Houston: Where the Flat Lands Meet the Humid Skies
i just got back from houston and wow, what a place. if you're looking for a city that's as flat as a pancake but with plenty of character, this might be your jam. i just checked and it's 17.93 degrees celsius out there right now, feels like 17.01, hope you like that kind of thing.
so houston's this massive city in southeastern texas, like 50 miles away from the gulf of mexico. it's spread out across like 600-671 square miles of pure flatness. elevations range from 50 feet downtown to a whopping 150 feet max. you read that right - 150 feet is considered "high" elevation here.
the city was founded way back in 1836 by these two allen brothers, named after general sam houston. it's been growing ever since, mostly as an inland port connected to the gulf via the houston ship channel. which is apparently the busiest port in the us. who knew?
the climate here is... interesting. it's humid subtropical, which means hot, humid summers and mild winters. like really humid. someone told me that the summers here can feel like walking through a wet blanket. no wonder they have all those bayous for drainage. which brings me to the flooding issues. wow. the city is so flat, they're constantly dealing with flooding. and subsidence from past groundwater pumping. they've switched to surface water from lakes like lake houston, lake conroe, and lake livingston to help with that.
if you get bored, galveston and texas city are just a short drive away along galveston bay to the southeast. or you could head south to check out nasa johnson space center and clear lake. the woodlands and sugar land are also in the broader metro area, which spans nine counties and covers nearly 10,000 square miles. that's bigger than some countries!
houston's the fourth most populous us city and texas's largest. it's incredibly diverse, with indigenous roots tracing to groups like atakapa, karankawa, and choctaw. the whole metro area covers nearly 10,000 square miles across nine counties and 124 cities. it's massive.
someone told me that houston stands out as the ninth-largest us city by area (665 square miles city proper), home to the nation's busiest port via the houston ship channel, and a global energy hub due to underlying salt domes trapping oil/gas. its extreme flatness aids urban expansion but challenges drainage, with bayous shaping development. recent sports success includes houston astros world series wins in 2017 and 2022.
so that's houston. flat, humid, sprawling, and full of surprises. i'm still trying to figure out how people live here without the mountains, but i guess when you have a city this size, you make it work.
