Thinking about moving to Houston?
You’re not alone. H-Town attracts 2,000 new residents every week. It’s the home of Beyoncé, the NASA Astronaut Corps, and more Fortune 500 company headquarters than anywhere in the U.S. except New York.
Houston’s neighborhoods are as diverse as its population. From charming houses in Montrose to modern condos in The Heights, you’ll always have a place to call home. Not sure where to start? Read our guide to top Houston neighborhoods, then consult our list of best Houston realtors to help make your search easy.
Houston Essentials City of Houston website Everything you need to know about living in Houston. Chock full of useful resources, including information about the City of Houston government, campaign finance reports, bill payments and more…. 
Houston City Essential Resources
Traffic
Houston is known for its terrible traffic. That’s because about 600,000 people drive into the city for work daily, according to the Center for Houston’s Future. In 2013, the Texas A&M Traffic Institute ranked Houston sixth among major U.S. cities in the number of hours drivers spend in traffic per year.
Officials currently plan to reconfigure I-45, a major interstate through downtown Houston, to alleviate congestion. City planning will also continue adding HOV and bus lanes to major freeways.
Beat the commute: Houstonites suggest using alternate route apps like Waze, moving closer to work and taking advantage of HOV lanes.
Weather
You can thank Houston’s subtropical climate for its blazing summers, mild winters and perpetual humidity. Houstonites enjoy stable temperatures starting from late September to early May, which means good patio weather can appear as early as January.
Flooding is the most common form of severe weather. Due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, Houston may also be affected by hurricanes or tropical storms. Approximately seven major hurricanes have passed through Houston and Galveston over the past 100 years.
Summer average (June – Aug): 92 ℉ high, 75 ℉ low
Winter average (Dec – Feb): 65 ℉ high, 47 ℉ low
Economy
Houston’s stellar economy has landed it on countless Top 10 lists over the past decade—and there are no signs of that changing anytime soon.
Major employers include the Texas Medical Center (the largest medical center in the world), dozens of Fortune 500 company headquarters (including Philips, Sysco, Apache, Halliburton, Baker Hughes and many more), and a wide range of aeronautics and technology companies. And with more than 5,000 energy firms calling it home, Houston is unofficially known as “The Energy Capital of the World.”
Unemployment rate: 4.8% (as of October 2015)
Average weekly wages for all industries: $1,363 (first quarter 2015)
Where New Residents of Houston Are Moving From
It really isn’t a secret. Houston is growing, and growing fast. The metro area population grew 2.5 percent from 2013 to 2014, according to the latest census figures. That means the population grew by 156,371…
