Houston Facts 2014

2014

GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP

MEMBERS: $10 │ NONMEMBERS: $20

Discover the Houston Region THE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

AUSTIN │ BRAZORIA │ CHAMBERS │ FORT BEND │ GALVESTON │ HARRIS │ LIBERTY │MONTGOMERY │ SAN JACINTO │ WALLER

ABOUT THE GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP The Greater Houston Partnership (GHP) celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2014. GHP 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, GHP represents a member roster of about 2,000 businesses and institutions that account for more than one-fifth of all jobs in Houston. The Partnership serves the 10-county greater Houston region.

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 accomplishes its mission by promoting economic development, foreign trade and investment and by advocating for efficient and effective government that supports, rather than impedes, business growth. GHP also convenes key stakeholders to collaborate to solve the region’s most pressing issues.

Greater Houston Partnership 1200 Smith, Suite 700 Houston, TX 77002-4400 713-844-3600 www.houston.org

Š 2014 Greater Houston Partnership

Table of Contents The Facts Speak for Themselves

5

Houston Region in Perspective

6

Geography

7

Location, Geographic Size, Area Delineation, Geology, Topography, Orientation Map

Demographics

9

Population, Median Age, Households, ForeignBorn, Age Distribution, Race/Ethnicity, Educational Attainment, Components of Population Change, Income and Wages, Occupations

Houston Economy

Education

Infrastructure

Environment

13

Downtown Houston

16

Aerospace, Agribusiness, Banking and Finance, Wholesale and Retail Trade , Construction and Real Estate, Energy, Engineering, Health Care and Texas Medical Center, Manufacturing

23

Research and Development, University Research, Technology Transfer, Nanotechnology

Government

36

37

Office Space, Residential, Park Space, Revitalization, Tunnel/Skybridge System, Vision for the Future

Life in Houston

Technology

30

Electricity and Natural Gas, Telecommunications, Water, Wastewater, Freight Lines, Railroads, Freeways, Metro, TranStar, Sea Ports, Airports, Print and Broadcast Media

Water, Air, Renewable Energy, Houston Advanced Research Center

Overview, Employment, Population and Employment Forecast, Nominal Gross Area Product, Corporate Economy, International Business, Largest Houston-Area Employers

Industries

27

Houston-Area School Districts, Colleges and Universities, Library System

39

Cost of Living, Weather, Religion, Hotels, Shopping, Restaurants, Recurring Events, Convention and Sports Facilities, Sports, Performance Arts and Facilities, Museums, Parks, Forests, Wildlife Refuges, Zoo

History

53

Index

55

25

City of Houston, Counties, State and U.S. Representation, Council of Governments, Taxation, Public Safety

Data in Houston Facts速 2014 are current as of June 2014 unless otherwise noted. Every effort was made to revise data to reflect the new ninecounty Houston MSA; however, in a few instances, data is reported for the former 10-county MSA. Houston Facts速 is a registered trademark of the Greater Houston Partnership.

Cover Photos: Front cover shows shops and restaurants with outdoor seating in Midtown; back cover is the Wortham Theater Center and Sesquicentennial Park in the heart of Houston. Photos courtesy of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Houston Facts 2014 was compiled by the research team of the Greater Houston Partnership, including Deborah Mostert, Edith Chambers, Jenny Philip, Josh Davis, Patrick Jankowski and Roel Martinez, with assistance from our interns Richie Ledo and Samuel Redus.

The Houston Region: The Facts Speak for Themselves Houston Facts. The title says much about this publication. No spin. No frills. No hyperbole. Just page after page of straightforward information from more than 300 sources to answer questions most frequently asked about the Houston region.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Freedom Over Texas Festival in Eleanor Tinsley Park

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’s 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.

You may find in these pages facts that surprise you, tantalize you and perhaps alter your image of Houston. For example: 

The Houston region has more jobs than Wisconsin or Tennessee.



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 17.3 percent below the average for major metropolitan areas.



Parks represent 14.1 percent of the city’s land area.

Of course, we believe the Houston region is one of the nation’s most attractive major metropolitan areas — an outstanding place to live, work, learn, play and conduct 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.

HERE THEY ARE.

Houston Region in Perspective

Houston Region in Perspective Area  Houston-The Woodlands Combined Statistical

Area (CSA) covers 14,288 square miles – an area larger than the state of Maryland, which covers 12,297 square miles.  The nine-county Houston-The Woodlands-

Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) covers 9,432 square miles – an area smaller than Maryland but larger than New Jersey.  Harris County covers 1,778 square miles – an

area nearly half as large as Rhode Island.  At 655 square miles, the city limits of (Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Houston could contain the cities of New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis and Miami.

People  If the nine-county Houston MSA were a state,

according to the U.S. Census Bureau, it would rank 18th in population. The Houston MSA’s 6,313,158 residents as of July 1, 2013 would place it behind Tennessee (6,495,978) and ahead of Missouri (6,044,171) and Maryland (5,928,814).  If Harris County were a state, it would rank

27th in population. Its 4,336,853 residents as of July 1, 2013 would place it behind Kentucky (4,395,295) and ahead of Oregon (3,930,065) and Oklahoma (3,850,568).  If the City of Houston were a state, it would rank

36th in population. The city’s 2,195,914 residents in 2013 place it behind Nevada (2,790,136) and ahead of New Mexico (2,085,287).  Among the nation’s metropolitan areas, the

Houston MSA in 2012 ranked fourth in number of Hispanics (2,228,634), seventh in number of blacks (1,108,955) and seventh in number of Asians (418,237), according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Economy

Houston International Festival in Sam Houston Park

 The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates the Houston MSA had a nominal GDP of $449.4 billion in 2012. Among the states, Houston

would rank 10th, after North Carolina ($455.9 billion) and ahead of Virginia ($445.9 billion).  If the MSA were an independent nation, it would rank as the world’s 27th largest economy, according to the International Monetary Fund –

behind Argentina ($488.2 billion), but ahead of Austria ($415.4 billion) and the United Arab Emirates ($396.2 billion).  In April 2014, the Houston MSA had more jobs (2,862,800) than 36 states, including Wisconsin (2,835,800), Tennessee (2,799,400), and

Minnesota (2,789,400).  In 2013, the Houston Association of Realtors® Multiple Listing Service recorded closings on 88,766 properties – an average of one every 6.0

minutes.  In 2013, Houston MSA automobile dealers sold 347,859 new cars, trucks and SUVs – an average of one every 1.5 minutes.  In 2013, the Houston Airport System handled 50,908,863 passengers – an average of 5,811.5 passengers per hour around the clock.  In 2013, the City of Houston issued building permits for construction valued at $6.15 billion – an average of $195 per second.  In 2013, contracts for the construction of new buildings in the Houston MSA totaled $11.7 billion – an average of $22,260 per minute.

6 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Geography

Geography Location Houston, Texas, is located on the upper Gulf coastal plain at longitude 95˚22ʹ West and latitude 29˚45ʹ North, 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

Houston is the county seat, or administrative center, of Harris County.

Geographic Size Houston CSA Houston MSA Harris County City of Houston

14,288 square miles 9,432 square miles 1,778 square miles 655 square miles

 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.  Harris County contains all or part of 34 incorporated cities.  The Houston MSA includes 124 incorporated

communities.

State of Texas with Houston MSA highlighted (Map created by GHP’s Research Department)

Area Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (MSA) and combined statistical areas (CSA) are geographic delineations defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for use by federal statistical agencies in collecting, tabulating, and publishing federal statistics. These geographic delineations change over time.

2009 Delineation for the Houston region:

 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) contains 10 counties: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend,

Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, San Jacinto and Waller.  Houston-Baytown-Huntsville Combined Statistical Area (CSA) includes the MSA plus the Bay City and Huntsville Micropolitan Statistical

Areas (Matagorda and Walker counties, respectively).

2013 Delineation for the Houston region:

Houston’s Nine-County Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Metropolitan

Statistical Area (MSA) contains nine counties: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller.

 Houston-The Woodlands Combined Statistical Area (CSA)

includes the MSA plus Matagorda, Trinity, Walker, Washington and Wharton counties.

The longer titles are shortened to “Houston MSA,” and “Houston CSA” in Houston Facts.

Geology  Underpinning Houston’s land surface are unconsolidated clays,

clay shales and poorly cemented sands extending to depths of several miles.  The Houston region is earthquake-free.  While the city of Houston contains 86 mapped and historically

active surface faults with an aggregate length of 149 miles, the clay below the surface precludes the buildup of friction that produces ground shaking in earthquakes. These faults move only very gradually in what is termed “fault creep.”

(Map created by GHP’s Research Department)

HOUSTON.ORG — 7‌

Geography

Topography  Houston lies largely in the northern portion of the Gulf coastal plain, a 40- to 50-mile-wide swath along the Texas Gulf Coast.  Northern and eastern portions of the area are largely forested; southern and western portions are predominantly prairie grassland; coastal

areas are prairie and sand.  Surface water in the Houston region consists of lakes, rivers and an extensive system of bayous and man-made canals that are part of the

rainwater runoff management system.  Some 24 percent of Harris County lies within the 100-year flood plain and 36 percent within the 500-year flood plain.  Typically, elevation rises approximately one foot per mile inland. Elevation ranges (above sea level) for counties within the Houston MSA:

Austin —120 to 460 feet Brazoria — 0 to 146 feet Chambers — 0 to 85 feet Fort Bend —12 to 158 feet Galveston — 0 to 43 feet

Harris — 0 to 310 feet Liberty — 0 to 269 feet Montgomery — 43 to 435 feet Waller — 80 to 357 feet

HOUSTON ORIENTATION MAP*

* Distances are measured from Houston’s central business district.

8 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

(Map created by GHP’s Research Department)

Demographics

Demographics Population  Houston, the fourth most populous U.S. city (estimated at 2,195,914 on July 1, 2013), is the largest city in the South and Southwest. The city

of Houston had the second largest numeric increase (35,202) of any U.S. city from July 1, 2012 to July 1, 2013.  Harris County (estimated at 4,336,853 on July 1, 2013) is the third most populous U.S. county. Among all U.S. counties, Harris County had

the highest numeric population increase from July 1, 2012 to July 1, 2013; gaining 82,890 new residents.  Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land MSA (estimated at 6,313,158 on July 1, 2013) ranks 5th in population among the nation’s

metropolitan areas. The Houston MSA had the largest numeric increase in population of any U.S. metro between April 1, 2010 and July 1, 2013 with 392,702 new residents, a 6.6 percent increase.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

METRORail boarding location in downtown Houston POPULATION* GEOGRAPHY

As of July 1, 2013

Houston MSA Austin County

MEDIAN AGE**

HOUSEHOLDS**

FOREIGN-BORN**

(in Years)

Total Households

Average Persons per Household

Estimate

Percent of Total Population

6,313,158

33.4

2,060,582

2.92

1,347,852

22.1%

28,847

40.6

10,855

2.61

2,720

9.5%

330,242

35.3

107,526

2.87

39,726

12.4%

Chambers County

36,812

36.2

12,115

2.92

3,016

8.5%

Fort Bend County

652,365

35.3

189,865

3.17

155,049

25.5%

Galveston County

306,782

37.3

109,510

2.66

27,880

25.5%

4,336,853

32.3

1,419,274

2.92

1,045,340

25.0%

76,907

36.4

24,813

2.83

5,834

7.7%

499,137

36.2

163,842

2.87

61,152

13.0%

45,213

32.5

13,482

3.00

6,141

14.0%

Brazoria County

Harris County Liberty County Montgomery County Waller County

Sources: * U.S. Bureau of the Census, Population Division, 2013 Population Estimates, Release Date - March 2014 ** U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2010-2012 American Community Survey, 3-Year Estimates

 Of the Houston MSA’s 1,347,852 foreign-born, 4.4 percent or 59,542 entered the U.S. since 2010.  Top regions of birth for the Houston MSA’s foreign-born are: Latin America 66.3 percent, Asia 23.8 percent, Europe 4.4 percent, Africa

4.2 percent, Northern America 1.1 percent and Oceania 0.2 percent.

HOUSTON.ORG — 9‌

Demographics

Age Distribution: Houston MSA

Decennial Census Population Totals YEAR

HOUSTON CSA*

HOUSTON MSA**

HARRIS COUNTY

CITY OF HOUSTON

AGE (Years)

2010

6,114,562

5,920,416

4,092,459

2,099,451

Under 5

2000

4,878,216

4,693,161

3,400,578

1,953,631

5 to19

1990

3,916,362

3,750,411

2,818,199

1,630,553

1980

3,288,861

3,135,806

2,409,544

1,595,138

20 to 24

6.8

1970

2,313,938

2,195,146

1,741,912

1,233,505

25 to 34

15.1

1960

1,706,969

1,594,894

1,243,158

938,219

35 to 44

14.4

1950

1,191,481

1,083,100

806,701

596,163

45 to 54

13.8

1940

868,121

752,937

528,961

384,514

55 to 64

10.6

1930

650,459

545,547

359,328

292,352

65 to 84

7.9

1920

448,341

348,661

186,667

138,276

85 & Over

1.0

1910

341,182

252,066

115,693

78,800

1900

285,197

202,438

63,786

44,633

1890

199,052

137,800

37,249

27,557

1880

164,956

112,053

27,985

16,513

1870

118,607

80,866

17,375

9,332

1860

85,532

55,317

9,070

4,845

Anglo

38.8%

1850

39,141

27,984

4,668

2,396

Hispanic

35.9%

Black/African American

16.7%

* Includes the counties of: the Houston MSA plus Matagorda, Trinity, Walker, Washington and Wharton. **Includes the counties of: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller.

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census; Texas Almanac

6.0 5.5

Houston MSA Population 1850 - 2010

Population (000,000)

5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5

PERCENT

7.8 22.6

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates

Race/Ethnicity: Houston MSA

Asian

6.7%

Other

1.6%

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates

Educational Attainment: Houston MSA Total Population Over Age 25

3,909,515

Graduate or Professional Degree

10.3%

Bachelor’s Degree

19.3%

Associate Degree

6.0%

2.0

Some College, No Degree

21.9%

1.5

High School Graduate or GED

23.5%

1.0

9th to12th Grade, No Diploma

9.4%

0.5

Less than 9 grade

9.5%

0.0

High School Graduate or Higher

81.0%

Bachelor’s Degree or Higher

29.6%

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates

(Photo courtesy of GHCVB)

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census; Texas Almanac

th

10 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Houston International Festival in Tranquility Park in Houston’s central business district

Demographics

Components of Population Change Change from April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013

POPULATION JULY 1, 2013

NET DOMESTIC MIGRATION

NET INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION

BIRTHS

DEATHS

TOTAL POPULATION CHANGE

Houston MSA

6,313,158

124,548

80,394

299,536

111,857

392,702

Austin County

28,847

7

129

1,137

859

422

330,242

7,388

1,316

14,815

6,588

17,105

Chambers County

36,812

952

15

1,491

769

1,716

Fort Bend County

652,365

39,614

9,924

25,664

8,143

67,679

Galveston County

306,782

8,138

2,000

12,768

7,564

15,475

4,336,853

40,006

62,599

217,726

74,906

243,688

GEOGRAPHY

Brazoria County

Harris County Liberty County Montgomery County Waller County

NATURAL INCREASE

76,907

152

52

3,309

2,240

1,264

499,137

27,513

4,129

20,818

9,933

43,377

45,213

778

230

1,808

855

1,976

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.

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Population Division, 2013 Population Estimates, Release Date - March 2014

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Bayou Bend – Part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Income Per Capita Personal Income:  U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data put the nine-county Houston MSA pretax

per capita personal income (PCPI) in 2012 at $51,004.  The Houston region’s PCPI was 16.6 percent above the U.S. average in 2012.  PCPI increased 4.5 percent in the Houston MSA and 3.4 percent nationwide from

2011 to 2012.

Total Personal Income:  Total personal income (TPI) in the nine-county Houston MSA in 2012 was $315.056

billion, up 6.7 percent from 2011.

Weekly Wage:  Average weekly wage in Harris County in the fourth quarter of 2013 was $1,316

– 31.6 percent above the U.S. average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Self-employed persons were not included in the data.)

Total Wages and Salaries GEOGRAPHY

Houston MSA Austin County Brazoria County

2013 TOTAL

$169,694,061,710 $443,529,938 $4,655,190,294

Chambers County

$740,707,452

Fort Bend County

$8,104,630,790

Galveston County

$4,317,814,270

Harris County Liberty County Montgomery County Waller County

$142,635,472,401 $669,119,132 $7,440,325,779 $687,271,654

Source: Texas Workforce Commission, Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages

HOUSTON.ORG — 11‌

Demographics

Occupations: Houston MSA (Employed Persons Age 16 and Over)

Race by Ethnicity: Houston MSA

NON-HISPANIC

RACE/ETHNICITY

HISPANIC

NUMBER

PERCENT

NUMBER

PERCENT

White

2,406,315

38.79%

1,698,206

27.37%

Black

1,037,595

16.72%

23,341

9,182

0.15%

418,237

Total Civilian Employed Population

2,882,729

Management

279,130

0.38%

Business and Financial Operations

152,033

15,520

0.25%

Computer and Mathematical

62,380

6.74%

3,494

0.06%

Architecture and Engineering

90,151

Life, Physical, and Social Science

26,554

3,538

0.06%

411

0.01%

Community and Social Services

31,336

Some Other Race

10,443

0.17%

437,693

7.05%

Legal

36,879

Two or More Races

90,217

1.45%

49,969

0.81%

Education, Training, and Library

3,975,527

64.08%

2,228,634

35.92%

American Indian/ Alaska Native Asian Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander

TOTAL

Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Media

46,713

Health Diagnosing and Treating

96,475

Health Technologists and Technicians

42,287

Household Income in Most Recent 12 Months: Houston MSA

Healthcare Support

62,488

Protective Service

64,569

Food Preparation and Serving Related

150,024

Total Households

2,099,897

Building and Grounds Maintenance

139,114

$200,000 or more

6.5%

Personal Care and Service

$150,000 to $199,999

5.9%

Sales and Related

315,878

$100,000 to $149,999

13.9%

$75,000 to $99,999

11.6%

Office and Administrative Support

362,297

$50,000 to $74,999

17.3%

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates

Commuting to Work: Houston MSA Total Workers – Age 16 and Over

2,836,304

Drove Alone in Car, Truck or Van

79.6%

Carpooled in Car, Truck or Van

11.1%

Public Transportation

2.6%

Walked

1.4%

$35,000 to $49,999

13.2%

Bicycle

0.3%

$25,000 to $34,999

10.2%

Other Means

1.5%

$15,000 to $24,999

10.0%

Worked at Home

3.5%

$10,000 to $14,999 Less than $10,000

Mean travel time to work (in minutes)

28.6

Median income

Farming, Fishing, and Forestry

86,567

5,177

Construction and Extraction

202,303

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

109,826

Production

176,827

4.7%

Transportation

109,610

6.7%

Material Moving

$55,910

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates. Income is in 2012 inflation-adjusted dollars.

69,960

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2012 American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates

164,151

The Lake House at Discovery Green in downtown Houston 12 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Houston Economy

Houston Economy Houston entered the Great Recession in September 2008, its The energy industry exercised greater restraint than in previous employment (seasonally adjusted) having peaked at 2,612,900 the recessions. From the employment peak in August 2008 to the trough month before. The region recorded job losses for 16 consecutive in January 2010, the energy industry cut just 11,100 jobs, a loss of months, and by January 2010 had lost 117,400 jobs. Job growth 12.5 percent. Fewer losses in the economic base translated into fewer returned in February 2010 and by November 2011, the region losses in the secondary sector. The region lost one in 22 jobs in the had returned to its previous employment peak. As of May 2014, Great Recession versus one in seven jobs during the recession of the the 10-county Houston metro area had created 379,500 jobs, the ’80s. equivalent to 323.3 percent of all jobs lost in the recession. Employment is higher now than Total Payroll Employment, Houston Metro Area* at any point in Houston’s history.

2.9 2.8

Employment (Millions)

Houston fared better in the recession for a variety of reasons. The real estate community recognized the signals earlier this time. In 2009 and 2010, developers built only 44,439 homes and 10,119 apartments—54,558 total housing units, a fraction of what it had built in the years prior. Most of the homes were built under contract and therefore had a firm buyer before they started construction. On the office side, developers built only 15 million square feet of space during the recession, much of it preleased before construction began. Builders had help from the financial community in reading the signals. During the recession, office construction loans were nonexistent and tighter lending standards curtailed home construction. As a result, Houston was not overbuilt and local housing and office markets weathered the recession better than most other metros.

2.7 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.2 Jan-04 Jan-05 Jan-06 Jan-07 Jan-08 Jan-09 Jan-10 Jan-11 Jan-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jan-15 Source: Texas Workforce Commission

Houston never had a housing bubble. Since Houston had no bubble, the region didn’t experience the collapse in housing values that destroyed many other metros. True, Houston had its share of failed subprime mortgages which dumped thousands of foreclosures on the market depressing home values. But, home values never collapsed like elsewhere. Housing has always been affordable here for a number of reasons—an abundance of developable land, ease of the permitting process, a lack of zoning, the ease of setting up municipal utility districts (a mechanism for creating infrastructure in unincorporated parts of the region), and low materials and labor costs to name a few.

Population & Employment Forecast Metro Houston, Millions Population

Employment

7.2

6.6

6.0

2.6

2010

3.3

10.2

3.0

2015

8.6

2020

3.6

2025

3.9

2030

4.2

2035

Why the restraint? The energy industry has an aging workforce, a byproduct of the ’80s layoffs and the ’90s weak hiring. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average age of workers in the energy industry is now over 50, and the industry estimates that up to half of its current workforce will retire within five to 10 years. Only in the last decade did hiring pick up. An age profile of the industry’s workforce looks like an inverted bell curve, with younger workers on one end, older workers on the other, but not many middle-aged workers in the middle. This put energy companies in a dilemma.

During the recession, if older workers took early retirement, who would remain behind to train the younger workers? If younger workers left, who would run the company when the older workers retired? The dilemma helped to moderate energy industry job losses and thus losses in the secondary sector which translated into fewer job losses overall.

9.4 7.9

* Seasonally Adjusted

4.4

2040

Houston also continued to attract foreign investment during the recession. According to GHP’s New Business Announcements database, more than 100 foreign-owned companies relocated, expanded or started new businesses in Houston between ’08 through ’10. These companies voted with their balance sheets and decided that having an office, plant or distribution center in Houston is important to their future growth—and it’s important to Houston’s as well.

Houston’s long-term prospects for growth are strong. From 2011 to 2040, the Perryman Group sees the Houston MSA averaging annual growth of 1.6 percent for employment, 1.8 percent for population and 3.5 percent in real (i.e., net of inflation) Gross Area Product.

Source: The Perryman Group

HOUSTON.ORG — 13‌

Houston Economy

Corporate Economy

Employment by Industry Houston MSA 2013 Annual Average INDUSTRY

JOBS (000)

% OF TOTAL

547.2

19.62%

106.4 58.3 47.1 188.9 251.8 171.0 80.9

3.82% 2.09% 1.69% 6.77% 9.03% 6.13% 2.90%

2,241.2

80.38%

150.7 283.8 131.1 32.3 90.4 51.8 426.8 49.2 286.2 28.8 242.6 98.9 368.5

5.40% 10.18% 4.70% 1.16% 3.24% 1.86% 15.31% 1.76% 10.26% 1.03% 8.70% 3.55% 13.22%

2,788.4

100.00%

GOODS PRODUCING Mining and Logging Oil and Gas Extraction Support Activities for Mining Construction Manufacturing Durable Goods Nondurable Goods SERVICE PRODUCING Wholesale Trade Retail Trade Transportation/ Warehousing/Utilities Information Finance and Insurance Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Professional and Business Services Educational Services Health Care and Social Assistance Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Accommodations and Food Services Other Services Government TOTAL

Sum of individual sectors may not equal the total due to rounding.

Source: Texas Workforce Commission, Employment Estimates

Houston, a major corporate center, ranks 3rd among U.S. metro areas in the number of corporate headquarters contained on the 2014 Fortune 500 list. Many other Fortune 500 firms maintain U.S. offices in Houston.

Houston’s corporate headquarters are represented on the following lists: Number of Houstonbased companies

Corporate Ranking Source

26 7 28

2014 Fortune 500 2013 Fortune Global 500 2014 Forbes Global 2000

 Of the world’s 100 largest non-U.S.-based corporations, 63

have a presence in Houston.  County Business Patterns shows that the Houston MSA in

2012 had 126,782 business establishments with payroll.

These establishments fall into the below employment size categories.

Employment Size 1,000+ 500-999 250-499 100-249 50-99 20-49 10-19 5-9 1-4

Number of Establishments

Percent of Establishments

145 256 748 2,700 4,475 12,228 16,635 23,552 66,043

0.11% 0.20% 0.59% 2.13% 3.53% 9.64% 13.12% 18.58% 52.09%

Source: County Business Patterns, 2012 data released May 2014

INDUSTRY Agriculture Mining Construction Manufacturing Nondurable Goods Durable Goods Transportation/ Warehousing/Utilities Trade (Wholesale and Retail) Information Finance/Insurance/ Real Estate Services Government TOTAL

$ BILLIONS

% of TOTAL

0.437 102.936 24.784 97.734 68.547 29.187

0.08 19.3 4.7 18.3 12.9 5.5

37.080

7.0

56.093 7.753

10.5 1.5

63.388 111.633 31.158 $532.997

11.9 20.9 5.8 100.0

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Nominal Gross Area Product Houston MSA 2013

Source: The Perryman Group, Winter 2014

Houston’s downtown skyline at dusk with pedestrian bridges spanning Buffalo Bayou in the foreground 14 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Houston Economy

Employment  Total nonfarm employment in the Houston MSA stood (Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

at 2,883,000 in May 2014, up 93,300 from May 2013.  From May 2013 to May 2014, local nonfarm

employment in the Houston MSA rose 3.3 percent.  Houston MSA unemployment in May 2014 was 5.0

percent, versus a national unemployment rate of 6.1 percent. The rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Largest Houston Area Employers - 2014 COMPANY

International light spikes near the entrance to Bush Intercontinental Airport

International Business Houston, a major international city, consistently ranks among the top three U.S. cities in the number of foreign consulates. 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 21 foreign banks from 9 nations. The Houston operations of these banks account for 12 of Texas’ 15 foreign bank representative offices and seven of Texas’ nine foreign bank agencies.  Ninety-two nations have consular representation in the city, ranking

Houston’s consular corps 3rd largest in the nation.  Fourteen foreign governments maintain trade and commercial

offices here, and the city has 32 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations.  Consumers can search the Houston Association of Realtors®

properties database (HAR.com) in English, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Italian and Vietnamese. The association’s more than 5,600 multilingual realtors speak 94 languages.  Houston has two Chinese daily foreign-language newspapers,

plus at least 21 less frequently published newspapers and magazines in a variety of languages. Five television stations present programming in Spanish and one station includes programming in Chinese. Spanish broadcasting has a significant presence on radio with 13 stations. Two stations offer programming in several Asian languages and three stations offer programs in a wide variety of international languages.  Houston has 17 sister-city relationships promoting business

opportunities across five continents: Australia (1), Asia (6), Europe (7), Africa (1) and Americas (2).  In June 2014, the Greater Houston Partnership’s database listed

3,532 Houston area firms, foreign government offices and nonprofit organizations involved in international business.

• 480 Houston area companies report having offices abroad in 144

countries • 737 firms in Houston report foreign ownership

EMPLOYEES

Memorial Hermann Health System

19,500

The University of Texas MD Anderson

19,290

United Airlines

17,000

Exxon Mobil Corporation

13,191

Shell Oil Company

13,000

Houston Methodist

13,000

Kroger Company

12,000

National Oilwell Varco

10,000

Schlumberger Limited

10,000

BP America, Inc.

9,537

UTMB Health

9,318

Baylor College of Medicine

9,232

Chevron

9,000

HP

9,000

ARAMARK Corp.

8,500

Pappas Restaurants, Inc.

8,000

HCA

7,855

Macy’s

7,000

AT&T

6,900

CHI St. Luke’s Health

6,800

The Dow Chemical Company, Freeport

6,600

Jacobs

6,220

Baker Hughes Incorporated

6,000

H.E.B.

6,000

Texas Children’s Hospital

6,000

Halliburton

5,748

Fiesta Mart, Inc.

5,500

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

5,220

KBR

5,089

LyondellBasell Industries

5,080

CenterPoint Energy

5,000

JPMorgan Chase

5,000

Reliant, An NRG Company

4,900

Note: Ranked by number of employees. The list does not include casual dining establishments, municipalities, school districts, community colleges, public universities (except UTMB Health and The University of Texas MD Anderson) and governmental agencies.

Source: Greater Houston Partnership Database, June 2014

HOUSTON.ORG — 15‌

Industries

Industries Aerospace 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.

(Photo courtesy of NASA)

Top Employers: Jacobs Engineering (6,220), NASA’s

Johnson Space Center (3,000 civil servants, not including contractors), The Boeing Company (1,500), United Space Alliance (1,264) and Lockheed Martin Space Operations (880).

Establishments: Houston is home to more than 150

companies involved in aircraft or space vehicle manufacturing, space research and technology, or other air transportation support activities. The Houston MSA in the fourth quarter of 2013 had 15 establishments in aerospace products and parts manufacturing.

Trade: Houston’s trade imports and exports in aircraft,

spacecraft and parts totaled $1.55 billion in 2013. Aircraft, spacecraft and parts ranks as Houston’s 15th largest internationally traded commodity.

Economic Impact: The Johnson Space Center manages an

Astronaut during spacewalk

annual budget of approximately $4.5 billion in contracts, grants, civil service payroll and procurements. Of that amount, about $2.1 billion is spent in the Houston region.

Tourism: Space Center Houston is the official visitor’s center for Johnson Space Center. Approximately 800,000 visitors each year come to learn about the past, present, and future story of America’s space program.

Agribusiness Centrally situated in a 20-county coastal prairie agricultural region, Houston is a major international agribusiness center emphasizing the marketing, processing, packaging and distribution of agricultural commodities. In 2013, 208,000 acres – approximately 17 percent of Harris County’s land area – were classified as agricultural/timber land for property tax purposes.

Value of Agricultural Production – Houston MSA 2013 COUNTY Harris Fort Bend Brazoria Austin Liberty Chambers Waller San Jacinto Montgomery Galveston Houston MSA Total

PRODUCTION VALUE ($1000) 441,709 221,015 114,089 85,439 70,823 63,308 53,582 48,660 30,082 24,712 1,153,419

% of TOTAL 38.3% 19.2% 9.9% 7.4% 6.1% 5.5% 4.6% 4.2% 2.6% 2.1% 100.0%

Source: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Cash value projections were prepared by County Extension Program Councils in January 2014 and are subject to price changes, growing and harvesting conditions. Government payments are not included. However, crop values are estimated at market price or Commodity Credit Corp loan rate, whichever is higher.

Agricultural Commodities Valued over $1 Million - Houston MSA 2013 COMMODITY Nursery Other Beef Timber All Other Commodities Hay Sorghum Cotton Lint Horses Feed Corn Other Ag. Related Goats Aquaculture Hunting Christmas Trees Soybeans Vegetables Fed Beef Rice Watermelon Cottonseed Wheat Pecans Production Value Total*

PRODUCTION VALUE ($1000) 461,363 280,575 71,330 67,016 48,394 43,637 41,085 40,596 27,376 21,930 12,412 8,543 6,959 5,441 4,600 4,515 3,727 1,674 998 754 451 45 1,153,419

*Reflects current dollars not adjusted for inflation.

Source: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

16 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

% of TOTAL 40.0% 24.3% 6.2% 5.8% 4.2% 3.8% 3.6% 3.5% 2.4% 1.9% 1.1% 0.7% 0.6% 0.5% 0.4% 0.4% 0.3% 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 100.0%

Industries

Banking and Finance Employment: In 2013, the Houston MSA employed an average of 90,400 workers in the finance and insurance sector.

Top Employers: JPMorgan Chase (5,000 employees), VALIC (3,100), Bank of America (3,000), Wells Fargo (2,471) and Amegy Bank of Texas (1,500).

Institutions and Deposits: As of June 30, 2013 the Houston MSA’s 110 FDIC-insured institutions had 1,526 local offices and local deposits

of $208.033 billion. Commercial banks accounted for 99 institutions, 1,501 offices and $206.726 billion in deposits; savings institutions numbered 11, with 25 offices and $1.307 billion in deposits. The Houston MSA in 2013 ranked 10th among U.S. MSAs in total deposits.  Fourteen 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 14 include the four largest banks in the nation.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 County Business Patterns, the Houston MSA had 8,976 finance and insurance establishments

with a total annual payroll of $8.129 billion.

(Photo by Deborah Mostert, Greater Houston Partnership)

Federal Reserve Bank – Houston facility

Wholesale and Retail Trade

2013 Gross Retail Sales

Employment: Wholesale trade employment in the Houston MSA averaged 150,675 in 2013, increasing 4.4 percent from the 144,367 employed in 2012.

Retail trade employment in the Houston MSA averaged 283,775 in 2013, increasing 2.7 percent from the 276,217 employed in 2012.

COUNTY

Top Employers: Kroger (12,000 employees), Macy’s (7,000), H.E.B. (6,000),

Houston MSA

GROSS RETAIL SALES

% CHANGE FROM 2012

114,475,789,540

5.8%

Austin

2,018,650,268

-6.8%

Fiesta Mart (5,500) and Home Depot (4,710).

Brazoria

3,845,149,472

1.0%

Establishments: The Houston MSA in the fourth quarter of 2013 had

Chambers

2,276,329,644

-7.3%

10,639 wholesale trade establishments and 17,001 retail trade establishments.

Fort Bend

7,356,498,473

10.3%

Retail: At the end of 2013, CBRE reported a retail base of 209.5 million-

Galveston

3,531,959,176

10.6%

84,948,866,605

6.1%

856,031,948

-13.6%

square-feet (msf ) for 3,186 Houston area regional malls, multi-tenant centers and single-tenant buildings over 20,000 square-feet. The vacancy rate was 7.4 percent, total net absorption for 2013 was 2.0 million square-feet and the average annual lease rate was $21.87 per square foot.

Harris Liberty Montgomery

9,137,271,629

8.3%

505,032,325

10.5%

Waller Source: Texas Comptroller’s Office

HOUSTON.ORG — 17‌

Industries

Construction and Real Estate Employment: Construction employment in the Houston MSA totaled 188,942 in 2013, increasing 5.4 percent from the 179,208 employed in 2012.

Top Employers (Commercial Building Contractors): Bilfinger Tepsco, Inc. (544), Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Inc. (450), Tellepsen (400 employees), D. E. Harvey Builders, Inc. (300) and W. S. Bellows Construction Corporation (275).

Establishments: The Houston MSA in the fourth quarter of 2013 had 9,521 construction establishments: 1,672 in residential building, 1,028 in nonresidential building construction, 977 in heavy and civil engineering construction, and 5,844 specialty trade contractors.

Building Permits: In 2013, the City of Houston issued building permits valued at $6.15 billion, up 26.6 percent from $4.86 billion in 2012.

Nonresidential permits rose 24.2 percent, from $3.1 billion in 2012 to $3.8 billion in 2013. Permits for residential construction totaled $2.3 billion in 2013, up 30.7 percent from $1.8 billion in 2012. According to McGraw Hill, more than $11.7 billion in construction contracts were awarded in the 10-county Houston metro area last year, up 4.1 percent from the $11.2 billion awarded in 2012. Residential contracts totaled $8.2 billion in 2013, up 14.4 percent from $7.2 billion in 2012. Commercial contracts totaled $3.5 billion in 2013, down 14.0 percent from $4.1 billion in 2012.

Office: At the close of 2013, CBRE reports that the Houston area — the nation’s seventh largest office market — counted 1,221 general-purpose office buildings containing 193.5 million-square-feet (msf ) of completed net rentable space (42.6 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 4.9 msf in 2013. The submarkets

with the highest absorption rates were the West Loop/Galleria (974,412 sf ), The Woodlands (736,366 sf ) and FM 1960/Highway 249 (665,559 sf ). The vacancy rate for the entire Houston market was 11.8 percent by the end of 2013.  Average rent for the entire Class A office market was $35.52 per square foot ($42.12 for CBD Class A and $32.00 for suburban Class A). Both

CBD and Suburban Class A average rent increased compared to year-end 2012 numbers.

Industrial: Houston’s 464.1 msf of industrial space in buildings of 10,000 sf or more rank it as the sixth largest U.S. market. CBRE reported yearend 2013 occupancy remained tight at 94.7 percent. During 2013, construction of 8.6 msf was completed and 5.8 msf was absorbed. Across the market, average asking rates increased from $0.53 per sf per month in 2012 to $0.63 per sf per month in 2013.

Single-Family: According to the Houston Association of Realtors®, MLS single family closings (largely resale homes) in the Houston area

totaled 73,282 in 2013, up 17.5 percent from 62,374 in 2012. Median sales price for resale single-family detached homes was $180,000 in 2013, up 9.4 percent from $164,500 in 2012. The inventory of unsold homes at year-end decreased from 3.7 months in December 2012 to 2.6 months in December 2013. (Months of inventory is the number of months it will take to deplete current active inventory based on the prior 12 months of sales activity.)

Multi-family: For the fourth quarter of 2013, CBRE reported that Houston area multi-family occupancy stood at 91.1 percent, with an

inventory of 574,299 units in 2,512 complexes. Rental rates increased 3.2 percent in 2013 and averaged $0.97 per square foot in the fourth quarter of 2013. The Montrose/Museum District posted the highest rent, averaging $1.71 psf. Net absorption totaled 16,199 units in 2013, up from 15,344 in 2012. Proposed construction as of the fourth quarter of 2013 totals 20,820 units.

SingleFamily Starts

MultiFamily Units Added

Total Units

2013

28,233

12,103

40,336

2012

23,616

5,874

29,490

2011

18,353

5,383

23,736

2010

18,853

3,784

22,637

2009

18,687

14,640

33,327

2008

26,141

21,862

48,003

2007

37,568

14,729

52,297

2006

49,543

10,126

59,669

2005

47,968

12,714

60,682

2004

40,712

12,328

53,040

2003

38,160

14,405

52,565

2002

33,963

8,358

42,321

Source: Metrostudy and Apartment Data Services

18 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

(Photo by Deborah Mostert, Greater Houston Partnership)

Houston Area Housing Starts and Multi-Family Units Delivered

Multi-family housing near Houston’s museum district

Industries

Energy Houston is the leading domestic and international center for virtually every segment of the energy industry – exploration, production, transmission, marketing, service, supply, offshore drilling and technology.

Employment: As of May 2014, the Houston MSA held 29.2 percent of the nation’s jobs in oil and gas extraction (61,300 of 210,100), 11.5 percent of jobs in support activities for mining (49,300 of 427,000) and 16.9 percent of agriculture, construction and mining machinery manufacturing jobs (43,000 of 254,700).

Top Employers: ExxonMobil (13,191 employees), Shell Oil

Company (13,000), Schlumberger (10,000), BP America (9,537) and Chevron (9,000).

3,700 energy-related establishments, both upstream and downstream. In the fourth quarter of 2013, there were 1,039 establishments in oil and gas extraction and 824 establishments in support activities for oil and gas operations.  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 as ranked by 2012 total assets; nine more among the top 25 have subsidiaries, major divisions or other significant operations in Houston.  The logistics for moving much of the nation’s

petroleum and natural gas across the country are controlled from Houston. Fifteen of the nation’s 20 largest U.S. interstate oil pipeline companies have a presence in the Houston region that includes corporate or divisional headquarters or ownership interests. These 15 control 66,746 miles or 44 percent of all U.S. oil pipeline capacity. Thirteen of the nation’s top 20 natural gas transmission companies have corporate or divisional headquarters in Houston, controlling 103,108 miles of U.S. pipeline, which is 52 percent of total U.S. gas pipeline capacity.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Establishments: The Houston MSA has more than

Partnerships: Houston is the Permanent Secretariat of the World Energy Cities Partnership (WECP), a collaboration among 19 energy cities worldwide providing a platform for information exchange, networking and public relations.  The Energy Forum of the James A. Baker III Institute

Offshore platform rig used in drilling for oil and gas

for Public Policy at Rice University draws together experts from academia, the energy industry, government, media and nongovernmental organizations.  The Wind Alliance (TWA), founded and headquartered in Houston, is a non-profit collaboration of industry, academia and government,

working in a combined effort to ensure America’s wind energy future.  The Advanced Energy Consortium, led by Rice University and The University of Texas, includes numerous major energy corporations

working together to pursue micro- and nanotechnology applications to increase oil and gas production.

Engineering Employment: Houston has more than 89,620 engineers, architects, drafters and technicians of all disciplines, the most numerous being: civil, industrial, petroleum, mechanical, electrical/electronic and aerospace.

 For every 100,000 workers in the Houston MSA, there are 3,250 engineers and architects. In comparison, for every 100,000 workers in the

U.S., there are 1,796 engineers and architects.

Top Employers: KBR (475 licensed engineers), Wood Group Mustang Inc. (394), Technip (240), WorleyParsons Group (207) and S&B Engineers and Constructors (163).

Establishments: There are approximately 2,800 engineering and architectural establishments in Houston. Of the 25 largest firms on Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) 2013 ranking of the Top 500 Engineering and Design Firms, all 25 have a presence in Houston.

Earnings: According to the Houston Business Journal, local billings of Houston’s 10 largest energy engineering firms (ranked by 2012 local

gross billings) reached more than $7.6 billion in 2012. Local billings of Houston’s 10 largest civil and structural engineering firms (ranked by 2012 local gross billings) surpassed $581 million in 2012.

HOUSTON.ORG — 19‌

Industries

Engineering Concentration OCCUPATION

Aerospace engineers Biomedical engineers Chemical engineers Civil engineers Computer hardware engineers Electrical engineers Electronics engineers, except computer Environmental engineers Health and safety engineers Industrial engineers Marine engineers and naval architects Materials engineers Mechanical engineers Mining and geological engineers Petroleum engineers All other engineers

NUMBER EMPLOYED IN HOUSTON

OCCUPATION PER 100,000 WORKERS (HOUSTON)

OCCUPATION PER 100,000 WORKERS (U.S.)

2,630 370 4,400 10,700 1,190

95 13 160 388 43

54 15 25 198 59

3,980

144

127

3,130 1,040 860 5,740 1,380 550 7,720 730 12,520 3,340

114 38 31 208 50 20 280 26 454 121

102 40 18 174 5 18 195 6 26 91

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2013

Health Care Employment: The Houston MSA employs over 290,000 employees in the health care industry.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

 The region has 15,315

physicians and 132 hospitals (121 general and special, 11 psychiatric) with 20,488 beds.  Harris County, with 12,551

physicians, has 95 hospitals (86 general and special, nine psychiatric) with 17,134 beds.  Clinics, nursing homes and

assisted-living facilities are plentiful.  Virtually every medical

specialty is represented in the region.  The Houston MSA has: ● 536 certified emergency

care attendants

● 7,979 basic emergency

medical technicians

● 1,042 intermediate

emergency technicians

● 2,807 paramedics ● 916 licensed paramedics

Health care procedure performed at the Texas Medical Center

Top Employers: Memorial Hermann Healthcare

(19,500 employees), The University of Texas MD Anderson (19,290), The Methodist Hospital System (13,000), UTMB Health (9,318) and Baylor College of Medicine (9,232).

Establishments: The Houston region is home to over 12,400 health care establishments. This includes 276 licensed emergency medical services firms (ambulance services), each required by law to have a physician medical director. The Houston MSA also has 55 registered first responder organizations.

20 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Industries

Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center is the world’s largest medical complex by any measure – number of hospitals, number of physicians, square footage, patient volume. The Texas Medical Center member institutions have been consistently recognized as some of the best hospitals and universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.

Member Institutions

54

Annual Patient Visits

7.2 million

Annual International Patient Visits

16,000

Employees

106,000 5,000

Physicians Nurses

15,000

Researchers

5,700

Life Science Students

50,000

Faculty

17,500

Volunteers

10,000

Patient Beds Babies Delivered (annually) Annual Surgeries Total Size (All Campuses):

7,000 25,000 171,000 1,345 acres

Texas Medical Center member institutions include:  Six general hospitals: Ben Taub General Hospital; Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital; Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center;

Houston Methodist Hospital; CHI St. Luke’s Health; and The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.  Eleven specialized hospitals: Harris County Psychiatric Center; Quentin Mease Community Hospital; Shriners Hospitals for Children–

Houston and Galveston; Texas Children’s Hospital; DePelchin Children’s Center; The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR); The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital; The Menninger Clinic; and the Michael E. DeBakey Veteran Affairs Medical Center Houston.  Two specialized patient facilities: Texas Heart Institute; and Houston Hospice.  Four medical schools: Baylor College of Medicine; Texas A&M University Health Science Center; The University of Texas Medical School; and

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.  Five schools of nursing: Prairie View A&M University College of Nursing; Texas Woman’s University Institute of Health Sciences; The

University of Texas School of Nursing; Houston Community College; and the University of Houston-Victoria School of Nursing.  Two schools of pharmacy: Texas Southern University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; and University of Houston College of

Pharmacy.  A dental school: The University of Texas Health Science Center Dental School.  A community college focused on 19 health science fields: Houston Community College.  A high school of health professions: Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Texas Medical Center, with Rice University on the far left HOUSTON.ORG — 21‌

Industries

Manufacturing Employment: Manufacturing employment in the Houston MSA stood at 257,700 in May 2014 – 67.0 percent in durable goods and 33.0 percent in nondurables. Chemicals accounted for 14.2 percent of total manufacturing employment; fabricated metals and machinery, 45.9 percent.

Top Employers: National Oilwell Varco (10,000), HP (9,000), The Dow Chemical Company – Freeport (6,600) ExxonMobil Chemical Company – Baytown Chemical Complex (6,500) and Schlumberger Integrated Productivity & Conveyance (5,500).

Establishments: The Houston MSA in the fourth quarter of 2013 was home to 6,063 manufacturing establishments, which includes: 498 in chemical manufacturing, 749 in machinery manufacturing, and 1,711 in fabricated metal product manufacturing.

Value of Shipments: In 2007 (the most recent Census of Manufactures for which data are available), the Houston MSA recorded $238.607

billion in shipments, accounting for 40.2 percent of Texas’ 2007 total. Key Houston MSA industries in 2007 include chemicals, petroleum refining, fabricated metal products, machinery, and computers and electronics.  Value added by manufacturer in the Houston MSA in 2007 totaled $81.535 billion, accounting for 38.1percent of the Texas total. Leading

Houston MSA industries in value added in 2007 are chemicals, petroleum refining, fabricated metal products, machinery, and computers and electronics.  Value added per production worker in the Houston MSA in 2007 was $561,096; value added per production payroll dollar was $12.46,

reflecting the high concentration of capital-intensive industries in the region. Capital expenditures in Houston MSA manufacturing totaled $6.770 billion in 2007. Chemicals ($3.413 billion) accounted for 50.4 percent of the total.  Manufacturing in 2013 accounted for $97.734 billion, or 18.3 percent, of Houston MSA Gross Area Product according to The Perryman Group.

Nondurable goods represented 70.1 percent of the manufacturing total.

Petroleum Refining: The Spaghetti Bowl is a complex of several thousand miles of product pipeline connecting some 200 chemical plants, refineries, salt domes and fractionation plants along the Texas Gulf Coast. It gives the Houston area a unique economic advantage through convenient and low-cost transfer of feedstocks, fuel and chemical products among plants, storage terminals and transportation facilities.  According to the U.S. Energy

(Photo courtesy of Toshiba International Corporation - Photo by Wayne Gill)

Information Administration’s Refinery Capacity Report issued January 2014, the Texas Gulf Coast had a crude operating capacity of 4.5 million barrels of refined petroleum products per calendar day — 87 percent of the Texas total and 25 percent of the U.S. total.

Chemicals/Petrochemicals:

The Houston MSA has 40.6 percent of the nation’s base petrochemicals manufacturing capacity. According to IHS, the Houston MSA annual base petrochemicals production capacity in 2013 was:

Benzene Butadiene Ethylene Propylene Toluene Xylenes

THOUSAND METRIC TONS

% of U.S. TOTAL

3,388 1,166 12,015 12,343 2,011 2,957

35.6 51.4 43.5 42.2 33.7 33.8

 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 36.2 percent of U.S. capacity; polypropylene, with 51.3 percent; and polyvinyl chloride, with 34.4 percent.

22 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Toshiba’s HEV Plant in Houston uses robotics to manufacture hybrid electric vehicle motors and generators for all of Ford Motor Company’s hybrid vehicles

Technology

Technology Research and Development NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest concentration of energy and petrochemical companies, and the region’s major universities make Houston a focal point of U.S. research and development (R&D) activities.

Aerospace  NASA has developed technologies for space exploration that also have applications in the energy industry. Through partnerships with oil

and gas companies, hardware such as friction clamps and autonomous pipe inspection tools that can be used on deepwater wells have been developed and tested.

 JSC developed a synthetic plant growth medium that requires only water to maintain plant life as a food source for humans during

interplanetary travel or on planetary outposts. This medium could provide critical food in developing countries.

 JSC engineers, Rice University researchers and the Limbs of Love Foundation joined forces to provide amputees flexible, lifelike myoelectric

arms with several degrees of freedom in the joints and tactile sensation at the fingertips using space robotics.

 JSC researchers are pioneering new technology to detect buried and submerged objects. Applications range from the oil and gas industry

to detecting metallic and nonmetallic land mines.

 A NASA-funded study at the University of Houston seeks to monitor the rate and extent of unloading-induced bone loss in humans, leading

to a noninvasive means of monitoring bone loss in the microgravity environment.

(Photo by Deborah Mostert, Greater Houston Partnership)

Mission Control for the International Space Station at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston

Health Care and Bioscience  The BioScience Research Collaborative (BRC) convenes scientists and educators from Rice University and the Texas Medical Center to

perform leading research that benefits human medicine and health. The Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, established by the University of Houston, conducts groundbreaking research in treatments for cancer, diabetes and obesity.

 Pumps and Pipes, an annual conference brings together experts in the petroleum, medical and imaging industries to share new

technologies, stimulate discussion and spark ideas.

 Eight major research institutions in the Texas Medical Center comprise the Alliance for NanoHealth to bridge gaps between medicine,

biology, materials science, computer technology and public policy to develop disease-treating devices.

 The $174 million Galveston National Laboratory is one of two National Biocontainment Laboratories constructed with grants awarded by

the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/National Institutes of Health.

 The University of Texas Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases focuses on reducing the vulnerability of the U.S. from

biological weapons, as well as alleviating suffering from emerging and tropical infectious diseases.

 The Texas A&M Health Science Center’s Institute of Biosciences and Technology provides a bridge between Texas A&M University System

scientists, Texas Medical Center researchers and the growing biotechnology research community in Houston.

HOUSTON.ORG — 23‌

Technology

Energy  Houston is at the forefront of energy exploration; production technology; and research and development. Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell,

Baker Hughes, Schlumberger, FMC Technologies and Weatherford International are among the energy firms with major R&D laboratories in Houston.

 Houston’s depth in engineering talent has attracted renewable energy research and development to the region by traditional energy

companies including Shell, BP, Chevron, Dow and GE, among many others.

 The University of Houston’s Composites Engineering & Applications Center was formed to undertake research in support of finding

reliable and cost-beneficial composite materials for onshore and offshore operations.

 Rice University’s Processes in Porous Media Consortium focuses on research in enhanced oil recovery, decontamination of hazardous

waste sites, and oil and gas exploration and production technologies.

 The Offshore Technology Research Center, jointly operated by Texas A&M University and The University of Texas at Austin, conducts

engineering research and develops drilling, production and transportation systems for safe exploration of hydrocarbons in deepwater.

 The University of Houston’s Composites Engineering and Applications Center for Petroleum Exploration and Production conducts

research on composites for engineering applications related to onshore and offshore exploration and production.

University Research  University of Houston received more

than $106.8 million in total awards in FY 2012 for research areas including the physical and life sciences, engineering, technology, optometry and pharmacy.

(Photo by Deborah Mostert, Greater Houston Partnership)

 Rice University received approximately

$109 million in federal, state and private funds in FY 2012 to support research and training activities in fields including engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, business, architecture and music.

Technology Transfer  Houston Technology Center

(HTC) is the center of technology entrepreneurship in Houston. The center has spawned 1,000 entrepreneurs who have raised $1 billion in capital.

 University of Houston Center for

Industrial Partnerships is a research and technology center that fosters collaborative efforts to solve technology challenges for Houston’s business and industrial communities using UH’s research and educational resources.

University of Houston Campus

 Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship is devoted to the support of technology commercialization, entrepreneurship

education, and the launch of technology companies. Since 2000, the Rice Alliance has helped launch more than 1,400 startup companies, which have raised more than $2.7 billion in funding.

 BioHouston, a nonprofit organization, fosters technology transfer and research commercialization. The BioHouston Research Center

provides access to wet lab bench space, shared equipment, offices and tools for start-up companies.

Nanotechnology Houston companies and institutions are active in cutting-edge research and development, making the region a leader in nanotechnology.

According to the Woodrow Wilson Institute’s Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, Houston is one of the top 10 U.S. metro areas with significant research and commercialization related to nanotechnology.  The Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, named after the late Richard Smalley, whose work with fellow

Rice professor Robert Curl led to a Nobel Prize-winning discovery that launched the nanotechnology era. Rice has been granted more than 200 patents related to nanotechnology and has applied for almost as many more.

 The Department of Defense’s Consortium for Nanomaterials for Aerospace Commerce and Technology, which is comprised of the

U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rice University, the University of Houston and five other Texas universities, focuses on developing and commercializing new nanomaterials for the defense aerospace industry.

 Nanotech centers at the University of Houston include: The Nanosystems Manufacturing Center; The Center for Materials Chemistry; the

nanoscience group at the Texas Center for Superconductivity; and The Center for Integrated Bio & Nano Systems.

24 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Government

Government City of Houston  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. The city’s fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30.  The city’s elected officials, serving

 The city’s adopted General Fund

budget for fiscal year 2014 is $2,207,376,250.

(GHP File Photo)

concurrent two-year terms, are: the Mayor, the City Controller and the 16 members of City Council. No elected 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”.

Houston’s City Hall

Counties  Each county in Texas is run by a five-member Commissioners’ Court consisting of four commissioners elected from single-member 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.

State Government  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. All of 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, 126-135, 137-150

United States Congress  Legislative districts partly or entirely within the Houston MSA: • U.S. House of Representatives: 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 18, 22, 29, 36

Full Market Value of Tax Roll — 2013 Harris County:

$417,154,682,628

City of Houston:

$221,482,184,421

Houston ISD:

$161,142,788,815

Source: Harris County Appraisal District

Council 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 has 131 local government members, including all 13 counties (Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller and Wharton), 107 cities and 11 school districts.

• 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.

HOUSTON.ORG — 25‌

Government

Taxation

2013 Vehicle Registrations in Harris County

 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.  Ad valorem property tax is the primary source of local

government revenue in the Houston region.

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.

Sample Property Tax Rates TAX JURISDICTION State of Texas City of Houston Harris County Houston Independent School District Houston Community College TOTAL TAX RATE

2013 TAX RATE None $0.638750 $0.636338 $1.186700 $0.097173 $2.558961

CATEGORY* Passenger Cars and Light Trucks (1 Ton or Less) Large Trucks (Over 1 Ton) Buses Trailers Motorcycles Miscellaneous (Truck Mounted Equipment) Other (Mopeds, Unknown) TOTAL

NUMBER

PERCENT

3,015,509

93,372

3.20%

64,979 2,967 89,162 50,671

1,818 17 2,742 -1,134

2.88% 0.58% 3.17% -2.19%

61,221

-2,782

-4.35%

353 3,284,862

-51 93,982

-12.62% 2.95%

Data provided by: TexAuto Facts, published by InfoNation, Inc. of Sugar Land, Texas Source: Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Title Records, as of December 31 of the appropriate year.

Crime Rates per 100,000 Population – Houston MSA

Houston Police Department (HPD):  HPD’s budget for FY 2014 is $722.6 million.  The budget calls for 5,172.0 full-time-equivalent (FTE) police personnel, 1,127.8 FTE

civilian personnel and 102.9 FTE police cadets in training.  HPD’s 2013 estimated average response time was 4.7 minutes for priority one calls  In 2013, HPD processed an estimated 105,000 prisoners.

CHANGE FROM 2012

*Categories as defined by Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

Public Safety

and 9.5 minutes for priority two calls.

VOLUME

Violent crimes Property crimes Total crimes

561.5 3,578.5* 4,140.0

*2012 burglary counts were not available; 2011 counts were used as a substitute.

Source: 2012, FBI Uniform Crime Reports

Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO):  HCSO is the largest sheriff’s office in Texas and the third

largest in the United States.

(Photo courtesy of Houston Police Department)

 HCSO’s FY2015 operating budget is $416 million.  The Harris County Sheriff’s Office provides law

enforcement protection in the unincorporated parts of the county, which constitutes some 1,700 square miles with 1.5 million residents and growing.  HCSO employs more than 4,400 salaried personnel – of

those more than 2,200 are certified peace officers and nearly 1,400 are detention officers that work in the jails.

Additionally, it has more than 200 volunteer reserve deputies.

Houston Fire Department (HFD):  HFD is the nation’s third largest fire department with

92 fire stations equipped with 87 engine companies; 77 ambulances and advanced life support units; 37 aerial ladder trucks; three hazardous materials response units; and 13 evacuation and rescue boats.  In 2012, HFD performed 246,998 fire responses with

an average response time of 7.25 minutes and 309,886 emergency medical service responses with an average response time of 7.5 minutes.

National Night Out with representatives from HPD Mounted Patrol, Houston Fire Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office

 HFD’s FY 2014 budget is $474.4 million and calls for 4,011.1 FTE employees, of whom 127.0 are civilians.

Harris County Fire Protection:  In all, 54 fire departments operate in Harris County; 42 provide fire protection in unincorporated parts of the county, coordinated by the

Harris County Fire Marshal. In addition, 31 Emergency Service Districts provide fire protection, emergency medical service or both to specific areas within the county.

26 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Education

Education Schools enrollment of 211,552 students, is the seventh-largest public school system in the nation and the largest in Texas. Encompassing 301 square miles within greater Houston, HISD has 282 campuses: 9 early childhood centers; 147 elementary schools; 40 middle schools; 44 high schools; and 42 combined/other campuses.

(Photo courtesy of GHCVB)

 Houston Independent School District (HISD), with 2013

 The Houston MSA contains 62 school districts and 50

state-approved charter schools that reported 2013 enrollment of 1,252,660 students, of whom 868,475 were in the 19 districts and 45 charter schools largely or entirely in Harris County.

Educational opportunity at the Children’s Museum of Houston

Selected* Houston-Area Independent School Districts (2013-2014) School District

Number of Campuses

Fall 2013 Enrollment

Average Teacher Salary

Students per Teacher Ratio

Graduate Degreed Faculty (Percent)

Local Tax Base per Student ($000)

Operating Expenditure per Student

Aldine

76

67,381

$51,466

17.0

25.5

$195.6

$7,816

Alief

46

46,258

$52,244

14.7

26.6

$235.5

$8,554

Harris

Alvin

22

19,809

$51,502

16.4

21.3

$200.9

$7,940

Brazoria

Barbers Hill

8

4,688

$62,152

14.8

26.0

$665.0

$10,354

Chambers

Brazosport

20

12,389

$49,227

16.7

19.8

$512.6

$7,130

Brazoria

Clear Creek

44

39,998

$49,209

16.1

24.0

$392.4

$7,474

Galveston

Conroe

53

55,009

$50,927

16.7

26.3

$385.8

$6,835

Montgomery

Cypress-Fairbanks

81

111,440

$51,474

17.2

24.9

$315.9

$6,842

Harris

9

5,082

$45,081

16.2

18.6

$268.1

$7,511

Liberty

Deer Park

14

13,015

$54,585

15.6

30.8

$531.9

$14,009

Harris

Fort Bend

73

70,931

$52,722

17.2

29.7

$338.6

$7,511

Fort Bend

Galena Park

24

22,572

$49,754

14.9

30.9

$260.2

$8,443

Harris

Goose Creek

26

22,320

$53,414

15.8

25.7

$377.9

$8,746

Harris

Houston

282

211,552

$51,922

18.5

30.9

$520.5

$8,423

Harris

Humble

42

38,235

$49,153

15.8

24.1

$275.2

$7,664

Harris

Katy

59

67,213

$51,797

15.8

23.5

$313.8

$7,403

Harris

Klein

45

48,253

$52,400

15.6

25.8

$272.9

$7,714

Harris

Lamar

36

27,079

$52,905

17.6

23.5

$392.1

$7,950

Fort Bend

Magnolia

16

12,208

$49,605

15.7

21.8

$291.6

$7,292

Montgomery

New Caney

17

12,319

$48,260

15.4

20.2

$187.4

$8,277

Montgomery

Pasadena

61

54,535

$51,331

15.6

20.9

$184.9

$8,504

Harris

Pearland

24

20,034

$49,510

17.5

23.1

$290.7

$6,799

Brazoria

Dayton

County

Harris

Sealy

4

2,771

$48,136

14.5

12.6

$402.7

$8,487

Austin

Spring

38

36,484

$48,555

16.8

23.5

$200.3

$7,487

Harris

Spring Branch

45

35,312

$52,161

15.9

25.9

$565.2

$8,346

Harris

Tomball

14

12,499

$52,137

16.5

22.8

$462.6

$7,851

Harris

8

5,909

$49,449

16.7

20.9

$315.3

$8,146

Waller

Waller

* The list includes all ISDs with enrollment greater than 10,000, plus the largest ISD in each Houston MSA county with no ISD as large as 10,000.

Source: Texas Education Agency, 2013-2014 Student Enrollment Reports and 2013 Snapshot: School District Profiles

HOUSTON.ORG — 27‌

Education

Colleges and Universities The Houston region has approximately 380,000 students in more than 60 degree-granting colleges, universities and technical schools.

Universities

Fall 2013 Enrollment

Community Colleges

Fall 2013 Enrollment

Texas A&M University

53,219

Lone Star College System

70,665

University of Houston

39,540

Houston Community College System

48,003

Sam Houston State University

19,210

San Jacinto College District

32,471

University of Houston-Downtown

13,754

Blinn College

18,266

Texas Southern University

8,703

Wharton County Junior College

7,386

Prairie View A&M University

8,250

Lee College

5,911

University of Houston-Clear Lake

8,164

Alvin Community College

5,191

Rice University

6,628

College of the Mainland

4,188

University of St. Thomas

3,589

Brazosport College

4,129

Houston Baptist University

2,589

Galveston College

Texas A&M University at Galveston

2,174

TOTAL ENROLLMENT

Texas Woman’s University-Houston TOTAL ENROLLMENT

1,262 167,082

Medical Schools and Colleges

Fall 2013 Enrollment

University of Texas Health Science Center

4,615

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

3,112

Texas A&M University Health Science Center

2,417

Baylor College of Medicine

1,549

University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center TOTAL ENROLLMENT

317 12,010

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Specialized schools and satellite campuses in the Houston region include: American College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine; American InterContinental University; Art Institute of Houston; Belhaven University; Center for Advance Legal Studies; College of Biblical Studies; College of Health Care Professions; Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service; Concordia UniversityHouston Campus; Culinary Institute LeNotre; DeVry UniversityHouston; Fortis College; Houston Graduate School of Theology; ITT Technical Institute; LeTourneau University; Our Lady of the Lake University-Houston; Remington College; Sanford-Brown College & Institute; SMU Perkins School of Theology; South Texas College of Law; Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Texas Chiropractic College; Texas School of Business; Universal Technical Institute-Houston; University of PhoenixHouston Campus; and Westwood College.

In addition, the region has some 100 trade, vocational and business schools.

Tier One research universities in the Houston region include: Rice University, University of Houston and Texas A&M University.

Rice University campus 28 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

2,130 198,340

Education

UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES AND MEDICAL SCHOOLS

(Map created by GHP’s Research Department)

Selected Library Systems Houston Public Library (HPL):  The Houston Public Library is comprised of 44 public

 HPL had the following activity in fiscal year 2013:

Total Circulation Total Items in Collection Reference Questions Answered

6,379,124 3,700,000 738,407

Harris County Public Library (HCPL):  Harris County Public Library is a system of 26

community focused branch libraries offering free access to technology and information assistance; literacy and educational programs for all ages; and reading and reference materials in multiple formats.  HCPL had the following activity in fiscal year 2013:

Total Circulation Total Items in Collection Active Borrowers Reference Questions Answered

9,758,250 2,225,748 1,188,234 1,303,167

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

service units including: 31 neighborhood libraries, four regional libraries, three special collection libraries, four express libraries, the HPL Mobile Express and a satellite library located at the Children’s Museum of Houston.

Houston Public Library’s Julia Ideson Building Houston Metropolitan Research Center HOUSTON.ORG — 29‌

Infrastructure

Infrastructure Public Utilities Electricity and Natural Gas:

(Photo courtesy of CenterPoint Energy)

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.  CenterPoint’s assets total more than $22.8

billion. They employ approximately 8,700 employees, with nearly 5,000 in Houston.  In Texas’ competitive electric market, CNP is

the regulated transmission and distribution service provider serving the Houston area.  In 2013, CenterPoint Energy delivered 79.5

million megawatt hours of electricity to 1,965,002 residential, 276,101 commercial, 772 municipal and 2,033 industrial customers in its 5,000 square mile service area in the Houston region.  In 2013, CNP delivered natural gas to

1,489,017 residential and 91,756 commercial/ industrial customers in the Houston area.  The Texas PUC has certified 115 Retail

Electric Providers who sell electricity to retail customers in the areas of Texas where the sale of electricity is open to retail competition.

Telecommunications:

CenterPoint Energy linemen working on electric power lines

Four overlaid area codes serve the Houston area: 281, 713, 832 and 346. Phone calls placed within or between these area codes are local calls, but must be placed with the full 10-digit phone number.  The Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUC) has certified 403 active Competitive Local Exchange Carriers to provide local phone service

in the state. Principal among the Houston area’s local service providers are AT&T, Birch, CBeyond, Comcast, Grande, Logix, Verizon and XO Communications.  The Texas PUC has registered 350 active Interexchange Carriers to provide long distance phone service for residents and businesses in Texas.  More than a dozen cellular service providers offer mobile voice and data communications in the Houston MSA. Major cellular firms with a

Houston presence include AT&T, Cricket, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless.

Water:

Water supply now available or under development will meet Houston’s needs beyond 2050.  The San Jacinto River Basin of Lakes Houston and Conroe provides the City an estimated firm yield of 258 million gallons per day (mgd);

wells add approximately 253 mgd.  The City owns water rights to 914 mgd of the Trinity River Basin from Lake Livingston, Wallisville Reservoir, Southern Canal and the Dayton

Canal.  In the past three years, the City of Houston has, on average, used approximately 220 mgd of industrial water and 450 mgd of treated water.  Groundwater accounted for approximately 16 percent of treated water. Lake Livingston accounted for 72 percent of the surface water used

by the City; Lake Houston supplies 15 percent; and the remaining 13 percent comes from different permitted sources.  Most major Houston Ship Channel industries have contracted to take at least 90 percent of their water from the City’s Trinity River system.  The City of Houston’s East Water Purification Plant has a design capacity of 350 mgd. The Southeast Water Purification Plant has a design

capacity of 200 mgd. The Northeast Water Purification Plant at Lake Houston has a capacity of 80 mgd and is planned to be expanded by approximately 460 mgd by 2040.

Wastewater: The City of Houston operates 40 wastewater treatment plants; 13 biosolid processing units; three wet weather facilities; and 383 sanitary lift stations. It maintains 6,950 miles of sanitary sewer lines with more than 440,000 connections.  Average wastewater treatment flow is 224 million gallons per day (mgd); permitted treatment capacity is 563 mgd.

30 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Infrastructure

Transportation Motor Freight Lines:  884 long-distance trucking establishments operate in the Houston MSA, including special-commodity irregular carriers (e.g., oilfield

equipment haulers, tank-truck lines, household carriers) and common carriers operating daily scheduled service between Houston and other major U.S. cities.

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. Typical commodities shipped via rail through Houston include chemicals, plastics, grain,

forest products, coal, minerals and steel.  Amtrak provides passenger service for Houston on the Sunset Limited, which serves the New Orleans-San Antonio-Los Angeles route.

Intracoastal Waterway:  406 miles of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway – the Texas portion parallels the Texas coast. The main channel is 12’ deep and 125’ wide. The

entire Gulf Intracoastal Waterway spans 1,300 miles from Brownsville, Texas to St. Mark’s, Florida.  In 2011, Texas’ portion of the Gulf Coast Intercoastal Waterway facilitated the transportation of 74,651,503 short tons of cargo.  Principal commodities shipped via Texas’ portion of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway include: crude petroleum and petroleum products

(49,200,699 short tons); chemicals (18,189,560 short tons); soil, sand, gravel, rock and stone (1,946,315 short tons); primary iron and steel products (1,542,646 short tons); and waste and scrap (487,737 short tons).

Freeways, Highways and Toll Roads:

In the Houston MSA, 4,206.41 lane miles of freeways and expressways are in operation.  Harris County’s freeway/tollroad system totals 2,490.63 lane miles.  High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes: According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Houston has more miles of HOV

lanes than any other U.S. city. There are currently 118.42 miles of HOV lanes on Houston freeways, which include U.S. 59, Interstate 45, U.S. 290 and Interstate 10.  Arterials: Houston has an excellent network of primary, secondary and state farm-to-market highways. The Houston MSA in FY 2013 had

72,542 lane miles of public roads, streets and highways, of which 37,352 are in Harris County.  Highway Spending: • In FY 2015, the Texas Department of Transportation - Houston District has $1.0 billion in planned projects to let, versus $818.2 million in

planned projects during FY 2014.

• From September 2013 to April 2014, a total of $977.6 million in projects had already been let.  Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT): According to TxDOT, in FY 2013, a total of 136,731,505 vehicle miles were traveled per day in the Houston

region. The average daily VMT per vehicle was 28.81 miles – based on the 4,746,244 vehicles registered in the region during FY 2013.

(GHP File Photo)

Texas Highway 146‘s Fred Hartman Bridge spanning the Houston Ship Channel HOUSTON.ORG — 31‌

Infrastructure

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 2,663 route miles; 20 transit centers; 9,816 bus stops; and 28 Park & Ride lots that offer

32,802 parking spaces.  In FY 2014, METRO’s fleet includes 1,416 buses and 118 paratransit vans. By the end of 2014, METRO is expected to have 70 light-rail train

cars. At weekday peak, 1,034 buses operate on 126 routes.  FY 2013 total system ridership, including fixed route buses and METRORail, METROLift, METROVan and HOV vanpools/carpools, was 110

million, up 3.5 percent from FY 2012.  Passenger boardings in FY 2013 averaged 9.1 million per month.  Bus accidents per 100,000 miles averaged 0.81 from October 2013 to May 30, 2014.  Daily fixed-route

weekday ridership in FY 2013 averaged 269,144 boardings.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

 METRORail, METRO’s light

rail transit system opened its first line on January 1, 2004. The Red Line was extended by 5.3 miles and opened in December 2013. Two new lines under construction are expected to open for service by the end of 2014.  All 126 bus routes and

the METRORail are fully accessible to disabled patrons. METROLift offers prescheduled curb-to-curb service for physically or mentally disabled patrons who cannot use METRO’s fixed-route service.  METRO offers free

computerized matching to those who wish to carpool or vanpool.

METRORail on Main Street in Houston’s central business district

Houston TranStar:

Founded in 1993, the Houston TranStar consortium is a partnership of four government agencies that are responsible for providing transportation and emergency management services to the Southeast Texas Region. The City of Houston, Harris County, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) and the Texas Department of Transportation coordinate the planning, design, operations and maintenance of transportation and emergency management functions.  Houston TranStar’s 52,000-square-foot center accommodates its high-technology components and multi-agency specialists, including

a regional transportation control room and homeland security/emergency operations center with a sophisticated radio operators’ communications center.  Components managed by Houston TranStar: • More than 730 closed-circuit TV cameras on freeways and major state-owned arterials, plus 75 regional hurricane evacuation cameras

on rural or remote routes.

• 196 dynamic message signs and 86 ramp meters or flow signals.

• 3,200 area traffic signals controlled by the Houston-Area Traffic Signal System.

• Regional Incident Management System (RIMS) – A service that displays traffic incidents, roadway speeds, construction lane closures

and other information on the Houston TranStar website.

• Motorist Assistance Program (MAP) – A program that helps drivers with minor vehicle problems within Harris County. (713-CALLMAP).

MAP responded to more than 42,000 calls in 2011.

• Homeland Security and emergency management operations, which include regional coordination for emergency response and

recovery, including evacuations, large-scale events, floods, epidemics and other disasters.

Intercity Bus Service:  Americanos USA, Bolt Bus, El Expresso, Greyhound and Megabus are among the many companies providing express motor coach service

for passengers and small packages from Houston to many short and intermediate-distance points. More than 50 companies in the Houston metro offer bus charter and rental service.

32 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Infrastructure

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.  A majority of the channel has a minimum width of 530 feet and a depth at mean

low tide of 45 feet.  Houston has more than 100 wharves in operation, including private terminals for

the industrial complexes that line both sides of the channel.  The Houston region contains one of the world’s largest petrochemical

complexes, with the majority being in close proximity to the ship channel and the region’s sea ports.  Each year, more than 200 million tons of cargo move through the Houston Ship

Channel, carried by more than 8,000 vessels and 200,000 barge calls.

Ports in the Houston MSA: The Houston region contains four seaports.

U.S. RANK

2 12 30 46

PORT

Houston Texas City Freeport Galveston

TOTAL TRADE in SHORT TONS

238,185,582 56,721,627 22,084,551 11,618,368

Source: American Association of Port Authorities (The U.S. Rank is based on 2012 total cargo volume, which includes both foreign and domestic cargo trade. The 2012 data is the most current data available.)

Port of Houston:  In 2013, the Port of Houston ranked 1st in foreign tonnage among U.S. ports for

18 consecutive years, 1st in import tonnage for 23 consecutive years, and 2nd in total tonnage for 22 consecutive years.  Total foreign shipments in 2013 were 163.3 million short tons that were valued

at $168.5 billion. Foreign imports were 77.5 million short tons, valued at $74.3 billion and foreign exports were 85.7 million short tons, valued at $94.2 billion.  The Port’s Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ-84) ranks number one in the nation in total

merchandise received and number eight in merchandise exports. In 2011, FTZ84 exports were valued at over $5.3 billion; shipments to the U.S. market topped $1.4 billion; and domestic and foreign shipments were valued at $18.2 billion.  Container service was initiated in Houston in 1956, and today, the Port of

Houston is the largest Gulf Coast container port handling 66 percent of U.S. Gulf Coast container traffic – and 95 percent of the Texas container traffic. In 2013, the Port of Houston Authority recorded the highest volume of container TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) and the largest amount of container tonnage in its history, at 19.1 million tons and 1.6 million TEUs.  The Port of Houston ranked as the 7th largest U.S. container port in 2013, based

on total TEUs.  The Bayport Cruise Terminal, a 96,000-square-foot facility located on the western shores of Galveston Bay, provides access to passenger cruise lines.

Port of Houston Foreign Trade — 2013 LEADING EXPORT COMMODITIES

By Value ($000) Petroleum/petroleum products Machinery Organic chemicals Plastics Vehicles and parts

$34,603,475 $14,771,058 $13,254,426 $6,820,738 $3,113,991

By Weight (Short Tons) Petroleum/petroleum products Organic chemicals Cereals Plastics Inorganic Chemicals

54,328,006 10,535,221 6,329,598 4,706,552 1,257,196

LEADING IMPORT COMMODITIES

By Value ($000) Petroleum/petroleum products Articles of iron and steel Machinery Organic chemicals Vehicles and parts

$36,278,234 $7,053,282 $4,681,284 $4,299,859 $2,844,411

By Weight (Short Tons) Petroleum/petroleum products Organic chemicals Articles of iron and steel Natural Stone Iron and steel

52,823,619 5,437,688 5,385,231 3,255,855 2,305,281

LEADING TRADING PARTNERS (COMBINED IMPORTS AND EXPORTS)

By Value ($000) Mexico Brazil China Germany Colombia

$21,651,537 $11,220,206 $7,890,338 $7,010,158 $6,666,887

By Weight (Short Tons) Mexico Brazil Colombia Venezuela Netherlands

32,859,069 12,350,670 6,989,019 6,662,566 5,776,957

Source: Adapted from WISERTrade: International Trade Database, WISER LLC, Copyright 2004. No Claim to Original United States Government Works. All Rights Reserved.

(Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises)

Cruise ship docked at the Port of Houston’s Bayport Cruise Terminal

HOUSTON.ORG — 33‌

Infrastructure

Air Transportation: Houston is the international air gateway to the south central United States. Scheduled passenger aircraft fly to some 121 domestic and 69 international destinations from Houston airports; 25 airlines provide scheduled passenger service for the Houston Airport System (HAS).

Air Carriers Serving the Houston Airport System

Passenger Non-Stop Service Destinations

Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) Domestic Passenger Airlines

Domestic Destinations

6

TOTAL

Alaska Airlines; American Airlines (also serves HOU); Delta Air Lines (also serves HOU); Frontier Airlines; Spirit Airlines; US Airways

International Passenger Airlines

AeroMexico; Air Canada; Air China; Air France; Atlas Air (scheduled charter to Luanda, Angola, Africa); Avianca; British Airways; Emirates; KLM Royal Dutch Airlines; Korean Air; Lufthansa; Qatar Airways; SAS (Scandinavian Airlines); Singapore Airlines; Turkish Airlines; United Air Lines; VivaAerobus

12

Air France Cargo (France); Cargolux (Luxemburg); Cathay Pacific Cargo (Hong Kong); China Airlines Cargo (Taiwan); DHL (Germany); Emirates Sky Cargo (United Arab Emirates); Etihad Cargo (United Arab Emirates); Federal Express (U.S.); Lufthansa (Germany); Qatar Cargo (Qatar); Saudia Cargo (Saudi Arabia); United Parcel Service (U.S.)

Hobby International Airport (HOU) Domestic Passenger Airlines

4

American Airlines (also serves IAH); Delta Air Lines (also serves IAH); JetBlue Airways; Southwest Airlines

Ellington Airport (EFD) Added to the Houston Airport System in 1984, Ellington serves commercial, general and military aviation.

HAS TOTAL*

117

52

121

69

0

69

186

52

190

by the airport system.

(Source: Houston Airport System, June 2014)

 Houston Airport System (HAS) Aviation Statistics: • In 2013, HAS served 50,908,863 passengers, up 1.2 percent

from 2012.

• International traffic increased 2.5 percent to 8,986,341

passengers in 2013, setting a new record. Domestic passengers in 2013 totaled 41,922,522, a 0.9 percent increase over 2012.

• At IAH, domestic passengers numbered 30.8 million, down 1.0 percent from 2012. HOU passenger traffic (all domestic) increased 6.7 percent to 11.1 million passengers in 2013.

• EFD had no commercial passenger traffic.

• The Houston Airport System handled a total of 439,794 metric tons of air freight in 2013, excluding airmail.

Domestic cargo accounted for 51.0 percent of total air freight, while international cargo accounted for 49.0 percent.  General Aviation: Houston offers excellent general aviation

facilities for corporate aircraft. In addition to IAH, HOU and EFD, the FAA lists 36 Houston MSA public-use airports: Austin County (1), Brazoria (8), Chambers (3), Fort Bend (7), Galveston (3), Harris (9), Liberty (2), Montgomery (2), and Waller (1).

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Burearu)

Source: Houston Airport System

HOU

*The HAS totals represent the number of unique destinations served 17

Dedicated Cargo Freighters

International Destinations

IAH

Terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport 34 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Infrastructure

Communications Media Newspapers:

 Houston’s major daily is the Houston Chronicle.

• Average paid circulation (according to Alliance for Audited Media, during the six-month period ending March 31, 2013):

Daily - 360,251 (13th highest among U.S. city papers); Sunday - 1,042,389 (2nd highest among U.S. city papers).  Houston has many weekly and specialty publications including the Houston Business Journal, which provides weekly business coverage.

Broadcast Media:

 Houston MSA Radio Stations: 26 AM stations; 33 FM stations  Digital TV stations: 17  Comcast Xfinity provides cable service for most of the Houston area.

AM Radio Stations (Frequencies in mHz):

KILT 610, KIKK 650, KSEV 700, KTRH 740, KBME 790, KEYH 850, KJOZ 880, KYST 920, KPRC 950, KQUE 980, KLAT 1010, KCHN 1050, KNTH 1070, KTEK 1110, KYOK 1140, KGOL 1180, KCOH 1230, KXYZ 1320, KWWJ 1360, KHCB 1400, KSHJ 1430, KBRZ 1460, KLVL 1480, KYND 1520, KGOW 1560, KMIC 1590

FM Radio Stations (Frequencies in kHz):

KFTG 88.1, KAFR 88.3, KUHF 88.7, KSBJ 89.3, KACC 89.7, KPFT 90.1, KGBV 90.7, KTSU 90.9, KPVU 91.3, KUHA 91.7, KROI 92.1, KKBQ 92.9, KQBT93.7, KTBZ 94.5, KKHH 95.7, KHMX 96.5, KTHT 97.1, KFNC 97.5, KBXX 97.9, KODA 99.1, KSHN 99.9, KILT 100.3, KLOL 101.1, KSTB 101.5, KMJQ 102.1, KLTN 102.9, KJOJ 103.3, KHJK 103.7, KRBE 104.1, KAMA 104.9, KHCB 105.7, KOVE 106.5, KHPT 106.9

Digital Television Stations (Based in Houston MSA):

(Photo by Deborah Mostert, Greater Houston Partnership)

KUHT (8) PBS/University of Houston (in 1953, the nation’s first public broadcast TV station); KHOU (11) CBS (in 1995, the nation’s first alldigital station); KTRK (13) ABC; KTXH (19) Fox; KLTJ (23) Community Television Educators of Tex; KETH (24) Community Education Television; KRIV (26) Fox; KPXB (32) ION Media; KPRC (35) NBC; KFTH (36) Unimas; KIAH (38) CW; KUBE (41) Independent; KTBU (42) Independent; KZJL (45) Independent; KXLN (45) Univision; KYAZ (47) Una Vez Mas; KTMD (48) Telemundo

News Bureaus and Correspondents:

Argus Media, Associated Press, Bloomberg Business News, Dow Jones Newswires, Energy Intelligence, Forbes, ICIS Reed Business Information, Natural Gas Intelligence, New York Times, Platts McGraw Hill Financial, Texas Lawyer, Upstream, Wall Street Journal

Sight into Sound: For over 45 years, Sight

into Sound (formerly known as Taping for the Blind) has broadcast their programming, all done by volunteers, which includes a daily reading of the Houston Chronicle and a variety of magazines, 24 hours a day. The programming may be heard using a free digital receiver, via the internet or with iBlink radio which is an app for the smartphone. In addition, Sight into Sound provides customized reading of material not already available on audio and live description of performances at selected venues.

Located along Allen Parkway, TOLERANCE is a series of seven sculptures by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa.

These ten-foot-high sculptures in the shape of a kneeling figure are formed by letters and characters assembled from a range of international languages.

HOUSTON.ORG — 35‌

Environment

Environment Water 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).  The City of Houston owns a 70 percent share of Lake Livingston, a 70 percent share of Lake Conroe, a 100 percent share of Lake Houston and

a 70 percent share of the future Allens Creek Reservoir.

Clean Air Under the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established National Ambient Air Quality Standards for six major air pollutants: particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, lead and ground-level ozone. Houston is currently in attainment for all “criteria” pollutants, except for ozone.  The Houston population is growing; however, the air quality is improving year over year.  According to Houston Regional Monitoring (HRM), in 2013 there were only two days when the one-hour ozone standard was exceeded at

one or more monitoring stations. For comparison, in 1987 there were 66 days when the standard was exceeded.

City of Houston’s Green Transportation Initiative:

 The City of Houston has the third largest municipal hybrid fleet in the nation, and the second largest electric vehicle municipal fleet.  In August 2012, the City of Houston launched a municipal electric vehicle green fleet sharing program, called Houston Fleet Share.  Greenlink buses provide free transportation downtown through a partnership among the Downtown District, BG Group and Houston First

Corporation. The route spans 2.5 miles with 18 stops.  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

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

B-station. A total of 29 stations and 225 bikes are currently available for use.

Regatta in Galveston Bay

Renewable Energy The City of Houston signed an agreement in June 2013 to purchase more than 140 MW of renewable power over a two-year period.  From July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2015, the City’s purchase of green power will account for half of its annual electricity demand. According

to the Environmental Protection Agency, Houston is the largest municipal purchaser of renewable power in the nation.  When measured by square footage of Energy Star certified buildings, the Houston metro area ranks fifth in the nation with 82.6 million

square feet.

Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) HARC, a 501(c)(3) organization, is based in The Woodlands. HARC is a research hub providing independent analysis on energy, air and water issues to people seeking scientific answers. It is focused on building a sustainable future that helps people thrive and nature flourish.  HARC employs some 36 researchers, project managers and administrative staff.  Revenues, derived primarily from projects supported by government agencies, foundations and corporations, are projected to reach

approximately $7 million in 2014.

36 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Downtown Houston

Downtown Houston Central Houston, Inc. estimates that more than 150,000 employees work in downtown, which encompasses 1,178 acres.

Office Space and Tenants:

Downtown has approximately 44 million square feet (msf ) of office space.  In 2013, downtown leases representing 3.2 msf of office space were signed through 259 transactions, demonstrating strong vitality.  Downtown is home to ten Fortune 500 companies (June 2014): Enterprise Products; Plains GP Holdings, LP; EOG Resources; Kinder Morgan;

Waste Management; CenterPoint Energy; KBR; Targa Resources; Calpine; and MRC Global.  Other major downtown employers include Chevron; Shell; BG Group; Energy Transfer Partners; ExxonMobil; Hess; LyondellBasell; NRG

Energy; Freeport McMoRan; Enbridge; Deloitte; Ernst & Young; PricewaterhouseCoopers; and Vinson & Elkins.  58 percent of downtown’s occupied office space is utilized by the energy industry; 19 percent by legal; and 12 percent by finance, insurance

and real estate.  When commuting to work, only half of the workforce drives alone: 32 percent of the downtown workforce takes park & ride, local bus or

light rail; 9 percent carpool or vanpool; and 2 percent walk/bike.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Residential:

Houston’s central business district

Downtown is poised to double its stock of residential product.  Downtown living has been trending up since the mid-1990’s. The renovation of the Rice Hotel into Rice Lofts jump-started downtown’s

residential growth, and now more than 74,000 residents live within a two-mile radius of downtown’s center.  Within the downtown core, there are 28 residential properties offering 2,614 units. SkyHouse Houston opened in July 2014, providing an

additional 336 units. Three additional properties are under construction that will total 927 units. Another eight projects are planned and announced, which total 2,251 units. If all of these planned developments are brought online, downtown’s residential stock will total more than 6,000 units.  Downtown, with its many amenities, is an environment attractive to a wide variety of people, from young new hires to empty nesters.

Downtown’s amenities include the Theater District, major league sports, park space, dining and entertainment options, walkability and access to METRORail.  Another boost for downtown residents is Phoenicia, a specialty grocery store, which offers everyday household needs, prepared foods and

catering.

HOUSTON.ORG — 37‌

Downtown Houston

Park Space:

 Discovery Green is a 12-acre urban park in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center.

• The park features a place to walk in the gardens, a pond for sailing remote-controlled boats, a putting green, small and large dog runs, a

shuffleboard court, a bocce ball court, children’s playground, interactive water features, public art works, open lawns, free Wi-Fi and two restaurants.

• Approximately one million people visit Discovery Green each year.  Market Square Park, located in the Historic District, has been recently renovated and provides a true neighborhood space that is anchored

by a central lawn.

• A dog run gives the canine contingent a place to let loose.

• Activities include free outdoor movies and concerts. Niko Niko’s serves food and beverages from its kiosk next to a delightfully shady outdoor seating area and plaza.  Buffalo Bayou Park, which stretches 2.3 miles and encompasses 160 acres between Sabine Street and Shepherd Drive, is getting a $58

million makeover, to be completed in mid-2015.

• The project includes restoration of natural landscapes, including trees and native grasses; new and upgraded trails for walkers and hikers; two pedestrian bridges; extension of the distinctive blue lunar cycle lighting; and additional benches, picnic spots and drinking fountains.

• New destinations will include: The Water Works adjacent to the Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark, Lost Lake, and a dog park.

Revitalization:

Central Houston, Inc. reports the value of projects completed downtown since 2000 totals just over $5 billion.  Developments under construction exceed $1.4 billion and include a new 1,000-room Marriott Marquis convention center hotel; a onemillion-square-foot office building at 609 Main; conversion of the former Savoy Hotel into a Holiday Inn; and additional light rail.  Developments planned to begin construction in the second half of 2014 include a new High School for the Performing and Visual Arts;

Nau Center for Texas Cultural Heritage; Hotel Allesandra; six multi-family developments; and a new 1,900-space public parking garage with street-level retail to serve the Marriott Marquis and the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Visitors new to Houston often ask, “Where are the people?” Many are utilizing downtown’s extensive pedestrian tunnel and skybridge system – with the majority being tunnel.  57 office buildings and 46 parking garages, residential properties, medical and other buildings are connected to the tunnel/skybridge system, which would measure approximately 6.5 miles in length if assembled end-toend.  While some sections

are just hallways, other sections offer food courts, coffee shops, jewelers, medical services, salons, convenience stores, banks, gift shops and restaurants.

Food court in pedestrian tunnel system

 Each building owns the tunnel below it, and each has an agreement for maintenance, hours of operation, etc., with the building on the other

end of the tunnel or skybridge. There is no one owner of the system and therefore the design and décor of each section is different.  Because it is mainly used by office workers, the hours of operation are generally 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  The system is so significant that an office building in downtown Houston must be on the system to be considered a “Class A” office building.  The system grew organically. According to tour guide, writer and vocational historian Sandra Lord, known as the Tunnel Lady, the system

links back to Ross Sterling, an oilman and Texas governor, who linked two of his buildings by tunnel in the early 1930s. At about the same time, an entertainment entrepreneur connected his three vaudeville and movie theaters together via tunnel to save on air conditioning costs.

Vision:

The long-term vision for downtown includes an abundance of large and small projects to create a visible and vibrant human presence on downtown streets 24/7. Included in this vision are growth of the residential base and the offering of a wide range of residential product; a burgeoning retail environment; schools; new, smaller-scale performance venues; realignment of several roadways; enhanced access to, from and within downtown; and further use of alternative modes of transportation.

Source: Central Houston, Inc. and the Houston Downtown Management District

38 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

(Photo courtesy of Central Houston, Inc.)

Tunnel/Skybridge System:

Life in Houston

Life in Houston Cost of Living

The C2ER Cost of Living Index for the first quarter of 2014 shows that Houston’s overall after-taxes living costs are 5.6 percent below the nationwide average.

In the context of the 20 most populous metropolitan areas, Houston’s cost-of-living advantage is even more pronounced. Houston’s housing costs are 33.7 percent below the average for the large metro areas, and its overall costs are 17.3 percent below the average for this group.

Cost of Living Index: 20 Most Populous Metropolitan Areas First Quarter 2014 Data (Average for 288 Urban Areas = 100) ALL ITEMS

GROCERY ITEMS

HOUSING

UTILITIES

96.9

101.0

92.0

91.8

96.7

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

107.9

108.0

143.4

90.5

100.1

88.6

90.8

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH*

135.6

118.2

168.4

133.8

108.9

118.0

130.2

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI*

106.2

99.8

118.5

98.3

117.0

101.0

98.1

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX*

95.2

98.7

84.2

92.8

100.3

99.1

100.6

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

94.9

92.1

91.3

99.1

101.1

96.5

95.2

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX*

94.4

85.9

93.6

95.6

92.5

95.6

98.8

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA*

137.6

104.2

222.9

114.4

112.7

109.7

104.7

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL*

112.0

107.1

135.3

98.5

112.5

100.5

101.2

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI*

108.3

104.8

114.7

95.4

108.7

99.1

109.7

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA*

149.1

119.1

235.9

120.6

114.9

105.9

120.9

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD*

114.2

111.9

121.6

120.2

108.4

98.6

112.1

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ*

104.5

102.4

118.0

95.3

101.6

104.1

98.6

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA*

113.2

114.2

128.0

114.8

111.8

103.4

102.5

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

131.6

105.0

203.3

108.3

111.9

108.9

103.9

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA*

150.7

123.8

257.1

102.3

108.6

115.5

113.6

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA*

111.4

106.0

122.5

96.7

110.4

114.5

109.1

St. Louis, MO-IL

93.4

107.7

72.6

115.6

95.6

100.5

95.3

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL*

92.9

99.0

75.2

104.7

101.8

91.5

97.4

133.5

110.2

226.0

106.1

105.2

93.9

95.0

METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA*

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV*

TRANSPORTATION

HEALTH CARE

106.9

MISC.

99.2

* Data are unweighted averages for two or more reporting places within the MSA. Source: Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) Cost of Living Survey, First quarter 2014, published in May 2014

(Photo by Deborah Mostert, Greater Houston Partnership)

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier

HOUSTON.ORG — 39‌

Life in Houston

Weather The data below is collected from Houston’s official weather reporting station located at Bush Intercontinental Airport.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began collecting data at Bush Airport on June 1, 1969.  The below averages reflect weather data collected during a 30-year period (1981-2010) by NOAA.

Temperature:

 Low temperatures of 32˚F or less: Average of 9.6 days per year.  High temperatures of 32˚F or less: Average of only 0.2 days per year.  High temperatures of 90˚F or more: Average of 102.4 days per year.  Normal daily maximum temperatures:

January

January 62.9˚F; April 79.6˚F; July 93.7˚F; October 82.0˚F.  Normal daily minimum temperatures: January 43.2˚F; April 59.4˚F; July 75.1˚F; October 60.9˚F.  Record extremes: 109˚F on August 27, 2011; 5˚F on January 18, 1930.  The Houston MSA lies in a zone with 260-275 frost-free days per year.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

January

Precipitation:

 Annual average precipitation: 49.77 inches.  Precipitation of 0.01” or more: Average of 104 days per year.  Precipitation of 1” or more: Average of 15.1 days per year.  Thunderstorms occur, on average, 65.1 days per year.  Record monthly rainfall: 19.21 inches in June 2001.  Highest daily total: 10.34 inches fell on June 26, 1989.  Houston has had 15 measurable snowfalls since 1939.  Record monthly snowfall: 2.8 inches in February 1973.  Record daily snowfall: 2.0 inches in January 1973.  Annual average relative humidity: 86 percent at midnight;

90 percent at 6:00 a.m.; 60 percent at noon; 65 percent at 6:00 p.m.

Sunshine:

 Houston averages 59 percent of possible sunshine annually, ranging

from 45 percent in January to 70 percent in July.  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.

Dancing Fountains at Downtown Aquarium Restaurant

Wind:

 Prevailing wind in Houston is south-southeasterly at a mean speed of 7.5 miles per hour.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Weather Data 2013*:

AVERAGE AVERAGE TOTAL HIGH LOW PRECIPITATION TEMPERATURE TEMPERATURE

˚F ˚F INCHES January 65.2 45.8 3.21 February 68.9 47.9 1.32 March 73.2 49.3 0.89 April 77.0 56.2 2.88 May 85.0 66.0 1.02 June 94.7 74.0 4.46 July 93.7 74.4 4.09 August 95.2 75.4 3.33 September 91.8 73.0 5.09 October 81.5 61.1 7.08 November 68.2 47.9 3.81 December 61.1 41.7 1.66 Year 79.6 59.4 38.84 *As recorded at George Bush Intercontinental Airport’s weather station.

Reflection pond in Hermann Park 40 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Life in Houston

Religion  Episcopalians established the first congregation in Houston in 1839; followed by Presbyterians, also in 1839; Methodists, Catholics and

Baptists in 1841; and Lutherans in 1851. Jews received a state charter to form a congregation in 1859; the first synagogue was built in 1870.  Today, virtually every denomination

Catholic Church Southern Baptist Convention Non-denominational The United Methodist Church Muslim Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Episcopal Church

18.1% 14.2% 8.5% 4.5% 2.9% 1.1%

(Photo by Deborah Mostert, Greater Houston Partnership)

is active in the Houston area. The Congregational Resource Center, a component of the Association of Religion Data Archives, in its 2010 survey reports the following denominational shares in Harris County. (Unlisted denominations are each less than 1.0 percent of the total population.)

1.0% Hindu Mandir in Stafford, Texas

Hotels and Motels The Houston MSA in 2013, according to PKF Consulting, had:  804 major hotels and motels, totaling 74,840 rooms.  Another 1,069 rooms were under construction in 2013, slated for completion in 2014.  Room occupancy in 2013 averaged 69 percent with an average room rate of $101.40.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Hilton Americas Hotel attached to the George R. Brown Convention Center and Discovery Green park HOUSTON.ORG — 41‌

Life in Houston

Shopping Houston MSA Shopping Centers Over 500,000 Square Feet City

County

Year Built

Year Renovated

Net Square Feet

The Galleria

Houston

Harris

1970

2003

2,500,000

Loop 610 W at Westheimer

Greenspoint Mall

Houston

Harris

1977

2010

1,567,021

Interstate 45 N at Beltway 8 N

Willowbrook Mall

Houston

Harris

1981

1992

1,469,740

State Hwy 249 at FM 1960 W

Baybrook Mall

Friendswood

Harris

1979

2012

1,427,606

Interstate 45 S at Bay Area Blvd

Deerbrook Mall

Humble

Harris

1984

2001

1,310,497

US Highway 59 N at FM 1960 E

Memorial City Mall

Houston

Harris

1965

2006

1,211,447

Interstate 10 W @ Gessner

Katy

Fort Bend

1998

N/A

1,189,816

Interstate 10 W at Katy Mills Circle

Shopping Center

Katy Mills Mall The Woodlands Mall

Approximate Location

The Woodlands

Montgomery

1994

2003

1,177,909

Interstate 45 N at Lake Woodlands

West Oaks Mall

Houston

Harris

1983

2012

1,073,112

14700 Westheimer at Highway 6

First Colony Mall

Sugar Land

Fort Bend

1995

2006

1,000,000

US Highway 59 S at Highway 6

Meyerland Plaza

Houston

Harris

1958

2009

964,032

Beechnut at Loop 610 South

Rosenberg

Fort Bend

2007

N/A

850,000

US Hwy 59 S near FM 762

Houston

Harris

1967

1998

807,046

Interstate 45 S at Kingspoint Rd

San Jacinto Mall

Baytown

Harris

1981

N/A

795,815

Interstate 10 E at Garth Road

Pasadena Town Square Mall

Pasadena

Harris

1969

1982

734,634

Pasadena Blvd. at Southmore

Brazos Town Center

Rosenberg

Fort Bend

2007

2012

700,000

US Highway 59 S near FM 762

Pearland

Brazoria

2008

2009

700,000

Highway 288 at W Broadway

Lake Jackson

Brazoria

1975

2007

681,917

Highway 288 at Highway 332

Houston

Harris

2001

2008

675,000

Interstate 45 S at Loop 610 S

Brazos Town Center Almeda Mall

Pearland Town Center Brazos Mall Gulfgate Center PlazAmericas

Houston

Harris

1974

1980

638,339

US Highway 59 S at Bellaire Blvd

Shadow Creek Ranch Town Center

Pearland

Brazoria

2007

2009

625,000

Business Center Dr & Sailwing St

Houston Premium Outlets

Cypress

Harris

2007

2010

621,523

Highway 290 at Fairfield Pl.

Fountains On The Lake

Stafford

Fort Bend

1996

N/A

589,201

US Highway 59 S at Fountain Lake

League City Towne Center

League City

Galveston

2008

N/A

560,000

Interstate 45 S at FM 646

Riverstone Shopping Center

Missouri City

Fort Bend

2007

N/A

555,050

State Highway 6 S at Riverstone

Source: O’Connor & Associates, June 2014

Restaurants (Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Houston restaurants feature outstanding regional and traditional American dishes as well as diverse international cuisine.  In June 2014, Yelp.com listed Houston restaurants from more than 70 national categories.  UrbanSpoon.com, in June 2014, listed 392 vegan friendly restaurants, 38 farm to table restaurants and 215 food trucks in Houston.  The U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns shows 10,052 food services and drinking establishments in the Houston MSA in 2012 (the most current data available). These establishments included: 3,628 full-service restaurants; 4,171 limited-service eating places; and 627 drinking establishments.  In 2007 (the most recent Economic Census data available), the 8,863 Houston MSA food services and drinking establishments had sales of $8,425,427,000.

Outdoor area in Montrose available for eating and relaxing 42 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Life in Houston

Selected Recurring Events and Festivals January

Marathon has been held for 42 years.

The course begins and ends at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston.  Black Heritage Society’s Annual

“Original” MLK Birthday Parade • Celebrating the civil rights leader, this event was held for the 36th year in 2014.

 MLK Grande Parade • This annual parade marched through

the heart of Houston celebrating their 20th year in 2014.

February

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

 Chevron Houston Marathon • Beginning in 1972, the Houston

 Mardi Gras! Galveston • Held each February or March, this

festival precedes the season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras was publicly observed on Galveston Island as early as 1867.

Competition during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ • Held each February through early March, this three week event starts with trail rides and a parade through downtown Houston.

• Since 2003, events have been held at NRG Park. The events include: the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, 20 championship rodeo

competitions concluded with musical entertainment, a carnival, and a livestock exhibition and sale.

• The 2014 Rodeo broke paid attendance records with 1,377,416 paid attendees.

March

 Buffalo Bayou Regatta • This is the largest canoe and kayak race in Texas. Approximately 200 vessels hit the waters in downtown Houston.  Bayou City Art Festival • Held each spring in Memorial Park and again in the fall in downtown Houston, the Festival was established in 1972 by the Art Colony

Association, which has raised more than $35 million for local nonprofit organizations.  Shell Houston Open • Since 2003, the Shell Houston Open, a regular golf tournament on the PGA Tour, has been hosted at The Golf Club of Houston (formerly

Redstone Golf Club).

• Houston Golf Association’s cumulative charitable contributions for child-related charities since 1974 has surpassed $57.9 million.

April

 Japan Festival • Held annually in Hermann Park’s Japanese Garden, this festival celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Japan through music, dance and

martial arts. The event attracts more than 20,000 participants each year.  Houston International Festival • This festival takes place over two weekends and includes entertainment zones with art, music and food from around the world.

• This downtown event presents a major celebration centered on the arts with a different country highlighted each year.  BP MS 150 • The ride is a two-day, 180-mile journey from Houston to Austin and includes approximately 13,000 bike riders.

• Of the 100 Bike MS rides in the United States, the Houston event is the top fund-raising ride for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

In its history, the ride has raised more than $200 million for MS research, programs and services.

May

 Art Car Parade and Festival • This parade, introduced in 1988, attracts more than 250,000 spectators that line Houston’s downtown streets.

• Presented by the Orange Show Foundation, this event showcases more than 250 folk art creations on wheels.  Cinco de Mayo Parade and Celebration • This event celebrates Mexico’s victory over the French army at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

• Activities that promote and recognize Mexico’s cultural heritage are held at Miller Outdoor Theatre.  Dragon Boat Festival • This festival hosted by the Texas Dragon Boat Association showcases 30 teams competing on Buffalo Bayou at Allen’s Landing.

HOUSTON.ORG — 43‌

Life in Houston

June

 Juneteenth Freedom Festival • This festival celebrates the news of the Emancipation Proclamation, which reached Texas on June 19, 1865.

• Events are held at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park and include blues, gospel and jazz performers.

July

 Freedom Over Texas Festival • Houston’s official July 4th celebration takes place in Eleanor Tinsley Park at Buffalo Bayou. The festivities include live entertainment, food

booths and a world-famous fireworks display.  Star Spangled Salute • The Houston Symphony

continues its annual celebration at Hermann Park’s Miller Outdoor Theatre.

Festivities include a concert accompanied by a fireworks display.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

August

 Houston Shakespeare Festival • A tribute to the famous

playwright, this festival was founded in 1975. Its free performances can be enjoyed each summer at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

September

 Fiestas Patrias • This festival celebrates

Houston’s rich Latino heritage.  Houston Fine Arts Fair • Over 40 leading museums and

art institutions support the annual fair.

October

 Texas Renaissance Festival • Held on eight weekends in

October through November.

The 55-acre site located in Plantersville, north of Houston, recreates an English village of the 16th century.

Hot air balloons near NASA’s Johnson Space Center

 International Quilt Festival • More than 1,000 antique and contemporary quilts, original cloth dolls and wearable art are on display at the George R. Brown Convention

Center. The festival also includes classes, lectures, quilting bees, and juried competition.

November

 Wings Over Houston Airshow • Held each October at Ellington Airport. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy’s Blue Angels perform aerial acrobatics, while aircraft

from current Air Force and Navy inventories are displayed.  Zoo Lights • During November and December, the Houston Zoo is transformed by thousands of lights and special displays.  The Nutcracker and The Nutcracker Market • The Houston Ballet presents their timeless production of the classic holiday tale - The Nutcracker.

• The Nutcracker Market includes 300 national and international merchants at NRG Center.

December

 The Mayor’s Official Downtown Houston Holiday Celebration • The Mayor of Houston kicks off the holiday season with a celebration featuring fireworks, entertainment and choirs. The event culminates

with the lighting of the tree outside of City Hall.  Dickens on the Strand • Held in December, this 40-year old event takes place on Galveston Island in the historic Strand District. This festival features parades, stage

entertainment, strolling carolers, culinary delights and Victorian-inspired crafts.

44 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

Life in Houston

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Convention and Sports Facilities

Discovery Green and George R. Brown Convention Center

 George R. Brown (GRB) Convention Center, opened in 1987 and expanded in 2003, 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.

• Adjacent to the GRB is the 12-acre Discovery Green park and the 1,200-room Hilton Americas hotel.

• In April 2013, the City of Houston finalized an agreement to construct a second convention hotel that will be a 1,000-room Marriott Marquis with completion targeted for spring 2016.  NRG Park, which occupies 350 acres and offers 26,000 parking spaces, is among the most versatile meeting complexes in the United States.

NRG Park includes the following venues: • NRG Stadium, a $453-million, 71,500-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 2002. It has 1.4 million square feet, which includes 706,213 square feet of contiguous exposition space and 72 meeting rooms.

• NRG Arena has 325,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 5,800-seat arena and a 1,700-seat pavilion.  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 2003, it has covered parking for 2,500 vehicles.  Minute Maid Park, the Houston Astros’ retractable-roof downtown baseball stadium with seating for 40,950, opened in 2000.  BBVA Compass Stadium, the state-of-the-art, open-air stadium designed to host Dynamo matches, as well as additional sporting and

concert events, opened in May 2012. The 22,000-seat stadium is the first soccer-specific stadium in Major League Soccer located in a city’s downtown district.  Constellation Field, opened in 2012, is located in Sugar Land, Texas. The stadium hosts sporting events as well as concerts. It has a

capacity of 7,500 spectators for baseball games and 9,500 for concerts.

Conventions and Major Events  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 2013, Houston hosted 263 conventions, events and shows that drew

581,980 convention delegates to Houston, translating into an economic impact of $462 million, based on attendance.  Houston has served as host to the following major conventions and events: 2002 World Space Congress; 2008 Latin Grammy Awards

ceremony; 2013 American Association for Clinical Chemistry; and the 2013 National Rifle Association.

HOUSTON.ORG — 45‌

LIFE IN HOUSTON

Sports

Professional Teams in the Houston MSA:

Team

League

Location of Home Games

Championships

Houston Astros

Major League Baseball’s American League

Minute Maid Park

2005 National Baseball League Champions

Houston Texans

American Football Conference in the National Football League

NRG Stadium

AFC South Champions in 2011 and 2012

Houston Rockets

Western Conference in the National Basketball Association

Toyota Center

NBA National Champions in 1994 and 1995

Houston Dynamo

Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference

BBVA Compass Stadium

MLS Cup winners in 2006 and 2007

Houston Dash

National Women’s Soccer League

BBVA Compass Stadium

Houston Energy

Independent Women’s Football League

Pearland High South

Houston Red Storm

American Basketball Association

League America Sports Complex

Sugar Land Skeeters

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball

Constellation Field

Texas City Rangers

American Basketball Association

La Marque High School

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

WPFL Championship in 2000, 2001 and 2002

Golf:

 In 2014, Golf.com lists 174 golf courses within a 50-mile radius of downtown Houston.  The City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department maintains nine municipal golf parks.

Racing:

Racing facilities include:  Alkek Velodrome – concrete bicycle racing track, one of 29 velodromes in the United States  Galveston Bay Cruising Association – an all volunteer non-profit sailboat racing club  Gulf Greyhound Park – dog racing  Houston Motorsports Park – NASCAR speedway and National Hot Rod Association drag strip  Houston Raceway Park – dragstrip complex  Sam Houston Race Park – Thoroughbred and American Quarter horse racing

Biking and Hiking:

Biking options are found throughout the region and include paved and unpaved paths, mountainbike trails, and shared-road lanes.

Eagle Pointe Golf Club

 The City of Houston offers a more than 300-mile interconnected bikeway network spread over 500

square miles. The network includes bike lanes, bike routes, signed-shared lanes and shared-use paths.  The City of Houston also offers more than 128 miles of hike and bike trails that loop within its parks or are linear and run along bayous and

outside park boundaries.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

 Harris County offers 45 hike and bike trails totaling 228.8 miles.

46 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

BBVA Compass Stadium, home of Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash

LIFE IN HOUSTON

Arts and Cultural Industry 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 on the rise with annual expenditures of $579 million according to the Arts & Cultural Heritage Community Indicator Report 2014, a study by the Center for Houston’s Future. Arts and culture industry expenditures in Houston grew twice as fast as the area’s population from 2000 to 2010. The sector employs more than 16,000 according to Arts & Economic Prosperity IV, a study conducted by the Houston Arts Alliance and Americans for the Arts. Of the 16.2 million arts and culture patrons in 2011, 2.2 million were from outside of the Houston region.

Performance Arts Facilities 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.  Alley Theatre, home to Houston’s leading repertory company, offers two stages – the 824-seat Hubbard Stage and the 310-seat Neuhaus

Stage. A wide-ranging repertoire of 11 productions is presented each season.  Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, opened in 2002, is home to Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS), Broadway Across America and the

Humphreys School of Musical Theatre. Its two stages have seating for 2,650 and 500.  Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, home to the Houston Symphony and the Society for the Performing Arts, seats 2,911.  Wortham Theater Center, built entirely with private funds and opened in 1987, is home to the opera and ballet companies. Its two halls

seat 2,254 and 1,100.  Houston Ballet’s Center for Dance, opened in April 2011, is a 115,000-square-foot, $47-million, six-story structure.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

Outside 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 approximately 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, plus a sloping lawn that accommodates approximately 4,500 more on blankets or lawn chairs.  Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, located in The Woodlands, offers outdoor performance space and accommodates 16,500. Established in

1990, it presents an eclectic range of programs featuring nationally and internationally recognized artists.  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.  Stafford Centre, located in Stafford, Texas, includes a performing arts theater with seating for 1,115 and more than 25 acres of outdoor

festival green space.  Berry Center, located in Cypress, Texas, includes an 11,000-seat athletic stadium, a conference center, an 8,300-seat arena and a 456-seat

theater.

HOUSTON.ORG — 47‌

life in houston

Performance Arts Houston is one of the few U.S. cities with resident companies in drama, ballet, opera and orchestra.

Music:

Houston is a haven for classical music, with the Houston Symphony and Houston Grand Opera at the fore.  Houston Symphony, founded in 1913, has an annual budget of more than $24 million and maintains an internationally acclaimed orchestra

of nearly 90 full-time musicians. Some 350,000 attend its season of more than 170 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.  Houston Grand Opera performs October through May each year at the Wortham Theater Center downtown. Founded in 1955, the

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

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.

Dance:

Houston Ballet ‘s The Nutcracker

Houston has an active dance community that includes diverse styles and genres.  Houston Ballet, founded in 1955 and established as a professional company in 1969, is the nation’s fourth largest ballet company, with

annual operating expenses of more than $22 million and 53 dancers, many of whom have won medals at major international competitions.

Houston Ballet has toured to critical praise in Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada, Asia (including the People’s Republic of China) and cities throughout the United States. The company presents more than 75 performances during eight months per year.

Theater:

Houston is one of the nation’s foremost centers of live dramatic and musical theater.  Alley Acting Company was founded in 1947 and is one of the few American theater companies that support a company of actors,

designers, artisans and craftspeople throughout the year. The company has toured U.S. cities and abroad. The Alley is also home to educational programs for students and teachers, including the Young Performers Studio, From Stage to Page, HYPE (Houston Young Playwrights Exchange) and Playwright 360°.  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.  Main Street Theater enjoys growing critical acclaim for dramatic and musical productions. In 35 years, 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.  Ensemble Theatre, located in midtown Houston and established in 1976, is the only professional theater in the Southwest devoted to the

African-American experience. This theatre offers two stages and a full season of productions.  Stages Repertory Theatre offers southwestern and world premieres; experimental productions of classic works; and revivals of American

masterpieces.

48 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

LIFE IN HOUSTON

Houston Museum District The Houston Museum District is one of the 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 (1370 Southmore Blvd.) – opened in 2012, this facility houses an art gallery along with a theater.  Buffalo Soldiers National Museum (3816 Caroline St.) – founded in 2000, is dedicated primarily to preserving the legacy and honor of the

African-American soldiers that served on behalf of the United States of America.  Children’s Museum of Houston (1500 Binz) – founded in 1980, the museum, which receives more than 750,000 visits annually, has hands-

on galleries and offers a multitude of exhibits and programs for children through age 12.  Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (5216 Montrose) – founded

in 1948, is a non-collecting museum presenting regional, national and international art of the past 40 years through exhibitions accompanied by publications and educational programming.  Czech Center Museum Houston (4920 San Jacinto) – established in

1995, was created to celebrate, share and promote the rich culture of a major Slavic ethnic group and their history. educates the public about the dangers of prejudice and hatred in society.  Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (4848 Main) – a

nonprofit arts organization dedicated to advancing education about the process, product and history of craft.  Houston Center for Photography (1441 W. Alabama) – founded

in 1981, brings together a community of people interested in photography and lens-based work. The center is home to an onsite library housing more than 2,500 books on photography.  Houston Museum of Natural Science (5555 Hermann Park

Drive) – established in 1909, the museum 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.

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

 Holocaust Museum Houston (5401 Caroline) – opened in 1996,

 Houston Zoo, Inc. (6200 Hermann Park Dr.) – see page 52 for

information on the Houston Zoo.  John C. Freeman Weather Museum (5104 Caroline) – opened in

1987, the museum’s permanent exhibits include a weather studio, tornado chamber, and a room with artifacts on weather history.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

 Health Museum (1515 Hermann Drive) – founded in 1996, this museum is a member institution of the world-renowned Texas Medical

Center. The museum currently serves more than 180,000 visitors annually.  Jung Center of Houston (5200 Montrose Blvd.) – founded in 1958 in honor of Carl Gustav Jung, 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 (4912 Main) – founded in 1979, the center 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 (1515 Sul Ross) – opened in 1987, features a highly acclaimed collection of some 16,000 works of art concentrated in four

areas: antiquities; Byzantine and medieval treasures; worldwide tribal art; paintings and sculpture. The museum includes the Cy Twombly Gallery (1501 Branard) and Richmond Hall (1500 Richmond).  Museum of African American Culture (4807 Caroline) – 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) (1001 Bissonnet) – the first art museum in Texas, opened in 1924. Today, it houses nearly 60,000

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; and Bayou Bend.  Rice University Art Gallery (6100 Main Street) – the only university art museum in the nation dedicated to site-specific installation art,

presents temporary, large-scale environments that visitors can enter and explore.  Rothko Chapel (3900 Yupon) – founded in 1971, it is an intimate sanctuary welcoming over 60,000 visitors each year.

HOUSTON.ORG — 49‌

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

LIFE IN HOUSTON

Small portion of Houston’s museum district and Hermann Park

Additional Houston-Area Museums  Alliance Gallery (3201 Allen Parkway) – managed by the Houston Arts Alliance,

showcases recent work by contemporary Houston artists.  Blaffer Art Museum, University of Houston (4800 Calhoun Road) – furthers the

understanding of contemporary art.

(Photo by Deborah Mostert, Greater Houston Partnership)

 Harris County Heritage Society (1100 Bagby) – has restored and furnished eight

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 (One Main Street) – is a conduit

for the visual arts and contemporary culture.  Orange Show Center for Visionary Art (2402 Munger) – a nonprofit organization

that was 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 (3100 Cleburne Ave.) – presents

art created by African and African American artists.

San Jacinto Monument and Museum of History 50 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

LIFE IN HOUSTON

Parks Parks within the city limits of Houston:

Houston contains 49,497 acres of parks managed by five different entities, according to The Trust for Public Land’s 2014 City Park Facts.  Parks represent 14.1 percent of the city’s adjusted land area, which subtracts airport and railyard acreage from the total city land area.  There are 22.9 acres of total parkland per 1,000 residents—well above the median of 7.1 acres per 1,000 residents for cities of similar density monitored by The Trust for Public Land.  Of the 50 largest parks located within cities, the city of Houston contains three: #6 – Cullen Park with 9,270 acres; #9 – George Bush Park with 7,800 acres; and #39 – Bear Creek Pioneers Park with 2,168 acres inside the city limits of Houston.  George Bush Park is the largest county-maintained park in the United States.

City of Houston parks:

Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) oversees 366 developed municipal parks and more than 200 green-spaces, which together encompass approximately 37,851 acres.  HPARD owns and operates 60 community

centers across the city, along with the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center.  Amenities in City of Houston parks include: 458 231 5 7 4 9 99 276 7 40 218 23

Basketball Hoops Baseball Diamonds Disc Golf Courses Dog Parks Fitness Centers Golf Courses Multi-purpose Sports Fields Playgrounds Skateparks Swimming Pools Tennis Courts Water Spray-grounds

Major City of Houston parks:  Buffalo Bayou Park (160 acres)

(Photo courtesy of Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau)

Quantity Amenity

 Cullen Park (9,270 acres)  Cullinan/Oyster Creek Park (754.83 acres)  Eisenhower Park (682.5 acres)  Herman Brown Park (717.35 acres)  Hermann Park (445 acres)  Keith-Wiess Park (499.46 acres)  Lake Houston Wilderness Park

(Approximately 5,000 acres)  Law Park (313.57 acres)  MacGregor Park (82.79 acres)  Memorial Park (1,503.68 acres)  Metropolitan Multi-Service Center

provides access to year-round activities for children and adults with disabilities.

Major downtown parks:

Japanese Garden in Hermann Park

 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 2008.  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, was 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.

HOUSTON.ORG — 51‌

LIFE IN HOUSTON

Harris County parks:

The Harris County Park System consists of four separate park departments that maintain a total of 179 parks totaling 25,126 acres.

Major Harris County parks:  Alexander Deussen Park (309 acres)

 Gene Green Beltway 8 Park (230 acres)

 Armand Bayou Nature Center (2,500 acres)

 George Bush Park (7,800 acres)

 Arthur Storey Park (175 acres)

 Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center (300 acres)

 Bear Creek Pioneers Park (2,153 acres)

 Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens (300 acres)

 Challenger Seven Memorial Park (326 acres)

 Roy Campbell Burroughs Park (320 acres)

 Congressman Bill Archer Park (926 acres)

 Terry Hershey Park (500 acres)

 Cypress Creek Parks (2,700 acres)

 Tom Bass Regional Park (more than 300 acres)

State parks:  Brazos Bend State Park (5,000 acres) – located approximately 28 miles southwest of Houston in Fort Bend County.  Galveston Island State Park (2,013 acres) – located southeast of Houston in Galveston County.  San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park (1,200 acres) – located 20 miles east of downtown Houston.  Sheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning Center (2,800 acres) – located 17 miles northeast of downtown Houston.  Stephen F. Austin State Park (663.3 acres) – located in Austin County.

Forests:  Sam Houston National Forest, one of four national forests in Texas, is 50 miles north of Houston. The forest contains 161,508 acres in

Montgomery, San Jacinto and Walker counties.  W.G. Jones State Forest, a largely native loblolly pine

forest covering 1,722 acres, is located 40 miles north of Houston near The Woodlands in Montgomery County.

The forest 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 2014, 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.

(GHP File Photo)

 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.

Houston Zoo:  Founded in 1922, the Houston Zoo serves more than

1.84 million visitors annually, ranking in the top 10 nationwide in attendance.  Occupying 55 acres in Hermann Park, it is home to more

than 6,000 exotic animals, representing more than 900 species.  The Houston Zoo is accredited by the Association of

Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).  Since 2002, 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.

Giraffes at the Houston Zoo 52 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

History

History 1836 — On April 21, General Sam Houston’s army wins Texas’ independence from Mexico in the Battle of San Jacinto.

1853 — Houston’s first railroad — the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railroad — begins operations.

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.

1880 — Houston’s first telephone exchange is created.

1853 — Texas Legislature appropriates $4,000 for Buffalo Bayou improvements.

1859 — Three competing firefighting companies combined into the Houston Volunteer Fire Department.

1861 — City provides “land and good buildings” for a smallpox/ yellow fever hospital.

1838 —A bucket brigade, Protection Fire Company No. 1, is formed to fight fires.

1905 — Houston has 80 automobiles.

1882 — Houston Electric Light Co. is organized. Houston and New York are the first cities to build electric power plants.

1908 — Houston city council sets speed limit of 8 mph.

1882 — Houston gets its first arc light.

1909 — Houston Museum and Scientific Society, Inc., predecessor of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, is organized.

1887 — Sisters of Charity open Houston’s first general hospital.

1891 — Houston is first Texas city with electric streetcars.

1895 — Houston Business League is founded (became Houston Chamber of Commerce in 1910).

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.

1866 — Houston’s first bank, First National Bank, is founded.

1897 — Houston’s first asphalt street paving is laid on Franklin St.

1912 — Rice Institute (now Rice University) begins classes.

1867 ― Houston Stonewalls defeat Galveston Robert E. Lees 35-2 in first recorded baseball game in Houston.

1898 — Galveston Country Club opens with Texas’ first recorded professionally designed golf course.

1913 — Houston Symphony is established.

1868 — Houston’s first trolley cars (mule-drawn) appear.

1868 — Houston’s first gaslights are installed.

1841 — Houston Police Department is formed.

1870 — Texas readmitted to the Union.

1842 — Texas’ oldest newspaper, The Galveston County Daily News, is first published.

1870 — Census shows Houston’s population up to 9,332. Harris County’s has reached 17,375, ranking it second in the state.

1850 — First census after Texas joins the United States counts 2,396 Houstonians. Galveston, with 4,117 residents, is the state’s largest city.

1902 — Congress appropriates $1 million for work on the Houston Ship Channel.

1897 — Automobile first appears in Houston as an advertising gimmick.

1840 — On April 4, seven Houston businessmen form the Houston Chamber of Commerce.

1846 — Texas becomes the 28th state.

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.

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.

1861 — Houston and Harris County vote to secede from the Union.

During the Civil War, the closest fighting is at Galveston.

1837 — The Laura is the first steamship to visit Houston.

1875 — First grain elevator is built on the Houston Ship Channel.

1877 — Houston’s first free public schools is established.

1836 — 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.

1837 — 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.

1874 — Houston Board of Trade and Cotton Exchange are organized.

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.

1895 — Houston Fire Department replaces Houston Volunteer Fire Department.

1899 — First Houston city park opens. (This site, now Sam Houston Park, contains several of Houston’s earliest buildings.)

1900 — 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).

1914 — George Hermann donates 285 acres to the city for a public park near Rice Institute.

1914 — The 25 foot-deep Houston Ship Channel is completed and formally dedicated.

1901 — Houston Left Hand Fishing Club purchases the city’s first automobile from Olds Motor Works of Detroit.

(Photos on pages 53 and 54 are courtesy of GHCVB) HOUSTON.ORG — 53‌

History 1915 — First deepwater vessel, the S.S. Satilla, calls at Houston.

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.

1940s — Petrochemical complex develops, taking feedstocks from nearby refineries.

1941 — New master plan for Houston thoroughfares emphasizes a loop system.

1965 — First event held in the Astrodome.

1969 — Houston Intercontinental Airport begins operations.

1990 — Houston hosts 16th annual Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations.

1991 — Houston City Council mandates first zoning regulations.

1992 — Republican National Convention held in Houston.

1943 — Texas Medical Center is founded.

1993 — Houston voters reject proposed zoning ordinance.

1923 — Second National Bank becomes Houston’s first airconditioned building.

2000 — Census finds Houston MSA has no racial or ethnic majority.

1924 — Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the first fine arts museum in Texas, opens.

2000 — Minute Maid Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros, opens.

1969 — “Houston” is the first word spoken from the lunar surface.

1926 — Natural gas first piped into Houston.

1927 — 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.

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.

1946 — 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 — Alley Theatre established.

1947 — Engineering begins on the Gulf Freeway, Texas’ first freeway.

1978 — Voters approve and fund Metropolitan Transit Authority.

1948 — Houston voters reject proposed zoning ordinance.

1982 — Employment peaks at 1,583,400 in March before onset of recession.

1948 — Dec. 31 annexation expands Houston’s area from 74.4 to 216 square-miles.

54 ‌— HOUSTON FACTS 2014

1983 — 155 office buildings completed in 12 months.

1948 — Port of Houston ranks second nationally in total tonnage.

1983 — Voters approve creation of Harris County Toll Road Authority.

1949 — KLEE-TV broadcasts first Houston commercial TV program.

1987 — Trough of recession in January; net recession loss of 221,900 jobs.

1955 — Houston Grand Opera Association and Houston Ballet founded.

1935 — Braniff International inaugurates first scheduled air passenger service to Houston.

1971 — 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.

1953 — KUHT-TV, the nation’s first public broadcast TV station, goes on the air.

1934 — Intracoastal Canal links Houston to Mississippi River navigation system.

1970 — The Galleria opens.

1955 — Houston metro area population reaches 1,000,000.

1962 — NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center moves to Houston.

1962 — Houston voters reject proposed zoning ordinance.

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.

1990 — Houston economic recovery complete; April job count above March 1982 level.

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.

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 — Houston hosts NFL Superbowl XXXVIII 2005 — More than 100,000 evacuees flee to Houston from southern Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

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.

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.

Index

Index Aerospace Age Age Distribution Agribusiness Air Passengers Air Quality Air Transportation Annual Events Area Size in Square Miles Arts and Culture Industry Auto Sales Aviation Statistics Banking Biking Biosciences Broadcast Media Building Permits Bus Transportation Bush Intercontinental Airport Central Business District Central Houston, Inc. Chemicals City of Houston Clean Air Colleges Combined Statistical Area (CSA) Communications Media Community Colleges Commuting to Work Components of Population Change Construction Consular Office Representation Conventions and Facilities Corporate Economy Cost of Living Council of Governments Counties Cultural Industry Dance Decennial Census - 1850 to 2010 Demographics Downtown Houston Eating Establishments Economic Impact by Industry Economy Education Educational Attainment Electricity Ellington Airport Employers - Largest by Industry Employers - Largest in MSA Employment Employment & Population Forecast Employment by Industry Energy Engineering Engineering Concentration Environment Establishments - Total Establishments by Industry Ethnicity Events Facilities Festivals Finance Forbes Global 2000 Foreign Banks Foreign Governments Foreign Trade Foreign-Born Forests Fortune 500

16, 20, 23-24 9-10 10 16 6, 34 36 6, 34 43-44 6-7 47-50 6 6, 34 17 36, 43, 46 23 15, 35 6, 18 26, 32 34, 40 37-38, 45, 47 37-38 22, 31, 33 6-7, 9, 25-26, 51 36 21, 28-29 6-7, 10 15, 35 28 12, 37 11 6, 13-14, 18, 37-38 15 45 14-15 39 25 8-9, 11, 17, 25, 52 47-50 47-48 10 6, 9-12 37-38 42 14 6, 13-15 27-29 10 30 34 16-22 15 6, 12-15 13 14, 16-22 13, 19, 24, 30, 36 19-20 20 36 14 16-22 6, 9-12 43-44 45, 47 43-44 17 14 15 15 33 9 52 14

Fortune Global 500 Freeways Geography Geology Golf Government Gross Area Product (GAP) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Gross Retail Sales Harris County Harris County Fire Protection Harris County Parks Harris County Public Library Harris County Sheriff’s Office Health Care Highways Hiking History Hobby International Airport Hospitals Hotels/Motels Household Income Households Housing Houston Advanced Research Center Houston Airport System Houston Ballet Houston Fire Department Houston Grand Opera Houston Independent School District Houston Police Department Houston Public Library Houston Symphony Houston-Galveston Area Council Income Industrial Real Estate Market Industries Infrastructure International Business Johnson Space Center (NASA) Libraries Life in Houston Manufacturing Maps Media Median Age Medical Schools Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Metropolitan Transit Authority METRORail Multi-Family Homes Museum District Museums Music Nanotechnology NASA’s Johnson Space Center Natural Gas News Bureaus and Correspondents Newspapers Nominal Gross Area Product Occupations Office Real Estate - Downtown Office Real Estate Market Office Tenants - Downtown Oil and Gas Orientation Map Parades Park Space - Downtown Parks Pedestrian Tunnel Per Capita Personal Income Performance Arts Facilities

14 8, 31 7-8 7 43, 46, 51 25-26 14, 22 6, 14, 22 17 6-7, 9, 25-26, 29, 52 26 52 29 26 14, 20-21, 28, 39 8, 31 46 53-54 34 15, 20-21 41 12 9 18, 39 36 6, 34 48 26 48 27 26 29 48 25 11 18 16-22 30-35 14-15 16, 23-24 29 39-52 14, 16, 19, 22 7-8 15, 35 9 21, 28 7 32 32 18 49 49-50 47-48 24 16, 23-24 30 35 15, 35 14 12 37 18 37 19 8 43-44 38 38, 51-52 38 11 47

Performance Arts Organizations Personal Income Petrochemicals Pipelines Population Population & Employment Forecast Population Change - Components Port of Houston Print Media Professional Sports Property Tax Rates Public Safety Public Utilities Race and Ethnicity Race by Ethnicity Racing Radio Stations Railroads Real Estate Recurring Events Refining Region in Perspective Religion Renewable Energy Research & Development Residential - Downtown Houston Restaurants Retail Trade Rodeo School Districts Sea Ports Shell Houston Open Ship Channel Shopping Centers Sight Into Sound Single-Family Homes Sister-City Relationships Skybridge Special Events Sports Sports Facilities State Government State Parks Taxation Technology Technology Transfer Telecommunications Texas Medical Center Theater Toll Roads Topography Total Payroll Employment Trade Transportation TranStar Trucking Freight Lines Tunnel System U.S. Census Delineation U.S. Congress Unemployment Rate Universities University Research Utilities Vehicle Registrations Wages and Salaries Wastewater Water Weather Weekly Wage Wholesale Trade Wildlife Refuges Zoo

48 11 22 19, 22 6, 9-11, 13 13 11 33 15, 35 46 26 26 30 10 12 46 15, 35 31 18 43-44 22 6 41 36 23-24 37 42 17 43 27 33 43 33 42 35 18 15 38 43-44 46 45 25 52 25-26 23-24 24 30 21 47-48 8, 31 8 13-15 14, 16-17, 33 31 32 31 38 7 25 15 21, 23-24, 28-29 23-24 30 26 11 30 30 40 11 17 52 52

HOUSTON.ORG — 55‌

1200 SMITH, SUITE 700 │ HOUSTON, TX 77002 │ 713-844-3600