The city of Houston is a large metropolitan area found in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. There are over 2.3 million residents in Houston, making it the largest city in the state of Texas, and the fourth-most populous city in the country.
While it is the largest city in the state, Houston is not the capital of Texas – that honor goes to Austin. However, Houston has been known for many things such as space exploration, the growth of modern air conditioning, its international oil and gas industry, and advanced medical research to name just a few.
What are some fun facts about Houston?
Houston, Texas has many unique facts that you may probably not know about and we’ve compiled them on a list below.
Check out some of the interesting facts about Houston:
- Residents of the city call themselves Houstonians.
- Houston has many nicknames– “Space City”, “Bayou City”, “H-Town”, and “the 713”.
- One of every four Houstonians is a foreign-born citizen.
- Houston, TX is the only major city in the nation without land-use regulations, so anything and everything can be built anywhere. As a result, Houston adopted the motto: “The City With No Limits.”
- There are more than 10,000 restaurants in Houston that you could try- making its culinary scene one of the best in the country. No wonder Houstonians love eating out!
- This city is home to the biggest medical center in the world, The Texas Medical City (TMC) which contains 54 various medical-related institutions and averages 7.2 million visitors yearly.
- Houston has more than 85 hospitals with over 19,300 beds, including those at TMC. Over 100,000 healthcare professionals work in these facilities, which account for almost 7% of the Houston-area workforce.
- Houston, Texas is a highly diverse city, which means it is home to many different cultures and ethnicities, speaking over 145 different languages.
- A pedestrian tunnel system exists in Houston that is 20 feet underground, runs 7 miles and connects 95 city blocks below ground.
- The famous Houston “Livestock Show and Rodeo” is one of the biggest festivals in the world, drawing in a crowd of over 2.5 million visitors each year.
- Houston Galleria is the largest shopping mall in the state of Texas.
- The first dome stadium ever built, the Astrodome, was built in Houston in the mid-1960s.
- You can enjoy over 20 different recreational parks in Houston, TX.
- With an average of 204 sunny days a year, Houstonians are blessed with a tropical climate.
- Houston is home to over 150 museums and cultural institutions.
- Houston covers an area of approximately 665 square miles, greater than Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, and New York.
- Houston is the biggest and most populated city in Harris County.
- Houston, Texas is known throughout the country for producing successful sports teams. Numerous sports teams from Houston have won national championships. In the last 30 years some of the titles include:
- Houston Astros World Series (2017)
- Houston Dynamo – MLS cup (2006 and 2007)
- The Rice Owls – College World Series (2003),
- Houston Aeros Hockey Team – Calder Cup (2003) and the Turner Cup (1999)
- Houston Comets – WNBA Championship four consecutive years (1997- 2000)
- The Houston Rockets – NBA Championship (1994 to 1995).
- Houstonians vote using three languages on the ballot: English, Spanish and Vietnamese
- Houston, Texas is home to 49 Fortune 1000 companies in the U.S., trailing in second behind New York with 72. There are also 24 Fortune 500 companies based in Houston.
- Aerospace & Aviation, Advanced Manufacturing, and Energy top the list of Houston’s major industries.
- Houston residents enjoy Texas’s 0% state income tax rate.
- Thrillist.com named Houston, TX as one of the most impressive American cities in 2017 because it was diverse, livable (affordable), and booming economically.
- About 31% of the population over 25 holds a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Approximately 92,000 people relocate to Houston, TX each year.
- Space City became an official nickname of Houston in 1967 because of NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center. In 1973, the year in which President Johnson died, it was renamed Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in his honor.
- Houston is the site of the first Hindu Mandir temple in the United States.
Houston Diversity
Houston has become a global city due to its growing international community and its diverse ethnic and religious population. Houston is also the most diverse metropolitan area in the Lone Star state. The city is dubbed as one of the most racially and ethnically diverse major metropolis in the U.S
Population and demographics
With 2.3 million residents, Houston is the fourth most populous city in the United States, following only New York (1), Los Angeles (2), and Chicago (3). Located in the Southwest and the South, the city is the largest in the region.
Houston’s racial and ethnic makeup will very much resemble the nation 40 years from now.
- White alone – 57.0%
- Hispanic or Latino – 45.0%
- Black or African American alone – 22.6%
- Asian alone – 6.8%
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone – 0.3%
- Hawaiian (Other Pacific Islander alone) – 0.1%
- Two or more races – 2.2%
- White alone, not Hispanic or Latino – 24%
Houston’s population is very young, in which the largest age group is those between 5 and 19 years of age (25.1%). According to Census data, Houston’s median household income is $52,338. Homes in Houston are listed for an average price of $308,000 and rent for $1,600 a month. Based on AreaVibes data, Houston has a cost of living index score of 94, which is significantly lower than the national average.
Languages, Culture, and Ethnic Diversity
Houston is a multilingual city with more than 145 different languages spoken by its citizens. In comparison, New York (192) and Los Angeles (185) have more dialects spoken. Approximately one-third of Houstonians older than five speak another language at home other than English.
In addition, there are celebrations of different cultures each year. Many signs around town contain not only English but also another language to indicate the location.
Due to a large number of different cultures in the Houston metro area, it is natural that many foreign governments hold their offices here as well. With 92 different governments represented, Houston’s consular corps is the third-largest in the nation.
How old is Houston?
Houston is 185 years old!
Contrary to popular belief the city of Houston was not founded by Sam Houston. His many accomplishments in Texas history include his victory at the Battle of San Jacinto. The city of Houston was actually founded on August 30, 1836, by the Allen brothers, Augustus Chapman and John Kirby. The Allen brothers purchased a plot of land along Buffalo Bayou shortly after Texas gained its independence. In honor of the war hero and first Texas president, they named Houston city after Sam Houston.
What is Houston most famous for?
1. NASA’s Johnson Space Center
This facility is a training and residence base for our nation’s astronauts and is where Mission Control is also located. NASA has been relying on JSC to operate human spaceflights for more than three decades. There are over 3,000 individuals who started their careers here.
Space Center Houston is the official visitor center which is NASA’s center for spaceflight activities. ‘Houston’ was the first word ever spoken from the moon in 1969. NASA’s Apollo 11 mission made the city famous when astronaut Neil Armstrong said, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”
2. The Texas Medical Center
You can find the largest medical center in the world in Houston, Texas.
The medical complex spans an area exceeding 1,000 acres. Among the various medical institutions found in TMC are:
- 21 renowned hospitals – including M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the No. 1 cancer hospital in the nation
- 13 support organizations
- 8 academic and research institutions
- 6 nursing programs
- 3 public health organizations
- 3 medical schools
- 2 universities
- 2 pharmacy schools, and
- 1 dental school
A total of 7.2 million people visit the Texas Medical City per year. It is more than the combined populations of Los Angeles, Houston, and San Francisco. Moreover, The TMC operates more heart surgeries than any other clinic or hospital in the world.
The Texas Medical Center houses 21,000 physicians, scientists, researchers, and other experts in the life sciences in 385 medical offices– the highest concentration in America. It is truly the biggest medical complex worldwide.
