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The Future of the City

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


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