Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest in the United States. It is huge, both in population and in land area. "Urban sprawl" is a term tailor-made for this city, due to Houston being the largest unzoned city in the country. Houston is a multicultural city home to some of the nation's largest Asian, Arab and Latin American populations. But its culture is not limited to diverse population — it also boasts a world class symphony and theater district that includes a full-time ballet company and opera.

The city is located on the E coast of the state approximately 30 miles inland from the port city of Galveston. It is 350 miles west of New Orleans, Louisiana, and 300 miles NE of the Mexican border. Houston is a large modern metropolitan hub with a sophisticated cosmopolitan environment and all of the amenities that you expect to find in a major city. It is the primary business, technological and commercial centrr of Texas. Despite its size and population, Houston isn't particular popular as a tourist destination and focuses itself more on business than pleasure. That said, the city does have some good attractions with excellent museums, the incredible Astrodome sports pavilion, some wonderful theatres and, thanks to the cosmopolitan mix of its residents, some ethnically diverse cuisine on offer in its many restaurants and neighbourhoods. For tourists, the number one attraction is the famed Space Center, mission control for the US space programme.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport, located twenty miles due north of downtown, is the major airport for Houston with many international and domestic flights daily. It is a thirty to sixty minute drive from downtown depending on traffic. There are vans and shuttles available to many downtown and suburban locations for about $20. The smaller William P. Hobby airport, located seven miles south of downtown, provides many domestic flights throughout the USA. It is just fifteen minutes drive from downtown.

Houston has an excellent network of roads including three beltways circling the city at various distances from the center. Route 10 loops around downtown at a radius of four miles. Route 8 and the Sam Houston Parkway form a double belt at near eight miles, and Route 6 forms an outer belt nearly fifteen miles from the center. Clusters of skyward soaring ramps highlight the major intersections and sometimes confuse out-of-town drivers. Despite the excellence of the road system, road repairs or traffic mishaps sometimes reduce rush-hour traffic to near standstills.