Houston: 'Healing Center'

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From rodeos and performing arts to space exploration and medical research, Houston is a city with a uniquely vibrant style and flair. In just over 150 short years, this Texas metropolis has grown from a swampy outpost on the Gulf coast to the fourth largest city in the United States.

Houston, at its core, is an international business hub and the energy capital of the United States. Medicine plays a big role too. Medical institutions, spawned from the discoveries of the famous heart transplant team of Cooley and DeBakey and research conducted at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, have earned this cutting-edge city the title of ‘healing center.’

Magnificent glass and metal towers dominate the downtown skyline, while lofts, condos and apartments are fast becoming a major part of the central city landscape. Once a ghost town in the evenings and weekends, today, downtown Houston, with its upscale restaurants, bars, late-night venues and top-rate hotels, is the place to be.

For fans of the arts, Houston has it all. This is one of the few cities in the country that has resident companies in all four major performing arts: drama, ballet, opera and symphony. Houston is second only to New York’s Broadway when it comes to the size of its seven-block theatre district.

Outside of the city’s urban areas the local landscape is bathed in vivid colors, thanks to a tropical climate. Natural habitats include wooded areas to the north, coastal environments to the south, bayous, creeks and the famous Houston Ship Channel to the east, with wide-open prairies to the west.

With its cosmopolitan flair, energetic lifestyle and thriving business center, Houston is a city that will be leading the way in the 21st century.

City Resources

• All About Houston
• Newspapers
• Top Picks for Kids
• Recreation and Attractions
• Museums and Libraries

Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau
Get detailed information about Houston, its neighborhoods, history, attractions, as well as maps and directions.

Events Guide
Find out about the latest events and happenings in Houston, get the scoop on the best restaurants in town and check out the top family-friendly attractions.

State Information
This handy guide is filled with everything you need to know about nursing in Texas, including state nursing associations, CE requirements, salary information and more.

Houston Chronicle
An in-depth daily newspaper covering news, entertainment, classifieds and daily columns.

Houston Press
A weekly freebie with a large entertainment section.

The Houston Business Journal
Featuring local and national business news, this newspaper includes a directory of employment services and classifieds.

Space Center Houston
The most popular attraction in the Houston area, the Space Center features actual spacecraft, state-of-the-art simulators and the largest IMAX theatre in Texas.

Houston Zoo
From koalas to flamingos, tigers to orangutans, the inhabitants of the Houston Zoo never fail to charm visitors.

Houston Children’s Museum
This interactive museum focuses on childhood development in four areas: arts, science, history and culture.

Six Flags Astroworld Houston
Featuring roller coasters, water rides, carousels, Looney Tune characters and much more, this park is filled with thrills for the young and young at heart.

Splash Town
The wettest, wildest theme park in town with wave pools, water slides and raging rapids.

Shopping
Find out all you need to know about the best malls, outlet centers and specialty shops in and around Houston.

Sam Houston Race Park
Celebrate the spirit of thoroughbred horseracing at this popular racetrack in northwest Houston.

Theatre District
The Theatre District is just the ticket for symphony concerts, ballet, opera, stage plays, touring Broadway shows and live music.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The best and biggest public art museum in Texas, this center includes collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, featuring creations by Van Gogh, Monet, Matisse and Gaugin.

Museum of Health and Medical Science
Designed as a Texas-sized human body, this museum includes giant models of human organs and dozens of hands-on exhibits and science stations.

Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Houston Museum of Natural Science explores the earth’s wonders with three floors of permanent exhibits featuring everything from dinosaurs and gems to rainforests and spiders

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