Houston has been named No. 1 on enough lists recently to confirm what long-time Houstonians already know: this is a great city to work and live in.
Since 2018, Houston has been named No. 1 for:
- America’s 50 Best Places to Live
- Top U.S. Destination Cities
- Most Diverse Cities in the U.S.
With all the new folks in town, here are 10 Things to Know About Houston, some that might surprise those old enough to remember when the Astros played in the Astrodome.
1. The Rodeo is Big
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the world’s largest rodeo with 20 consecutive nights of musical acts and $2 million-plus in rodeo prize money.
I35,000 volunteers run this annual event which started in 1932.
Since 1942, when singing cowboy Gene Autry took the stage, musical acts have closed each night, ranging from Elvis to Beyoncé.
2,300 students are currently attending 80 different schools on rodeo scholarships.
2. Astrodome Still Standing
The Astrodome, world’s first domed sports stadium and home to the Houston Rodeo from 1966 to 2002, is still around, even though it has not been used since the rodeo moved next door to NRG Stadium.
The Houston Astros moved from the Astrodome after the 1999 season.
Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the Astrodome was used in 2005 as a shelter during Hurricane Katrina.
3. Bayou City Nickname Earned
Houston is nicknamed Bayou City for good reason as the city was founded in 1836 along the banks of the Buffalo Bayou, a 52-mile waterway.
The Bayou Preservation Association says there are 22 bayou systems and waterways in the Houston area.
Thanks to these waterways, Houstonians have plenty of recreational options such as the Bayou Greenways 2020 project, offering 150 miles of trails connecting eight bayous.
4. Houston is More Diverse than LA or NYC
Houston is a diverse city with more than 140 languages spoken.
According to a Wallethub.com survey, Houston beat out Los Angeles and New York City as the most diverse city in America, scoring high in household, socioeconomic, and economic diversity.
5. Texas Medical Center is World’s Largest
The Texas Medical Center in Houston is the largest medical city in the world, home to the world’s largest children’s hospital and world’s largest cancer hospital.
The 50-million square foot developed area sees a baby delivered every 20 minutes and a patient enter surgery every three minutes.
6. Houston Has the Right Stuff
When man first landed on the moon in 1969 it was the Apollo 11 crew communicating back home with Mission Control Center in Houston.
“Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed,” was relayed after touching down.
NASA moved Mission Control to Houston in 1965 and it still manages flight control for America’s human space program, such as the International Space Station.
7. Energy Capital of the World
Houston has long been called the Energy Capital of the World with 4,600 energy-related companies in the area and employs almost a third of the country’s jobs in oil and gas extraction.
Every energy segment is represented in Houston thanks to 600 exploration and production firms, 1,100 oilfield service companies, and more than 180 pipeline transportation establishments.
8. True Texan
Just north of Houston along I-45 you can see a 67-foot statue of Sam Houston, the city’s namesake.
Houston was the first president of the Texas Republic. He was also one of the first Texans elected to the U.S. Senate and he was governor of both Texas and Tennessee.
9. World Down Under
20 feet below Houston’s downtown streets are six miles of pedestrian tunnels that connect 95 city blocks.
The tunnels, with restaurants and retail, were first built in 1930 to connect two movie theaters.
10. High Speed Fiber-Optics Powers Business
Houston is home to the 12th largest tech sector in the U.S. and it takes advantage of a growing high speed fiber-optic network.
PS Lightwave manages Houston’s largest private Metropolitan Area Network with 5,500 all-fiber route miles and 1,600 on-net locations.
Contact us to learn more about how we can provide high-speed, fiber Internet to your Houston area business.
