1. The 2017 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s attendance set a record at 2,611,176. The Bar-b-que contest alone drew 226,369.
2. More than 40 million passengers pass through Houston’s George Bush International Airport’s gates annually making it the 28th busiest airport in the world. United Airlines alone has more than 800 daily departures.
3. Buffalo Bayou, the slow moving principal river of Houston, stretches 53 miles and the has several large tributaries including White Oak Bayou, Greens Bayou and Brays Bayou.
4. The Addicks and Barker Resevoirs, designed for flood control, offer a combined 26,000 acres of open land for water runoff and storage.
5. Houston is the nations third most humid city, only New Orleans (first) and Jacksonville (second) rank higher.
6. The most expensive home currently listed for sale in Houston is on Longfellow Lane in the Rice/Museum district. The house sits on almost two acres, has more than 12,000 square feet of living space and is listed for sale at $16,500,000
7. The tallest building in Houston is the 75 floor JP Morgan Chase Tower which stands 1,002 feet tall. It is also the tallest building in Texas.
8. The highest temperature ever recorded in Houston was 109 degrees. The record high was recorded at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on September 4th, 2000 and again on August 27, 2011.
9. Houston’s average annual rainfall is just over 49 inches. As a comparison, Seattle receives just over 37 inches. Mobile, Alabama is America’s rainiest metropolitan city with 67 inches of average annual rainfall.
10. Houston is 43 feet above sea level. As a comparison, Round Top, which is about 75 miles from Houston, is 440 feet above sea level. An interesting side fact is the 2010 census states that Round Top only has 90 residents. Round Top is also the smallest incorporated town in Texas.
11. Houston has more than 11,000 restaurants.
12. The Texas Medical Center has 4.8 million patient visits each year.
13. The largest concert in Houston was held April 5, 1986 when an estimated 1 to 1.5 million people attended Rendez-Vous Houston a performance from Jean Michel Jarre to commemorate Houston’s 150th birthday and NASA’s 25th birthday.
14. Houston’s Museum District has an eye popping 19 museums that welcome over 8 million visitors a year.
15. The first Houston Marathon was run on December 30, 1972 and had just over 100 runners. The 2014 marathon had nearly 13,000 runners. The Houston Marathon can also be used as a time qualifier for the Boston Marathon.
16. The George R Brown Convention center opened on September 26, 1987 with 1.15 million square feet. The American Society of Travel Agents was the first convention. The center’s expansion was completed in 2003 and now encompasses 1.8 million square feet.
17. Houston is the most diverse metropolitan city in America and we speak over 90 different languages.
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