THE GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP (GHP)
 The GHP site is a great place for Houston information and was a major reference for this page.
Visit houston.org for more information
BASIC INFORMATION — Numbers and more
 Houston is 579.4 square miles with a population density average of 3,897 people per square mile. Energy has had the single biggest influence on the local economy since oil was discovered at Spindletop, Texas in 1901. It is estimated that there are 3,600 energy-related companies in or around Houston. The Chemical industry is comprised of 405 chemical plants in the Houston area that employs an estimated 36,000 people.
The Johnson Space Center of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) has spawned a number of privately owned suppliers to space exploration and related programs. At one time, NASA alone employed over 17,000 engineers, scientists and administrative staff.
Houston’s medical center also employees a huge number of people — around 52,000.
Only New York City has more Fortune 500 headquarters than the City of Houston.
CLIMATE — Humid subtropical
The Houston area climate is classified as humid subtropical with the coldest month being January when the average temperature is 62.3° F. July and August are typically the hottest months when average temperatures climb to 93.6° F. Winters are usually mild with temperatures dropping below freezing for only a few days.
It seldom snows in Houston but rainfall is typically steady with February and July being the months with the least precipitation and May and June having the most. Houstonians say, “if you don’t like the Houston weather, just wait a minute and it will change.”
Houston is situated in the flat Coastal Plains about 25 miles from Galveston Bay and 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. It has been categorized as one of the top 10 most humid cities in the U.S. The area is occasionally subject to hurricane-force winds, tornadoes and supercell thunderstorms. Flooding can and does occur very quickly during severe weather.
Because of the humid subtropical climate, air conditioning systems are serious “must have” components to most building structures. To learn more about the Houston area and Texas climate Click Here.
COST OF LIVING & HOUSING — Lower than most
 Texas Ahead, the website of Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, reports monthly on the Texas economy with the on-line article "Tracking the Texas Economy – Key Texas Economic Indicators." This site has all the charts, graphs and economic information for the state of Texas you could ever need.
The website www.costofliving.net compares the cost of living in Houston to other cities in the U.S. and can be customized based on salary, housing, family size, consumption, services and travel. It’s a fun site if you want to compare towns and cities by cost of living only.
HOUSING - Holding its own
 The average rent for an apartment in Houston is around $.097 per sf. The average cost of a single family home in Houston is $163,692 compared to a national average of $196,6000. The taxing rate in 2010 per $100 valuation was $2.188 including Harris County, the City of Houston and Houston ISD. While property taxes are high, there are no local or State income taxes.
Home price appreciation has declined since 2008, Houston home appreciation dipped but not as drastically as the national average. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, national home price appreciation went from 12% average appreciation to negative 5% late in 2009 while Houston's home appreciation rate went from 6% to 2% appreciation for the same period. Houston housing varies from very modest or public housing to palatial and from single family homes and townhomes to apartments and condos. There is no zoning in Houston so commercial and residential structures can be side by side, yet, you can also find planned communities. Many areas have developed their own identity and there are small municipalities within the city such as Bellaire, West University Place, Hedwig Village, Bunker Hill Village and more. These entities have their own mayor, and council members and offer city services including police, fire and trash pick-up.
Below is an ongoing compilation of websites for Houston-area neighborhood associations and civic clubs:
RESIDENTIAL HOME FINDER
 Finding and purchasing a home in a new city can seem like a daunting task, but there are some great resources out there to help you through the process. Sheila Rhodes, through her association with Keller Williams Realty, offers a Home Finder aplication at her site. Sheila is allways available and happy to help.
CULTURAL AMMENITIES — Plentiful and diverse
Over 40 museums — from fine art and natural sciences, Houston has something for everyone including the Czech Center Museum, a Maritime Museum, the Menil Collection, the Houston Children’s Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Funeral History and the world famous NASA Space Museum.
Performing arts — not only does Houston have a variety of arts and entertainment venues such as The Houston Symphony, The Houston Ballet, Alley Theatre, The Hobby Center, A.D. Players, Theatre Under the Stars and more, but there are several schools that specialize in performing arts. Learn what’s happening in the Houston area arts scene by going to www.theaterport.com or visit the sites highlighted above.
EDUCATION — 4,100 area schools
 There are 1,177 preschools, 692 elementary schools, 360 middle schools, 245 high schools, 729 public schools and 897 private schools. This is in Houston alone and does not include outlying areas such as The Woodlands, Conroe, Katy, Clear Lake, Galveston and etc.
Houston is also home to The University of Houston, Rice University, Houston Community College, The Lone Star College System, St. Thomas University and many more public and private colleges and universities. To learn more about the numerous colleges and universities houstoneducation.com. To find a school and compare one to another based upon your own criteria go to schooldigger.com.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES - Stellar outlook
In January 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics compiled employment figures for 372 U.S. metropolitan areas and found that only 19 of the areas gained at least 10,000 jobs during 2010. Dallas and Houston, Texas topped the list. In fact, Texas gained 168,900 jobs from January 2010 to January 2011.
The overall outlook for a growing labor force is good. Texas and other southern states are attracting more workers from other parts of the country. Houston is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the U.S. It is projected that Houston will add another 2.66 million people by 2030 (projected by Woods & Poole Economics).
 The Texas Workforce Commission reported that nonfarm payroll in the Houston area averaged 2,529,500 in December of 2009 - see how diverse Houston area employment really is by visiting houston.org.
HEALTH CARE - Best in the world
 There are 43 Hospitals/medical centers in Houston alone - including the famed Texas Medical Center - the largest medical care hub in the world. The Texas Medical Center is a healing, learning and discovery medical Mecca covering over 1,000 sq. acres of land and housing 49 member institutions including academic institutions, hospitals, medical schools and nursing schools. There are over six million patient visits each year and daily visitors number around 160,000 people.
TRANSIT - By air, land and sea
Houston's freeway system is described as a 'hub and spoke' structure that has multiple loops. There are 575.5 miles of freeways and expressways within the 10-county metro area. Go to fhwa.dot.gov for a map.
 There are numerous airports for commercial, private and civil/military use. The George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is the 15th busiest airport in the U.S. and handles 40 million passengers annually while William P. Hobby airport handles 8 million passengers annually. Ellington Field is a civil/military airport and is the site of the annual Wings Over Houston Airshow. Corporate and private aircraft is also well accommodated with a number of small airfields. There are over 60 private helipads in the Houston metropolitan area. Go to houstonareaweb.com/airports/ or go to fly2houston.com for more information.
 The Houston Ship Channel (governed by The Port of Houston Authority) is a 25-mile long complex stretching from Houston to the Gulf of Mexico. Over 220 million tons of cargo are moved through the port each year. The port was the first in the nation to receive ISO 14001 compliance. Business activities related to the port generate more than $3.7 billion in state and local tax revenue. Go to portofhouston.com for more information.
FUN THINGS TO DO AND SEE - Multiple venues
| Professional sports - nine pro teams - Houston is no stranger to the roar of the crowd and the thrill of victory. Here are links to some of your favorite sports: Houston Texans (NFL football) Houston Aeros (hockey), Houston Astros (baseball), Houston Rockets (men's NBA basketball), Houston Dynamo (soccer) and the Houston Wranglers (tennis), Houston Energy (women's football) and the Texas Thunder (fast pitch softball). |
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| Diverse architecture - one of the finest collections of American decorative arts is housed in the mansion at Bayou Bend. The 14 acres surrounding the mansion are gracious gardens that are home to azaleas, gardenias and rare camellias. But, not far away is The Beer Can House, a home covered with flattened beer cans, rocks and marbles (named the best landmark in Houston in 2010). Architecture in Houston ranges from Victorian to Southwestern, Southern to modern and everything in between. |
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| Parades - like most cities, Houston has a Thanksgiving Day Parade, a Martin Luther King (MLK) Youth Parade and other holiday festivities. But, Houston is unique in that it also hosts a Rodeo Parade in prelude to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ (a 78-year tradition utilizing 24,000 volunteers). Then there's the annual Orange Show's Houston Art Car Parade where cars are decorated with anything you can glue onto or do to a car. It's a motorist's delight or nightmare, depending upon your outlook. |
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| Parks - walk the dog, jog, play tennis or golf and more—Houston's Memorial Park is nearly twice the acreage of New York's Central Park. It encompasses over 1,500 wooded acres and is used by over 4-million people each year. The park has multiple sports facilities and is open to the public. Go to memorialparkconservancy.org for more information. There are 38,992 acres of parkland and green space for Houston alone not to mention numerous dog parks, tennis centers, golf courses, biking trails, softball fields… and that's just for the public. There are a vast number of private golf courses, country clubs, swimming clubs and etcetera. Golf is a year-round sport in the Houston area. |
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| State Parks - Texas has one the most extensive and well-kept state park system in the nation. It has everything from mountains and prairies to the gulf coast and the piney woods in East Texas. Go to tpwd.state.tx.us for more information. texasexplorer.com also has a great parks guide. |
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| Space Center Houston - is the place where manned flights into outer space eventually led the U.S. to put men on the moon. Guided tours are available at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Visit "Mission Control Center", Hangar X and the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility. Visit Rocket Park to see how the rockets have changed through the years. The Living-in-Space module simulates what life may be like for those astronauts aboard the space station. A Mission Briefing Officer will tell you how astronauts live while in a space environment. Go to spacecenter.org for more information. |
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| Beneath Houston's downtown - there is a tunnel system. They're air-conditioned (that's handy in the summer) and they've got restaurants and shops. Guided tours are even available. Go to discoverhoustontours.com for more information. |
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| Galveston Island - is located just 45-minutes from Houston. Galveston, Texas has a unique presence. From its Victorian architecture to its sunny beaches, resort hotels, fine and casual dining to its shopping and entertainment venues, Galveston is 32 miles long and two and one half miles wide and, in 1900, was the target of one of the worst hurricane disasters in U.S. history. Go to galveston.com for more information. |
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| Kemah Boardwalk - is host to fifteen rides and amusements that all blend with good food, shopping and a marina. And, it's all in Kemah, Texas about 30 minutes from downtown Houston and just East of Clear Lake, Texas. Go to kemahboardwalk.com. |
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| Shopping - Houston's Galleria mall has over 24-million visitors each year and offers world class shopping, restaurants, movie theatres and even an ice skating rink. Want a private ice skating lesson? Go to simon.com for more information. There are hundreds of fine shops in the Galleria including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Macy's and on and on. There are hundreds of other shopping areas in and around Houston and each has it's own group of boutiques, specialty stores and national chain stores. KDW is helping develop the Mainstreet center in Katy, Texas (just west of Houston). |
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| Old Town Spring - Originally know as "Camp Spring," Old Town Spring is situated just north of Houston near the original rail yards that the Great Northern Railroad built in the early 1900s. Now it is an unusual grouping of shops and restaurants. Go to oldtownspring.com for more information. |
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| Conroe, Texas - A short drive north from downtown Houston puts you in Conroe, Texas who bills itself as an "urban jewel in the piney woods." Indeed the area is wooded and boasts the beautiful 22,000-acre Lake Conroe as well as the Sam Houston National Forest and the W. Goodrich Jones State Forest. There are 23 public parks and 11 golf courses, shopping, live music, restaurants plus theaters—all just a hop and a skip from Houston. Go to conroecvb.net for more information. |
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| Katy, Texas - "Small town charm with big city convenience" is a perfect description of this community just about 10-miles west of Houston. Once a hunting ground of the Karankawa Indian tribes, the Katy, Texas area became a railroad hub in 1895 and was incorporated as the City of Katy in 1945. Known for its good schools, great shopping and outlet malls, Katy, Texas is as American as apple pie with a strong and charming residential community. KDW is helping develop the Katy Main Street. |
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Restaurants & Nightlife - Houstonians are known for eating out. Houston is said to have well over 6,000 restaurants and clubs. Dining is as diverse as the city. Virtually any style of cuisine is available at nearly every price range.
There are a number of live music clubs, wine bars, cocktail lounges, Irish pubs and something Houstonians call "icehouses." An icehouse is typically a open air bar where beer and food is sold and where you can shoot hoops, play pool or toss horseshoes in a very casual and friendly atmosphere. Contrast this with some of the most chic lounges and jazz clubs and you will see that Houston is a big ole friendly place to live but not without sophistication. |
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Professional Entertainment - Entertainers like to perform here because Houston audiences are generally very receptive, appreciative and polite. Over the course of a year, you can select from a number of big name concerts. In 2011 Bon Jovi, All time Low, Lady Gaga, The Avett Brothers, Lil Wayne, James Taylor and more will be on the big stages with smaller stages and clubs attracting big name talent also. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is an outdoor venue that attracts outstanding entertainers. Local fundraising activities also attract big names from movies, TV and stage.
There are family events such as Disney on Ice, Saturday Night Fireworks at the Sam Houston Race Park and more. There are multiple film venues and film festivals, monster truck events, wrestling/boxing/kickboxing matches and too many activities to list here. To see current local events go to eventful.com. |
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SPORTS & RECRECATION—Name your activity - In addition to Houston's NINE professional sports teams, Houston has over 165 public and private golf courses—many have been designed by leading course architects. There are hundreds of public and private tennis courts. Many are indoor courts complete with air conditioning.
Biking, camping, canoeing, hiking, soccer, softball, jogging, motorcycling are just some of the prominent activities to enjoy in Houston. Fishing in lakes or in the bays and gulf is very popular along with other water activities such as surfing and sailing. |
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