Houston, the nation’s fourth largest city, offers an engaging “city vibe” while maintaining the friendliness of its residents. Diverse, populous, filled with quirky neighborhoods, a tremendous location less than an hour from the beaches of the Gulf and a thriving cultural/museum scene make Houston a place where ideas, vision and imagination make up the tapestry that is our town. We even have more than our share of real-life rocket scientists working at NASA.
Not only is Houston a great place to live, your hard-earned dollar goes much further due to a favorable cost of living in housing as well as groceries. Rounding out an important aspect of any global metropolis is education and Houston certainly shines with quality public, private and parochial primary schools, dozens of local community colleges, 4-year colleges and universities, and other specialized training options. Yes, Houston has everything one could want.
Awards and Distinctions
“Best City to Live, Work and Play” by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
“Best City for your Job” by BusinessWeek
“Best City for Recent College Grads” by Forbes
“Lowest Cost of Living Among Major Metro Areas”
by ACCRA Cost of Living Index
“Top Local Government Green Power Purchaser” by the Environmental Protection Agency
“America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S.News & World Report
“Best City to Buy a Home” by Forbes
“Most Accessible City for the Disabled”
by the National Organization on Disability
“Highest Population Growth in the Nation”
by the U.S. Census Bureau
“Top U.S. Manufacturing Cities” by Manufacturer’s News, Inc.
“Best U.S. City to Earn a Living” by Forbes.com
To make it convenient to relocate with The Methodist Hospital System, we have created a partnership with Heritage Texas Properties to assist with moving and corporate housing services.
Arts, Dining and Entertainment
The arts have a home here. Indulge your mind and expand your horizons with award-winning companies in all disciplines, including the renowned Houston Grand Opera, Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet and Alley Theatre. Gain new insights and inspiration from a wide array of museums and fine art collections, then get wild with a trip to the Houston Zoo, one of the country’s best-funded and most vibrant arboretums and wildlife parks. Feed your soul and your appetite with thousands of restaurant choices that mirror our world. From nouvelle cuisine to down-home comfort food, delight all your senses around the clock.
Sports and Recreation
Sports fans certainly have their choice of heroes and arenas with Houston being home to the Astros, Texans, Rockets and Dynamo. Combine that with a golfer’s paradise, deep-sea and freshwater fishing, not to mention the world’s biggest rodeo and livestock show, and Houston comes out a champion with exciting venues, events and adventures all yearlong.
Economy and Industries
Houston is the visionary home of the space industry and the engine driving the energy industry. But we’re also nurturing a vibrant spectrum of businesses including retail, telecommunications, manufacturing, engineering, agribusiness and high technology. Houston is home to 24 Fortune 500 Companies, second only to New York City.
Lifestyle and Diversity
Our diversity extends far beyond our industries. We’re one of the nation’s most inclusive cities. Everywhere around Houston, you’ll find a celebration of our global identity with great schools, convenient resources and communities built around close-knit neighborhoods bringing international perspectives home.
Finding the perfect spot for you and your family is simply a matter of your taste and style. Settings range from pristine pines to sunny beaches, from urban lofts to expansive homes and everything in between.
Sugar Land, located in the southwest sector, is home to Methodist Sugar Land Hospital and ranked the nation’s third-best small city to live in by CNN/Money magazine. Baytown, home to San Jacinto Methodist Hospital, is one of the Gulf Coast’s friendliest towns with the amenities of a sophisticated metropolitan center. Northwest Houston, served by Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, features wonderful parks and golf courses and one of the area’s fastest-growing neighborhoods. And all are just minutes from downtown.
Urban lofts and stylish, turn-of-the-century neighborhoods flavor the downtown and surrounding area which are connected by light rail to the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical center, and home to The Methodist Hospital. Here, as throughout all of Houston, The Methodist Hospital System embraces the vision that started almost a century ago – providing people from all walks of life access to the best health care possible.
Education
In addition to excellent community and private schools, Houston is also home to a vast array of more than 40 higher education seats. A brief list includes:
Rice University
University of Houston
University of St. Thomas
Baylor College of Medicine
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
University of Texas Medical Branch
Texas Southern University
Houston Baptist University