Houston Tourism Site
Houston is the largest city in the state of Texas and the fourth-largest city in the United States. The city was founded in 1836 by brothers J.K. and A.C. Allen. and was named for General Sam Houston, who served as the first president of the Republic of Texas.
Nicknamed the “Bayou City,” Houston is home to several waterways, stemming from the 1842 approval to begin digging a proposed Port of Houston and Buffalo Bayou. When oil was discovered at Spindletop in nearby Beaumont in 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt approved a one-million dollar fund for the Houston Ship Channel, and the city’s surrounding seaports would help it become a major factor in the global economy, handling more international waterborne tonnage than any city in the world.
The oil discovery at Spindletop in Beaumont, Texas, in 1901 spurred a new industry for the railroad hub of East Texas. Oil has driven the Houston economy for more than a century, and the city has become home to more than 5,000 energy companies, earning the moniker “Energy Capital of the World.”
Houston also boasts the largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions known as the Texas Medical Center. The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is located in the nearby Clear Lake area and is the control center for all of NASA’s manned space missions.
Houston is now home to 18 Fortune 500 companies, with only New York City boasting more within its city limits. The city has two airports, Bush Intercontinental Airport on the north side and Hobby Airport on the south side.
Houston is home to four major professional sports franchises: the NFL’s Texans, the NBA’s Rockets, MLB’s Astros and MLS’s Dynamo. Events are held year-round at their respective world-class facilities: Reliant Stadium, Toyota Center and Minute Maid Park. The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo is the largest rodeo in the world and is held every spring at Reliant Park.
Reliant Stadium hosted the Super Bowl in 2002 and will host the NCAA Final Four in 2011, after hosting Regionals the past two years.
Population: 2.3 million (5.9 million in metropolitan area)
Square Miles: 601.7
Elevation: 50 feet (downtown); 125 feet (highest point)
Average temperature: 69 degrees
Average rainfall: 54 inches
