About Houston / Texas Medical Center
Houston: Live in a Popular, Affordable City
What do you really know about Houston? Thanks to the folklore of the Wild West, and the popularity of Westerns and television series such as "Dallas," many people who have never been to Houston have preconceived notions of the city that are . . . well, just plain wrong.
With four million inhabitants from a variety of cultures, Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States. And the city's modern industries, lush vegetation, and thriving intellectual and cultural environment are a far cry from the "cowtown" image often associated with Houston.
Houston is an international city that is a leader in the arts, education, and health care. The same vision and entrepreneurial spirit that made Houston the energy capital of the world has given rise to global companies in a wide array of industries. On top of all the "big city benefits," Houston's cost of living and housing costs are significantly lower than is found in many other large urban areas.
Toss out any images of dusty, flat plains, because Houston is full of trees and boasts 32,000 acres of parks, public green space, and open water. Filling your free time will be a breeze, since the city offers an abundance of recreational activities, restaurants, shopping, cultural performances, entertainment, and sporting events. When considering factors such as cost of living, jobs, education, climate, crime, arts, and recreation, Places Rated Almanac ranked Houston as the third best city in America in which to live.
Houston Highlights
- Low cost of living and affordable housing
- No state or local income taxes
- Expanding economy in diverse industries
- Multicultural population of four million
- More than 30 colleges and universities
- Average temperature of 68 degrees
- Permanent ballet, opera, symphony, and theater companies
- An "urban forest" with 307 parks
- NASA's Johnson Space Center
- World's eighth largest port in terms of shipping tonnage
- 3,000 restaurants serving every type of cuisine
- Shopping galore
- Professional and college sports
- Nearby beaches and lakes
City Guides:
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About Texas Medical Center
The Texas Medical Center is one of the largest incorporated medical centers in the world, with 42 institutions including Baylor and its affiliated centers. Among its components are 13 hospitals, two medical schools, two graduate schools of biomedical sciences, a dental school, four nursing schools, a school of public health, a college of pharmacy, a hospice facility, a geriatric center, a psychiatric center, and a forensic medicine center.
Texas Medical Center Neighborhood
Baylor College of Medicine is situated in one of the most attractive areas in Houston. Located five miles south of downtown, the Texas Medical Center adjoins the landscapes of Hermann Park, Rice University, Rice Village Shopping Center, and the Museum District. The area also includes a public golf course, an outdoor amphitheater, an arboretum, fountains, ponds, and picnic and playground areas, as well as beautifully landscaped trails for hiking, biking, and jogging.
To the west, the charming Rice Village offers a wide range of shopping activities, including bookstores, locally owned boutiques, and large national shopping chains. Dining is extremely convenient in Rice Village with coffee shops, cafes, and multiple ethnic restaurants representing the cultural diversity of Houston's melting pot.
The Museum District serves as the perfect northern perimeter to the Texas Medical Center complex, containing more than 15 outstanding art, history, science, and children's museums.
About Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, the only private medical school in the Greater Southwest, is the hub of the world-renowned Texas Medical Center. For more than a century, Baylor's mission has been a commitment to excellence in medical education, research, and patient care. Located in the heart of the Medical Center, the main Baylor complex is composed of nine principal buildings, with separate structures to house the neurosciences and cardiovascular research, education, and patient care activities.
Baylor residents treat patients in seven affiliated teaching hospitals. These hospitals, with approximately 5,000 beds, admit about 131,000 patients and record 1.9 million outpatient visits each year. A unique feature at Baylor is the opportunity to train in a county charity hospital, a veterans' hospital, a children's hospital, private hospitals, and community clinics.