Houston was established by shipping merchants Augustus and John Allen in 1836. The city became the oil export capital of the state with the construction of the Houston Ship Channel in 1914. Petroleum and petrochemical industries began flourishing in Houston and it soon became one of the wealthiest energy exporters by the 1970s. But by the 1980s, the economy suffered a major setback with a fluctuating oil market and devaluation of the Mexican peso. The economy then branched to fields like medical services and high-tech industries to regain its growth. Houston is today a consolidated metropolitan area exceeding 8,700 square miles with a population of more than 2,016,582 as on 2005.

Houston lies near the Gulf of Mexico and sprawls westward from the shores of Galveston Bay on the coastal prairie of eastern Texas. The climate is humid and semitropical in the summertime, with an average annual temperature of about 69 degrees. Houston's winters are mild, although freezing at times. Houston has been directly hit by two hurricanes in the last forty years, Carla in 1960 and Alicia in 1983, and has been threatened by many others.

Area: 601.69 square miles (2000)

Elevation: Sea level to about 50 feet above sea level

Latitude: 29.76 N

Longitude: 95.38 W

Average Temperatures: January, 51.8° F; July, 83.6° F; annual average, 68.8° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 47.84 inches

Population: 2,016,582 as on 2005

Attractions

• Johnson Space Center
• National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
• San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park
• Houston Zoological Gardens
• Miller Outdoor Theatre
• Houston Museum of Natural Science
• Moody Gardens
  
  

Festivals

• Grande Parade
• Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo
• Budweiser Original Zydeco Jamm Festival
• Houston International Festival
• Texas Renaissance Festival
• Festival of Lights
• Greek Festival
• Bayou City Cajun Festival
• Japan Festival
• Asian Pacific Heritage Festival
• Cinco de Mayo Celebration
• Scottish Highland Games & Celtic Festival
• Fiestas Patrias
• Houston Turkish Festival
• Festa Italiana
• Texas Championship Pow Wow
• Houston International Film Festival
• Houston Shakespeare Festival
• Bluegrass Festival
• Caribbean Luau
• Houston Comedy Festival
• Ballunar Festival Liftoff
• Dragon Boat Festival