Time to learn about cities.

Houston Facts

* Houston is the fourth most populous city in the nation (trailing only New York, Los Angeles and Chicago), and is the largest in the southern U.S. and Texas.
* The Houston-Galveston-Brazoria Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (Houston CMSA) consists of eight counties: Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller.
* Founded in 1836, the City of Houston has a 2003 estimated population of 2.01 million.
* The metro area's population of 4.8 million is 10th largest among U.S. metropolitan statistical areas.
* The Houston CMSA covers 8,778 square miles, an area slightly smaller than Massachusetts but larger than New Jersey.
* Houston's latitude is 29 degrees 58 minutes north and its longitude is 95 degrees 21 minutes west
* Each year more than 38 million people zip in and out of Houston's two major airports.
* Houstonians eat out more than residents of any other city. While here you can choose to indulge in one of the more than 11,000 restaurants ranging from award-winning and upscale to memorable deli shops.
* Houston has a Theater District second only to New York City with its concentration of seats in one geographic area. Located downtown, the 17-block Theater District is home to eight performing arts organizations with more than 12,000 seats.
* Houston has a unique museum district offering a range of museums, galleries, art and cultural institutions, including the City's major museums.
* Houston has more than 500 cultural, visual and performing arts organizations, 90 of which are devoted to multicultural and minority arts.
* More than 90 languages are spoken throughout the Houston area.
* Houston has professional teams representing every major sport.
* Houston is home to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The largest rodeo in the world, it attracts more than 1.8 million visitors each year.
* Houston has a young population; 37 percent of Houstonians are 24 years old or younger and 34 percent are between the ages of 25 and 44.
* Houston boasts more than 40 colleges, university and institutions - offering higher education options to suit all interests.
* Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world, with a local economic impact of $10 billion. More than 52,000 people work within its facilities, which encompass 21 million square feet. Altogether 4.8 million patients visit them each year.
* For Houstonians, 2000 was a banner year economically. Employment growth was 3 percent, or 63,000 new jobs. Per capita income rose 5 percent.
* Home to 18 Fortune 500 companies and more than 5,000 energy related firms, Houston is considered by many as the Energy Capital of the world.
* The Port of Houston ranks as the nation's largest port in international tonnage and second in total tonnage.
* Houston has the most affordable housing of 10 most populated metropolitan areas; Houston housing costs are 39 percent below the average of 26 U.S. urban populations of more than 1.5 million.
* Houston has the second lowest cost of living among major American cities.

from www.houstontx.com