Founded in 1836, Houston is the largest city of State of Texas and fourth largest in all of USA with an estimated population of 2.2 million. The greater Houston, that includes Sugarland and Bay Town, is the 6th largest metroplex in USA with a total population of 5.6 million. Houston is also the seat of Harris county which is one of the largest counties in USA in terms of land size. Houston climate is considered subtropical with temperatures commonly seen in the 90s during summer months.
Houston is called the energy capital of the world because of the presence of large number of oil & gas companies including ExxonMobile, Chevron and Shell North America. The city faced considerable economic hardships during the oil crisis of 1973 and the economic crisis in 1987. In the decades of the 1990s the city administration decided to diversify the city economy by reducing its reliance on oil & gas sector. Since then the Houston economy has acquired a broad economic base with presence of retail, health care, energy, aeronautics and manufacturing companies. Houston has the proud distinction of home to more Fortune 500 companies behind New York. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled. The city has a multicultural population with a large and growing international community.
Houston Theater District is located downtown and is home to nine major performing arts organizations and six performance halls. It is the second-largest concentration of theater seats in a downtown area in the United States. Houston has a permanent, professional, resident companies in all major performing arts disciplines: opera (Houston Grand Opera), ballet (Houston Ballet), music (Houston Symphony Orchestra), and theater (The Alley Theatre). Houston attracts many touring Broadway acts, concerts, shows, and exhibitions for a variety of interests.
Houston is home to the largest and longest running annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, held over 20 days from late February to early March. Another large celebration is the annual night-time Houston Pride Parade, held at the end of June. Houston holds the Bayou City Art Festival, which is considered to be one of the top five art festivals in the United States.
The Museum District has many popular cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year. Notable facilities located in the district include The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and the Houston Zoo. One of the major attractions of Houston City is Space Center Houston which is the official visitors’ center of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Here one will find many interactive exhibits including moon rocks, a shuttle simulator, and presentations about the history of NASA's manned space flight program.
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