<B>Editor's note: Hurricane Ike struck Houston on 13 September 2008. The storm went right through downtown, and some facilities, including some of the high-rise office buildings and hotels, may not yet be operating normally. Visitors should call ahead to make sure things are OK at any specific locations they plan to visit.
When Houston, Texas, dubbed itself Space City, it was referring to its connection to the stars (via nearby NASA's Johnson Space Center, built in 1961). But the nickname could just as well refer to the enormous amount of earthbound space the town occupies within the city limits, much less the metro area's sprawl. Houston is bigger than the state of New Jersey, so don't plan on seeing it all in one trip.
Houston's attractions and immense size also bring a certain magnificence: The city is headquarters to almost two dozen of the largest corporations in the U.S., its port is the nation's second largest, and half of the world's largest foreign companies have offices there.
Oil money and corporate largesse enable Houston to have professional resident companiesRead More ... in all four areas of the performing arts: ballet, opera, theater and symphony. Additionally, more than 200 institutions are dedicated to the arts, history and science, and Houston is also home to professional sports teams for three major-league sports—the Houston Astros (baseball), the Houston Rockets (basketball) and the Houston Texans (football).One surprise for most Houston visitors is how green the city is. The subtropical climate (it's approximately the same latitude as northern Florida) causes lush growth in grass, trees and plants, and the mild winters leave plenty of greenery untouched.
Houston's cultural diversity (more than 90 languages are spoken there) and its low cost of living also have made it one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the U.S.
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