Skip Navigation
New from The Atlantic: TheAtlanticCities.com. Because place matters.

The Future of the City

Email Email Print Print

Houston by the Numbers

May 17 2010, 11:20 AM ET Conor Friedersdorf

Population: 2,242,193

Murders: 294

Founded: August 30, 1886

Year oil discovered: 1901

Seasons Nolan Ryan played with the Astros: 8

Land area: 601.7 square miles

Coldest temperature ever recorded: 5 degrees on January 23, 1940

Peak population: 2008, 2009, or 2010

Height of tallest building: 75 floors

Increase in murder rate in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: 70 percent

Housing costs: 26 percent below the national average

Going rate for driving escorts to their gigs: $370 per day

Age when you're too old to be sworn into the Houston Police Department: 45

Base Salary of a Probationary Police Officer: $ 29,164

Additional yearly pay for those who hold a doctorate: $8,840

Average overtime per year: $9,315 - $12,936

Net worth of richest man in Houston: $7.8 billion at last report


Presented by

Join the Discussion

After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register.
blog comments powered by Disqus

Just In

The Florida Report - An 8-part video series with Richard Florida The Burden of Home Ownership

The Burden of Home Ownership

Part 8: Richard Florida argues that Americans need to get over their obsession with real estate More in the series »

The Path to Recovery

The Path to Recovery

The rise of megaregions, the decline of home ownership, the shift away from a car culture - these are among the nation's responses to today's economic turmoil. Adapted from Richard Florida's new book, The Great Reset. More »

High Speed Rail All Aboard!

The future of train travel, with The Atlantic's Derek Thompson