Stay Warm in Houston

Houston will be struck by some extreme cold temperatures going into New Years day. Temperatures expected at 18 degrees with a wind chill of ten degrees. Please be careful and stay safe.

Local Lingerie Store Donates Lingerie for Victims of Hurricane Harvey

During the Harvey crisis, a local lingerie shop named Top Drawer donated free lingerie to Harvey victims. The store donated $200,000 worth of lingerie to 5,000 people. Top Drawer has been in Houston since 1983. Top Drawer’s donation is greatly appreciated by the community. 😉

Houston in 2017

It was quite a year for Houston! From the Super Bowl, to the largest natural disaster in American history, to the World Series!

It was an incredible year for Houston, including many ups and downs. Here are some highlights from over the year of 2017.

First of all, a Houston pension reform bill passed the Texas Legislature. Super Bowl LI was held here in Houston, creating $2.2 Billion in advertising media value, with 340,000 mentions. Including, over 1.7 Million views, of a Houston tour video. It generated 10,000 articles from top news sources, including the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Money and The New York Times. Houston was visited by 130 foreign delegations from 33 countries, including The United Kingdom, Australia, China, Mexico, Belgium, Finland, Iceland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan and Ukraine. Upskill Houston was launched, which was a program to help those with a High School diploma but not a college diploma, find good jobs. $54 Billion was spent on flood mitigation projects.

Finally, and unfortunately, the city of Houston was struck by perhaps the greatest natural disaster in US history when tropical depression Harvey was stuck over Houston for several days, dumping 50 inches of water on the city. The year has been filled with ups and downs but it has been one of the most defining years in the city’s history.

Houston Photo Series #23

Free Parking Downtown for the Holidays!

On December 22^nd, 24^th, 25^th, 31^st & January 1^st parking will be free downtown. The policy helps get Houstonians in the Christmas spirit. The Downtown District is the organization which came up with this policy. The concept is a Christmas gift to Houstonians planning to explore downtown during the holidays. It’s things like this that put Houstonians in the Christmas spirit!

Houston Number One City for New Graduates

Houston has been ranked the number one city in the country for new graduates according to onlinedegrees.com.

Houston is at the top of yet another city ranking. Although Houston is number one, Austin and San Antonio are tied for second place. 59 metropolitan areas with a population of 75,000 or more were studied. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner had this to say about the report. "I am pleased to see that the city of Houston has been recognized as the No. 1 Best Big City For New Graduates," Turner says. "Houston is a place of opportunity for everyone and continues to draw people from all over the world. Houston is also a city of innovation and one that invests in the startup community. I am hopeful that we will continue to meet the needs and interests of our millennials"

One factor that contributed to Houston ranking so well was that Houston is home to 20 Fortune 500 companies. The rankings were determined by looking at the average rent, cost of living, percentage of young people, night life, the job market, and median earnings. Houston is at the top of yet another city ranking, more are surely to follow.

http://www.houstonnewcomerguides.com/news/houston-ranked-no1-city-for-new-graduates

Mistletoe on the go in Houston's Market Square park.

During the Christmas season, there will be a giant mistletoe on display in Market Square Park in Downtown Houston.

The piece of art will help Houston get in the Christmas spirit. Named Mistletoe on the go, this mistletoe is the largest in Texas. Spanning 150 inches. The art display will only be on display in December. The mistletoe hangs from a giant candy cane. Mistletoe on the go is a great art piece for Downtown Houston.

Congratulations, Houston Rockets

Three days ago, I congratulated the Houston Rockets, for winning twelve straight games. Today, I can congratulate the Rockets, for winning fourteen straight games. The Houston Rockets are having an awesome season. The Houston Rockets are well on their way to breaking the record 22 straight wins they held in the 2007-2008 season. It looks like the Houston Rockets have a playoff to look forward to.

Hello Trees at Discovery Green

Discovery Green is home to yet another beautiful art piece with “Hello Trees”. Hello Trees is a cool interactive art exhibit at Discovery Green and is perhaps the best one yet! You may have noticed some lit arches across the Brown Promenade in Discovery Green. Well, this is Hello Trees, Discovery Green's newest interactive art display. When you speak, the sound is recorded through microphones at the bottom of the arch. The sound is then carried through the other arches by light and sound, creating music that flows down the arches and down the promenade. Hello Trees is a great addition to Discovery Green and we are happy to have it.

Plan Downtown

Over the past thirteen years, the Downtown District, has completely changed downtown Houston and over the next nineteen years, they plan to do it again.

The Downtown District’s “Plan Downtown” has been released and it will completely change Downtown Houston. The most significant change, will be done in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and it will completely rejuvenate the Downtown Loop. I-45 and the Pierce Elevated, which currently run across the west and south side of Downtown, will be re-routed to combine with I-10 & I-69 on the North and East sides of Downtown. Also, the East side of the Downtown Loop, which will then be a combination of I-45 & I-69, will be buried underground, with a park above it. In fact, the west & south sides of the downtown loop, will also be replaced with parks, instead of I-45 and the Pierce Elevated. This rerouting of the Downtown Loop will also include flood improvements. Which was added to the plan before Harvey hit Houston.

Since it has been founded, the Downtown District has doubled Downtown’s population from 3,800 to 7,500 and Downtown hotel rooms from 1,200 to 8,300. By 2036, officials plan to increase Downtown’s population to 30,000.

The Downtown district also plans to bring in Public Elementary & High Schools, along with student housing for students of University of Houston, Rice University & Texas Southern University, all of which have access downtown via light rail. Plan Downtown is exciting news from an organization which has been very successful, the Downtown District.

52nd Anniversary of Houston Astrodome's First Concert

Today in 1965, the first concert was held at the Houston Astrodome. The event was a landmark moment for a landmark Houston building. The first concert was performed by Judy Garland and the Supremes. Today, Houston is one of the premier cities to go and see a concert but this concert was a big step in making that happen.

Congratulations to the Houston Rockets!

The Houston Rockets have won their twelfth straight game. HoustonBlog would like to congratulate the team on their wins.

Although this is impressive, it is not the best they have ever done. During the 2007-2008 season, the Houston Rockets won 22 straight games. Here is to the Rockets breaking that record.