Know all about Houston

Houston is a melting pot of cultures and peoples. It is dynamic community with top-class food, arts, places and nightlife. The city has a “can-do” attitude which makes it a popular place for those looking for new opportunities. It is a phenomenal city.

In 1836, Houston was founded by two brothers John and Augustus Allen on the banks of Buffalo Bayou and in 1837 was established as a city. Houston, nicknamed Space city, and fondly called as the Bayou City. The city is named after General Sam Houston of the Texas Army that won independence from Mexico. In 1840, Houston became the capital city of Texas. In 1845, Texas joined the United States. In 1901, oil was discovered in Houston. 

Houston is known as the energy capital of the world, and emerged as a flourishing commercial center. In the 21st century, Houston is a city of finanace, science and technology with headquarters of many global companies based here. 

The city has sprawled very far. It now covers an area more than New Jersey. Houston is dynamic, lively, and brimming with opportunity and diversity, where over 90 languages apart from English are spoken. 

Houston has varied neighborhoods and enclaves of shopping places and restaurants spread over a large area. The Museum district is Houston’s cultural center, Mid-town has some best eateries and condos, River Oaks and Upper Kirby have high-class dining and shopping, Washington Ave has vibrant nightlife, and Montrose has eccentric eateries and shops. The city’s magnetizing power is the NASA’s Space Center. 

This is an official visitor center of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. It offers a virtual voyage of the International Space station and an experience of weightlessness. 

The Houston Zoo is a home to several themed habitats. 

The Contemporary Arts Museum exhibits the recent and new works from the past 40 years, by national, international and regional contemporary artists. 

Downtown Aquarium has fabulous sea and land creatures. 

This holds a private collection and ancient pieces of John and Dominique de Menil. This is the only site in Houston that is included in a travel book series "1,000 places you must see before you die”

The Museum of Natural Science, Houston has a spectacular collection of natural exhibits. 

This museum has memorabilia from the funerals of celebrities, such as John Wayne, John F Kennedy, Elvis Presley, Martin Luther King, and Judy Garland.

This comprises of restored historic buildings and structures.

The health museum of Houston gives a great tour of the human body in the Jim Hickox Amazing Body Pavilion, with enormous sculptures of human organs.

This museum is dedicated to the millions who were imprisoned and died in Nazi death camps in World War II. 

This museum has a great collection of Renaissance art and ancient pieces.

Find out more about the important locations in Houston here.

Houston is a home to a huge international community with multifarious cultures.  Multitude of exciting events is celebrated annually.  The longest running event is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which is 20 days long. This event  attracts people from all over the world Other events are the Bayou City Art festival, the Houston Auto Show, Houston Greek festival, the Houston international festival, and the Art Car parade. 

Many of the country’s top musicians and personalities have their roots in Houston. Some of the famous personalities were born here are: Beyonce Knowles, Alexis Bledel, Howard Hughes, Jennifer Gamer, Jaclyn Smith, Michael Strahan, Michael Dell, Jim Parson, Billy Gibbons, Barbara Mandrell, Matt Stone, Keny Rogers, Loretta Devine,the Undertaker, Carl Lewis and many more. 

The people of Houston are warm, open and friendly. The cost of living in Houston is affordable.  Great access to theater, arts, sports events and concerts!

Standard time zone: UTC/GMT -6 hours (Central Standard Time)

Daylight saving time: 1 hour

Current time zone offset: UTC/GMT -5 hour (Central Daylight Time)

Time zone abbreviation: CDT

Houston Area Codes: 346, 281, 713 and 832

Houston has warm temperatures and is an affordable destination. There’s never really a wrong time to visit the Houston city. It is a year-round spot. The best time to visit Houston is in the months of spring and fall. The weather during this time is pleasant and the days are bright. Fall season is also the hurricane season. 

• Spring season: March to May
• Fall/autumn season:  October to November

During the spring and fall seasons, there are seasonal attractions, such as:

• Kemah Rock the Dock concerts: May to August
• Miller Outdoor Theatre performances: March to October
• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo:  Early to late March
• Pride Parade: End of June

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Azalea Trail

Buffalo Bayou Regatta

Houston Children's Festival (Last weekend in March)

Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park (Last weekend in March)

South West International Boat Show

Houston Barbecue Festival (Late April) 

WorldFest: Houston International Film Festival

Japan Festival

Art Car Parade

Houston Dragon Boat Festival (First week of May)

Carnival Houston Show Parade

Pasadena Strawberry Festival

Texas Renaissance Festival (8 Weeks Starting Mid-October)

The Original Greek Festival (Starting 1st Thursday of October)

Bayou City Art Festival Downtown

Festa Italiana

Wings Over Houston Airshow

Texian Market Days

Day of the Dead

International Quilt Festival

The Nutcracker Market (1st Weekend of November)

Texas Championship Native American Pow Wow (1st Weekend of November)

Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service

Uptown Holiday Lighting (Thanksgiving Evening)

The Nutcracker

The other best time is the winter season, from December to February. During this time, the weather is mild with intermittent snowfall.  Winter season is a great time of the year. There are plenty of attractions, events and live shows to relish, such as fireworks and electric light parade during Oak Boulevards’ Thanksgiving celebration in Uptown.

Dickens on the Strand

Annual Candlelight Tour in the Park

Fiesta Guadalupana

Martin Luther King Jr. Grande Parade (3rd Monday of January)

Chevron Houston Marathon (3rd Weekend of January)

World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest

Mardi Gras Galveston

Summers in Houston are sultry and hot.  This is not a good time to visit Houston.  

Houston Beer Fest

Caribbean Heritage Month Festival

Juneteenth Celebration

Pride Houston

Freedom Over Texas Festival

Star Spangled Salute

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

Theater District Day (Last Sunday of August)

In September

Fiestas Patrias

January- 62-degree-F (High) 41-degree-F (Low)

February- 67-degree-F (High) 44-degree-F (Low)

March- 73-degree-F (High) 51-degree-F (Low)

April- 79-degree-F (High) 57-degree-F (Low)

May- 86-degree-F (High) 66-degree-F (Low)

June- 91-degree-F (High) 72-degree-F (Low)

July- 94-degree-F (High) 74-degree-F (Low)

August- 94-degree-F (High) 73-degree-F (Low)

September- 89-degree-F (High) 68-degree-F (Low)

October- 82-degree-F (High)   59-degree-F (Low)

November- 72-degree-F (High)   50-degree-F (Low)

December- 65-degree-F (High)   43-degree-F (Low)