Regional Spotlight
Visit Houston, Texas!
Welcome to Houston, the 4th largest city in the U.S. in the largest state in the contiguous U.S.! Houston is a spectacular city with something for everyone. Plan for more than one day as you visit the Houston NASA Space Center, adventure parks, and museums, and enjoy shopping and world-class barbecue.
Location Information
Welcome to Houston!
Founded in 1836, Houston, Texas, is known as the Bayou City and is an oil and industrial hub. Houston has a vibrant downtown with musical entertainment, exciting nightlife, breweries, and many restaurants. You'll enjoy spending time visiting museums, boutiques, and vast outdoor spaces.
If you're a sports fanatic, Houston delivers with football (Texans and Cougars), baseball (Astros), basketball (Rockets), as well as local collegiate teams and rodeo.
It’s time to visit and explore Houston!
LEARN ABOUT HUMAN SPACE EXPLORATION
NASA Space Center
Houston, Texas
If you want to learn about historical NASA events, human space exploration, and its science, you'll want to visit the NASA Space Center Houston. Enjoy the NASA Tram Tour to see behind the scenes of the NASA Johnson Space Center. Do you or your kids love Moonrocks? The NASA space center has the largest collection of Moon rocks and spacesuits in the world! You can explore the inside of the shuttle replica Independence (pictured above) and the original NASA 905 shuttle carrier aircraft. If you want a memorable astronaut experience, you can even have breakfast with an astronaut!
- Explore the shuttle replica Independence
- Learn about future travel to Mars
- VIP Level 9 behind-the-scenes tour
- Apollo 17 spacecraft and SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket guided adventures
- 2 Astronaut experiences: Breakfast with an Astronaut, Astronaut Mission Memories
Getting Around Houston
METRORail
Bus System
The Wave
Uber/Lyft/Taxi
Hotel Shuttles
Rent a Car
Rent a Bike
Aquariums in Houston Aquariums - Fun For All Ages!
Tropical Fish, Shark Tanks, and Touching Pools
If you're looking for an aquarium in the Houston area, you won't be disappointed to learn that Houston boasts 3 highly-rated aquariums. The Downtown Aquarium, Kipp Aquarium, and the Houston Interactive Aquarium and Animal Preserve are sure to please any age family member. At the interactive aquarium and preserve you can observe and interact with sea life and mammals, feed marine life, hold reptiles and mammals, and visit with a variety of birds. Fun for all ages!
Other aquarium activities in Houston include touching pools, shark tanks, animal meet and greets, alligators, turtles, seahorses, electric eels, stingrays, a variety of colorful fish, dining rooms surrounded by large aquarium windows, and more!
- Kipp Aquarium
- Downtown Aquarium
- Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve
Living in Texas
Buying a Home in Texas
If your dream is to live in Texas, let's make it happen!
Explore many housing options in Texas, from single-family homes to condos and townhouses. Whether you want to live in a big city like Houston or a more rural area, Texas has it all.
- Get prequalified for a mortgage
- We'll find you a real estate agent
- Meet with the agent
- Buy a home in Texas!
Explore the Great Outdoors Houston, Texas
Gardens, Water Parks, and Wildlife Refuges
Houston, TX has 52,912 acres of total parkland space, making it one of the highest total acreages of parkland cities in the U.S. Get outdoors in Houston and enjoy ziplining in Geronimo Adventure Park, splashing in the Big Rivers Water Park, visiting botanical gardens, parks, wildlife refuges, and so much more!
Houston’s Big Rivers Water Park and the Gator Bayou Adventure Park are favorites for the whole family. Enjoy a lazy river, floating inflatable obstacle course, a zipline, an aerial climbing course, and even a wave pool!
- Anahauc National Wildlife Refuge
- Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge
- Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
- Big Rivers Water and Adventure Park
- Geronimo Adventure Park
The Great Outdoors Camping & Hiking in Texas
Escape the big city and enjoy the great outdoors in Houston
Texas has a lot of open spaces perfect for camping enthusiasts. Whether you enjoy camping, hiking, mountain biking, or water sports, Texas is bound to satisfy your need for outdoor adventure. Imagine the tall pine trees, lazy bayous, and Gulf shore views as you experience nature at its finest.
Pitch a tent, rent a cabin, park your camper at an RV site, or rent a unique cabin getaway in beautiful Texas. Consider setting up camp then heading to Houston for the day before heading back to the campsite for the evening.
- Lake Houston Park
- Sheldon Lake State Park
- Brazos Bend State Park
- Sea Rim State Park
Let's Explore! FREE Activities in Houston
Fun For Everyone!
If you're looking for free activities you can enjoy in Houston, Texas, start here:
- Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
- Urban Harvest Farmers Market
- Miller Outdoor Theater
- Market Place Square
- Buffalo Bayou Park
- Art Car Museum
- Discovery Green
- Water Wall
Living in Houston
Housing Stats
The average home price is approximately $288,666 (Dec. 2021)
Imagine living in Houston where the year-round temperatures range from 60-90° F. The best time to visit Houston is from late March to mid-May and from late Sept. to early Nov., if you want to take advantage of the warmest weather.
- Cost of living index: 93.8 (less than average in the U.S.)
- Median price of homes: $246,000-$325,000 (various sources)
- Residential property tax: 1.94% - 3.02%
Population
Area Stats
Houston is nicknamed "The Bayou City" and is the largest state in the contiguous U.S.
Houston is the 4th largest city in the U.S. It's called the Bayou City because of the slow, meandering rivers called bayous that run through the state. Whether you want to experience big city life or remote outdoor spaces, Houston has it all!
- Elevation: 79 ft
- Land area: 579.4 sq miles
- Approx. 2,320,268 residents
- Median resident age: 33.4
Income
Average Income
$52,338 is the average salary in Houston, TX
Job opportunities abound in Houston and hard work is deeply valued. Whether you want to work for the predominant oil and gas industry or a local startup, Houston offers it all. Check out these popular jobs in Houston and prepare to begin your new life in the south:
- Energy Industry
- Local Startups
- Healthcare
- Aerospace
Moving to Houston, Texas
Would you like to live in Texas?
Enjoy living in the beautiful state of Texas!
Suppose you're interested in moving to Houston or any other city in Texas. In that case, you can choose rural, suburban, or big city living. You'll also discover many job opportunities ranging from the oil and gas industry to startups to everything in between. Reach out to a real estate expert to find the perfect home for you in the beautiful state of Texas. It's your turn to become one of the friendly Texan locals!
- Single-family homes
- Condos, townhouses
- Thriving job market
- Diverse Metropolis
