City of Houston
Houston, the fourth largest U.S. city, is the dominant urban and cultural center in the Sunbelt.
Nearly two million people live within the city limits, with the metropolitan region containing four-and-a-half million inhabitants. Like many large cities, Houston is essentially a patchwork of diverse neighborhoods, each with its own character, ethnicity, and atmosphere.
Out of 354 metropolitan areas, the millennium edition of Places Rated Almanac ranked Houston as the eighth best city in the United States in which to live. This publication takes into account, among other factors, cost of living, jobs, education, climate, crime, arts, and recreation in determining its rankings.
For more information, visit www.cityofhouston.gov/abouthouston.
Economy
Houston is home to a thriving business economy that is rapidly diversifying from its energy base. This economic diversification includes growth in high-technology industries, medical research, health care, and professional services. In fact, services account for more than two in every five jobs gained in Houston since 1988. Other growing industries include construction and public education. Houston is home to many businesses including corporate headquarters for more than 15 Fortune 500 companies.
Housing/Cost of Living
A wide range of affordable housing is available for lease or purchase in the Houston area. The choice of homes, apartments, townhouses, and condominiums is also plentiful near the Medical Center and its adjacent university campuses. According to the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association, the cost of housing in Houston is 17 percent below the national average (33 percent below areas with more than 1.7 million people).
In addition, the cost of living in Houston is five percent below the national average (15 percent below areas with more than 1.7 million people). Visit www.homefair.com for more information on relocating to Houston.
Education
The Houston Independent School District is the nation's seventh largest, with 286 campuses and an innovative "magnet" school program. There are more than 20 school districts partly or entirely within Harris County, as well as many accredited nonpublic schools.
Quality public and private childcare facilities are plentiful throughout the Houston area, including the Texas Medical Center YMCA. A choice of home- or center-based programs offers child care options ranging from family day care homes to nursery schools.
The University of Houston, Rice University, the University of St. Thomas, Houston Baptist University, and Texas Southern University are among the more than 40 colleges, universities, and institutes in the greater Houston area.
Recreation
Residents can use Baylor's athletic facility, including racquetball and basketball courts, weightlifting equipment, and aerobics classes. Throughout the year, residents participate in fun intramural sport activities.
Houston's average temperature of 68 degrees encourages recreation in its more than 20,000 acres of parkland in close to 300 parks. An aggressive tree-planting campaign has strengthened Houston's reputation as an "urban forest." Suitable for outdoor activities year-round, Houston is located 50 miles north of Gulf of Mexico beaches, and within an hour from three state parks. Lakes Conroe and Livingston to the north feature water sports of all kinds.
Also, Houstonians enjoy seasonal events such as the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and the Houston International Festival, a springtime celebration of the visual and performing arts. For film enthusiasts, WorldFest Houston, which runs for ten days each April, presents premieres of independently produced movies from around the world.
In recent years, Houston has made major strides to revitalize the downtown area, which features loft-style apartments near the Theatre District, a wide variety of restaurants and nightclubs, and state-of-the-art venues for professional baseball and basketball. Access between downtown and the Texas Medical Center is becoming easier with the addition of a light-rail system that is currently under construction.
Recreational activities for children abound, and they particularly enjoy the Six Flags AstroWorld theme park, WaterWorld, the Houston Zoo, and the Children's Museum. Space Center Houston, adjacent to NASA, is a unique, high-tech experience featuring space exploration and other varied exhibits.
Diverse shopping opportunities are also available in the Rice Village, Highland Village in River Oaks, numerous suburban malls, and the Galleria, which is one of the largest indoor shopping complexes in the nation.
Culture
Houston's cultural highlights include some of the nation's highly respected art organizations. The Houston Ballet and the Houston Symphony provide year-long, classical and contemporary works, as well as community outreach programs to area schools. The Alley Theatre, which received a Tony Award for Best Regional Theatre, is located in downtown's Theatre District, adjacent to the elegant Roy Gus Wortham Center, home to the Houston Grand Opera. The newest Theatre District venue is the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, which features the 2,650-seat Sarofim Hall and the 500-seat Zilkha Hall.
Art patrons enjoy exhibits at the Contemporary Arts Museum, the Menil Collection, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston catapulted in ranking from the thirtieth to the sixth largest art museum in the nation with the opening of the Audrey Jones Beck Building.
The recently refurbished Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park offers free performances year round including an annual Fourth of July concert and fireworks show, a jazz festival, Shakespeare in the Park summer program, and performances by Houston's premier art organizations. The Houston Museum of Natural Science, Burke Baker Planetarium, Wortham IMAX Center, Cockrell Butterfly Center, the Children's Museum, the Holocaust Education Center and Memorial Museum, and the Museum of Health & Sciences are located in or around Hermann Park, near the Medical Center.
Also, Houston is considered one of the nation's culinary capitals, with hundreds of varied restaurants representing a wide array of ethnic cuisines-many located within a few miles of the Medical Center.
Transportation
Houston is the air gateway to the Southwest, with international passenger service from George Bush Intercontinental Airport and domestic passenger service from Intercontinental and William P. Hobby Airport. As the home and hub airport for a major U.S. airline, nonstop flights are available to most U.S. cities.
Construction is underway for a state-of-the-art Metro light rail system that will provide service from Downtown through the Museum District, to the Texas Medical Center and Reliant Park, which includes the new Houston Texans football stadium and extensive exhibition facilities.