Today’s Houston reflects its tremendous postwar growth. Downtown’s older buildings dwarf the many modern office towers that now define the city’s skyline, including Pennzoil Place (1976), Chase Tower (1981), and Williams Tower (1983) . Downtown buildings are connected by a system of air-conditioned underground passageways, allowing pedestrians to avoid the summer heat and humidity. This city is culturally diverse. Less than half are of European ancestry, more than a third are Hispanic, about a quarter are African American, and a small but significant proportion are Asian.
Houston remains a center for oil and petrochemicals. Oil and gas exploration, refining, petrochemical production, and the manufacturing of machinery for these industries are the main drivers, and the city is the center of a network of oil and natural gas pipelines. The economy is also diversifying. High-tech industry, trade, business and financial services are becoming important. Medical research and health care have considerable economic impact. The Texas Medical Center complex constitutes the largest single employer in the city. Engineering services, software manufacturing, aerospace research and development operations, and aerospace, electronics, and computer manufacturing are also economic strengths. The region’s vast resources of oil, natural gas, sulfur, lime, salt, and water create one of the world’s largest industrial clusters along the Houston Strait. Peri-urban areas are also important areas for rice, cotton, and cattle.
Houston is one of the nation’s major transportation hubs, with extensive trucking, rail, and air transportation. Two major airports serve the area: George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport. The third facility, Ellington Field, is used jointly by commercial, corporate, and military aircraft. The Port of Houston is currently the second largest port in the United States by tonnage moved. It is a major international port and its largest cargoes (in tonnage) include petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, grains, fertilizers, plastics, and steel. A 7.5-mile (12 km) light rail commuter line from Reliant Park to downtown opened in 2004.
The area is home to many universities, including Rice University (1891), University of Houston (1927), Texas Southern University (1947), University of St. Thomas (1947), and Houston Baptist University (1960) . Houston Community College Campus (1971). The Texas Medical Center (founded in 1945) is a large complex of hospitals, medical schools, and research institutions, including Baylor College of Medicine (1900) and the University of Texas Health Science Center (1972).
Houston is one of the few cities in America with a professional symphony orchestra and a professional ballet, opera, and theater company. The downtown theater district is home to major performing arts organizations. of The Houston Symphony Orchestra (founded in 1913) is based at the Jesse H. Jones Performing Arts Hall, the Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera (both founded in 1955) perform at the Wortham Theater Center, and the Alley Theater is home to the city’s It has a resident theater group. Southwest of downtown, near the University of St. Thomas, is an area filled with museums and galleries, including the Menil Collection. Just south of that complex is Hermann Park, home to a zoo and museum of natural sciences (including a planetarium), and an adjacent museum district with facilities dedicated to medicine, the Holocaust, fine art, and contemporary art.
Further to the southwest, Reliant Center (formerly Astrodomain Complex) with convention, sports and entertainment facilities; Reliant Stadium (opened in 2002) is home to the city’s professional football team ( Texans) and the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (February), the largest in the world. nearby The Astrodome (1965) was the world’s first air-conditioned full-size domed sports stadium and was the home of the city’s professional baseball team (Astros) until 1999 when a new facility, Minute Maid Park, was built downtown. It was. Located just southwest of the stadium, Toyota Center (opened in 2003) is a multipurpose arena that is home to the city’s professional basketball team, Toyota. rocket. To the east of the city, the site of the Battle of San Jacinto is preserved as a state historic site. Space Center Houston at Johnson Space Center is a popular tourist attraction offering educational programs and exhibits. Numerous lakes, wildlife refuges, and beaches on Galveston Island offer opportunities for outdoor recreation, as well as the city’s arboretum and the Sam Houston National Forest to the north.
