Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas
City
Top to bottom, left to right: Downtown Houston, Sam Houston Monument at Hermann Park, Texas Medical Center, Uptown Houston, Johnson Space Center, Museum of Fine Arts, Buffalo Bayou
Flag of Houston, Texas
Flag
Official seal of Houston, Texas
Seal
Nickname: 
Space City (official)
Location within and around Harris County
Location within and around Harris County
Houston is located in Texas
Houston
Houston
Location within Texas
Houston is located in the United States
Houston
Houston
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 29°45′46″N 95°22′59″W / 29.76278°N 95.38306°W / 29.76278; -95.38306
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountiesHarris, Fort Bend, Montgomery
IncorporatedJune 5, 1837
Named forSam Houston
Government
 • TypeStrong Mayor-Council
 • BodyHouston City Council
 • MayorJohn Whitmire (D)
Area
[1]
 • City671.67 sq mi (1,739.62 km2)
 • Land640.44 sq mi (1,658.73 km2)
 • Water31.23 sq mi (80.89 km2)
Elevation
80 ft (32 m)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • City2,304,580
 • Rank4th in the United States
1st in Texas
 • Density3,598.43/sq mi (1,389.36/km2)
 • Metro
[3]
7,149,642 (5th)
DemonymHoustonian
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
770xx, 772xx (P.O. Boxes)
Area codes713, 281, 832, 346
FIPS code48-35000[4]
GNIS feature ID1380948[5]
Major airportsGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
Interstates
U.S. routes
State routes
Rapid transitHouston Metro
Websitewww.houstontx.gov
For other uses, see Houston (disambiguation).

Houston is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the 4th most populous city in the United States. As of 2020, more than 2 million people lived there. John Whitmire became the mayor of Houston in 2024. Houston is named after Samuel Houston, who fought for Texas to leave Mexico in 1836. The Johnson Space Center of NASA is in Houston.

Houston has the largest medical center and complex in the world, the Texas Medical Center.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport is the main international airport serving Houston, and William P. Hobby Airport is the other international airport that is close to downtown Houston.

Houston has the second-most Fortune 500 headquarters of any U.S. city within its city limits after New York City.[6][7]

Sports

Houston has many sports teams, including the Astros, Texans, Rockets, and Houston Dynamo. The Astros play baseball, the Rockets play basketball, the Texans play American Football, and the Houston Dynamo play soccer.

Climate

Houston has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa in the Koeppen climate classification).

References

  1. ↑ "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  2. ↑ "QuickFacts: Houston city, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  3. ↑ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  6. ↑ Fortune 500 2010: Cities Archived August 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Accessed May 25, 2011
  7. ↑ "A.T. Kearney Global Cities Index 2019" (PDF). A.T. Kearney. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
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