2017
HOUSTONFACTS GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP
DISCOVER THE HOUSTON REGION The facts speak for themselves.
AUSTIN | BRAZORIA | CHAMBERS | FORT BEND | GALVESTON | HARRIS | LIBERTY | MONTGOMERY | SAN JACINTO | WALKER | WALLER
HOUSTONFACTS About the Greater Houston Partnership The mission of the Greater Houston Partnership is to make Houston one of the world’s best places to live, work and build a business. The Partnership works to make Houston greater by promoting economic development, foreign trade and investment, and by advocating for efficient and effective government that supports, rather than impedes, business growth. The Partnership also convenes key stakeholders to solve the region’s most pressing issues. The Partnership was formed in 1989 in a merger of the Greater Houston Chamber of Commerce, the Houston Economic Development Council and the Houston World Trade Association. Today, the Partnership serves the 11-county greater Houston region and represents a member roster of some 1,000 businesses and institutions. Members of the Partnership account for one-fifth of all jobs in Houston. They engage in various initiatives, committees and task forces to work toward our goal of making Houston greater.
© 2017 Greater Houston Partnership Data in Houston Facts 2017 are current as of May 2017 unless otherwise noted. Houston Facts is a registered trademark of the Greater Houston Partnership. Photos courtesy of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Houston Facts 2017 was compiled by the research team of the Greater Houston Partnership, including Allegra Ellis, Patrick Jankowski, Roel Gabe Martinez, Josh Pherigo, Jenny Philip, and Nadia Valliani with assistance from our interns, Colton Cox and Gabrielle Myska. This publication was designed by Marc Keosayian and Suzanne Morgan.
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S INTRODUCTION................................... 2
EDUCATION....................................... 28
The Houston Region: The Facts Speak for Themselves . . . 2
Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
REGION IN PERSPECTIVE . . ..................... 3 Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Colleges and Universities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
INFR ASTRUCTURE.............................. 30
Economy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Public Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
GEOGR APHY........................................ 4 DEMOGR APHICS.................................. 5 Population. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Income. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Wages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
HOUSTON ECONOMY.......................... 11 Employment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Corporate Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 International Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
INDUSTRIES . . ..................................... 15 Construction and Real Estate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Health Care and Social Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Professional and Technical Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Wholesale and Retail Trade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 NASA and Aerospace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Innovation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
GOVERNMENT . . .................................. 25 City of Houston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Counties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 State Government. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 United States Congress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Council of Governments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Taxation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Public Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Land Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Air Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA.................. 35 Broadcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Digital and Print. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
ENVIRONMENT . . ................................. 36 Renewable Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Clean Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 City of Houston’s Green Transportation Initiative. . . . . . . . 36
LIFE IN HOUSTON. . ............................. 37 Cost of Living. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Weather. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Lodging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Dining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Arts and Culture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Religious and Cultural Diversity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Convention and Sports Facilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Major Events and Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Golf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Biking and Hiking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Forests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Wildlife Refuges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Houston Zoo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
HISTORY........................................... 48
INTRODUCTION T H E H O U S T O N R E G I O N : T H E FA C T S S P E A K F O R T H E M S E LV E S
H O U S TO N FAC T S . THE TITLE SAYS MUCH ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION. NO SPIN. N O F R I LL S . N O H Y PE R BO LE . J U S T PAG E A F T E R PAG E OF STR AIGHTFORWARD I N F O R M AT I O N F R O M HUNDREDS OF SOURCES TO ANSWE R QUESTIONS FREQUENTLY ASKED ABOUT THE HOUSTON REG ION .
Houston Facts has presented unvarnished information about the Houston region since 1959, and its predecessor publications—under different names, but with the same objective—date to 1906. Over the decades, Houston Facts has grown well beyond its original four pages so that we could expand the range and depth of its coverage, bringing you more information about parks, museums, schools, living costs, the regional economy and a host of other topics. It has evolved into a concise almanac for the Houston region. Corporate planners, market analysts, students, relocation and site selection consultants, real estate professionals, government agencies and myriad others turn to it for authoritative information on this region. Of course, we believe the Houston region is one of the nation’s most attractive major metropolitan areas—an outstanding place to live, work and build a business. We’d like you to share that view. But we won’t try to persuade you. The facts need no embellishment. They speak for themselves. 2
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You may find in these pages facts that you never knew about Houston. For example: •
If Houston were a country, it would rank as the 23rd largest economy in the world—exceeding Nigeria’s and Sweden’s Gross Domestic Product.
•
The Houston region has no racial or ethnic majority.
•
The Port of Houston ranks first in U.S. foreign tonnage.
•
Living costs in the Houston region are 20.8 percent below the average for major metropolitan areas.
•
Parks represent 14.4 percent of the city’s land area.
R EG I O N I N P E R S P EC T I V E AREA The nine-county Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) covers 9,444 square miles, an area larger than five states, including New Hampshire, New Jersey and Connecticut. Harris County covers 1,778 square miles, enough space to fit New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Austin and Dallas, with room still to spare. At 655 square miles, the City of Houston is larger than six European countries, ranking just below Luxembourg and above Malta.
P EO P L E The nine-county Houston MSA had a population of 6,772,470 residents as of July 1, 2016, according to estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau. If metro Houston were a state, it would have the 16th largest population in the U.S., behind Massachusetts (6,811,779) and ahead of Tennessee (6,651,194) and Indiana (6,633,053). Harris County had a population of 4,589,928 residents as of July 1, 2016, according to estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau. If Harris County were a state, it would have the 26th largest population in the U.S., behind Louisiana (4,681,666) and ahead of Kentucky (4,436,974) and Oregon (4,093,465). The City of Houston had a population of 2,303,482 residents as of July 1, 2016, according to estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau. If the city were a state, it would rank 36th in population in the U.S., behind Kansas (2,907,289) and ahead of New Mexico (2,081,015) and Nebraska (1,907,116).
Among the nation’s metropolitan areas, the Houston MSA ranked fourth in number of Hispanics (2,429,487), seventh in number of Blacks (1,122,767) and seventh in number of Asians (497,099), according to the Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey.
ECO N O M Y The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates the Houston MSA Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at $503.3 billion in ’15, making it the fourth largest U.S. metro economy. If Houston were a state, its GDP would rank 9th, after New Jersey ($567.7 billion) and ahead of Georgia ($497.9 billion). If the MSA were an independent nation, it would rank as the world’s 23rd largest economy, behind Taiwan ($523.0 billion), and ahead of Sweden ($495.7 billion) and Nigeria ($493.8 billion), according to the International Monetary Fund.
In ’16, the Houston Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service recorded closings on 91,485 properties (includes single-family homes, townhomes, condos, high rises, etc.), an average of one every six minutes. In ’16, Houston MSA automobile dealers sold 299,461 new cars, trucks and SUVs, an average of one every two minutes. In ’16, the Houston Airport System handled 54,524,766 passengers, an average of 104 passengers per minute. In ’16, the City of Houston issued building permits for construction valued at $6.6 billion, an average of $209 per second. Greater Houston Partnership
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G EO G R A P H Y
HOUSTO N MSA 9,444 square miles
Montgomery
HARRIS CO UNTY 1,778 square miles
Liberty
HOUSTO N
655 square miles Austin
Waller
Harris HOUSTON
Chambers
Fort Bend Galveston
Brazoria
The City of Houston lies in three counties: Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery. Harris County contains the bulk of the City of Houston with small portions of the city lying in Fort Bend and Montgomery counties. Houston is the county seat, or administrative center, of Harris County. Harris County contains all or part of 34 incorporated cities. The Houston MSA includes 124 incorporated communities. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (MSA) are geographic delineations defined by the Office of
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Management and Budget (OMB) for use by federal statistical agencies in collecting, tabulating, and publishing federal statistics. These geographic delineations change over time. 2013 Delineation for the Houston region: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) contains nine counties: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller. The longer titles are shortened to “Houston MSA” or “Houston metro” in Houston Facts.
DEMOGR APHICS DECENNIAL AND INTERCENSAL CENSUS POPUL ATION TOTAL S Year
Metro Houston
Harris County
City of Houston
2016
6,772,470
4,589,928
2,303,482
2010
5,920,416
4,092,459
2,099,451
2000
4,693,161
3,400,578
1,953,631
1990
3,750,411
2,818,199
1,630,553
1980
3,135,806
2,409,544
1,595,138
1970
2,195,146
1,741,912
1,233,505
1960
1,594,894
1,243,158
938,219
1950
1,083,100
806,701
596,163
1940
752,937
528,961
384,514
1930
545,547
359,328
292,352
1920
348,661
186,667
138,276
1910
252,066
115,693
78,800
1900
202,438
63,786
44,633
1890
137,800
37,249
27,557
1880
112,053
27,985
16,513
1870
80,866
17,375
9,332
1860
55,317
9,070
4,845
1850
27,984
4,668
2,396
P O P U L AT I O N Houston, the fourth most populous U.S. city (estimated at 2,303,482 on July 1, 2016), is the largest city in the South and Southwest United States. The City of Houston had the eighth largest numeric increase (18,666) of any U.S. city from July 1, 2015 to July 1, 2016. Harris County (population estimated at 4,589,928 on July 1, 2016) is the third most populous U.S. county. Among all U.S. counties, Harris County had the second highest numeric population increase from July 1, 2015 to July 1, 2016, gaining 56,587 new residents. Prior to ’16, Harris County held the number one spot for new residents eight years in a row. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land MSA (estimated at 6,772,470 residents on July 1, 2016) ranks fifth in population among the nation’s metropolitan areas. The Houston MSA had the second largest numeric increase (125,005) in population of any U.S. metro from July 1, 2015 to July 1, 2016, a 1.9 percent increase. Nearly one in four Houstonians was born outside the U.S. Among the 1,574,422 foreign-born in the Houston metro area, 18.1 percent entered the U.S. after 2010. Top regions of birth for the Houston MSA’s foreign-born are: Latin America (62.5 percent), Asia (25.8 percent), Africa (5.8 percent) and Europe (4.4 percent).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Texas Almanac
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AGE DISTRIBUTION Houston MSA, 2015 Under 5 years
7.3%
22.1%
5 to 19 years
20 to 24 years
6.9%
15.1%
25 to 34 years
35 to 44 years
14.3%
45 to 54 years
13.0%
11.2%
55 to 64 years
9.2%
65 to 84 years
85 years & over
1.0%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey
POPUL ATION, AGE , HOUSEHOLDS, FOREIGN BORN By Houston MSA and County, 2015
2016 Population
Median Age (In Years)
Total Households
Average Persons Per Household
Houston MSA
6,772,470
34.1
2,292,992
2.87
1,574,422
23.2
Austin County
29,758
40.6
11,308
2.59
2,646
8.9
354,195
35.5
112,510
2.85
43,434
12.3
Chambers County
39,899
36.2
13,018
2.84
3,859
9.7
Fort Bend County
741,237
35.5
206,188
3.17
175,535
23.7
Galveston County
329,431
37.5
113,866
2.66
30,097
9.1
4,589,928
32.8
1,499,528
2.88
1,106,763
24.1
81,704
36.4
25,319
2.82
5,678
6.9
556,203
36.4
173,238
2.88
64,131
11.5
50,115
29.1
13,937
2.94
6,412
12.8
Geography
Brazoria County
Harris County Liberty County Montgomery County Waller County
Foreign Born Estimate
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2016 Population Estimates, 2015 American Community Survey
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Percent Of Total Population Foreign Born
RACE AND ETHNICITY
RACE AND ETHNICITY
Houston MSA, 2015
Houston MSA, 2015 Population
% of Total
White
2,482,767
37.3
Hispanic
2,429,487
36.5
1,122,767
16.9
497,099
7.5
American Indian/Alaska Native
12,478
0.2
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
1,522
0.0
Some Other Race
12,202
0.2
Two or More Races
98,624
1.5
6,656,946
100.0
Black/African American Asian
Total
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey Note: Hispanic includes all races. Population totals derived from American Community Survey will differ from those derived from Annual Population Estimates.
1.9% 7.5% 16.9% 37.3%
36.5%
White
Hispanic
Asian
Other
Black/African American
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey
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COMPONENTS OF POPUL ATION CHANGE By Houston MSA and County, 2016
Deaths
Total Population Change (’10-’16)
599,542
226,559
851,971
206
2,153
1,675
1,347
21,414
2,915
29,538
13,403
41,068
39,899
3,303
100
2,982
1,629
4,800
Fort Bend County
741,237
92,739
23,750
54,353
17,019
156,534
Galveston County
329,431
23,720
3,784
25,163
15,382
38,128
4,589,928
65,282
153,824
432,780
150,560
496,686
81,704
3,602
299
6,689
4,628
6,063
556,203
67,824
8,641
42,104
20,484
100,453
50,115
4,654
99
3,780
1,779
6,892
Population July 1, 2016
Net Domestic Migration
Net International Migration
Houston MSA
6,772,470
283,239
193,618
Austin County
29,758
701
354,195
Chambers County
Geography
Brazoria County
Harris County Liberty County Montgomery County Waller County
Births
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2016 Population Estimates Note: In some cases, the natural increase and the increase due to in-migration won’t sum to the change in population due to rounding errors and the Bureau’s use of residual values in generating the estimates.
EDUCATIONAL AT TAINMENT Houston MSA, 2015
Highest Education Level Attained
Percent of Population age 25 or older
Graduate or Professional Degree
11.4
Bachelor’s Degree
20.1
Bachelor’s Degree or Higher
31.5
Associate Degree
6.6
Some College, No Degree
20.8
High School Diploma or GED
23.4
High School Graduate or higher
82.3
9th to 12th grade, no diploma
8.1
Less than 9th grade
9.6
Total Population over age 25
4,241,381
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey 8
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INCOME
TOTAL WAGES
Houston MSA, 2016, ($, Millions)
Per Capita Personal Income
Houston MSA
184,176.4
Austin County
445.5
Brazoria County
5,722.5
Chambers County
812.3
Fort Bend County
8,625.2
Galveston County
5,055.1
Harris County
153,336.2
Liberty County
666.1
Montgomery County
8,827.5
Waller County
The nine-county Houston MSA pretax per capita personal income (PCPI) in ’15 was $54,346, 13.0 percent above the U.S. average of $48,103, according to the latest data available by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. PCPI increased 1.3 percent in the Houston MSA and 3.7 percent nationwide from ’14 to ’15. Total Personal Income Total personal income in the nine-county Houston MSA in ’15 was $361.8 billion, up 3.8 percent from ’14.
WAG E S The average weekly wage in the Houston MSA in ’16 was $1,231. Total wages for the metro area were $184.2 billion.
686.0
Source: Texas Workforce Commission, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
COMMUTING TO WORK Houston MSA, 2015 Average travel time to work
30.2 minutes
Drove Alone in Car, Truck or Van Carpooled in Car, Truck or Van
Worked at Home
Public Transportation
80.7%
10.1%
3.7%
2.2%
Walked
1.4%
Other Means
1.8%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey
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OCCUPATIONS
Houston MSA, 2016 Total Occupation Employment 2,934,990 Food Preparation and Serving Related
Office and Administrative Support
Sales and Related
Production
Construction and Extraction
Education, Training, and Library
Business and Financial Operations
Health Care Practitioners and Technical
Management
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Architecture and Engineering
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
Personal Care and Service
Computer and Mathematical
Protective Service
Health Care Support
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Legal
301,200 10.3%
467,890 15.9% 185,140 6.3%
176,410 6.0%
128,130 4.4%
81,740 2.8%
84,660 2.9%
Community and Social Services
22,880 0.8%
172,810 5.9%
126,020 4.3%
153,680 5.2%
64,190 2.2%
276,520 9.4%
30,710 1.0%
80,780 2.8%
29,480 1.0%
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
2,670 0.1%
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016 Occupation Employment Statistics Note: Sums may not total due to rounding 10
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Transportation and Material Moving
213,330 7.3%
154,980 5.3%
87,500 3.0%
70,660 2.4%
23,610 0.8%
H O U S TO N ECO N O M Y The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell from $108 per barrel in June ’14 to $26 in February ’16. The number of active U.S. rigs followed the same precipitous drop, falling from a high of 1,931 rigs in September ’14 to a historic low of 404 in May ’16. Job losses in energy followed. From December ’14 to December ’16, Houston’s upstream energy sector shed 81,100 jobs, equivalent to one in every four jobs in the sector. Two-thirds of those losses occurred in ’15, the remainder in ’16. The energy industry is now settling in to a slow recovery. By the end of the first quarter of ’17, the North American rig count had more than doubled from its trough to 824 rigs. However, oilfield service companies do not expect a full recovery in the rig count and their margins remain under pressure. Oil prices have somewhat stabilized, fluctuating between $47 and $54 per barrel in Q1/17, but the expectation is for prices to remain flat. The U.S. Energy Information Administration is forecasting WTI to average $51 in ’17 and $55 in ’18. Guarded optimism is the industry’s disposition at this point in the recovery. As the energy capital of the world, Houston was brought along on this roller coaster ride. The metro area created 118,200 jobs in ’14, then job growth fell to 200 in ’15 and rebounded to 18,700 in ’16. Despite the tumult that occurred in energy, Houston still managed to eke out job growth primarily in industries dependent on population growth (e.g., public education, health care, leisure and hospitality). Job
losses occurred primarily in sectors that include Houston’s economic base (e.g., oil and gas, manufacturing). Houston’s GDP slipped from $522.0 billion in ’14 to $503.3 billion in ’15. Houston’s office real estate market is feeling the stress from the slowing economy. During the most recent construction boom, the office market added approximately 22.4 million square feet of space from ’10-’16. As of Q1/17, an estimated 11 million square feet of sublease space pushed the effective vacancy rate above 20 percent. Asking rents peaked at $28.87 per square foot in Q1/16 and declined for four consecutive quarters. However, effective rents are roughly 20 to 25 percent below asking rents, suggesting office rents have declined nearly 30 percent from their peaks. Despite these challenges, there are bright spots. As of April ’17, the Houston Purchasing Managers Index has stayed above 50 for five consecutive months, signaling economic expansion. The housing market has remained resilient with the 12-month running total of property sales never falling below 89,000 units from ’14 to ’16. In the 12-months ending April ’17, Houston-area realtors closed on 93,140 properties, a new record for the region. Prices also posted historic highs: the 12-month average of the median sales price of single-family homes reached $224,000. Supply remains tight with inventory remaining below a four-month supply throughout the downturn.
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One of the factors supporting the consumer-oriented sectors of Houston’s economy was the region’s strong population growth. Houston was the fastest growing metro in ’15 (adding 159,419 residents) and the second fastest growing in ’16 (gaining 125,005 residents). Although news of the tepid job market will likely slow the flow of residents moving to the region, Houston will continue to add to its population but at a more moderate pace. The Perryman Group forecasts the Houston metro to add 3.1 million residents between ’15 and ’40 and for the region’s real GDP to more than double between ’15 and ’40.
POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT FORECAST Houston MSA, (Millions)
Employment
3.5
3.1
’25
’20
’15
4.7
4.4
4.1
3.8
9.6
8.9
8.2
7.6
7.0
6.5
Population
’35
’30
’40
Source: The Perryman Group, Summer 2016
E M PLOY M E N T Metro Houston created 18,700 jobs from December ’15 to December ’16, a 0.6 percent increase. Total nonfarm payroll employment stood at 3,036,000 jobs in December ’16 and averaged 3,000,600 jobs for the year. Houston MSA unemployment averaged 5.2 percent in ’16, up from 4.6 percent in ’15. The national unemployment rate averaged 4.9 percent in ’16, down from 5.3 percent in ’15. The rates are not seasonally adjusted.
PAYROLL EMPLOYMENT Metro Houston 3.1
150
100
2.9
50
2.8 0 2.7 -50
2.6
-100
2.5
2.4
-150 ’07
’08
’09
’10
’11 Employment
’12
’13
’14
12-Month Change
Source: Texas Workforce Commission, Employment Estimates
12
12-Month Change (Thousands)
Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Millions)
3.0
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’15
’16
’17
HOUSTON-HEADQUARTERED COMPANIES
EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY
Ranked nationally and globally
Houston MSA, 2016 Annual Average Industry
Jobs (000)
% of Total
GOODS PRODUCING
530.3
17.7
SERVICE PROVIDING
2,470.3
82.3
MINING AND LOGGING
88.6
3.0
Oil and Gas Extraction
50.5
1.7
Support Activities for Mining
36.7
1.2
CONSTRUCTION
218.3
7.3
MANUFACTURING
223.4
7.4
Durable Goods
140.6
4.7
82.8
2.8
609.9
20.3
Wholesale Trade
163.7
5.5
Retail Trade
306.3
10.2
Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities
139.8
4.7
32.6
1.1
FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
155.2
5.2
Finance and Insurance
99.2
3.3
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
56.0
1.9
469.1
15.6
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
218.4
7.3
Management of Companies and Enterprises
37.0
1.2
213.7
7.1
380.2
Non-Durable Goods TRADE, TRANSPORTATION AND UTILITIES
INFORMATION
2017 Fortune 500 2016 Fortune Global 500 2017 Forbes Global 2000
20 7 24
Source: Fortune, Forbes
C O R P O R AT E E C O N O M Y Houston, a major corporate center, ranks fourth in the nation in the number of corporate headquarters, according to the 2017 Fortune 500 list. Many other Fortune 500 firms maintain U.S. offices in Houston. Among the 100 largest non-U.S.-based corporations, as ranked by Fortune Global 500, 58 have a presence in Houston. County Business Patterns shows that the Houston MSA had 135,923 business establishments in ’15.
ESTABLISHMENTS BY EMPLOYMENT SIZE Houston MSA, 2015
Number of Establishments
Percent of Establishments
1 to 4
70,613
52.0
5 to 9
24,705
18.2
10 to 19
17,590
12.9
20 to 49
13,620
10.0
50 to 99
5,001
3.7
100 to 249
3,109
2.3
12.7
250 to 499
843
0.6
57.9
1.9
500 to 999
280
0.2
322.3
10.7
1,000+
162
0.1
312.6
10.4
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
34.0
1.1
Accommodation and Food Services
278.6
9.3
OTHER SERVICES
108.4
3.6
GOVERNMENT
402.3
13.4
TOTAL PRIVATE
2,598.3
86.6
TOTAL NONFARM
3,000.6
100.0
PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS SERVICES
Admin and Support and Waste Mgmt. EDUCATIONAL AND HEALTH SERVICES Educational Services Health Care and Social Assistance LEISURE AND HOSPITALITY
Source: Texas Workforce Commission, 2016 Annual Employment Estimates Note: The table above uses estimates from the Current Employment Statistics while the industry profiles on the following pages uses the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Figures will differ. Sums may not total due to rounding.
Employment Size
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 County Business Patterns
I N T E R N AT I O N A L B U S I N E S S Houston is a global city. It is the base of operations for the international oil and gas exploration and production industry and for many of the nation’s largest international engineering and construction firms. A key center for international finance, Houston leads the Southwest with 19 foreign banks from nine nations. Greater Houston Partnership
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Ninety-one nations have consular representation in the city, ranking Houston’s consular corps third largest in the nation.
At least 116 companies headquartered in Houston operate nearly 3,000 subsidiaries abroad in 116 countries.
Fifteen foreign governments maintain trade and commercial offices here, and the city has 35 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations.
More than 1,000 firms in Houston report foreign ownership.
Nearly 1.6 million residents in metro Houston are foreign-born. More than 145 languages are spoken here. Houston has 18 sister-city relationships promoting business opportunities across five continents: Asia (7), Europe (7), Americas (2), Africa (1), and Australia (1). Houston’s oldest sister-city relationship was established in 1961 with Taipei, Taiwan, and its most recent relationship with Basrah, Iraq was established in ’15.
In ’16, at least 22 foreign-owned firms representing 11 countries invested in office expansions, new plants and expanded distribution facilities in Houston. More than $1.3 billion in capital investments were made by these foreignowned firms in Houston, creating some 1,900 new jobs. Nearly 5,000 Houston-area firms are engaged in global commerce. Included among these global companies are more than 2,300 local manufacturers. Eleven of Houston’s 32 skyscrapers (at least 150 meters tall) are owned, co-owned, or financed by foreign investors.
HOUSTON'S TOP EMPLOYERS
More Than 20,000 Employees
10,000 to 19,999 Employees
H-E-B Houston Methodist Memorial Hermann Health System
ExxonMobil HCA Kroger Landry's
Schlumberger Shell Oil Co. United Airlines UT Medical Branch Health System
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Home Depot Houston Community College JPMorgan Chase Lone Star College Macy's National Oilwell Varco
Pappas Restaurants, Inc. S&B Engineers and Constructors TechnipFMC Texas Children's Hospital University of Houston UT Health Science Center at Houston
Kindred Healthcare Lewis Food Town Lowe's Cos. Luby's LyondellBasell Mariner Post-Acute Network Mexican Restaurants, Inc. Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center NASA - Johnson Space Center NRG Energy Occidental Petroleum Phillips 66 PwC Quanta Services Inc.
Randalls Food Markets, Inc. Rice University Sam's Club Southwest Airlines Sysco Corp. Tenet Healthcare Corp. Texas Home Health Union Pacific Railroad United Health Group Walgreens Weatherford Wells Fargo Wood Group Woodforest National Bank WorleyParsons
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center Walmart
5,000 to 9,999 Employees Academy Sports & Outdoors Aramark Corp. Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston AT&T Baker Hughes Baylor College of Medicine BP America
CenterPoint Energy Chevron CHI St. Luke's Health Dow Chemical Co. Fluor GE Oil and Gas Harris Health System
1,000 to 4,999 Employees Accenture AIG Amegy Bank American National Insurance Co Anadarko Petroleum Corp. Aon Austin Industrial Bank of America Bechtel Corporation Brinker International Brock Group Cameron International CB&I Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. Comcast ConocoPhillips
CVS Health Daikin/Goodman Dril-Quip Equistar Chemicals FedEx Fiesta Mart Friedkin Group Inc. Grocers Supply Company Gulf States Toyota Halliburton Jacobs JCPenney KBR Kelsey-Seybold Clinic Kinder Morgan
Source: Greater Houston Partnership Research, June 2017 Notes: The list excludes government employers (except hospitals, universities and research centers) and fast food chains. A merger between Baker Hughes and GE is underway. Cameron is a subsidiary of Schlumberger–Employment is reported separately.
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INDUSTRIES C O N S T R U C T I O N A N D R E A L E S TAT E Employment
Petrochemical Plant Construction
The construction industry employed nearly 217,000 Houstonians in ‘16. Around half of all construction employment occurred as specialty trade contractors (e.g., electrical work, plumbing, site preparation, painting). Building construction accounted for one-fourth and heavy and civil engineering construction accounted for the remaining fourth of employment. Average annual wage in the industry was nearly $72,000.
Approximately $60 billion in chemical plant construction announced since ’12 has been completed or is nearing completion. Companies investing in petrochemical plant expansions include Chevron Phillips, Dow, ExxonMobil, Ineos/Sasol and LyondellBasell.
Establishments The Houston metro area was home to more than 10,400 construction establishments in ‘16. Of that total, 61.9 percent were specialty trade contractors, 28.5 percent were in building construction, and 9.6 percent were heavy and civil engineering construction establishments.
Top Employers Bechtel, Bellows, D.E. Harvey Builders, Jacobs, KBR, McCarthy, Marek, S & B Engineers and Constructors, SpawGlass Construction, Tellepsen and Turner Industries Group.
Building Permits City of Houston building permits totaled $6.6 billion in ’16—$2.1 billion were for residential and $4.5 billion were for commercial building permits.
Office At the close of ’16, CBRE reports that the Houston area, the nation’s fifth largest office market, counted 1,283 generalpurpose office buildings containing 212.6 million-squarefeet (msf) of completed net rentable space (41.3 msf in the Central Business District, or CBD). Net absorption (net change in leased space in completed buildings) for all general-purpose office space was negative 909,165 square feet in ’16. The vacancy rate for the entire Houston market was 15.7 percent by the end of ’16. Average asking rent for the entire Class A office market was $37.78 per square foot ($45.02 for CBD Class A and $35.56 for suburban Class A).
Industrial Houston’s 504.4 msf of industrial space in buildings of 10,000 sf or more rank it as the sixth largest U.S. market. CBRE reported year-end ’16 occupancy remained tight at 94.9 percent. During ’16, construction of 13.6 msf was completed and 10.7 msf was absorbed. Across the market, average monthly asking rates were $0.60 in ’16.
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Retail The Houston retail market recorded over four million square feet of net absorption in ’16. The region is home to 3,447 retail centers with 212.8 msf of net rentable area. The year ended with a vacancy rate of 5.7 percent and the average annual rental rate was $23.81 per square foot.
Single-Family According to the Houston Association of Realtors, in ’16, single-family closings (largely resale homes) in the Houston area totaled 76,418, and the median sales price for resale single-family detached homes was $220,203.
Multi-Family Apartment Data Services reported that Houston area multifamily occupancy was 88.5 percent in December ’16, with an inventory of 626,027 units in 2,679 complexes. Rental rates averaged $1.10 per square foot per month. • Class A apartments recorded 79.6 percent occupancy at $1.49/sf/mo
• Class D recorded 89.1 percent occupancy at $0.72/sf/mo.
• Class B recorded 91.4 percent occupancy at $1.07/sf/mo
An additional 21,719 new units were added to the market in ’16 while 4,406 were absorbed. As of May ’17, 38 communities with 9,386 units are under construction and 58 communities with 17,207 units are proposed.
• Class C recorded 91.2 percent occupancy at $0.89/sf/mo
SINGLE-FAMILY STARTS AND MULTI-FAMILY UNITS DELIVERED Houston MSA
Single-family starts
59,669 10,126
49,543
Multi-family units added
52,297 14,729
48,003
47,587
21,862
17,628
40,336
’07
’08
45,017
18,253
19,528
29,490
14,640 22,637
26,141
45,590
12,103
33,327
37,568
’06
Total
23,736
3,784
5,383
18,687
18,853
18,353
’09
’10
’11
5,874
28,233
29,959
23,616
’12
’13
’14
27,337
’15
25,489
’16
Source: Metrostudy and Apartment Data Services
H E A LT H C A R E A N D S O C I A L A S S I S TA N C E Employment Health care and social assistance employed approximately 355,000 in ’16, almost one in eight Houston workers. Ambulatory health care accounts for 43.0 percent of 16
Houston Facts | 2017
the sector employment, hospitals for 33.2 percent, and social assistance, nursing and residential care for 23.8 percent. Average annual wage for the entire industry was $53,400 in ’16.
• The region is home to 17,400 physicians, and 136 hospitals with 20,665 beds.
• 106,000 + employees
• Harris County has 14,100 physicians, and 95 hospitals with 17,369 beds.
• 8th largest business district in the U.S. with 1,345 total acres
• Houston is home to a larger concentration of anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, cardiovascular technologists and technicians, and occupational health and safety specialists and technicians than the national average.
Establishments Houston’s 19,000 health care establishments are comprised of 12,600 ambulatory health care services, 5,600 social assistance establishments, 600 nursing and residential care facilities and about 200 hospitals.
Top Employers CHI St. Luke’s, HCA, Harris Health System, Houston Methodist, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Texas Children’s Hospital and UTMB Health.
Texas Medical Center Houston’s Texas Medical Center is the world’s largest medical complex by multiple measures: number of hospitals, number of physicians, square footage and patient volume. The Texas Medical Center’s 58 member institutions have been consistently recognized as some of the best hospitals and universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. TMC by the numbers • $3 billion in construction projects underway • 50 million developed square feet • 10 million patient visits per year • 750,000 ER visits per year
• 13,600 + total heart surgeries
Some prominent members include: Baylor College of Medicine, CHI St. Luke’s Health, Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, Harris Health System, Houston Methodist Hospital, Memorial Hermann, The Menninger Clinic, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Jose Clinic, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Texas Children’s Hospital, Texas Heart Institute, The University of Texas Health Science Center and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center The Texas Medical Center is working to develop five Institutes that foster collaboration across all member institutions. The five institutes include: • Innovation: To become the global leader in health and life sciences innovation. Houses TMCx, an accelerator that advances the development of health and medical technology companies, and TMCx+, an incubator for health startups. • Health Policy: To develop the most effective policy solutions to improve the health of diverse populations in Houston and Texas that will serve as models for the world. • Clinical Research: To be the world leader in clinical research by more efficiently translating research discoveries into breakthrough therapies and cures. • Regenerative medicine: To lead the world in discovering, developing and delivering curative regenerative therapies. • Genomics: To create the world’s premier clinical genomics program.
• 180,000 + surgeries
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M A N U FA C T U R I N G
BASE CHEMICAL PRODUCTION CAPACITY
In ’16, the 6,400 manufacturing establishments in the Houston region employed 221,400, or about 1 in 13 Houston workers. Average annual wage was $84,300. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, manufacturers in Houston produced $85.2 billion in goods in ’15, accounting for 16.9 percent of the region’s total GDP.
MANUFAC TURING SUBSEC TORS Houston MSA, 2016 Industry
Average Annual Establishments Employment
Fabricated Metal Products
47,359
1,784
Machinery
42,818
787
Chemical
38,196
567
Computer and Electronic Products
15,185
323
Food
11,787
402
Plastics and Rubber Products
10,026
213
Petroleum and Coal Products
9,995
92
Miscellaneous
6,778
459
Nonmetallic Mineral Products
6,396
254
Electrical Equipment and Appliances
6,219
146
Transportation Equipment
5,432
148
Other Manufacturing
21,212
1,194
Total Manufacturing
221,400
6,367
Source: Texas Workforce Commission, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Chemicals In ’16, the Houston region was home to 570 chemical plants employing 38,200, equivalent to 17.3 percent of the total manufacturing workforce in Houston. The region has 40 percent of the nation’s annual base petrochemicals manufacturing capacity. Base petrochemicals are the raw materials for producing some of the more important plastics and resins. The Houston MSA dominates U.S. production of three major resins: polyethylene, with 38.8 percent of U.S. capacity; polypropylene, with 46.3 percent; and polyvinyl chloride, with 40.1 percent.
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Houston MSA, 2017
Million Metric Tons per year
% of U.S. Total
1.2
53.7
Ethylene
10.7
41.1
Propylene
11.5
40.7
Benzene
3.7
39.9
Xylenes
4.9
36.8
Toluene
2.0
34.5
Butadiene
Source: IHS
Petroleum Refining The Spaghetti Bowl is a complex of several thousand miles of product pipeline connecting hundreds of chemical plants, refineries, salt domes and fractionation plants along the Texas Gulf Coast. It gives the Houston area an economic advantage through convenient and low-cost transfer of feedstocks, fuel and chemical products among plants, storage terminals and transportation facilities. In ’16, the Texas Gulf Coast had a crude operating capacity of 4.8 million barrels of refined petroleum products per calendar day – one-fourth of the overall U.S. capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Oil refiners in the region employed 10,000 in ’16, equivalent to 4.5 percent of the total manufacturing workforce in Houston.
TE X AS GULF COAST REFINING CAPACIT Y 2016
Company
Barrels Per Calendar Day
City
Motiva Enterprises
603,000
Port Arthur
Exxon Mobil Refining & Supply
560,500
Baytown
Marathon Petroleum
459,000
Galveston Bay
Exxon Mobil Refining & Supply
344,600
Beaumont
Premcor Refining Group
335,000
Port Arthur
Flint Hills Resources
295,630
Corpus Christi
Valero Refining Co Texas
293,000
Corpus Christi
Deer Park Refining
285,500
Deer Park
Houston Refining
263,776
Houston
Phillips 66 Company
247,000
Sweeny
Total Petrochemicals & Refining
225,500
Port Arthur
Valero Refining Co Texas
225,000
Texas City
Citgo Refining & Chemical
157,500
Corpus Christi
Pasadena Refining Systems
112,229
Pasadena
Valero Refining Co Texas
100,000
Houston
Marathon Petroleum Co
86,000
Texas City
Kinder Morgan Crude & Condensate
84,000
Galena Park
Buckeye Texas Processing
46,250
Corpus Christi
Petromax Refining
25,000
Houston
Total Texas Gulf Coast Capacity
4,748,485
Percent of U.S. Capacity
26.1% Source: US EIA, Refinery Capacity Report January 1, 2016
P R O F E S S I O N A L A N D T EC H N I C A L S E R V I C E S Employment
Establishments
In ’16, the Houston MSA employed 210,100 professional, scientific and technical service sector workers. Architectural & engineering services, with 66,160 workers, represents nearly a third of the sector’s total employees. For every 100,000 workers in the Houston MSA, there are 2,981 engineers and architects. In comparison, for every 100,000 workers in the U.S., there are 1,780 engineers and architects. The sector’s second and third largest industry employers include management & technical consulting (35,509 employees), and computer design services (29,160 employees).
The Houston MSA has approximately 21,240 establishments in the professional, scientific and technical service sector. In ‘16, management and technical consulting establishments averaged 5,200, followed by legal services (3,775 establishments) and computer system design (3,733 establishments). According to Engineering News-Record, each of the nation’s 25 largest engineering and design firms have offices in Houston.
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ENGINEERING CONCENTR ATIONS Houston MSA vs. U.S. 2016
Engineers in Houston
Per 100,000 Workers (Houston)
Per 100,000 Workers (U.S.)
Aerospace
3,060
104.2
48.8
Biomedical
220
7.5
14.7
4,110
140.1
22.8
10,690
364.2
205.0
Electrical
4,250
144.7
130.9
Electronics
2,790
95.1
94.1
850
28.9
37.2
Health and Safety
1,450
49.4
18.1
Finance
Industrial
5,270
179.6
182.7
As of June 30, 2016, the Houston metro’s 99 FDIC-insured institutions had 1,493 local offices and local deposits of $218.8 billion. Houston ranked 12th among U.S. metros in total deposits in ’16.
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
870
29.7
5.8
Materials
660
22.5
19.1
Mechanical
8,470
288.6
203.6
Petroleum
10,880
370.6
23.3
3,090
105.1
87.9
Chemical Civil
Environmental
Ten of the nation’s 30 largest FDIC-insured banks, as measured by domestic deposits, operate full-service branches or commercial loan offices in the Houston region. These ten include the four largest banks in the U.S.
Engineers, All Other
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2016
A key center for international finance, Houston leads the Southwest with 19 foreign banks from nine nations. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Houston’s 10 largest banks (ranked by local deposits) include JPMorgan Chase Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of America, BBVA Compass Bank, Amegy Bank, Prosperity Bank, Capital One, Frost Bank, Comerica Bank and Woodforest National Bank.
W H O L E S A L E A N D R E TA I L T R A D E Employment
Establishments
In ’16, wholesale trade employment in the Houston MSA averaged 152,600, including 90,600 in durable goods, 43,450 in nondurable goods and 18,500 in electronic markets. Retail trade employment averaged 303,800, including 67,200 in food and beverage and 62,400 in general merchandise. Average annual wage was $81,674 for wholesale workers and was $31,701 for retail workers in ’16.
In ’16, the Houston MSA had 11,000 wholesale trade establishments, including 6,200 durable goods wholesalers and 2,400 nondurable goods wholesalers. 17,800 retail establishments populate the region, including 2,600 food and beverage stores, 2,300 gas stations and 2,300 clothing stores.
Top Employers Top employers in Wholesale and Retail trade include: CostCo, CVS, Fiesta Mart, H.E.B., Home Depot, Kroger, Lowe’s, Macy’s, Target, Walgreens and Walmart.
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GROSS RETAIL SALES ($, Millions)
Geography Houston MSA Houston MSA
2015*
2016*
% Change from ‘15
120,899.4
118,126.1
-2.3
299.4
282.5
-5.6
3,989.4
5,337.3
33.8
Chambers
345.6
352.1
1.9
Fort Bend
9,022.4
8,746.1
-3.1
Galveston
3,889.3
4,250.1
9.3
94,185.2
89,858.9
-4.6
932.9
856.4
-8.2
7,700.5
7,956.2
3.3
534.7
486.6
-9.0
Austin Brazoria
Harris Liberty Montgomery Waller
*Four quarters ending in Q3 Source: Texas Comptroller’s Office
ENERGY Houston is the leading domestic and international center for virtually every segment of the energy industry—exploration production, transmission, marketing, service, trading, supply, offshore drilling and technology. Nearly 4,800 energy-related firms are located within the Houston metro area, including more than 700 exploration and production firms, nearly 800 oilfield service companies, more than 80 pipeline transportation firms, and hundreds of manufacturers and wholesalers of energy-sector products. Houston is home to 40 of the nation’s 134 publicly traded oil and gas exploration and production firms, including 10 of the top 25; nine more among the top 25 have subsidiaries, major divisions or other significant operations in Houston. Two-thirds of the global integrated oil companies (e.g., ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron) have operations here, including eight of the 10 largest. Of the 167 oil field service firms based outside of North America (e.g., TechnipFMC, Aker, Subsea7), more than half have offices in Houston, including 21 of the 25 largest. Around one-fifth of the world’s national oil companies (e.g., Saudi Aramco, PetroChina, Gazprom) have operations in Houston, including seven of the 10 largest. The 10 refineries in the Houston region process more than 2.2 million barrels of crude oil per calendar day— approximately 40 percent of the state’s total production and 12.1 percent of the total U.S. capacity.
The logistics for moving much of the nation’s petroleum and natural gas across the country are controlled from Houston. • Fourteen of the nation’s 20 largest oil pipeline operators have corporate or divisional headquarters or ownership interests based in Houston. These 14 pipeline companies control 63,585 miles, or 39 percent of all U.S. oil pipeline capacity. • Eleven of the nation’s top 20 natural gas transmission companies have corporate or divisional headquarters in Houston, controlling 88,054 miles of U.S. pipeline, which is 45.2 percent of the total U.S. natural gas pipeline capacity. In April ’17, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Houston MSA held: • 25.6 percent of the nation’s jobs in oil and gas extraction (45,900 of 179,400); and • 13.5 percent of jobs in support activities for mining (37,700 of 279,900).
Defining “Energy” Defining “energy” and its related industries is a challenging task. There are multiple approaches and the table which follows serves as one interpretation. Given this definition, Houston’s energy sector in ’16 accounted for 8.7 percent of the region’s employment, 3.8 percent of its firms and 19.2 percent of its total wages. The average job in an energyrelated industry paid approximately $140,750, more than double the metro average of $64,000.
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ENERGY-REL ATED INDUSTRIES Houston MSA, 2016
Average Annual Employment
Firms
Total Wages ($, Millions)
Oil and gas extraction
50,210
704
10,999.6
Engineering services
46,891
1,774
5,484.1
Chemical manufacturing
38,196
417
4,694.8
Oil and gas field machinery and equipment
28,345
242
3,261.7
Support activities for oil and gas operations
25,220
792
3,165.0
Oil and gas pipeline construction
18,448
182
1,691.3
Pipeline transportation
11,127
87
1,954.3
Drilling oil and gas wells
9,678
140
1,449.9
Petroleum refineries
9,106
39
1,380.5
Fabricated pipe and pipe fitting mfg.
4,147
86
258.5
Industrial valve manufacturing
3,940
64
335.9
Geophysical surveying and mapping services
3,401
158
431.6
Pump and compressor manufacturing
1,887
55
165.9
250,596
4,740
35,273.2
8.7%
3.8%
19.2%
Industry
Total Energy-Related Share of Metro Houston Total
Source: Texas Workforce Commission, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Note: Due to the pervasiveness of the energy industry in Houston, one could also add a portion of several other industries (e.g., utilities, accounting, real estate) to this definition.
TOP ENERGY EMPLOYERS IN HOUSTON MSA Anadarko Petroleum
National Oilwell Varco
Apache Corporation
Newfield Exploration
Baker Hughes
Occidental
BP
Oceaneering International
Chevron
Oil States International
ConocoPhillips
Schlumberger
EOG Resources
Shell
ExxonMobil
Southwestern Energy
Halliburton
Superior Energy Services
Hess Corporation
Tesco
Marathon Oil
Weatherford International
Nabors Industries
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N A S A A N D A E R O S PA C E Home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) and a diverse network of research and education organizations with ties to aerospace technology, the Houston region is a worldwide leader in the aerospace industry, and is geared to become a leader in the emerging commercial space flight industry. In ’15, the Federal Aviation Administration granted Houston’s Ellington Airport with official status as a spaceport, a designation that positions Houston to become a launching point for future private sector space flights.
Establishments Houston is home to more than 250 companies involved in aircraft or space vehicle manufacturing, space research and technology, or other air transportation support activities.
Economic Impact The Johnson Space Center manages an annual budget of approximately $4.5 billion in contracts, grants, civil service payroll and procurements. Dozens of Houstonbased businesses support operations at JSC. In ’16, NASA awarded service contracts to 106 companies and research organizations in the Houston region. Space Center Houston, the official visitor center of JSC, attracts more than 800,000 visitors annually. Additionally, operations at the three Harris County-owned airports within the Houston Airport System support more than 230,000 area jobs, generating nearly $28 billion in local economic impact.
I N N O VAT I O N Headquarters to NASA’s manned space program and the global energy industry, Houston has long been at the leading edge of innovation, particularly at the corporate and institutional levels. More recently, the rise of the Texas Medical Center as a world-renowned hub of health care and life science innovation has pushed Houston to the forefront of the fast-growing biotech sector. The region’s well-educated workforce and dense concentration of STEM workers gives Houston the knowledge base necessary to sustain tech-focused industries. From ’14 to ’16, Houston-based enterprises received over $7.25 billion in venture capital (VC) and private equity funding, according to PrivCo, a business and financial database. More than half of the total investment went to companies operating in industries other than oil and gas. Clean energy has been a favorite target of Houston investors—PrivCo tallied nearly $1.5 billion in renewable energy investment alone since ’14. The top Houston recipients of VC funding in ’16 were Indigo Minerals ($375 million), Citla Energy ($200 million), Sunnova Energy ($175 million), H2O Midstream ($100 million) and LaserGen ($80 million).
VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDING Houston, 2014 - 2016
Industry
VC Funding ($, Millions)
% of Total
Energy & Utilities (Traditional)
3,528.7
48.6
Manufacturing
1,529.8
21.1
Clean Energy
1,481.1
20.4
Other Services
338.3
4.7
Health/Biotech/ Life Sciences
237.1
3.3
Web & Software Development
141.1
1.9
7,256.1
100.0
Total
Source: PrivCo, March 2017
Houston’s life science startups and health care institutions are frequent recipients of private equity investment as well as research grant funding. Over the past decade, organizations in the Houston region received $6.5 billion in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In ’16, the top Houston institutions to receive funds were Baylor College of Medicine ($252.2 million), University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ($124.5 million), University of Texas Health Science Center ($87.9 million), University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston ($79.6 million), and University of Houston ($18.5 million).
Greater Houston Partnership
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Houston’s Startup Ecosystem Houston is home to 140 high-growth startup tech companies with total venture funding of $1.3 billion, according to a ’17 report by Accenture. A growing list of startup-supporting institutions and organizations are helping to grow Houston’s innovation economy by assisting new companies bring their ideas to market.
Houston MSA
Awards
Total Funding ($, Millions)
2007
1,418
606.5
2008
1,411
629.5
In the field of health and medical technology, the Texas Medical Center’s Innovation Institute coordinates the efforts of several life science-focused incubator and accelerator programs. The organization aims to help startup companies commercialize new medical technologies by providing access to the vast resources of the world’s largest medical center.
2009
1,314
606.9
2010
1,323
626.4
2011
1,232
558.6
2012
1,309
599.5
2013
1,246
533.1
The Innovation Institute’s accelerator program, TMCx, focuses on early-stage companies making breakthroughs in medical devices, digital health care services, diagnostics and therapeutics. A related program, TMCx+, is an incubator that targets seed-stage companies in the same sectors. As of April ’17, both programs had helped to commercialize technologies from 69 Houston startups.
2014
1,224
530.2
2015
1,229
558.9
2016
1,304
610.3
Biotech and Life Science
Source: NIH, 2017
TMC Innovation also hosts two industry-backed programs. Johnson & Johnson’s JLABs @TMC provides lab space and other resources to companies developing promising technologies in consumer health, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, while the AT&T Foundry supports companies developing digital health services.
The University of Houston’s Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship aims to teach students how to run their own businesses from the inception of an idea through its implementation. Students with promising concepts are accepted into Red Labs, the University of Houston’s startup incubator/accelerator program.
Co-Working
Civic Initiatives
Station Houston, which opened downtown in ’16, is one of a growing number of coworking spaces providing affordable office space and support services to early stage companies with high growth potential. Other startup-focused coworking spaces include Techspace Houston in Uptown, The Headquarters in the Second Ward, Level Office in Downtown and Work Lodge, which has three locations in the metro area.
The established business community in Houston has taken steps over the years to help early stage companies find their footing. Business leaders came together in 1999 to establish the Houston Technology Center (HTC), a nonprofit that offers affordable office space and mentorship for technology-oriented companies. HTC-supported companies have created more than 6,000 jobs in the past two decades. In April ’17, a coalition of business leaders in conjunction with the City of Houston’s Innovation and Technology Task Force created the Greater Houston Partnership’s Innovation Strategy Office, which will coordinate efforts to grow the city’s startup ecosystem.
University Programs Houston is home to two entrepreneurship programs.
of
the
nation’s
top
Rice University supports student innovation through the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship. The organization sponsors programs involving technology commercialization, entrepreneurship education, and the launch of student-run technology companies. Rice’s Owlspark Accelerator has helped launch dozens of companies and the Rice Business Plan Competition is the richest pitch competition in the country, annually awarding $1.5 million in prizes. Participating companies have raised a combined $1.2 billion in capital during the competition’s 17-year history. 24
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH GRANTS AWARDED
Houston Facts | |2016 2017
Industry Backing Oil and gas upstarts continue to be the most frequent destination for VC and private equity funding in Houston, with investments flowing from both outside financial services firms and the industry itself. Many of the major oil and gas companies have business units dedicated to finding and funding innovative ideas in the sector. A few of these include: Shell Technology Ventures, Chevron Technology Ventures, BP Ventures, and ConocoPhillips Technology Ventures.
G OV E R N M E N T C I T Y O F H O U S TO N The City of Houston is a home rule municipality, which provides the city with inherent powers to manage their own affairs with minimal interference from the state.
city official may serve in one position for more than three terms. Eleven council members are elected from singlemember districts and five are elected citywide or “at-large.”
The city’s elected officials, serving concurrent two-year terms, are: the mayor, Sylvester Turner; the city controller, Chris Brown; and the 16 members of City Council. No elected
The city’s adopted General Fund budget for fiscal year (FY) 2017 is $2.3 billion.
COUNTIES Each county in Texas is run by a five-member Commissioners’ Court consisting of four commissioners elected from singlemember districts, called commissioner precincts, and a county judge elected “at-large” or countywide. The county commissioners and county judge serve staggered four-year terms and are not term-limited.
Texas has 254 counties with Harris County being the most populous county in the state and the third most populous in the nation.
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S TAT E G O V E R N M E N T The chief executive of the State of Texas is the governor. Other elected officials with executive responsibilities include the lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller of public accounts, commissioner of the General Land Office and commissioner of agriculture. These elected offices have a term of four years. The Texas Legislature has 181 members: 31 in the Senate, who are elected to four-year overlapping terms, and 150 in the House of Representatives, who are elected to two-year
terms. Regular sessions of the state legislature convene on the second Tuesday of January in odd-numbered years. The Texas Constitution limits the regular session to 140 calendar days, however, the governor may call special sessions. Legislative districts partly or entirely within the Houston MSA: • State Senate: 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18 • State House of Representatives: 3, 13, 15, 16, 18, 23-29, 85, 126-135, 137-150
U N I T E D S TAT E S C O N G R E S S U.S. House of Representatives legislative districts partly or entirely within the Houston MSA: District 2, (Harris County), District 7 (Harris County), District 8 (Harris and Montgomery counties), District 9 (Brazoria, Fort Bend and Harris counties), District 10 (Austin, Harris
and Waller counties), District 14 (Brazoria and Galveston counties), District 18 (Harris County), District 22 (Brazoria, Fort Bend and Harris counties), District 29 (Harris County), and District 36 (Chambers, Harris and Liberty counties).
COU NCI L OF GOVERNMENTS The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) is a voluntary association of local governments in the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning Region. Organized in 1966, H-GAC is comprised of 35 elected officials that represent 13 counties (Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller and Wharton), 107 cities and 11 school districts.
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H-GAC is not an additional level of government, a regulatory agency or a taxing authority. Its activities are financed by local government dues; state appropriations; and through grants and contracts with local, state and federal entities. The Council’s mission is to serve as the instrument of local government cooperation, promoting the region’s orderly development and the safety and welfare of its citizens.
TA X AT I O N The maximum sales and use tax rate in the state of Texas is 8.25 percent (6.25 percent for the state and up to 2 percent for local jurisdictions); certain food and drug items are exempt. The table below shows typical tax rates for property located within the city limits of Houston. The tax rates are expressed as dollars per $100 taxable value.
Ad valorem property tax is the primary source of local government revenue in the Houston region.
FULL MARKET VALUE OF TAX ROLL 2016, ($, Billions)
Houston ISD
$219.7
T YPICAL PROPERT Y TA XES 2016 Total Tax Rate $2.53 per $100 taxable value City of Houston
$0.59
Harris County
$0.64
Houston Independent School District
$1.21
Houston Community College
$0.10
Source: Harris County Appraisal District Note: Sums may not total due to rounding.
City of Houston
$296.0
Harris County
$555.2
Source: Harris County Appraisal District
PUBLIC SAFET Y Houston Police Department (HPD)
Houston Fire Department (HFD)
• HPD’s budget for FY 2016 is $811.3 million.
• HFD is the largest fire department in the U.S. to possess a class 1 rating from the Insurance Service Organization and is the world’s largest fire department to receive accreditation from the Commission on Fire Service International, with 103 fire stations equipped with 87 engine companies; 92 ambulances and advanced life support unites; 11 boosters; 4 cascade units; 32 aerial ladder trucks; and 13 evacuation and rescue boats.
• The budget calls for 5,188 full-time-equivalent (FTE) police personnel, 1,102 FTE civilian personnel and 174 FTE police cadets in training. • HPD’s estimated average response time was 5.0 minutes for priority one calls and 9.6 minutes for priority two calls in ’16. • For ’17, HPD has budgeted to respond to 1,170, 000 dispatched calls.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO)
• In ’16, HFD performed 280,585 fire responses with an average response time of 7.33 minutes and 342,131 emergency medical service responses with an average response time of 7.41 minutes.
• HCSO is the largest sheriff’s office in Texas and the third largest in the United States.
• HFD’s FY 2017 budget is $504.7 million and calls for 4,309 FTE employees, of whom 114 are civilians.
• HCSO’s FY 2017-2018 operating budget is $483.3 million. • The Harris County Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement protection in the unincorporated parts of the county, which constitutes 1,790 square miles with 2.0 million residents. • HCSO employs 4,583 salaried personnel—of those 2,167 are certified peace officers and 1,216 are detention officers that work in the jails. Additionally, it has more than 194 volunteer reserve deputies.
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E D U C AT I O N SCHOOLS The Houston MSA contains 62 independent school districts (ISDs) and 39 state-approved charter management organizations. Charter schools and ISDs in the Houston metro area enrolled 1,296,764 students, approximately one out of every four school-aged children in the state, in the ’15–’16 academic year.
Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the seventh largest public school system in the nation and the largest in Texas. Encompassing 333 square miles within greater Houston, HISD has 281 campuses and enrolled 214,891 students in Fall ’15.
SELEC TED HOUSTON-ARE A INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRIC TS 2015-2016 Academic Year
Campuses
Fall ’15 Enrollment
Students per Teacher Ratio
Expenditures per student ($)
County
Aldine
76
70,277
15.8
9,158
Harris
Alief
46
47,227
14.2
9,710
Harris
Alvin
25
22,067
15.9
9,063
Brazoria
9
5,079
14.4
10,885
Chambers
Brazosport
20
12,306
15.7
8,678
Brazoria
Clear Creek
45
41,061
16.8
8,154
Galveston
Conroe
56
58,014
16.4
7,855
Montgomery
Cypress-Fairbanks
84
113,656
16.4
7,876
Harris
Deer Park
14
13,152
16.0
14,282
Harris
Dickinson
14
10,917
16.3
7,971
Galveston
Fort Bend
74
72,910
16.2
8,654
Fort Bend
Galena Park
24
22,511
16.0
9,282
Harris
Goose Creek
29
23,661
15.6
10,267
Harris
Houston
281
214,891
18.5
8,493
Harris
Humble
44
40,427
15.8
8,313
Harris
Katy
61
72,725
15.1
8,895
Harris
Klein
48
50,394
14.6
8,726
Harris
Lamar
38
29,631
17.1
8,402
Fort Bend
Magnolia
13
12,831
15.7
8,094
Montgomery
New Caney
18
13,773
15.1
9,654
Montgomery
Pasadena
64
55,893
14.9
9,311
Harris
Pearland
24
21,030
16.1
7,701
Brazoria
4
2,839
14.6
8,877
Austin
Spring Branch
46
35,246
16.1
8,904
Harris
Spring
40
36,813
15.9
8,904
Harris
Tomball
18
14,072
16.1
8,307
Harris
8
6,542
17.4
8,814
Waller
School District
Barbers Hill
Sealy
Waller
Source: Texas Education Agency, 2015–16 Texas Academic Performance Reports Note: List includes all ISDs with enrollment greater than 10,000, plus the largest ISD in each Houston MSA county if each ISD had enrollment less than 10,000. 28
Houston Facts | 2017
LIBRARIES • The Houston Public Library is comprised of 44 branches with total circulation of 4,214,217 in ’16. • Harris County Public Library is a system of 26 branch libraries with total circulation of 8,182,971 in ’16.
CO L L EG E S A N D UNIVERSITIES The Houston region has nearly 437,000 students enrolled in more than 50 degree-granting colleges, universities and technical schools. • Specialized schools exist for acupuncture, art, legal, health care, funeral, religious and various other disciplines. • The region has some 100 trade, vocational and business schools.
HIGHER EDUCATION ENROLLMENT Fall 2016
COMMUNIT Y COLLEGES Total Enrollment 240,234 Alvin Community College
5,658
Blinn College
19,422
Houston Community College System Lee College
71,417 7,315
Brazosport College
4,311
Lone Star College System
85,661
College of the Mainland
3,995
San Jacinto College District
33,183
Galveston College
2,200
Wharton County Junior College
7,072
UNIVERSITIES (UNDERGR AD AND GR ADUATE , IF OFFERED) Total Enrollment 182,544 Houston Baptist University
3,270
Texas Southern University
9,200
Prairie View A&M University
8,762
Texas Woman's University Houston
1,361
Rice University
6,855
University of Houston
43,774
Sam Houston State University
20,477
University of Houston-Clear Lake
8,669
Texas A&M University at College Station
60,435
University of Houston-Downtown
14,251
Texas A&M University at Galveston
2,178
University of St. Thomas
3,312
POST- GR ADUATE SCHOOL S AND COLLEGES Total Enrollment 13,928 Baylor College of Medicine
1,563
University of Texas Health Science Center
South Texas College of Law Houston
1,048
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Texas A&M University Health Science Center
2,689
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
5,051 339 3,238
Source: College and University websites; Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Greater GreaterHouston HoustonPartnership Partnership
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INFRASTRUCTURE I NUFBRLA USR E P I CS T UR T IULC I TTI E Electricity and Natural Gas Headquartered in Houston, CenterPoint Energy (CNP) is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution, competitive natural gas sales and services, interstate pipelines, and field services operations. • CNP’s assets total more than $21.9 billion and the company employs 7,727, of which 4,985 work in Houston. • In ’16, CNP delivered 86.8 million megawatt hours of electricity to 2,129,773 residential and 273,567 commercial/industrial/municipal customers in its 5,000square mile service area in the Houston region. • In ’16, CNP delivered 411 billion cubic feet of natural gas to 3,183,538 residential and 255,806 commercial/ industrial customers.
Telecommunications Seven overlaid area codes serve the Houston area: 281, 346, 409, 713, 832, 936, and 979. • The Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUC) has certified 287 active Competitive Local Exchange Carriers to provide local phone service in the state. • The Texas PUC has registered 266 active long distance Interexchange Carriers. • More than a dozen cellular service providers offer mobile voice and data communications in the Houston MSA.
Water The City of Houston is the regional water provider for Harris County and portions of the seven surrounding counties.
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Houston Facts | 2017
The City has sufficient water supplies for its wholesale and retail customers through the year 2050. • The City owns water rights to over 1.2 billion gallons per day of reliable surface water and over 200 million gallons per day of available groundwater supplies. • The City of Houston owns a 70 percent share of Lake Livingston, 70 percent of Lake Conroe and 100 percent of Lake Houston. The City of Houston is also promised 70 percent of the water rights for Allens Creek Reservoir, a proposed lake in Austin County. • Houston’s Drinking Water Operations produced and distributed more than 160 billion gallons of water in ’16 through a 7,000-mile pipeline distribution system. • In ’16, the City of Houston treated an average of 439 million gallons of water per day. Most of this water is used for industrial and manufacturing purposes. • The City has four purification plants: Northeast Water Plant, East Water Plant, Southeast Water Plant and the Ground Water Treatment Process facility. • The City of Houston’s drinking water system maintains a “Superior” rating, the highest rating for water quality issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
Wastewater The City of Houston operates 40 wastewater treatment facilities, three wet weather facilities, 18 storm water underpass pump stations and over 380 sanitary lift stations. These facilities serve an area of approximately 590 square miles and a population of 2.3 million people. The City treats an average of 225 million gallons per day (MGD) of raw sewage with an overall permitted capacity of 565 MGD. It maintains 6,100 miles of sewer pipelines with over 126,000 manholes.
L A N D T R A N S P O R TAT I O N Motor Freight Lines 1,001 long-distance trucking establishments operate in the Houston MSA.
Railroads The Houston area is served by BNSF Railway Company, Kansas City Southern Railway Company, and Union Pacific Railroad Company. Businesses along the Houston ship channel are served by the Port Terminal Railroad Association. Fourteen mainline tracks radiate from Houston. Amtrak provides passenger service in Houston via the New Orleans-San Antonio-Los Angeles route.
Intracoastal Waterway 406 miles of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The main channel is 12 feet deep and 125 feet wide. The entire Gulf Intracoastal Waterway spans 1,300 miles from Brownsville, Texas to St. Mark’s Florida. In ’15, Texas’ portion of the Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway facilitated the transportation of 74.3 million metric tons of internal domestic cargo.
Freeways, Highways and Toll Roads Within the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Houston District, 3,252.75 centerline miles of freeways and expressways, representing 10,566.86 lane miles, are in operation. • Corridors: Houston’s major thoroughfares include I-610 Loop, I-10, I-45, SH 288, SH 6, SH 225, SH 146, US 59/I-69, US 290, US 90, Beltway 8, Fort Bend Tollway, Grand Parkway 99, Hardy Tollway, and the Westpark Tollway.
• Highway Spending: In FY 2016, the TxDOT Houston District spent $957.5 million on construction and maintenance projects, with a 71.6 percent on-time completion rate. • Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT): According to TxDOT, in FY 2016, a total of 90,812,761 vehicle miles were traveled per day in the Houston region. The average daily VMT per vehicle was 17.2 miles based on the 5,284,924 vehicles registered in the region during FY 2016.
Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO) Created and funded with a one-cent sales tax in a 1978 voter referendum, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County began operations in January 1979. • METRO serves an area of 1,303 square miles with 21 transit centers, 9,047 bus stops, and 26 Park & Ride lots that offer 34,463 parking spaces. • In FY 2016, METRO’s fleet included 1,212 buses, 158 paratransit vans and 76 light-rail train cars. METRO operates 114 routes and three light-rail lines that travel 22.7 track miles. • FY 2016 total system ridership, including fixed route buses and METRORail, METROLift, STAR Vanpool, HOV vanpools/carpools, totaled 116.4 million, up 3.9 percent from FY 2015. • Passenger boardings in FY 2016 averaged 9.7 million per month. • Daily fixed-route weekday ridership in FY 2016 averaged 282,710 boardings. • All buses on METRO’s 114 bus routes and all METRORail vehicles are fully accessible to disabled patrons. METROLift offers prescheduled curb-to-curb service for disabled patrons who cannot use METRO’s fixedroute service. Greater Houston Partnership
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PORTS
PORT OF HOUSTON - FOREIGN TR ADE 2016
Sea Ports
Leading Export Commodities
The Houston Region has four seaports which handled 194.3 million metric tons in trade in ’16.
By Value ($, Millions) Petroleum/Petroleum Products
SEAPORTS RANKED BY FOREIGN TRADE 2016
U.S. Rank
Port
Total Trade in Metric Tons
1
Houston
154,195,600
17
Texas City
21,922,778
27
Freeport
13,633,391
47
Galveston
4,554,330
21,225.4
Organic Chemicals
9,150.2
Industrial Machinery
7,766.6
Plastics
5,863.5
Electric Machinery
2,723.9
By Weight (Metric Tons, Thousands) Petroleum/Petroleum Products
60,999.4
Organic Chemicals
10,371.4
Cereals
6,629.0
Plastics
4,606.3
Inorganic Chemicals
1,098.1
Leading Import Commodities
Source: WiserTrade
By Value ($, Millions) Petroleum/Petroleum Products
12,178.0
Industrial Machinery
5,693.3
Vehicles/Vehicle Parts
3,531.6
Articles of Iron or Steel
3,422.9
Organic Chemicals
2,728.0
By Weight (Metric Tons, Thousands) Petroleum/Petroleum Products
42,364.8
Natural Stone
3,380.1
Organic Chemicals
3,338.6
Articles of Iron or Steel
2,500.8
Iron and Steel
2,437.3
Leading Trading Partners (Combined Imports and Exports) By Value ($, Millions) Mexico
10,608.1
China
10,323.5
Brazil
7,705.3
Germany
7,039.2
Netherlands
5,342.9
By Weight (Metric Tons, Thousands) Mexico
10,492.5
Brazil
3,023.5
China
3,865.7
Colombia
2,591.1
Japan
2,094.6 Source: WISERTrade
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Houston Facts | 2017
Port Houston Among U.S. ports, the Port of Houston ranked second in total tonnage for the 24th consecutive year in ’15, the most recent data available. Globally, the Port of Houston ranked as the 16th largest port in the world by total tonnage. In ’16, the Port of Houston ranked first in foreign tonnage among U.S. ports for the 20th consecutive year and first in import tonnage for the 25th consecutive year. Foreign shipments in ’16 totaled 153.8 million metric tons valued at $112.6 billion. Foreign imports were 63.7 million metric tons, valued at $49.6 billion, foreign exports were 90.1 million metric tons, valued at $63.0 billion. Container service was initiated in Houston in 1956. Today the Port of Houston is the largest Gulf Coast container port, handling 68 percent of U.S. Gulf Coast container traffic and 95 percent of Texas container traffic.
In ’16, the Port of Houston handled 22.0 million metric tons of containerized cargo and hauled in 2.2 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), setting new port records for both tonnage and containers handled in a year. The Port of Houston ranked as the sixth busiest U.S. container port in ’16, based on total TEUs.
Houston Ship Channel The Houston Ship Channel, a 52-mile inland waterway, connects Houston with the sea lanes of the world. Its turning basin is eight miles east of Houston’s central business district. Most of the channel has a minimum width of 530 feet and a depth at mean low tide of 45 feet. More than 150 companies, including 330 public and private terminals, line both sides of the channel and serve one of the world’s largest petrochemical industrial complexes.
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A I R T R A N S P O R TAT I O N Houston is the international air gateway to the South Central United States and Latin America. With the addition of international air service at Hobby Airport in ’15, Houston became the only city in Texas with two airports offering international service and one of only eight such cities nationwide. Direct flights from Houston to Havana, Cuba began in December ’16. Houston offers scheduled passenger air service to 109 domestic and 68 international destinations; 30 airlines provide scheduled passenger service from Houston.
Houston Airport System (HAS) Aviation Statistics • In ’16, HAS served 54,546,393 passengers, down 1.0 percent from ’15. • International traffic increased 8.3 percent to a record 11,581,440 passengers in ’16. Domestic passenger totals declined 3.3 percent to 42,964,953 in ’16. • At George Bush International (IAH), domestic passengers numbered 30.9 million in ’16, down 4.8 percent from ’15. At William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), domestic traffic rose 0.7 percent to 12.1 million passengers in ’16. • The Houston Airport System handled a total of 442,563 metric tons of air freight in ’16, excluding airmail. Domestic cargo accounted for 52.3 percent of total air freight, while international cargo accounted for 47.7 percent. • General Aviation: Houston offers excellent general aviation facilities for corporate aircraft. In addition to IAH, HOU and Ellington Airport (EFD), the FAA lists 35 Houston MSA public-use airports and heliports: Austin County (1), Brazoria (8), Chambers (3), Fort Bend (6), Galveston (3), Harris (9), Liberty (2), Montgomery (2), and Waller (1).
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Houston Facts | 2017
AIR CARRIERS SERVING THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM
George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) 6 U.S. Carriers Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines
20 International Carriers Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air China Limited, Air France, Air New Zealand Limited, All Nippon Airways, AVIANCA, British Airways, Emirates, EVA Air, InterJet, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air Lines, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, VivaAerobus, Volaris, Westjet
William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) 5 U.S. Carriers American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Via Airlines
1 International Airline Southwest Airlines
Ellington Airport (EFD) Added to the Houston Airport System in 1984, Ellington serves commercial, general and military aviation. EFD received FAA approval to be a licensed commercial spaceport in 2015. Source: Houston Airport System, May 2017
CO M M U N I C AT I O N S M E D I A B ROADCA ST Houston is home to 17 local television stations, including KUHT, which became the first public television station in the U.S. when it began broadcasting in 1953.
There are 63 local radio stations broadcasting from the Houston metro area: 30 on the A.M. dial and 33 on F.M.
Top local TV news stations include the NBC-affiliate KPRC (Channel 2), CBS-affiliate KHOU (Channel 11), ABC-affiliate KTRK (Channel 13), and Fox-affiliate KRIV (Channel 26).
TOP HOUSTON R ADIO STATIONS BY SHARE OF LISTENERSHIP Call Sign
Frequency
Genre
Listeners
KMJQ
102.1 FM
Urban Adult Contemporary
7.3%
KLTN
102.9 FM
Mexican Regional
6.4
KODA
99.1 FM
Adult Contemporary
6.0
KGLK
107.5 FM
Classic Rock
5.5
KSBJ
89.3 FM
Contemporary Christian
5.4
KKBQ
92.9 FM
Country
4.8
KLOL
101.1 FM
Spanish Contemporary
4.6
KBXX
97.9 FM
Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio
4.5
KKHH
95.7 FM
Adult Hits
4.3
KQBT
93.7 FM
Urban Contemporary
4.2
Source: Nielson Ratings, Q1 ’17 average
D I G I TA L A N D P R I N T Houston’s major daily newspaper is the Houston Chronicle, which was founded in 1901. The paper has the second highest readership in Texas and consistently ranks among the 15 most widely read newspapers in the country. There are more than 60 digital and print news outlets in the Houston region, including Bisnow, Community Impact, Culture Map Houston, Houston Business Journal, Houston Chronicle, Houston Press, Houston Public Media, Houstonia Magazine, Swamplot, Houston Style Magazine, Intown Magazine, Local Houston, PaperCity, and Realty News Report.
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ENVIRONMENT R E N E WA B L E E N E R GY The City of Houston is the largest municipal buyer of renewable power in the U.S., according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which ranked the city first among local governments and seventh overall on its Green Power Partnership rankings in Q1/17. The city
government sources 89 percent of its 1.2 million kWh per year from solar and wind energy. When measured by square footage of Energy Star certified buildings, the Houston metro area ranks fifth in the U.S. with 91 million square feet.
CLEAN AIR Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA has established National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six major air pollutants: particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, lead, and ground-level ozone. Houston meets the NAAQS standards for five of the six pollutants – all except ozone.
In ’15, there were seven one-hour ozone exceedance days in the Houston metro area, according to Houston Regional Monitoring (HRM). That’s an improvement from 1987 when there were 66 ozone exceedance days.
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The City of Houston has one of the largest municipal hybrid and electric vehicle fleets in the nation. The city was an early adopter of hybrid technology and began converting its municipal fleet to hybrid vehicles in ’02.
passengers to 18 stops on a 2.5 mile-loop through the Central Business District. Stops include the George R. Brown Convention Center, Discovery Green, City Hall and the Central Library.
Greenlink buses provide free transportation around downtown Houston through a partnership of the Downtown District, BG Group and Houston First Corporation. The buses run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and deliver
B-cycle, a program of Houston Bike Share, allows members to pick up a bike at any B-station and return it to that same station or any other B-station. The program includes 275 bikes at 38 stations in Houston.
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L I F E I N H O U S TO N COST OF LIVING Houston has the sixth-lowest cost of living among the nation’s 20 most populous metropolitan areas, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). Houston’s overall living costs are 1.2 percent below the average for all 264 urban areas participating in the survey.
Among the nation’s 20 most populous metro areas, Houston’s housing costs are 37.4 percent below the average, and its overall living costs are 20.8 percent below the average. Excluding the two most expensive housing markets, New York and San Francisco, which tend to skew the average, Houston’s housing costs are still 25.0 percent below the major metro average.
COST OF LIVING INDE X: 20 MOST POPULOUS METROPOLITAN ARE AS* 2016 Annual Data - (Average for 264 Urban Areas = 100) Composite
Grocery Items
Housing
Utilities
Transportation
Health Care
Misc.
New York (Manhattan), NY
228.2
128.2
465.9
127.1
133.6
115.6
148.0
San Francisco, CA
177.4
131.0
323.1
107.1
135.9
119.5
119.1
Washington, D.C.
149.2
117.4
234.6
118.7
104.3
98.5
121.3
Boston, MA
148.1
105.7
201.2
158.0
112.6
133.5
131.3
Seattle, WA
145.1
125.3
179.7
122.9
138.7
127.7
135.6
San Diego, CA
144.4
112.9
235.5
112.6
131.4
107.9
102.0
Los Angeles, CA
142.3
112.4
223.1
106.3
133.5
110.3
106.8
Philadelphia, PA
118.6
115.7
134.5
123.2
114.7
105.9
108.3
Chicago, IL
118.5
108.5
144.8
94.9
125.7
102.7
108.2
Miami, FL
111.0
103.5
129.7
98.4
108.3
101.3
104.8
Denver, CO
110.4
106.3
131.9
92.6
104.2
106.8
102.4
Minneapolis, MN
105.6
106.0
107.9
95.8
101.0
105.7
107.8
Dallas, TX
100.4
108.5
88.0
98.7
101.5
106.3
106.6
Houston, TX
98.8
87.4
103.0
106.2
94.3
91.1
100.0
Atlanta, GA
98.7
103.8
88.5
103.1
101.7
107.9
101.6
Phoenix, AZ
97.0
94.8
98.3
94.7
100.9
96.6
96.5
Detroit, MI
94.9
91.3
87.9
108.2
104.3
94.6
95.5
Tampa, FL
91.5
98.0
75.9
113.7
99.4
95.9
92.3
St. Louis, MO
90.4
103.2
70.5
112.8
94.2
96.3
92.9
Urban Area
Source: Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), Cost of Living Index, 2016 Annual Average (Data based on a survey of 264 urban areas, published January 2017). *Metro areas represented by most dominant urban area. Riverside, California, is among the 20 most populous MSAs, but did not submit COLI data.
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W E AT H E R Temperature
HOUSTON WE ATHER 2016
• Normal daily maximum temperatures: January 62.5˚ F; April 79.4˚ F; July 93.7˚ F; October 81.9˚ F • Normal daily minimum temperatures: January 42.1˚ F; April 58.7˚ F; July 74.0˚ F; October 59.5˚ F
Average Low Temperature (˚F)
Total Precipitation (inches)
• Record extremes: 109˚F on August 27, 2011 and September 4, 2000; 5˚F on January 18, 1930.
January
63.1
41.6
2.2
February
70.9
47.3
2.0
• The Houston MSA lies in a zone with 260-275 frost-free days per year.
March
75.2
55.6
3.3
April
78.9
59.1
14.4
Precipitation
May
83.1
65.9
7.2
• Annual average precipitation: 49.2 inches.
June
90.9
73.4
13.1
• Thunderstorms occur, on average, 62.0 days per year.
July
96.4
77.8
1.1
• Record monthly rainfall: 19.2 inches in June 2001.
August
93.4
75.8
10.4
• Highest daily total: 10.3 inches fell on June 26, 1989.
September
91.8
73.5
1.7
• Houston has had 15 measurable snowfalls since 1939.
October
86.6
63.3
0.1
• Record monthly snowfall: 2.8 inches in February 1973.
November
77.9
55.5
2.0
December
66.6
50.6
3.6
Annual
81.2
61.6
61.0
• Record daily snowfall: 2.0 inches in January 1973. • Annual average relative humidity: 84 percent at midnight; 89 percent at 6:00 a.m.; 58 percent at noon; 64 percent at 6:00 p.m.
Sunshine • In ’16, Houston averaged 73 percent of possible sunshine annually, ranging from 37 percent in December to 93 percent in September. • Related annual averages: • “Clear” on 90.3 days, concentrated in October and November. • “Partly cloudy” on 114.5 days, typical of June through September. • “Cloudy” on 160.3 days, common in December through May. • Fog limiting visibility to a quarter of a mile or less occurs on average 26.3 days per year.
Wind • Prevailing wind in Houston is south-southeasterly at a mean speed of 7.5 miles per hour.
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Average High Temperature (˚F)
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Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Note: As recorded at George Bush Intercontinental Airport’s weather station.
LO D G I N G According to CBRE Hotels, in Spring ’17, the Houston MSA had: • 861 major hotels and motels, totaling 85,147 rooms. • Room occupancy averaged 62.3 percent with an average room rate of $104.70 per night. • In the fourth quarter of ’16, 5,021 hotel and motel rooms were under construction.
DINING Houston restaurants feature outstanding regional dishes as well as diverse international cuisine. The Houston MSA was home to 10,662 food service and drinking establishments that employed nearly 253,000 in ’16. These establishments included: 4,151 full-service restaurants, 4,052 limited-service eating places and 643 drinking establishments. In the four quarters ending in Q3/16, the Houston MSA food service and drinking establishments had sales of $16.1 billion, according to the State Comptroller’s office.
In ’17, Yelp.com listed Houston as having more than 75 national categories of cuisine, and listed over 600 vegan friendly restaurants, more than 150 farm-to-table restaurants and more than 700 food trucks in Houston.
A R T S A N D C U LT U R E Performance Arts Houston is one of the few U.S. cities with resident companies in drama, ballet, opera and orchestra. More than 500 institutions are devoted to the performing and visual arts, science and history in the Houston area. Houston’s nonprofit arts and culture industry is important to the region for cultural enrichment, student development, and tourism and generates $1.0 billion in taxable sales, according to a ’17 report from Texas Cultural Trust.
Venues
Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, opened in 1966, is home to the Houston Symphony and the Society for the Performing Arts. It seats 2,912. Wortham Theater Center, built entirely with private funds and opened in 1987, is home to the opera and ballet companies. Its two halls seat 2,405 and 1,100. Houston Ballet’s Center for Dance, opened in April ’11, is a 115,000-square-foot, $47 million, six-story structure, the largest professional dance company facility of its kind constructed in the U.S.
Theater District Houston’s Theater District, located in downtown Houston, features nine renowned performing arts organizations, and many smaller ones, in four venues: Jones Hall, Wortham Theater Center, Alley Theatre and Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Houston Ballet’s Center of Dance is also located in the heart of the Theater District.
Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park offers free performances by Houston’s performing arts organizations. The city-owned theatre is located on 7.5 acres of land in Hermann Park, site of the Houston Zoo and the Garden Center. Seating is provided for 1,700 patrons under the covered pavilion. A sloping lawn accommodates approximately 4,500 more on blankets or lawn chairs.
Alley Theatre, home to Houston’s leading repertory company, offers two stages, the 774-seat Hubbard Stage and the 310-seat Neuhaus Stage, and 500 annual performances. A wide-ranging repertoire of 11 productions is presented each season. Backed by private and public contributions, the theatre underwent a $46.5-million renovation in ’14–’15.
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, located in The Woodlands, offers outdoor performance space and accommodates 16,267. Established in 1990, it presents an eclectic range of programs featuring nationally and internationally recognized artists.
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, opened in ’02, is home to Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS), Broadway Across America, the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre and Uniquely Houston. Its two stages have seating for 2,650 and 500.
The Grand 1894 Opera House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, presents more than 25 productions annually. The Romanesque Revival style theater is located in Galveston and has seating for 1,000.
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Stafford Centre, located in Stafford, Texas, includes a performing arts theater with seating for 1,154 and more than 24 acres of outdoor festival green space. Smart Financial Centre, located in Sugar Land, Texas, opened in January ’17 and is a premier venue for a wide variety of performances and programs. This state-of-the-art indoor hall can seat up to 6,400. Berry Center, located in Cypress, Texas, is five facilities in one. It includes two 11,000-seat athletic stadiums, a conference center, an 8,300-seat arena, and a 456-seat theater. Revention Music Center, formerly known as the Bayou Music Center, seats 2,800 inside the 130,000-square-foot Bayou Place entertainment complex in downtown Houston.
Music
Dance Houston Ballet, founded in 1955 and established as a professional company in 1969, is the nation’s fifth largest ballet company, with annual operating expenses of more than $31.6 million and 59 dancers, many of whom have won medals at major international competitions. Houston Ballet has toured to critical praise in Europe, Canada, Asia and cities throughout the U.S. The company gave 90 performances during the ’15–’16 season.
Theater Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) offers lavish musical theater productions, both new works and revivals, in a winter subscription season and in popular free summer productions at Hermann Park’s Miller Outdoor Theatre. It also operates the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre.
Houston Symphony, founded in 1913, has an annual budget of more than $33.9 million and maintains an internationally acclaimed orchestra of nearly 90 full-time musicians. Some 400,000 attend its season of more than 300 classical, pops, educational and family concerts. The symphony’s free summer concerts at Miller Outdoor Theatre have been a tradition since 1940. The symphony’s long tradition of touring in recent years has included Europe, Japan, Singapore and many U.S. cities. The symphony devotes approximately $1 million per year to educational outreach programs, most of which are offered for free or at a nominal cost.
Main Street Theater (MST) enjoys growing critical acclaim for dramatic and musical productions. Throughout its 40-year history, its MainStage program has presented over 30 world premieres. MST’s Youth Theater produces plays directed to young audiences. Its Kids On Stage classes emphasize theatrical traditions from cultures worldwide.
Houston Grand Opera performs October through May each year at the Wortham Theater Center downtown. Founded in 1955, the company is known worldwide and enjoys a reputation for commissioning and presenting new works by important contemporary composers, including 50 world premieres. Its tours have included the U.S., Japan, Italy, Egypt, Scotland and France. Houston Grand Opera is the only opera company to have won a Tony Award, two Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards.
Stages Repertory Theatre offers southwestern and world premieres, experimental productions of classic works and revivals of American masterpieces.
Ensemble Theatre, located in midtown Houston and established in 1976, is one of the only professional theaters in the Southwest devoted to the African-American experience. This theatre offers two stages and a full season of productions.
Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH), with its first performances taking place in October ’15, was designed to fill a void in the Houston arts community. By developing an accessible, centralized hub of creativity, MATCH brings together an array of artists and art lovers from across the region’s diverse cultural, economic and geographic communities. The center contains an art gallery and four theaters varying in size from 70 to 350 seats.
Museums Houston Museum District The Houston Museum District is one of the country’s most visited and diverse cultural centers with 19 member organizations within close proximity. These museums provide rich experiences in art, history, culture, nature and science. Asia Society Texas Center, opened in ’12, houses an art gallery along with a theater. One of only 12 Asia Society locations throughout the world, the center fosters common understanding and alliances between individuals and organizations in Asia and the West. Art League Houston, one of Houston’s longest-running nonprofits dedicated to showcasing contemporary art, is located in the heart of Montrose and strives to showcase the work of local Houston artists. 40
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the natural world. Currently there are over 6,000 animals attracting over 2.5 million guests each year. Health Museum, founded in 1996, is a member institution of the world-renowned Texas Medical Center. As the most visited health museum in the country, the museum currently serves more than 180,000 annual visitors. Jung Center of Houston was founded in 1958 in honor of Carl Gustav, the revolutionary psychologist. The center displays new exhibits each month. Much of the featured artwork is generated by local and regional artists. Lawndale Art Center, founded in 1979, is one of the only institutions in Houston that is dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art with an emphasis on work by regional artists. Menil Collection, opened in 1987, features a highly acclaimed collection of some 17,000 works of art concentrated in four areas: antiquities, Byzantine and medieval treasures, worldwide tribal art, and paintings and sculpture. The museum includes the Cy Twombly Gallery and Richmond Hall. Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, founded in 2000, is dedicated to preserving the legacy and honor of the AfricanAmerican soldiers that served on behalf of the United States of America. Children’s Museum of Houston, founded in 1980, receives more than 800,000 visits annually, has hands-on galleries, and offers a multitude of exhibits and programs for children through age 12. Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, founded in 1948, is a free-entry museum presenting regional, national and international art of the past 40 years through exhibitions accompanied by publications and educational programming. Holocaust Museum Houston, opened in 1996, educates the public about the dangers of prejudice and hatred in society and exhibits information about the Holocaust. Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, founded in ’01, is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to advancing education about the process, product and history of craft. Houston Center for Photography, founded in 1981, brings together a community of people interested in photography and lens-based work. The center is home to an on-site library housing more than 3,000 books on photography. Houston Museum of Natural Science, established in 1909, includes four floors of permanent exhibit halls, the Wortham IMAX® 3D Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center, Burke Baker Planetarium, the George Observatory in Fort Bend County, a satellite facility in Sugar Land, and world-class touring exhibitions. Houston Zoo seeks to provide a fun and inspirational experience fostering appreciation, knowledge and care for
Museum of African American Culture exhibits the material and intellectual culture of Africans and African- Americans in Houston, the state of Texas, the Southwest, and the African Diaspora. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), the first art museum in Texas, opened in 1924. Today, it houses nearly 65,000 works from antiquity to the present and ranks as the largest art museum in the Southwest. MFAH includes: The Caroline Wiess Law Building, Cullinan Hall, Brown Pavilion and the Audrey Jones Beck Building. Other MFAH facilities include: Glassell School of Art, the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, Blaffer Memorial Wing, Rienzi, Central Administration, Junior School Building and Bayou Bend. The museum began construction of a new master planned campus transformation in summer ’15. Set for completion in ’19, these new additions to the campus will include a stateof-the-art conservation center and a new tunnel system connecting various buildings. Rice University Art Gallery is the only university art museum in the nation dedicated to site-specific installation art. The gallery presents temporary, large-scale environments that visitors can enter and explore. Rothko Chapel, founded in 1971, is an intimate sanctuary welcoming over 80,000 visitors each year. Station Museum of Contemporary Art, located in Houston’s Midtown district, is dedicated to showcasing art from over 10 different nations, along with exhibitions of local Texas artists. Alliance Gallery, managed by the Houston Arts Alliance, showcases recent work by contemporary Houston artists. Blaffer Art Museum, University of Houston is dedicated to furthering the understanding of contemporary art.
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Bryan Museum, opened in ’13 in Galveston, is home to the world’s largest collection of historical artifacts, documents and artwork relating to the Southwestern U.S. Harris County Heritage Society has restored and furnished 10 early Houston homes and a church that are on display in Sam Houston Park. Its Museum of Houston Heritage chronicles Texas history since 1519. O’Kane Gallery, University of Houston–Downtown is a unique conduit for the visual arts and contemporary culture. Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is a nonprofit organization founded in 1980 to promote the legacy of folk art and traditional visual artists.
San Jacinto Monument and Museum of History, located at San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, features a wealth of artifacts and documents covering four centuries of Texas history. This 1,200-acre site is also a National Historic Landmark and consists of the San Jacinto battleground, monument with observation floor, museum of history and Battleship Texas. Space Center Houston, the $75-million, Disney-designed visitors’ center for Johnson Space Center, opened in 1992 and attracts more than 800,000 visitors per year. It features an IMAX theater, Kids Space Place, live demonstrations, Apollo, Mercury and Gemini capsules, a space suit collection, and the world’s largest collection of moon rocks. University Museum at Texas Southern University, opened in 2000, presents art created by African and AfricanAmerican artists.
R E L I G I O U S A N D C U LT U R A L D I V E R S I T Y More than 80 percent of Greater Houston’s population identifies as being religious, according to the Kinder Institute for Urban Research’s 35th Annual ’16 Houston Area Survey. Approximately half of Houston’s population is Protestant while another one-third identifies as Catholic. Yet, as the nation’s most diverse city, Houston is also home to an incredibly wide array of faith traditions. One can experience Houston’s rich religious diversity through the numerous mosques, synagogues, Hindu temples, and even a Zoroastrian cultural center spotted across the region. Al-Noor Mosque boasts a large gold dome that can be seen from I-69 and the Westpark Tollway. It is located in Houston’s Hillcroft region, a vibrant center of South Asian culture within the city. Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, uniquely located in the heart of downtown, is a predominantly African American church that was founded by free slaves and occupies an important place in Houston’s history. The Blue Mosque/Raindrop House is an Islamic center with interesting Turkish-style architecture, which also serves as a Turkish cultural center and conducts interfaith outreach efforts. 42
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Centro Islámico, opened in early ’16, is believed to be the nation’s only Spanish-speaking mosque. Located in Southwest Houston, the building was once a bank, and has geometric edges and architectural elements of Moorish Spain. Chapel of St. Basil, located at Houston’s University of St. Thomas in the Montrose district, is a cube-shaped chapel designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson. Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart has a congregational history dating back to the 1890s, and the new cathedral building opened in ’08 features a towering stained-glass display created by artisans in Florence, Italy. Congregation Beth Yeshurun is important not only for its more than 100-year history but also for its location in the Meyerland area, which has the noteworthy history of being home to many Jewish Houstonians. Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center lies on an 11.5-acre site in Sugar Land, and principally a religious venue for Shi’a Ismaili Muslims in Houston. The center is also a site for community outreach, hosting the ’16 Sugar Land Mayoral debate and TEDxSugarLand in August ’16.
Lakewood Church, housed in a former sports arena, is the largest religious congregation in the United States. It is pastored by Joel Osteen and features both English and Spanish language services. Mohammedi Masjid, Dawoodi Bohra Center Houston is a mosque that is home to members of the Bohra sect of Shi’a Islam, making it another fascinating glimpse into the religious diversity in Houston. The complex features elaborate gardens and Egyptian architecture. MTO Shahmaghsoudi School of Islamic Sufism, located along Beltway 8, is an elaborate Sufi temple with stunning architecture, along with an energy efficient design featuring solar panels. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, founded in 1912 in Houston’s Second Ward, was the first church in Houston to offer services in Spanish.
BAPS Sri Swaminarayan Mandir is a beautiful Hindu temple and cultural center in the Stafford area constructed with stones imported directly from India. St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, located in the heart of Houston’s Museum District, is renowned for its choir and Neo-Gothic architecture. Texas Guandi Temple (Buddhist), founded in 1999, is a focal point of Houston Old Chinatown. Many building materials were imported from China. The Zarthushti Heritage and Cultural Center is a house of worship and cultural community founded by Persian and South Asian Zoroastrians (Parsis) in 1998, and further attests to Houston’s dynamic religious and cultural diversity.
RECURRING EVENTS AND FESTIVAL S
January
February
March
Black Heritage Society’s Annual “Original” MLK Birthday Parade
Lunar New Year Festival
Azalea Trail
Mardi Gras! Galveston
Bayou City Art Festival Memorial
Chevron Houston Marathon
Buffalo Bayou Regatta
Martin Luther King Jr. Grande Parade
Houston Holi Festival Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Kite Festival in Hermann Park Shell Houston Open
April
May
June
BP MS 150
Brew Fest
Big Texas Beer Fest
Houston Art Car Parade
Carnival Houston Show + Parade
Caribbean Heritage Month Festival Houston
Houston Barbecue Festival
Cinco de Mayo Parade and Celebration
Free Press Summer Fest
Houston’s Children’s Festival
Dragon Boat Festival
Juneteenth Freedom Festival
Lunar Lantern Festival
Houston Polish Festival
Pride Houston
Southwest International Boat Show
Japan Festival
WorldFest: Houston International Film Festival
Pasadena Strawberry Festival
July
August
September
Freedom Over Texas Festival
Houston International Jazz Festival
Fiestas Patrias Houston
Star-Spangled Salute
Houston Shakespeare Festival
Fine Arts Fair
White Linen Night in the Heights
Houston Black Heritage Music and Arts Festival
October
November
December
Houston Italian Festival
Day of the Dead
Candlelight Tour in the Park
Original Greek Festival
Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at Rothko Chapel
Day for Night
Texas Renaissance Festival Wings Over Houston Airshow
International Quilt Festival Lighting Zoo Lights Nutcracker Market Uptown Houston
Dickens on the Strand Fiesta Guadalupana Mayor’s Official Downtown Houston Holiday Celebration
Texas Championship Native American Pow Wow Turkish Festival
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C O N V E N T I O N A N D S P O R T S FA C I L I T I E S George R. Brown (GRB) Convention Center, opened in 1987 and expanded in ’03, offers 1.2 million square feet of exhibition, registration, and meeting space, seven exhibit halls, retractable seating for 6,500, a 31,500-square foot grand ballroom, and a 3,600-seat tiered amphitheater. A grand entryway and four restaurants were added in ’17. Adjacent to the GRB is the 12-acre Discovery Green and the 1,200-room Hilton Americas hotel. The 1,000-room Marriott Marquis features a rooftop Texas-shaped lazy river, five restaurants, a skybridge to the GRB and the largest ballroom in the city. Avenida Houston is the newly renovated district in front of the GRB. The renovation, completed in time for Super Blow LI in February ’17, houses new restaurants and an outdoor plaza that connects the GRB to Discovery Green across the street. NRG Park, which occupies 350 acres and offers 26,000 parking spaces, is among the most versatile sports and meeting complexes in the United States. NRG Park includes the following venues: • NRG Stadium, a $453-million, 72,220-seat football stadium with a retractable roof, opened in 2002. It is home to the NFL Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. • NRG Center, a $150-million convention center, opened in ’02. It has 1.4 million square feet, which includes 706,213 square feet of contiguous exposition space and 59 meeting rooms. • NRG Arena, has 350,000 square feet of exhibit space, an 8,000-seat arena and a 2,000-seat pavilion. • NRG Astrodome debuted in 1965 as the first full-enclosed sports stadium seating 70,000.
Toyota Center, a $235-million sports arena/entertainment center located downtown, seats 18,300 for basketball and as many as 19,000 for concerts. Opened in ’03, it has covered parking for 2,500 vehicles. Minute Maid Park, the Houston Astros’ retractable-roof downtown baseball stadium with seating for 40,963, opened in 2000. Renovations to its centerfield seating were completed in time for the ’17 season. BBVA Compass Stadium, the state-of-the-art, open-air stadium designed to host Dynamo and Dash matches, as well as additional sporting and concert events, opened in May ’12. The 22,000-seat stadium is the first soccerspecific stadium in Major League Soccer located in a city’s downtown district. Constellation Field, opened in ’12 as home of the Sugar Land Skeeters minor league baseball team. The stadium hosts sporting events as well as concerts. It has a capacity of 7,500 spectators for baseball games and 10,000 for concerts. TEDCU Stadium, opened in August ’14, is located on the campus of the University of Houston in the Third Ward. It cost $125 million to build. The stadium features 40,000 seats including 5,000 in club and suite areas. Sun and shade studies were also conducted to improve the best level of comfort for Houston fans and not affect student-athletes. Rice Stadium, opened in 1950, is located in the historic museum district. It seats up to 70,000 fans. It is the location where President John F. Kennedy made his famous challenge to America to place a man on the moon. Hofheinz Pavilion, home to the University of Houston Cougars men’s and women’s basketball teams, is an 8,500-seat multipurpose arena built in 1969. A $60-million renovation will be completed in 2018, and the facility will become the Fertitta Center, named after UH donor, Tilman Fertitta.
PROFESSIONAL TEAMS IN THE HOUSTON MSA
Houston Astros
Major League Baseball’s American League Minute Maid Park
Houston Texans
American Football Conference in the National Football League NRG Stadium
Houston Roller Derby
Women’s Flat Track Derby Association Revention Music Center
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Houston Rockets
Western Conference in the National Basketball Association Toyota Center
Sugar Land Skeeters
Houston Dynamo
Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference BBVA Compass Stadium
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Constellation Field
Houston Dash National Women’s Soccer League
BBVA Compass Stadium
Scrap Yard Dawgs
National Pro Fastpitch Scrap Yard Sports Complex
MAJOR EVENTS AND CONVENTIONS With more than 4.44 million sq. ft. of convention space, metropolitan Houston ranks at the top of American cities when comparing convention venues. According to the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau, in ’16 Houston hosted 431 conventions, events and shows that drew 628,013 attendees to Houston translating into an estimated economic impact of $253 million, based on attendance. In ’17, Houston hosted its third Super Bowl (Super Bowl LI). Houston hosted its first Super Bowl in 1974 and its second in ’04. Other major Houston-based events include ’02 World Space Congress, ’08 Latin Grammy Awards ceremony, ’13 American Association for Clinical Chemistry, the ’13 National Rifle Association, ’16 Copa America Centenario, and the ’16 NCAA Final Four Basketball Tournament.
GOLF There are 198 golf courses within a 50-mile radius of downtown Houston, according to Golflink.com. The City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department maintains seven municipal golf parks.
There are numerous driving ranges in Houston, including three Top Golf locations, which are multi-story driving ranges.
R ACING Alkek Velodrome is a concrete bicycle track located in Houston’s Cullen Park, one of 26 velodromes in the United States, according to US Cycling. Galveston Bay Cruising Association is an all-volunteer non-profit sailboat racing club based in Clear Lake Shores. Gulf Greyhound Park is a dog racing track in La Marque.
Houston Motorsports Park is a NASCAR speedway and National Hot Rod Association drag strip. Royal Purple Raceway, formerly known as “Houston Raceway Park,” is a dragstrip complex located in Baytown. Sam Houston Race Park hosts Thoroughbred and American Quarter horse racing.
BIKING AND HIKING Biking options are found throughout the region and include paved and unpaved paths, mountain-bike trails, and shared-road lanes.
The City of Houston also offers more than 128 miles of hike and bike trails that loop within its parks or run along bayous and outside park boundaries.
The City of Houston offers a 300-mile interconnected bikeway network spread over 500 square miles. The network includes bike lanes, bike routes, signed-shared lanes and shared-use paths.
Harris County offers 45 hike and bike trails totaling 230 miles.
PA R K S Houston contains 53,134 acres of parkland, managed by five different entities, according to The Trust for Public Land’s ’17 City Park Facts.
• Parks represent 14.4 percent of the city’s adjusted land area, which subtracts airport and railyard acreage from the total city land area.
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• There are 23.4 acres of total parkland per 1,000 residents, well above the median of 14.8 acres per 1,000 residents for cities of similar density. • Of the 50 largest parks located within U.S. cities, the City of Houston contains four: Cullen Park (#12) with 9,270 acres, George Bush Park (#16) with 8,043 acres, Lake Houston Wilderness Park (#25) with 4,787 acres, and Bear Creek Pioneers Park (#48) with 3,067 acres.
• 6 Skateparks • 5 Fitness Centers • 4 Nature Centers • 5 Disc Golf Courses • 3 Tennis Centers Major City of Houston parks:
• Houston ranks first in total park acreage among U.S. cities with more than one million residents.
• Cullen Park (9,270 acres)
• George Bush Park is the largest county-maintained park in the United States.
• Memorial Park (1,458 acres)
City of Houston parks Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) oversees 370 developed municipal parks and more than 220 green-spaces, which together encompass approximately 37,851 acres.
• Lake Houston Wilderness Park (4,787 acres) • Herman Brown Park (717 acres) • Eisenhower Park (683 acres) • Keith-Wiess Park (499 acres) • Hermann Park (445 acres) • Law Park (313 acres)
HPARD owns and operates 60 community centers across the city, along with the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center.
• Buffalo Bayou Park (157 acres)
Amenities in City of Houston parks include:
• Cullinan/Oyster Creek Park (44 acres)
• 224 Playgrounds • 206 Tennis Courts • 158 Baseball & Softball Fields • 138 Miles of Trails • 90 Soccer Fields • 75 Baseball Practice Backstops • 62 Outdoor Basketball Courts • 38 Pools • 28 Tennis Backstops • 23 Water Spray grounds • 23 Gyms • 17 Volleyball courts • 15 Football /Rugby/ Cricket/ Lacrosse Fields • 13 Weight Rooms • 10 Urban Garden Sites • 9 Dog Parks • 8 Golf Courses (18-hole)
• MacGregor Park (83 acres) • Metropolitan Multi-Service Center provides access to year-round activities for children and adults with disabilities. Major downtown parks: • Allen’s Landing Memorial Park, located on the banks of Buffalo Bayou. • Discovery Green, a 12-acre park adjoining the George R. Brown Convention Center, opened in ’08. • Eleanor Tinsley Park, a 124-acre linear park along Buffalo Bayou immediately west of downtown. • Market Square, bounded by Preston, Milam, Travis, and Congress streets, and donated to the city in 1854 by Augustus Allen. • Martha Hermann Square Park is located at the front steps of City Hall. • Sam Houston Park, the city’s first park, was acquired in 1899. The park’s 19.7 acres contain nine restored historic buildings. • Sesquicentennial Park is a 22.5-acre urban oasis in the heart of Houston’s downtown theater district. • Tranquility Park, between Walker and Rusk Streets, was officially dedicated on the 10th anniversary of the first lunar landing.
Harris County parks The Harris County Park System consists of four separate park departments that maintain 180 parks totaling 25,131 acres. Major Harris County parks: • George Bush Park (7,800 acres) 46
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• Cypress Creek Park (2,700 acres) • Armand Bayou Nature Center (2,500 acres) • Bear Creek Pioneers Park (2,153 acres) • Congressman Bill Archer Park (926 acres) • Terry Hershey Park (500 acres) • Challenger Seven Memorial Park (326 acres) • Tom Bass Regional Park (more than 300 acres) • Roy Campbell Burroughs Park (320 acres) • Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens (300 acres) • Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center (300 acres) • Gene Green Beltway 8 Park (230 acres) • Arthur Storey Park (175 acres)
State parks • Brazos Bend State Park (5,000 acres) is located approximately 28 miles southwest of Houston in Fort Bend County.
• Sheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning Center (2,800 acres) is located 17 miles northeast of downtown Houston.
• Galveston Island State Park (2,013 acres) is located southeast of Houston in Galveston County.
• Stephen F. Austin State Park (663 acres) is located in Austin County.
• San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park (1,200 acres) is located 20 miles east of downtown Houston.
FORESTS Sam Houston National Forest, located 50 miles north of Houston, is the largest of the four national forests in Texas. The forest contains 163,037 acres in Montgomery, San Jacinto and Walker counties.
W. G. Jones State Forest, a largely native loblolly pine forest covering 1,725 acres, is located 40 miles north of Houston near Conroe in Montgomery County. The forest is named after W. Goodrich Jones, the founder of the Texas Forestry Association. It is owned and administered by the Texas A&M Forest Service.
WILDLIFE REFUGES Houston, situated on two of the four major North American bird and butterfly flyways, offers a bounty of avian species. As of ’14, the Houston Audubon Society has counted more than 400 species of birds in the Houston region. Texas National Wildlife Refuges in the Houston MSA include the Anahuac and Moody National Wildlife Refuges in Chambers County; the Brazoria, San Bernard and Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuges in Brazoria County; and
the 23,000-acre Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge in Liberty County. Houston Audubon, one of the largest chapters of the National Audubon Society, is headquartered at the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary in West Houston. Prominent among its several other sanctuary locations are Bolivar Flats and High Island.
H O U S T O N ZO O In ’16, the Houston Zoo received a record 2.55 million visitors, ranking it among the most-visited zoos in the U.S.
The Houston Zoo was founded in 1922 and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Occupying 55 acres in Hermann Park, the Zoo is home to more than 6,000 exotic animals, representing more than 900 species.
Since ’02, the non-profit corporation, Houston Zoo, Inc., has operated the zoo and invested more than $100 million in an extensive renewal and upgrading of its facilities. Greater Houston Partnership
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H I S TO RY 1830s
Houston’s first bank, First National Bank, is founded.
1836
On April 21, General Sam Houston’s army wins Texas’ independence from Mexico in the Battle of San Jacinto.
1867
Houston Stonewalls defeat Galveston Robert E. Lees 35-2 in first recorded baseball game in Houston.
1836
Houston founded on Aug. 30 by brothers Augustus C. and John K. Allen, who pay just over $1.40 per acre for 6,642 acres near headwaters of Buffalo Bayou.
1868
Houston’s first trolley cars (mule-drawn) appear.
1868
Houston’s first gaslights are installed.
1836
1837
Allen Brothers call on Gail Borden (publisher, surveyor, originator of condensed milk) and Thomas H. Borden to survey the site. Gail Borden lays out the town’s streets 80’ wide, with the principal east-west street (Texas Ave.) 100’ wide. General Sam Houston, first president of the Republic of Texas, signs an act authorizing Houston to incorporate. Houston is capital of the Republic from 1837-1839.
1837
The Laura is the first steamship to visit Houston.
1838
A bucket brigade, Protection Fire Company No. 1, is formed to fight fires.
1840s 1840
On April 4, seven Houston businessmen form the Houston Chamber of Commerce.
1841 1842
Houston Police Department is formed.
1846
Texas’ oldest newspaper, The Galveston County Daily News, is first published.
1850
1853 1853
1859
1870s 1870 1870
Texas readmitted to the Union.
1870
Congress designates Houston a port; first survey of Houston’s proposed ship channel is conducted.
1872
Congress makes its first appropriation — $10,000 — for ship channel improvements.
1874
Houston Board of Trade and Cotton Exchange are organized.
1875
First grain elevator is built on the Houston Ship Channel.
1877
Houston’s first free public schools is established.
First census after Texas joins the United States counts 2,396 Houstonians. Galveston, with 4,117 residents, is the state’s largest city. Houston’s first railroad — the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railroad — begins operations. Texas Legislature appropriates $4,000 for Buffalo Bayou improvements. Three competing firefighting companies combined into the Houston Volunteer Fire Department.
1860s 1861
City provides “land and good buildings” for a smallpox/yellow fever hospital.
1861
Houston and Harris County vote to secede from the Union. During the Civil War, the closest fighting is at Galveston.
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1900s 1900
Houston Left Hand Fishing Club purchases the city’s first automobile from Olds Motor Works of Detroit.
1901
Oil discovered at Spindletop. Spindletop, and later discoveries at Humble in 1905 and Goose Creek in 1906, put Houston in the center of new oil and oilfield equipment development.
1902
1905 1908
Houston has 80 automobiles.
Houston city council sets speed limit of 8 mph.
1909
Houston Museum and Scientific Society, Inc., predecessor of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, is organized.
1909
Houston police begin using motorcycles to enforce speed limits.
1909
Houston Country Club opens with Houston’s first professionally-designed 18-hole golf course.
1880s 1880
Houston’s first telephone exchange is created.
1882
Houston Electric Light Co. is organized. Houston and New York are the first cities to build electric power plants.
1882 1887
Houston gets its first arc light.
Sisters of Charity open Houston’s first general hospital.
1890s 1891
Houston is first Texas city with electric streetcars.
A Category 4 hurricane — deadliest in U.S. history — strikes Galveston, claiming more than 6,000 lives and causing property damage exceeding $30 million ($846 million in 2012 dollars).
1901
Census shows Houston’s population up to 9,332. Harris County’s has reached 17,375, ranking it second in the state.
Texas becomes the 28th state.
1850s
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1866
Congress appropriates $1 million for work on the Houston Ship Channel.
1910s 1910
Congress accepts, from a group of Houston businessmen headed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce, a novel plan to split ship channel development costs between Houston and the federal government.
1912
Rice Institute (now Rice University) begins classes.
1913 1914
Houston Symphony is established.
George Hermann donates 285 acres to the city for a public park near Rice Institute.
1895
Houston Business League is founded (became Houston Chamber of Commerce in 1910).
1914
The 25-foot-deep Houston Ship Channel is completed and formally dedicated.
1895
Houston Fire Department replaces Houston Volunteer Fire Department.
1915
First deepwater vessel, the S.S. Satilla, calls at Houston.
1897
Automobile first appears in Houston as an advertising gimmick.
1897
Houston’s first asphalt street paving is laid on Franklin St.
1898 1899
Galveston Country Club opens with Texas’ first recorded professionally designed golf course. First Houston city park opens. (This site, now Sam Houston Park, contains several of Houston’s earliest buildings.)
1920s 1920s- 1930s
Oil refineries proliferate along the Ship Channel, taking advantage of inexpensive waterborne shipping.
1921
Houston adopts ordinance dedicating tax monies to its library system.
1923
Second National Bank becomes Houston’s first air-conditioned building.
1924
Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the first fine arts museum in Texas, opens.
1955
1926 1927
Natural gas first piped into Houston.
1955
Houston Colored Junior College, the forerunner of Texas Southern University, established.
1927
Houston Junior College (now the University of Houston) is established.
1928
National Democratic Convention is held in Houston.
1928
Municipal airport opened; air mail service to Houston begins.
1929
City Planning Commission recommends that Houston adopt a zoning ordinance but finds scant support.
1930s 1930
Census ranks Houston as state’s most populous city at 292,352.
1932
First Houston Fat Stock Show & Rodeo (now Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™) held.
1934
Intracoastal Canal links Houston to Mississippi River navigation system.
1935
Braniff International inaugurates first scheduled air passenger service to Houston.
1940s 1940s 1941 1943 1946
Petrochemical complex develops, taking feedstocks from nearby refineries. New master plan for Houston thoroughfares emphasizes a loop system. Texas Medical Center is founded. Houston Golf Assn. hosts its first PGA Tour event — now the Shell Houston Open, 10th oldest event on the PGA schedule.
1947
Houston College for Negroes acquired by Texas Legislature; established as Texas State University for Negroes (now Texas Southern University).
1947 1947
Alley Theatre established.
1948
Houston voters reject proposed zoning ordinance.
1948
Dec. 31 annexation expands Houston’s area from 74.4 to 216 square-miles.
1948
Port of Houston ranks second nationally in total tonnage.
1949
KLEE-TV broadcasts first Houston commercial TV program.
KUHT-TV, the nation’s first public broadcast TV station, goes on the air.
Houston Grand Opera Association and Houston Ballet founded. Houston metro area population reaches 1,000,000.
1960s 1962
NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center moves to Houston.
1962
Houston voters reject proposed zoning ordinance.
1965 1969
First event held in the Astrodome.
1969
“Houston” is the first word spoken from the lunar surface.
Houston Intercontinental Airport begins operations.
1970s 1970 1971
The Galleria opens. Shell Oil Co. relocates corporate headquarters to Houston. More than 200 major firms move headquarters, subsidiaries and divisions here in the 1970s.
1973
Arab oil embargo quadruples oil prices in 90 days, fueling Houston’s 1973-1981 economic boom.
1978
Voters approve and fund Metropolitan Transit Authority.
1980s 1982
Employment peaks at 1,583,400 in March before onset of recession.
1983
155 office buildings completed in 12 months.
1983
Voters approve creation of Harris County Toll Road Authority.
1987
Trough of recession in January; net recession loss of 221,900 jobs.
1987
Wortham Center, home to Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera, opens.
1989
Houston Chamber of Commerce, Houston Economic Development Council and Houston World Trade Association combine to form Greater Houston Partnership.
Engineering begins on the Gulf Freeway, Texas’ first freeway.
1950s 1953
1990s
2000s 2000
Census finds Houston MSA has no racial or ethnic majority.
2000
Minute Maid Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros, opens.
2001
Tropical Storm Allison inundates Houston June 5-9, claiming 22 lives and inflicting $4.9 billion in property damage, with storm precipitation as high as 35.67 inches in some areas.
2002
NRG Stadium, home of the National Football League’s Houston Texans, opens.
2002
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts opens.
2003
Toyota Center, home of the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets, opens.
2004
Houston’s first modern light rail line, 7.5-miles long, begins operations.
2004 2005
Houston hosts NFL Superbowl XXXVIII.
2008
Hurricane Ike makes landfall Sept. 13 at Galveston as a Category 2 storm, claiming at least 70 lives and causing some $27 billion in property damage along the Texas Gulf Coast, ranking it third most costly among U.S. hurricanes.
More than 100,000 evacuees flee to Houston from southern Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
2010s 2011
By November, Houston returns to 2008 pre-recession employment levels; first major metro to do so.
2012
BBVA Compass Stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo, opens.
2013
A $60-billion boom in chemical plant construction begins along the Gulf Coast. Construction boom helps to offset job losses in energy over the next two years.
2014
Oil prices peak at $108 per barrel in June before plunging 75% over the next 18 months devastating the local energy industry. Nearly 80,000 energy-related jobs are lost.
2015
Hobby Airport launches international service with the opening of the airport’s first international terminal.
2015
Ellington Airport receives a commercial spaceport license by the Federal Aviation Administration.
1990
Houston economic recovery complete; April job count above March 1982 level.
1990
Houston hosts 16th annual Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations.
2016
1991
Houston City Council mandates first zoning regulations.
The energy downturn bottoms out and a slow recovery begins.
2017
Houston hosts NFL Superbowl LI.
1992
Republican National Convention held in Houston.
1993
Houston voters reject proposed zoning ordinance.
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