Houston

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

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

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

Houston has the second-most _Fortune_ 500 headquarters of any U.S. city within its city limits after New York City.

## Sports

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

## Climate

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

## History

Many of the confederate monuments and buildings have been removed or renamed.

- Dowling Street. Named for Confederate commander Richard W. Dowling. Renamed Emancipation Avenue in 2017. The street leads to Emancipation Park. The site originally was the only municipal park available to blacks, who pooled their money in 1872 to buy the property to celebrate their freedom.
- In 2016, Jackson Middle School was renamed for Hispanic community activist Yolanda Black Navarro.
- Lee High School (1962). Originally known as Robert E. Lee High School, district leaders dropped the "Robert E." from the school's title to distance the school from the Confederate general. School officials changed the name to Margaret Long Wisdom High School in 2016.
- Westbury High School changed the nickname of its athletic teams from the "Rebels" to the "Huskies".

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Houston, Texas
- **settlement type**: City
- **nickname**: Space City (official)
- **imagesize**: 300px
- **image caption**: **Top to bottom, left to right:** Downtown Houston, Sam Houston Monument at Hermann Park, Texas Medical Center, Uptown Houston, Johnson Space Center, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum of Fine Arts, Buffalo Bayou
- **image flag**: Flag of Houston, Texas.svg
- **flag size**: 120px
- **image seal**: Seal of Houston, Texas.svg
- **image map**: Harris County Texas incorporated and unincorporated areas Houston highlighted.svg
- **mapsize**: 260px
- **map caption**: Location within and around Harris County
- **pushpin map**: Texas#USA
- **pushpin map caption**: Location within Texas##Location within the United States
- **pushpin relief**: 1
- **pushpin mapsize**: 280
- **pushpin label**: Houston
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision name**: United States
- **subdivision type1**: U.S. state, State
- **subdivision name1**: Texas
- **subdivision type2**: List of counties in Texas, Counties
- **government type**: Strong Mayor, Strong Mayor-Council
- **governing body**: Houston City Council
- **leader title**: List of mayors of Houston, Mayor
- **leader name**: John Whitmire (Democratic Party (United States), D)
- **unit pref**: Imperial
- **area total sq mi**: 671.67
- **area total km2**: 1739.62
- **area land sq mi**: 640.44
- **area land km2**: 1658.73
- **area water sq mi**: 31.23
- **area water km2**: 80.89
- **population as of**: 2020 United States Census, 2020
- **population total**: 2304580
- **population rank**: List of United States cities by population, 4th in the United States
List of municipalities in Texas, 1st in Texas
- **population metro**: 7149642 (List of metropolitan statistical areas, 5th)
- **population density sq mi**: 3598.43
- **population density km2**: auto
- **population demonym**: Houstonian
- **timezone**: North American Central Time Zone, CST
- **utc offset**: −6
- **timezone dst**: North American Central Time Zone, CDT
- **utc offset dst**: −5
- **postal code type**: ZIP Codes
- **postal code**: 770xx, 772xx (Post-office box, P.O. Boxes)
- **area codes**: Area codes 713, 281, 346, and 832, 713, 281, 832, 346
- **elevation m**: 32
- **elevation ft**: 80
- **established title**: Municipal corporation, Incorporated
- **established date**: June 5, 1837
- **blank name**: Federal Information Processing Standard, FIPS code
- **blank info**: 48-35000
- **blank1 name**: Geographic Names Information System, GNIS feature ID
- **blank1 info**: 1380948
- **blank name sec2**: Major airports
- **blank info sec2**: George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
- **blank1 name sec2**: Interstate Highway System, Interstates
- **blank1 info sec2**:
- **blank2 name sec2**: U.S. routes
- **blank2 info sec2**:
- **blank3 name sec2**: State routes
- **blank3 info sec2**:
- **blank4 name sec2**: Rapid transit
- **blank4 info sec2**: Houston Metro
- **named for**: Sam Houston