Give or take a few miles, Houston, Texas straddles the midpoint between New York and L.A. But unlike its coastal counterparts with their long and layered history, Houston evolved with relative lightning speed. In a little over 150 years it went from an alligator inhabited swamp to what it is today -- the fourth largest city in the U.S. -- a thriving, cosmopolitan, international metropolis, big and eclectic, energetic and optimistic.

Houston's story is nothing, if not about vision. It began with the vision of a couple of New York land speculators. The Allen brothers came here in the 1830s when the area was a labyrinth of bayous teeming with alligators, snakes and mosquitoes. Call it vision, call it foresight or call it just plain chutzpah, but Augustus C. and John K. advertised in East Coast newspapers about a city with fresh sea breezes and plenty of clean water. The ads were embellished by drawings of houses that looked as if they had been imported from France. As land-hungry people arrived, tents and saloons gave way to cabins and more saloons and the city flourished, sprawling out in all directions. Growth had begun and hasn't stopped yet. Today the city is two-thirds the size of Rhode Island.

Houston's early economic engines of rice and cotton were overshadowed by oil when Spindletop salt dome blew a gusher in 1901 and Houston became the center of our nation's oil industry. Boom town.

A decade later, they dredged the muck and flotsam out of Buffalo Bayou and dug a ship channel that ran the 50 miles to the Gulf. Today the Houston Ship Channel accommodates the world's biggest ships and the Port of Houston ranks second in the country, eighth in the world.

If oil and petrochemicals brought the world to Houston, the Space Age put Houston on the map. The Bayou City became Space City. There's not a Houstonian around who won't point out that the first word spoken from the moon by Neil Armstrong was "Houston" . . .followed by. . . "Tranquility Base here; the Eagle has landed."

Houston's story is about vision. The Allen brothers came here in the 1830s when the area was a labyrinth of bayous teeming with alligators, snakes and mosquitoes, and envisioned a city. Today, a little over 150 years later, it is a thriving, cosmopolitan, international metropolis.

Aersospace was only one NASA spinoff industry. The other was biomedicine, boosted by the groundbreaking medical technology and research in the Texas Medical Center, which continue to make history.

Houston invites a creative definition as a "city" because it is so many different neighborhoods and cultures rolled into one. Ninety languages in addition to English can be heard around town. With 3.8 million people living here from all over the world, the city gracefully blends diverse traditions into daily life.

A modern city, Houston is also a study in opposites. It's interlaced by freeways and meandering bayous alike. Development sprawls unhindered by zoning, but neighborhoods and overall friendliness temper the big city identity. Skyscrapers loom, but look out from one and you'll see large areas of green parks and a canopy of trees stretching in all directions. Ancient live oaks and magnolias, lean pines and even palm trees lend their shade to the city. The warm climate engenders lush landscaping and outdoor activity most of the year.

Houston is one of the few U.S. cities with resident companies in all four performing arts. It is home to a world-class symphony, an innovative ballet, an opera company and a professional theater. Its Theater District is second only to Broadway in number of seats. Its Museum District has over half a dozen first-rate art, history and science museums and numerous special interest museums exploring such things as printing history, cowboys, maritime interests and even funerals.

Not without a sense of humor, the rich cultural life of Houston also embraces counter-cultural expressions and folk art such as the Art Car Parade, the Hair Ball, the Beer Can House and the Orange Show.

Shopping here is seemingly limitless given the sheer range of retail: high-end, one-of-a-kind boutiques, charming centers in the older parts of the city, or the extensive shopping malls. Entertainment venues also run the gamut from intimate nightclubs to dance halls to mega-concert centers.

And then there's the food. Some say Houstonians eat out more than people in other American cities. With more than 11,000 restaurants to choose from, offering anything from barbecue to haute cuisine in culinary choices from more that 35 countries, it's not hard to see why. The city's appetite for food clearly rivals its appetite for life.

This appetite for life is evident everywhere. Houston is a young and energetic town, friendly and visionary. It is a town that has come a long way in a short time. The Allen brothers would be proud.

Welcome to Houston!