Houston Information

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the 4th largest in the United States, with a population of 2,016,582 people in 2005. It is the dominant city of the Gulf Coast region of the United States, which covers parts of five states. The sprawling Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown Metropolitan Area covers 10,062 square miles and is the 7th largest in the country. Despite its already considerable size, Houston continues to rapidly expand in population and size through both annexation and incoming residents. The city's easy access to the Gulf of Mexico through the Houston Ship Channel, a man-made deep-water channel, has allowed the Port of Houston to become the busiest in the country in terms of international commerce, and has helped make Houston a popular destination for business travelers from around the world.

Houston is a major center for the energy industry, and the abundance of oil in the area has been a big part of the city's development since the discovery of oil in 1901. Dependence on the oil industry has helped Houston grow, but its unpredictable nature forced Houston to further diversify its commerce, and now the city is also a leader in both biomedical research and international business. In fact, Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions in the world. In 1961, NASA opened their manned space exploration center in Houston, and the city has since become a leader in aeronautic engineering, as well as the first word spoken on the moon in 1969, and by astronauts since.

Houston is the largest city in the country without zoning laws, causing the city to have additional business districts apart from its downtown. Another odd deviation from most American cities is the fact that Houston is divided into nine different jurisdictions called wards, dating back to its founding. Houston lies relatively flat - its elevation rarely exceeds 100 meters above sea level - and the storms that frequent the area, especially during the hurricane season, often cause widespread flooding.

In 1965, the Astrodome was built to house Houston sporting events. The first fully enclosed football stadium, it became known as the eighth wonder of the world. The sports teams have moved on and better stadiums have been built, but many Houstonians and visitors feel that the eighth wonder of the world is actually the city of Houston itself.

Population of Houston: 2,016,582
Population of Houston / Sugarland / Baytown Metro Area: 5.3 million
Renter-occupied units (2000): 389,225
Population Density: 3,371 per square mile
Population between ages 18-44: 45%
Per Capita Income: $20,101
Median Gross Rent: $575
Population Online: 48.8%
NEI Ranking: 14

About Movefrog

The search for Houston rental properties can be tedious and frustrating if you don't have the right tools at your disposal. Movefrog is here to help you with all the aspects of moving to or within Houston, from the moment the idea to move pops into your head until you are relaxing in your new home.

Movefrog provides you, the renter, with free information to help you decide which area of Houston you would like to live in. You can use Movefrog without cost to analyze the average rental costs for apartments, houses, rooms for rent, condominiums, townhouses, lofts, and any other rental situation you can think of in the Houston area. Livefrog, the Community section of Movefrog, will even let you interact with other prospective renters looking in the same area of Houston and those people who recently rented an apartment or house in that area.

There are a wide range of Houston rentals, and you can search through these absolutely free at Movefrog. Just spend a few seconds to set up a free account and you will be able to peruse our free rental listings whenever you please. We have a very easy-to-navigate website that allows you to specify what type of rental you are looking for, from the price and area all the way down to whether you want a balcony or a patio. All of our free rental listings have maps and descriptions, and most have photos of the apartment for rent or house for rent in question.

Movefrog understands you lead a busy life even without the strain of the moving process, and we have instant notification available through either email or SMS text message which will let you know the moment a rental becomes available that matches what you are looking for. All you have to do on your end is to contact the landlord and check out the rental, but Movefrog's commitment to helping you rent a great place in Houston does not end there.

Renters can use Movefrog to get better deals on some of the renting essentials, such as moving, phone service, and satellite TV, just to name a few. Movefrog is here to make renting an apartment or house in Houston as simple a process as possible.