Where is houston

Mayor Sylvester Turner. Smart City Houston. NOV OCT DEC JAN Tweets by HoustonTX. City Hall Houston has a strong mayor form of government.

More City Hall. More Social Media. Unemployment Rate. Median Income. Median Home Price. Median Age. Comfort Index Climate. Not only is the population huge, but the area includes 10 counties covering some square miles and spreads some 50 miles in each direction.

Read More about Houston. Houston is a national and world center for the petroleum and petrochemical industry, but also shines as a general corporate center; local companies include Continental Airlines, Browning Ferris Industries, Waste Management, MinuteMaid owned by Coca-Cola , and American General insurance. There is a considerable amount of banking and general commerce and trade in the area, driven in part by the large port facility and the petrochemical industry.

The city grew in a fairly haphazard manner, with skyscraper complexes downtown and satellite corporate centers on the periphery. To the west along the I inner beltway, the commercial center and satellite downtown area known as the Galleria contains a gigantic mall with over stores and large office complexes. Both of these core areas feature a very modern skyline and the latest in transportation conveyances. So much commercial activity is actually done on the periphery that downtown — if you can get there — is relatively pleasant, uncrowded and attractive.

Suburbs spread in all directions and particularly to the west, southwest, northwest and north. Areas southeast are older, more built up, industrial, and constrained by Galveston Bay. The heavier industry is east and southeast in a 25 miles industrial corridor towards Texas City. Baytown, to the east and at the head of Galveston Bay, is a major oil refining and petrochemical center dominated by Exxon-Mobil.

Farther west along the coast lies the industrial center of Freeport in Brazoria County, an enormous petrochemical and mineral processing center, with numerous beach houses built up on stilts up and down the coast and a corridor of small towns and residential areas spread back north towards Houston. Cultural amenities are excellent and include performing arts, museums, and a variety of entertainment options.

The Texas Medical Center is a leading-edge facility including 39 centers and employing 50, healthcare professionals. Although there are some lakes and the Gulf is 50 miles away, the area is notably lacking in outdoor recreational opportunities and the landscape is relatively featureless.

Cost of living is notably low for a big city, and excellent housing is available. The Houston landscape mainly is a flat, treeless plain crossed by several small streams and rivers, with a little more relief and some wooded areas to the north and northeast. The climate is humid subtropical with a marine influence. High relative humidity makes these temperatures uncomfortable—air-conditioning is a must.

And be sure to visit the Exploring Houston page for quick links to many more featured places to go and things to do which celebrate the uniqueness of our City. You can enjoy Houston's outstanding performing and visual arts venues. Try one of the countless restaurants available, offering cuisine in everything from Tex Mex and South American to Middle Eastern and Vietnamese.

For sports fans we have local teams representing all major sports.