Alive with energy and rich in diversity, Houston is a fantastic mix of CULTURE and HISTORY attractions that are second to none. While it is a leader in the international energy industry, Houston is much more than an oil town. The city is home to the Texas Medical Center, astonishing performing and visual arts and, yep, the world's largest rodeo. Dont forget the center for American manned space flight, NASAs Johnson Space Center. Top-ranked sports teams also call Houston home -- the four-time MLB National League Central Division-Champion Astros, the two-time NBA-Champion Rockets, the four-time WNBA-Champion Comets and the American Hockey Leagues Houston Aeros, who won the IHLs 1999 Turner Cup. And in August 2002, the city will welcome the NFL Houston Texans. Yet amid such big city circumstances, Houstons attitude remains casual and friendly. Here you will find information about the Houston area & lifestyle.

Choose from:
About Houston	Area Information & Recreation	City Comparison
Houston Dining	Hotels & Accommodations	Schools
Texas Real Estate Facts

About Houston:

Discover Houston
A wonderful guide to everything Houston, from the Convention & Visitor's Bureau. They also put out the Official Guide to Houston, published quarterly.
Guest Life Houston Relocation Guide
The best relocation guidebook to the Houston area.
City of Houston official site
About.com Downtown Houston
The Houston Chronicle Newspaper

City Comparison:

City Reports™ provided by RPS Relocation and HomeFair gives you a FREE side-by-side comparison of two cities' cost of living, climate, demographics, and other vital information from a database that is kept current with quarterly updates.
Use The Community Calculator, provided by RPS Relocation and HomeFair, to identify neighborhoods in other communities with ZIP codes that have similar demographics to your current neighborhood, or the type of neighborhood that you want to live in.
Check the Crime Indexes for specific areas, including numbers of robberies, rapes, homicides, assaults & motor vehicle thefts. You can also compare cities.
Schools:

Houston Independent School District - The Houston Independent School District is the largest public school system in Texas and the seventh largest in the United States. Our schools are dedicated to giving every student the best possible education through an intensive core curriculum and specialized, challenging instructional and career programs. HISD is working hard to become Houstonians K-12 school system of choice, constantly improving and refining instruction and management to make them as effective, productive, and economical as possible.
Private Schools in Houston - Welcome to the comprehensive online source for parents and individuals that are searching for information about private schools, after school activities, specialist, camps, and child care in the greater Houston, Texas area.

Area Information & Recreation Links:

The following are links to sites we have found that have very useful or entertaining information about the Houston area:
Discover Houston
A wonderful guide to everything Houston, from the Convention & Visitor's Bureau.
They also put out the Official Guide to Houston, published quarterly.
Guest Life Houston Relocation Guide
The best relocation guidebook to the Houston area.
City of Houston official site
About.com Downtown Houston
Houston Chronicle Article: Condos, lofts continue to show their market muscle
Texas Monthly Article: Downtown Houston, a Rebirth

Houston Dining:

Use our Dine Site Guide to find restaurants in the Houston area.
Area Texas Real Estate Facts:

The Texas Real Estate Commission is the licensing agency for all brokers and agents. Law requires Texas Real Estate agents to explain the issues of agency as they apply to buying or selling real property in Texas. You will be presented a TREC approved bulletin or brochure describing the agents role at your first formal meeting with an agent.

• Texas is a community property State
• Texas has no State Income Tax
• For property tax information contact the APPRAISAL DISTRICT OFFICE for the specific appraisal district. Or the Comptroller of Public Accounts
  P. O. Box 13528,
  Austin, Texas 78711-3528
  800-252-9121
• Texas has a Homestead Law that protects rights of property ownership
• Texas Financial Responsibility Law requires proof of insurance in your automobile
  $15,000 Bodily Injury per person
  $30,000 per person per accident
  $15,000 property damage
• To obtain a Texas drivers license you must furnish your valid out-of-state driver's license and take a written test. Licenses are issued for four years. Legal driving age is 18. Parental consent may be obtained for individuals under 18 and students with approved driver education may obtain a license at 16.
• You have 30 days after arrival in Texas to obtain a valid vehicle registration card and license plates. Your vehicle must be inspected by an officer and all fees must be paid in cash at the time.
• To register as a voter in Texas, you must be an American citizen, 18 years of age by election day and have been a resident of the new city, county or state for 30 days.