch City", and"Magnolia City".[3]
About 145 languages are regularly spoken in the Houston area.[4] Some neighborhoods with high populations of Vietnamese and Chinese residents have Chinese and Vietnamese street signs in addition to English ones. Houston has twoChinatowns—the original located inEast Downtown and the other alongBellaire Boulevard in the southwest area of the city. The city also has aLittle Saigon inMidtown and Vietnamese businesses located in the southwest Houston Chinatown.[citation needed]
There are many popular events held in the city celebrating cultures of Houstonians. The largest is the annualHouston Livestock Show and Rodeo that is held over 20 days from late February through early March. The event begins with trail rides that originate from several points throughout the state, all of which convene atReliant Park for a barbecue cook-off. The rodeo includes typical rodeo events, as well as concert performances from major artists and carnival rides. Other events held annually include theHouston Greek Festival and Houston International Festival.
Anna Rohleder ofForbes said "Among Houston's wealthy denizens, social life centers on charity events and the arts."[5]
Houston'sTheater District is ranked second in the country (behind New York City) in the number of theatre seats in a concentrated downtown area with 12,948 seats for live performances and 1,480 movie seats.[6] The Theater District is located in the heart of downtown and is home to nine of Houston'sperforming arts organizations and six performance halls. Houston is one of only five cities in the United States with permanent professional resident companies in all of the major performing arts disciplines: opera (Houston Grand Opera), ballet (Houston Ballet), music (Houston Symphony Orchestra), and theatre (Alley Theatre).[7] The city has visual andperforming arts organizations, along with a dose of homegrownfolk art such asArt Cars.[8] The city is a stop for touring companies from Broadway, concerts, shows, and exhibitions for a variety of interests, ranging from the nation's largest quilting show to auto, boat, home, and gun shows.
Houston's theatre scene is far larger than the Theatre District, with more than 30 professional, regional, and community theatre companies producing full seasons of theatrical productions. The most notable being theAlley Theatre, founded in 1947, the Alley is the only theatre in Texas to win theTony Award for best Regional Theatre and is the third oldest professional theatre in America. The Alley produces a variety of classical and modern works annually. Throughout its history the Alley has produced numerous world premiers and productions that transferred to Broadway.Theatre Under the Stars, is Houston's premier musical theatre company, which performs in residence at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and produces an admission free musical every summer atMiller Outdoor Theatre. Other notable theaters includeThe Ensemble Theatre, which gives voice to the African-American community andTalento Bilingüe de Houston, which spotlights playwrights and actors who express the Latino experience in America. Other significant theatres includeMain Street Theater, with its broad spectrum of classical and contemporary classics, the quirkyTheatre Suburbia, which has developed a reputation in the Houston arts community for showcasing local playwrights emphasizing a peculiarly Texas perspective,Stages Repertory Theatre, which focuses on bringing original works and regional premiers to Houston, Catastrophic Theatre Company, a "pay what you can company" that produces experimental theatre, Stark Naked Theatre, a theatre company founded by actors to empower their own work, and Mildred's Umbrella Theatre, which showcases plays featuring strong females.
Adjacent to the Texas Medical Center is theMuseum District, which is home to most of the city's major museums: the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston; the Cullen Sculpture Garden; theHouston Museum of Natural Science; theHolocaust Museum Houston; the Children's Museum of Houston; Lawndale Art Center; theHouston Zoo; the John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science; andThe Menil Collection.
Space Center Houston is the official visitors’ center ofNASA'sLyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Space Center Houston includes many interactive exhibits—includingMoon rocks and aSpace Shuttle simulator—in addition to special presentations that tell the story of NASA's crewed space flight program.
TheTheater District, a 17-block area in the heart of downtown Houston, is home to Bayou Place Entertainment Complex, restaurants, movies, plazas, and parks. Bayou Place is a large multilevel building that is home to restaurants, bars, live music,billiards, theatres, and art house films. The Houston Verizon Wireless Theatre stages a variety of liveconcerts and the Angelika Theatre presents the latest in art, foreign, andindependent films.
Houston is home to many parks includingHermann Park, which houses theHouston Zoo and theHouston Museum of Natural Science, andMemorial Park. What was once the Houston Civic Center was replaced by theGeorge R. Brown Convention Center, one of the nation's largest; and theJesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, home of theHouston Symphony Orchestra. The Sam Houston Coliseum and Music Hall have been replaced by the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.
Othertourist attractions includethe Galleria, Texas'largestshopping mall located in the Uptown District;[9] Old Market Square;Tranquility Park; and Sam Houston Historical Park, which contains restored homes (built between 1823 and 1905) and reconstructed buildings. TheSan Jacinto Battlefield is in the nearby city ofDeer Park.
Houston is home to professional franchises for four major team sports: theHouston Astros ofMajor League Baseball (MLB), theHouston Rockets in theNational Basketball Association (NBA), theHouston Texans in theNational Football League (NFL), andHouston Dynamo FC inMajor League Soccer (MLS). Houston is also host to theHouston Dash of theNational Women's Soccer League. Additionally, several of Houston's universities participate in collegiate sports.
TheHouston Astros currently compete in theWest Division of the MLB'sAmerican League. The Astros were established in 1962 as the Houston Colt .45s and entered theNational League as an expansion team. The current name was adopted three years later, when the team moved into theAstrodome, nicknamed by fans as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". In2000, the Astros moved intoDaikin Park, where they have played ever since.[10] In2005 the Astros made their firstWorld Series appearance, where they were swept in four games by theChicago White Sox. In 2011, businessmanJim Crane purchased the team and moved the Astros to the American League, where they first competed in2013.[11] Since the mid 2010s, the Astros have become one of the MLB's most successful clubs, winning over 100 games in four seasons, appearing in six consecutive American League Champion Series, and winning four American League Penants. The Astros won their first World Series in 2017 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They appeared in the2019 World Series against theWashington Nationals and in2021 against theAtlanta Braves. In2022, the Astros beat thePhiladelphia Phillies to claim their second World Series title. The Astros are the only team to win a postseason series in six straight seasons.
TheHouston Texans currently play in the NFL'sAmerican Football Conference (AFC)Southern division. They currently play home games atNRG Stadium The Texans were founded in 1999 and first played in 2002 as anexpansion team. Houston previously hosted an NFL franchise, theHouston Oilers, from 1960 to 1969 until they moved toNashville and became theTennessee Titans. The Texans are the youngest franchise currently competing in the NFL.[12] The Texans won first division championship in 2011, and won the AFC South Division Championship in2012,2015,2016,2018,2019. They are one of four franchises that have never appeared in a Super Bowl.[13]
TheHouston Rockets are a member of the NBA'sWestern ConferenceSouthern Division, playing home games at theToyota Center. Established in 1967 as the San Diego Rockets, the team relocated to Houston in 1971. The Rockets have won twoNBA championships: one in1994 against theNew York Knicks, and again in1995 against theOrlando Magic. They have also won four Western Conference titles. TheHouston Comets of theWomen's National Basketball League were active from 1997 until their dissolution in 2008. The team was considered the league's first dynasty,[14] winning the most championships of any WNBA franchise along with theMinnesota Lynx. Several of the team's members, such asCynthia Cooper,Sheryl Swoopes andTina Thompson are considered among the greatest WNBA players of all time.[15] The team was disbanded by the league during theGreat Recession after new ownership could not be found.[16]
Professional soccer came to Houston in 2005 with the establishment ofHouston Dynamo FC, which competes in theWestern Conference of the MLS. Previously, the club competed as theSan Jose Earthquakes before moving to Houston. The club currently plays at PNC Stadium in East Downtown Houston. In 2013, the Dynamo announced that the club had secured an expansion franchise with the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).[17] The team, named theHouston Dash, began competing in the NWSL's2014 season.
Houston was previously home to twoprofessional ice hockey teams, both called the Houston Aeros. The first iteration of theHouston Aeros played in theWorld Hockey Association from 1972 until folding in 1978 after an unsuccessful bid to join the NHL. The second iteration of theHouston Aeros played in theInternational Hockey League from 1994 to 2001 and theAmerican Hockey league from 2001 until the team's relocation toDes Moines, Iowa where they began the2013-14 AHL season as theIowa Wild. Houston has never fielded aNational Hockey League (NHL) team. In 1998, former Houston Rockets ownerLeslie Alexander made an unsuccessful attempt to relocate the NHL'sEdmonton Oilers to Houston.[18] In recent years, prominent figures in the city have expressed interest in bringing the NHL to Houston, such as current Rockets ownerTilman Fertitta.[19] In 2017The Athletic reported that Fertitta met with NHL representatives to discuss the viability of an NHL team in Houston. While he denied that any teams would be relocating to the city, NHL commissionerGary Bettman said, "If Houston were to express an interest in having an NHL franchise, under the right circumstances, it's something we might want to consider."[20] Former Houston Texansdefensive endJ.J. Watt has also expressed interest in NHL coming to Houston.[21] Media has speculated that theArizona Coyotes would be the most likely candidate for relocation to Houston after the city ofGlendale announced it would not renew the Coyotes lease at theGila River Arena, though representatives for the NHL denied the claims.[22]
Houston hostedSuper Bowl VIII in 1974,Super Bowl XXXVIII 30 years later in 2004, andSuper Bowl LI in 2017 (making it the only Texas city to host the Super Bowl three times), the1989 NBA All-Star Game, the1981,1986,1994 and1995 NBA Finals (The hometownHouston Rockets winning the latter 2),2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game,Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004,2005 World Series, the 2005Big 12 Conference championship game, the2006 NBA All-Star Game, and theTennis Masters Cup in 2003 and 2004, and the annualShell Houston Open.[citation needed] The city hosts the NCAA College Baseball Minute Maid Classic every February. Houston formerly hosted the NCAA football'sHouston Bowl in December, but now hosts theTexas Bowl in January.
In early 2006, theChamp Car auto racing series returned to Houston for a yearly race, held on the streets of theReliant Park complex. The city had previously been home to a Champ Car round from 1998 to 2001.
Daikin Park (home of the Astros),Shell Energy Stadium (home of the Dynamo and Dash) andToyota Center (home of the Rockets) are located downtown. The city has the first domed stadium in the United States, theAstrodome, and also holds the NFL's first retractable roof stadium –Reliant Stadium. Other sports facilities in Houston areHofheinz Pavilion,Reliant Astrodome,Robertson Stadium, andRice Stadium. The now infrequently used Reliant Astrodome hostedWorld Wrestling Entertainment'sWrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, 2001.[23]
Greater Houston metropolitan area is served by a public television station and one public radio station.KUHT (HoustonPBS) is aPBS member station and the first public television station in the United States. Houston Public Radio is listener-supported radio with oneNPR member station,KUHF (KUHF News). TheUniversity of Houston System owns and holds broadcasting licenses to KUHT and KUHF. The stations broadcast from the Melcher Center for Public Broadcasting, located on the campus of theUniversity of Houston.
Houston is served by theHouston Chronicle, its only major daily newspaper with wide distribution. The Hearst Corporation, which owns and operatesThe Houston Chronicle, bought the assets of theHouston Post—its long-time rival and main competition—when it ceased operations in 1995.[24] The only other major publication to serve the city is theHouston Press, anonline newspaper covering arts and culture.Houston Press previously published analternative weekly until 2017, when it moved to an online-only format[25]
KTRK'sMarvin Zindler became a recognized television journalist throughout the United States in the 1970s. His week-long exposé on the Chicken Ranch brothel became the basis for the Broadway musicalThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and his consumer and health reports on local restaurants, usually focusing on the presences of cockroaches and rats,[26] have made the phrase "slime in the ice machine" immediately recognizable to any local.[27]
KHOU-TV's investigative team, "The 11 News Defenders", began an investigation into the failure of Firestone Wilderness AT tires on several vehicles (including the Ford Explorer). These reports garnered the station and the team of Anna Werner, investigative producer David Raziq, and investigative photojournalist/editor Chris Henao several national awards, including the Edward R. Murrow, George Foster Peabody, and Columbia University DuPont Award.[citation needed] Among the journalists who have worked for KHOU, the best known are former CBS Evening News anchorDan Rather,Linda Ellerbee, andJessica Savitch.
KXLN Houston's Spanish language Univision and its "En Su Defensa" (in your defense) segments have garnered regional acclaim,[citation needed] and "En Su Defensa" month was proclaimed by MayorBill White in 2004. Led by Investigative reporter Patricio Espinoza, the segment generated strong community following and historic ratings along with several Emmy awards through 2005.[citation needed]
Automobiles of all kinds have had enormous influence on Houston culture, largely a result of the urban sprawl and sparse public transportation that has followed the dismantling of the city's former trolley system. Many of the Houston'sbusiness districts, such asUptown andGreenspoint began their development asedge cities. Furthermore, many notable neighborhoods began asstreetcar suburbs, including theHeights andSharpstown.
Car culture is often celebrated by residents, especially during the annualArt Car Parade where many uniquely modified cars are paraded through the Heights neighborhood. Another car culture celebrated in Houston is the slab culture,[28] usually found in Houston'sinner city neighborhoods (including former Houston-area suburban communities, e.g., South Park, Sunnyside, Acres Homes, and enclaves in Missouri City). The cars used for slabs are usually restored and/or customized full-size GM vehicles (Cadillac Fleetwood,Eldorado,Buick, or a restoredOldsmobile, e.g., Cutlass,Delta 88). The slab culture is associated withHouston hip-hop musicians.[28]
Although Houston is considered acar dependent city,[29] in recent years the city has made investments inpublic transportation.[30] TheMetropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County operatesbus,light rail,bus rapid transit, HOV and HOT lanes, andparatransit services in the city andHarris County at large.METRORail, Houston's light rail system opened in 2004,[31] and today operates three lines across 22.7-miles (36.5 km) of tracks throughout the city.[32][33]
As of 2018[update], in English, theprepositions up, down, out, and over are used, by residents of Houston, to refer to traveling to points, within about a 100 miles (160 km) radius: north (Conroe), south (Galveston), west (Katy), and east (Baytown andBeaumont). The modifier "way" as in "way out" may be used for more distant points such asBrookshire andCrosby.[34]
Author James W. Corder wrote inYonder: Life on the Far Side of Change that he adhered to the said prepositions no matter how far away a place was. John Nova Lomax ofTexas Monthly stated that he typically did not adhere to the prepositions for more distant cities of about 100 miles (160 km), and/or at least about one to two hours driving distance, away, especially in regards to east-west travel (for example to thestate of Louisiana, thecity of New Orleans, andSan Antonio), while he continued to use the prepositions for further-out places to the north and south (such asCorpus Christi,Dallas, and theRio Grande Valley).[34]
Houston has a lively music scene and while it can claim no broad genre as its own, it has been fertile ground for thedevelopment of niche styles in American blues and Latin music --- a tradition that continues today with a uniquelydistinctive regional style emerging in Houston's rap music community.
Houston's reputation as a mature center for classical music is the product of more than a century of dedication and community support. TheHouston Symphony (founded in 1913), is the largest and best-known of the city's professional orchestras, but they are hardly the only option. Other significant orchestras include Mercury Houston, Ars Lyrica, and theRiver Oaks Chamber Orchestra, as well as outstanding academic orchestras at the Rice UniversityShepherd School of Music and the University of HoustonMoores School of Music (home to the 800-seat Moores Opera House).
A full season of operas is performed in the downtown Theatre District byHouston Grand Opera,[35] while a smaller community-based opera company (Opera in the Heights) performs inLambert Hall. Operas are also performed each spring and fall at both theShepherd School of Music and theMoores School of Music.Houston Grand Opera performs at least one free show each summer at theMiller Outdoor Theatre.
For classical choral music, Houston has several active groups, including Cantare Houston, the Houston Boychoir, Houston Ebony Music Society (also known as the Houston Ebony Opera Guild)[36] and theGrammy Award-winningHouston Chamber Choir.[37] The city is also home to one of the finest collegiate choral ensembles in the country, the UH Moores School of Music Concert Chorale.[38]
As long as there's been popular music in America, there have been musicians who grew and developed in Houston contributing their own brand to the American cultural milieu. Pop icons from Houston includeHilary Duff, R&B singersSolange andBeyoncé, rockersZZ Top, country legendKenny Rogers, blues masterLightnin' Hopkins, tejano superstarSelena and the folksy country songwriterLyle Lovett, among hundreds of others.
Blues music developed throughout theSouthern United States where several areas developed distinctive regional sounds. Houston's distinctive sound grew in the 1920 with early influencers likeLightnin' Hopkins andT-Bone Walker.[39] The sound matured over the next 50 years, during which it became known asTexas blues. The style would gain international notoriety in the modern era when it was adopted by popular regional rockersStevie Ray Vaughan andZZ Top, among others.[39][40][41]
Tejano is perhaps the most misunderstood of popular Houston musical styles because it is often classified as a style of Latin music, although the word "tejano" means Texan, reflecting the genre's roots in southern and central Texas during the 19th century. ModernTejano music is usually a fusion style, combining the common historical elements of conjunto styles based around theaccordion andbajo sexto with popular American styles --- most often country, R&B or rock. Within tejano music, Houston forged a distinctively modern sound that began with pop and rock fusions using electronic keyboards and synthesizers. The style was popularized in the 1980s and 1990s by the Grammy-award-winning Houston tejano bandLa Mafia, but which was thrust into a national and international spotlight by young female performerSelena. Selena's younger brother, A.B. Quintanilla, through his bandKumbia Kings would further push the Houston style of tejano even further by fusing it with hip-hop to create songs that appealed to a younger, more urban audience.[42][43]
Ben Westhoff, author ofDirty South: Outkast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers who Reinvented Hip-Hop, said that Houston is geographically isolated from other cities that have rap music traditions, so Houstonrap music has its own slang and sound which does not "translate" in other regions. Many DJs like to severely slow down music and repeat lines several times, a style known as "chopped and screwed". The originator of "Chopped and Screwed" style music was the late Dj Screw. Screw began making this type of music while under the influence of promethazine with codeine cough syrup, the drinking of which is now heavily popularized in hip-hop culture. Westhoff says that the style, which slurs the speeches of the rappers, gives the music an "extraterrestrial quality."[44]Bounce music also became popular inHouston in the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina.[45] The popular music genre ofPhonk mostly originated in Houston and in the city ofMemphis, however the sub genre of drift phonk has its origins from Russia.[46]
Houston has acountry music scene.[47]
Zydeco was developed in Houston by black Creole people that crossed theSabine River from southwest Louisiana in the mid-20th century.[48]
The Ladies Reading Group of Houston was a significant founder of the public library system in Houston. Elizabeth Long, the author of the 2003 bookBook Clubs: Women and the Uses of Reading in Everyday Life, wrote that Houston's "literary scene" contributes and draws upon the overall literary culture of Texas.[49] TheUniversity of Houston creative writing program opened in 1979. Long wrote that this program "has achieved a national reputation" in subsequent decades.[49] In 1985 the Ladies Reading Club had a 100th anniversary celebration.[49]
The City of Houston designated its first Poet Laureate in April 2013, naming Gwendolyn Zepeda to the post.[50] In April 2015, Dr. Robin Davidson became Houston's second Poet Laureate.[50] In April 2017,Deborah Mouton became Houston's third Poet Laureate.[51] In April 2019, Leslie Contreras Schwartz became Houston's fourth Poet Laureate.[52]
In 2016, Dr. Robin Davidson announced that the office of the Poet Laureate was accepting submissions for an anthology of Houstonian's favorite poems.[53] The project was conceived as a local version of the nationalFavorite Poem Project that had been founded in 1997 byU.S. Poet LaureateRobert Pinsky.
By 2005USA Today referred to Houston as "the dining-out capital of the nation." Houstonians ate out at restaurants more often than residents of other American cities, and Houston restaurants have the second lowest average prices of restaurants of major cities.[54]Tex-Mex cuisine,Cajun cuisine andLouisiana Creole cuisine are very popular in Houston. ManyMexican cuisine restaurants in Houston have aspects that originate from Texas culture.[55]
As of 2014[update] the Houston area has relatively fewer nationalchain restaurants compared to other U.S. metropolitan areas due to the number of established local restaurant operations. Famous restaurateurs includeJim Goode andNinfa Laurenzo as well as the families ofMolina's,Pappas Restaurants,Carrabbas, and the Mandola's restaurants.[56]
Members of the oil and gas industry are representatives of most of the boards of Houston's arts bodies, charities, and museums. The energy companies spent funds in order to make Houston a more attractive community for their employees to live in.[57]
Houston includes Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, and other religious groups.
Houston has one of the largest and most diverse gay communities in the nation.[citation needed]
The city has variousYMCAs under the YMCA of Greater Houston.[58]
Additionally there is aYWCA, the Gateway Branch.[59] The YWCA opened the Masterson YWCA in 1981. It had 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) of space.[60] Located near theHouston Heights, it was named after a donor, Carroll Masterson, and designed by Taft & Associates. By 2001 theHouston Chronicle reported that the building was in massive disrepair.[61] It closed circa 2005 and in 2006 the YWCA sold the facility to the YMCA for $6.8 million.[60]
Books about the culture of Houston:
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)YWCA Houston 6309 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. • Houston, TX 77021
