Houston as a Center for Living
Houston thrives on its highly diverse population. Its blend of many cultures has produced one of the most enjoyable, livable and undiscovered cities in the United States.

Houston is the fourth largest city in the country and is the least expensive major city in which to purchase a home and enjoy a quality of life that would be out of reach in many other metropolitan areas.

The city offers many cultural, educational, civic, social and sporting activities that appeal to, and are the product of, its diverse and cosmopolitan community. It also enjoys one of the highest “return” rates among its children who leave for higher education. People like living in Houston!

Houston blends the hospitality of southern graciousness with the best of Texas’ individualism and the American entrepreneurial spirit. Its weather is conducive to year-round sports activities, it has superb airport facilities, and it is centrally located — convenient for travel to either coast — and is an air gateway to and from Latin America.

About Houston

The greater Houston metropolitan area is a prime location for a diversity of business, with a significant base of space science, chemical and manufacturing companies as well as medical research and education. The city is emerging as a center for microelectronics with major new semiconductor fabrication plants. Served by an excellent transportation network, the area is conveniently located for efficient access to the marketplaces in both North and South America.

Houston was recently recognized as one of the top 10 metro areas for new and expanded business facilities, one of the top 10 cities for entrepreneurs and one of the 10 best places to live in the U.S. It is headquarters for 22 companies on the Fortune 500 list, ranking fourth behind the New York, Chicago and San Francisco metro areas. More than half of the world’s 100 largest non-U.S. based corporations have operations in Houston. Dun & Bradstreet reports more than 27,000 Houston-area business firms with annual sales of $1 million or more.

City Incentives

The City of Houston is participating in the construction of the research park’s roads and sewer infrastructure, as well as the new parking facilities. Metro Rail will enhance transportation between the research park and the Texas Medical Center, and the city plans to expand streets linking the medical center, the Research Park and major highways via the I-610 Loop.

Houston offers a wide range of incentive programs and attractions to encourage business and industry to expand or relocate:

• Four Tax Abatement Programs
• Enterprise Zones
• Enhanced Enterprise Communities
• Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones
• Home of Nobel Laureates and US Presidents
• Professional Sports – Astros, Texans, Rockets, Davis Cup Tennis and Super Bowl 2004
• Arts – World Class Symphony, Opera, Theater and Ballet

Educational Opportunities

The UT Health Science Center at Houston plans to expand upon existing biomedical sciences and informatics programs to establish master’s and doctoral degree programs in biotechnology. These programs will help to train tomorrow’s leaders in biotechnology and will be attractive to trained scientists, physicians and other professionals who would like to use their skills and knowledge in life science biotechnology ventures.

In addition, local Community Colleges are developing technical training programs for biotechnology laboratory technicians, and the college’s nearby Health Science campus will work with companies to develop customized training programs for their personnel.