City North America
Houston
Houston is a very big city in Texas, in the United States. NASA's Mission Control is here. People there talk to astronauts in space.
Houston is the biggest city in Texas. It began in 1836 beside a river called Buffalo Bayou, and a ship channel dug through the bayou later made it a big port. NASA's Johnson Space Center, home of Mission Control, was founded here in 1961. The Census Bureau estimated 2,397,315 people in the city in July 2025.
Houston, founded on Buffalo Bayou in 1836 and chosen as the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas, grew with its ship channel (opened 1914) and oil, and since 1961 has been home to NASA's center for human spaceflight. The Census Bureau's estimate for 1 July 2025 is 2,397,315, the largest of any city in Texas.
Photo: David Daniel Turner, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Houston
Houston is a very big city in the state of Texas. Lots and lots of people live there.
A river called Buffalo Bayou runs through the city.
Houston is a city in the state of Texas, in the south of the United States. The Census Bureau estimated that 2,397,315 people lived there on 1 July 2025, more than in any other city in Texas.
The city grew up beside a river called Buffalo Bayou. It was named after Sam Houston.
The Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimates give Houston 2,397,315 people on 1 July 2025, up from an estimates base of 2,299,649 in April 2020; San Antonio (1,548,422) and Dallas (1,329,491) come next in Texas.
The Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas records that the Allen brothers named their town after Sam Houston and that its growth came from transport systems, nearby natural resources and an entrepreneurial spirit.
- Country and state
- United States; Texas
- People in the city (estimate, 1 July 2025)
- 2,397,315
- People in the city (estimates base, 1 April 2020)
- 2,299,649
- Named after
- Sam Houston
Mission Control
NASA has a big space center in Houston. Astronauts train there.
In Mission Control, people watch over the space station day and night and talk to the astronauts.
NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston was founded on 1 November 1961. Today more than 12,000 people work there. It is home to America's astronauts and to Mission Control.
Flight controllers in Mission Control work around the clock, every day of the year, keeping watch over the International Space Station and the people living on it. One of them, called the capcom, is the person who talks to the astronauts.
NASA describes the Johnson Space Center, founded on 1 November 1961 and staffed by more than 12,000 people, as home to America's astronaut corps, the Mission Control Center and its human spaceflight programs, including Orion. The Handbook of Texas notes that NASA built the center in 1961.
The Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, the hub of human spaceflight, is staffed 24/7 by flight controllers who monitor the International Space Station and its crew. The flight director oversees all of them, and the capsule communicator, or capcom, is the person who talks with the astronauts.
- NASA's Johnson Space Center
- founded 1 November 1961
- People who work there
- more than 12,000
- Mission Control
- staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
From a log cabin to a big city
Long ago, Houston had just one log cabin and twelve people!
Then more and more people came, and it grew into a huge city.
Houston began on 30 August 1836, when two brothers, Augustus and John Allen, advertised a new 'Town of Houston' on Buffalo Bayou. On 1 January 1837 it had just twelve people and one log cabin, but four months later 1,500 people and 100 houses.
It was chosen as the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas. In 1914 a ship channel opened, dug through the bayou to the bay, so big ships could reach the city. In the 20th century, oil found at the Spindletop oilfield changed Houston's economy.
The Handbook of Texas dates the city's beginning to 30 August 1836, when Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen advertised the 'Town of Houston' in the Telegraph and Texas Register, claiming that ships could sail up Buffalo Bayou to its door. The first steamship, the Laura, found the bayou choked with branches in January 1837; the town then had twelve residents and one log cabin, and four months later 1,500 people and 100 houses. The Allens persuaded the Texas Congress to make it the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas.
The Houston Ship Channel, through Galveston Bay and Buffalo Bayou, opened in 1914 and has since been widened and deepened; oil found at the Spindletop oilfield changed Houston's economy in the 20th century.
- Town of Houston advertised
- 30 August 1836
- 1 January 1837
- twelve residents and one log cabin
- Houston Ship Channel opened
- 1914
Ships, bayous and light rail
Houston has trains called light rail that run along the streets.
On the bayou, people can paddle canoes and kayaks.
Houston's light rail, called METRORail, opened its first line, the Red Line, on 1 January 2004. Two more lines, the Green and Purple Lines, opened on 23 May 2015.
Ships still use the Houston Ship Channel to reach the city from the bay. Closer to downtown, people can walk, cycle, or rent kayaks and canoes to paddle along Buffalo Bayou.
UrbanRail lists METRORail's Red Line (12 km and 16 stops when it opened on 1 January 2004, extended north by 8.5 km and 8 stations on 21 December 2013) and the Green and Purple Lines (13.4 km, 13 stops, opened 23 May 2015).
The Handbook of Texas notes that the ship channel, opened in 1914, has been widened and deepened since. Bicycles, kayaks and canoes can be rented in Buffalo Bayou Park from Buffalo Bayou Partnership's partner vendors.
- METRORail Red Line
- opened 1 January 2004
- Green and Purple Lines
- opened 23 May 2015 (13.4 km, 13 stops)
- Boats on the bayou
- kayaks and canoes can be rented in Buffalo Bayou Park
Hot, humid summers and mild winters
Summer days in Houston are very hot. Winters are mild.
Lots of rain falls, especially in June and October.
Houston has very hot summers and mild winters. The World Meteorological Organization's averages for 1981 to 2010 give August days of about 35 °C and nights of about 24 °C. In January, days average about 17 °C and nights about 6 °C.
A year brings about 1,264 millimeters of rain. June and October are the wettest months.
WMO averages for 1981–2010 give highs and lows of 34.7 °C and 23.8 °C in August, the hottest month by day, and 17.2 °C and 6.2 °C in January; July has the warmest nights (23.9 °C). Average lows stay above freezing in every month.
The monthly averages add up to about 1,264 mm a year. June (150.6 mm) and October (144.8 mm) are the wettest months and February (81.3 mm) the driest.
- January, average daily high and low (WMO, 1981–2010)
- 17.2 °C and 6.2 °C
- August, average daily high and low (WMO, 1981–2010)
- 34.7 °C and 23.8 °C
- Rain in a year (sum of the monthly averages)
- about 1,264 mm
A park and a hidden cistern
A big park runs along the bayou next to downtown. It has trails and a place for nature play.
In the park is a huge old water tank. It is full of columns, and people can visit it.
Buffalo Bayou Park covers 160 acres, about 65 hectares, just west of downtown Houston. It has gardens, trails for walking and cycling, a nature play area and places to picnic.
In the park is the Cistern, an underground reservoir built in 1926 to store the city's drinking water. After a leak, it was closed in 2007. It was restored and opened to visitors in May 2016. Inside, 221 slender concrete columns, each 25 feet (about 7.6 meters) tall, fill the space.
Buffalo Bayou Partnership describes Buffalo Bayou Park as a 160-acre green space just west of downtown, with gardens, native landscaping, hike and bike trails and a nature play area.
Its Cistern, a 1926 drinking-water reservoir, was decommissioned in 2007 after an irreparable leak, rediscovered in 2010 and opened to the public in May 2016. It covers 87,500 square feet (about 8,100 m²), has 221 slender concrete columns 25 feet tall, and held 15 million gallons (about 57 million liters) of water when full.
- Buffalo Bayou Park
- 160 acres (about 65 hectares), just west of downtown
- The Cistern
- a drinking-water reservoir built in 1926, open to visitors since May 2016
- Columns in the Cistern
- 221, each 25 feet (about 7.6 m) tall
Houston on the map
Find the United States on the globe. Texas is a big state in the south.
Houston is in the southeast of Texas, not far from the sea.
Houston is in southeastern Texas, in the south of the United States. Its ship channel links the city with Galveston Bay along Buffalo Bayou.
Measured from City Hall downtown, Allen's Landing, where the city began, is about 1 kilometer to the east-northeast, Buffalo Bayou Park about 1.5 kilometers to the west, and NASA's Johnson Space Center about 35 kilometers to the southeast.
Houston lies at about 29.8° N and 95.3° W in southeastern Texas; the ship channel runs from the city through Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay.
Measured from City Hall, Allen's Landing is about 1.2 km east-northeast, Buffalo Bayou Park about 1.4 km west, a point on the Houston Ship Channel about 36 km east and the Johnson Space Center about 35 km southeast.
- Latitude
- about 29.8° north
- Longitude
- about 95.3° west
- Johnson Space Center
- about 35 km southeast of City Hall
Amazing facts
-
When Houston began, it had only twelve people and one log cabin!
On 1 January 1837 Houston had twelve residents and one log cabin. Just four months later it had 1,500 people and 100 houses.
The Handbook of Texas records twelve residents and one log cabin on 1 January 1837, and 1,500 people and 100 houses four months later.
-
An old underground water tank in Houston is as big as one and a half football fields.
Houston's Cistern, built in 1926 to store drinking water, covers 87,500 square feet, about the size of one and a half football fields, Buffalo Bayou Partnership says.
The Cistern held 15 million gallons (about 57 million liters) when full; 221 slender concrete columns, 25 feet (about 7.6 m) tall, span the space.
-
In Mission Control, one special person talks to the astronauts.
In Mission Control, the person who talks to the astronauts is called the capcom, short for capsule communicator.
NASA explains that the flight director oversees all flight controllers in Mission Control, while the capcom, formally the capsule communicator, talks with the astronauts aboard their spacecraft.
-
The first steamboat to reach Houston found the bayou full of branches.
When the small steamship Laura first reached Houston in January 1837, it found Buffalo Bayou choked with branches and the town almost invisible.
The Allens advertised that ships from New York and New Orleans could sail up Buffalo Bayou to the town's door; the Handbook of Texas notes they 'exaggerated a bit', as the Laura found in January 1837.
Words to know
- bayou
- a slow-moving river or stream in low, flat land
- ship channel
- a deep waterway dug so that large ships can reach a port
- Mission Control
- the room where people guide and watch over spaceflights
- astronaut
- a person trained to travel in space
- cistern
- a large tank or chamber for storing water
- light rail
- electric trains, lighter than main-line trains, that often run along city streets
Discovery challenge
-
Which state is Houston in?
Houston is the biggest city in which state?
Houston was chosen as the temporary capital of which republic, and is now the largest city of the state of the same name?
- California
- Texas
- Florida
Show the answer
Texas
Texas!
Texas.
Texas: the Republic of Texas, then the state.
-
Who do people in Houston's Mission Control talk to?
Whom does the capcom in Mission Control talk to?
The capsule communicator in the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center talks with whom?
- Sailors on ships
- Astronauts in space
- Pilots of airplanes
Show the answer
Astronauts in space
Astronauts in space!
The astronauts, for example on the International Space Station.
The astronauts aboard their spacecraft.
-
What is the river that runs through Houston called?
Houston began beside which river?
Up which waterway did the Allens claim ships could sail to the town's door?
- Buffalo Bayou
- The Mississippi
- The Hudson
Show the answer
Buffalo Bayou
Buffalo Bayou!
Buffalo Bayou.
Buffalo Bayou, later part of the ship channel.
-
How many people lived in Houston at the very start of 1837?
On 1 January 1837, how many residents did Houston have?
The Handbook of Texas gives how many residents, with one log cabin, on 1 January 1837?
- Twelve
- Twelve hundred
- Twelve thousand
Show the answer
Twelve
Just twelve!
Twelve, with one log cabin.
Twelve; four months later, 1,500.
-
What was the Cistern in Buffalo Bayou Park built to hold?
What did the Cistern, built in 1926, store for the city?
Before it was decommissioned in 2007, what did the 221-column Cistern hold up to 15 million gallons of?
- Oil
- Drinking water
- Grain
Show the answer
Drinking water
Water for people to drink!
Drinking water.
Drinking water for the city.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Houston in southeastern Texas, connected to Galveston Bay by its ship channel.
- Explain how a dug channel can turn an inland town into a port.
- Describe what Mission Control does during human spaceflight.
- Read monthly temperature and rainfall averages to describe a hot, wet climate.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Houston grew from twelve people to millions. What do you think made so many people move there?
- Mission Control watches the space station day and night. What jobs might people do there?
- An old water tank became a place to visit. What old building near you could get a new use?
Try at home or in class
- Channel model: in a tray of sand, dig a shallow stream, then deepen part of it and float a 'ship' up the deep channel.
- Capcom game: one person gives step-by-step instructions to build a block tower that the other person cannot see.
- Columns test: hold up a sheet of cardboard with paper-tube columns and see how few you need before it sags.
Key vocabulary: bayou, ship channel, Mission Control, astronaut, cistern, light rail
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- City and Town Population Totals: Texas, Vintage 2025 (sub-est2025_48.csv) , U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program
- SUB-EST2025 file layout: subcounty resident population estimates, April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 , U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
- Houston, TX , Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas
- Johnson Space Center , NASA
- Mission Control Center , NASA
- Houston Light Rail (METRORail) , UrbanRail.Net (Robert Schwandl)
- Buffalo Bayou Park , Buffalo Bayou Partnership
- The Cistern , Buffalo Bayou Partnership
- File:Downtown Houston, TX Skyline - 2018.jpg (16 September 2018) , Wikimedia Commons
- Houston, Texas: climatological information , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.