Houston is a major city in Texas.
It is located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
As of December 2018, the population of Houston is about 2.3 million people. It is the fourth most populated city in the United States and the most populated city in Texas.
Houston covers a total area of 1,624 square kilometers (627 square miles).
The city has average elevation of 15 meters (50 feet) above sea level and the highest point in far northwest Houston is about 38 meters (125 feet) above sea level.
Houston was founded by land speculators on August 30, 1836, at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou (a point now known as Allen’s Landing) and incorporated as a city on June 5, 1837.
The city is named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had won Texas’ independence from Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Allen’s Landing.
After briefly serving as the capital of the Republic in the late 1830s, Houston grew steadily into a regional trading center for the remainder of the 19th century.
Following the discovery of oil at Spindletop in 1901 and other strikes in the area, Houston became the financial and supply center for the Texas petroleum industry.
Houston’s expansion continued almost unabated throughout the 20th century.
Nicknamed the “Space City”, Houston is a global city, with strengths in culture, medicine, and research.
Space Center Houston is a leading science and space learning center, the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston and a Smithsonian Affiliate museum. The center opened in 1992 and hosts more than 1 million visitors annually in its 23,225-square-meters (250,000-square-foot) educational complex. It is one of the top destinations in Houston holding the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.
The Houston Museum District is an association of 19 museums, galleries, cultural centers and community organizations located in Houston, Texas, dedicated to promoting art, science, history and culture.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science is a science museum. It was established in 1909 by the Houston Museum and Scientific Society, an organization whose goals were to provide a free institution for the people of Houston focusing on education and science. Museum attendance totals over two million visitors each year.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is one of the largest museums in the United States. The permanent collection of the museum spans more than 6,000 years of history with approximately 64,000 works from six continents. Each year, 1.25 million people benefit from museum’s programs, workshops and resource centers. Of that total, more than 500,000 people participate in the community outreach programs.
The Houston Zoo is a 22-hectare (55-acre) zoological park located within Hermann Park in Houston. The zoo houses over 6,000 animals from 900 species. It receives about 2.5 million visitors each year and is the second most visited zoo in the United States.
Downtown Aquarium is a public aquarium and restaurant in Houston. It was developed from two Houston landmarks: Fire Station No. 1 and the Central Waterworks Building. The aquarium is located on a 2.4-hectare (6-acre) site at 410 Bagby Street in downtown Houston. It houses over 200 species of aquatic animals in 1,900,000 liters (500,000 US gallons) of aquariums. The complex includes two restaurants, a bar, and banquet facilities.
Discovery Green is a 4.77-hectare (11.78-acre) public urban park in Downtown Houston, bounded by La Branch Street to the west, McKinney Street to the north, Avenida de las Americas to the east, and Lamar Street to the south. Discovery Green features a lake, bandstands and venues for public performances, two dog runs, a playground, and multiple recreational lawns.
Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District and offers year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.
While it is often overlooked by tourists, Houston’s street art, or what many people know as graffiti, is outstanding, with installations by some of the top names in street art throughout the US and around the world, including COPE2 and Houston’s own Gonzo247.
Houston’s cuisine is one of the city’s true highlights, with possibilities that range from traditional southern dishes to Latin American, Asian, Mexican, and countless other cultural specialties. Chefs in Houston have put the city on the culinary map of America, and dining in this city is a treat.
Leading in healthcare sectors and building oilfield equipment, Houston has the second most Fortune 500 headquarters of any U.S. municipality within its city limits (after New York City).
Houston has the fifth-tallest skyline in North America (after New York City, Chicago, Toronto and Miami).