Life in the City
Houston, Texas is a city of bayous and bodegas, a city of sirens and skyscrapers, a city of live oaks and living, working artists, readers, and students. With a population just under 2.2 million (in greater Houston the number swells to 5.5 million), Houston offers a host of stimulating contrasts and outrageous juxtapositions that inspire all who live here. We include the following pages and links to help prospective and current students acquaint themselves with our city.
Culture
Houston has a multicultural population with a large and growing international community. The metropolitan area is home to an estimated 1.1 million (21.4 percent) residents who were born outside the United States. Houston is home to the nation’s third largest concentration of consular offices, representing 86 nations.
The city also has an active visual and performing arts scene. The Theater District is located downtown and is home to nine major performing arts organizations and six performance halls. It is the second-largest concentration of theater seats in a downtown area in the United States. Houston is one of only five United States cities with permanent, professional, resident companies in all major performing arts disciplines.
Houston is also home to the Bayou City Art Festival, which is considered to be one of the top five art festivals in the United States.
A number of publications cover arts, music, entertainment and nightlife in Houston. These include: The Houston Chronicle*, The Houston Press and Houstonia Magazine.
*The Houston Chronicle has two online presences. The link above is for Chron.com, which is free and does have some news and culture content, but is also quite ad-heavy. You can find the online version of the original, subscription-based Houston Chronicle here, if you want to take out a subscription. M.D. Anderson Library also has free print copies of the newspaper delivered daily.
Also check out www.visithoustontexas.com
Houston and The Visual Arts
You can spend months wandering Houston’s extraordinary museums and fine art galleries. One organization alone—The Menil Collection—houses the Cy Twombly Gallery, Richmond Hall’s Dan Flavin Installation, and Dominique de Menil’s personal collection of art and antiquities. For those interested in something a little more off the beaten path, Houston features museums dedicated to the decorative arts, printing history, funeral science, railroads, and the “art car.” And that’s for starters…
Houston and The Performing Arts
A world famous opera, a top five ballet company, an extraordinary symphony orchestra, and one of the best regional theatre companies in America, plus a host of superb smaller performance groups and ensembles combine to make Houston the performing arts destination of the South and Southwest.
Nearby Beaches
While not technically a coastal city, Houston is 45 minutes from Galveston Island. Allowing for easy daytrips or weekend excursions, Galveston is easily Houston's backyard.
Great opportunities to fish, tan or simply listen to the waves abound.