Destination Information - Houston, Texas, USA

The largest city in Texas, Houston dominates the "Lone Star State". Founded in the 1830s on Bayou Creek, this was the first capital of the Texan Republic, before it handed over the accolade to Austin.

Like its rival Dallas, black gold catapulted the city into modern times, as the discovery of oil in 1901 brought vast wealth as well as hundreds of entrepreneurial prospectors flooding into the city, and enthusiastically plundering the earth for its wealth. Since then the city has gone on to be famous for something a lot less terrestrial. In 1961 the Johnson NASA Space Center was established here and the city was at the forefront of the space race, as the world's super powers competed to conquer the final frontier.

When the US proved the winner, landing men on the moon in 1969, the city claimed another first as its name was the first word spoken by Man on an extra-terrestrial body, with the report "Houston, this is Tranquillity Base, the eagle has landed."

Today Houston is full of cultural diversity and excitement. Arts, theatre, music, museums, elegant shopping, big name sports, and world class dining all combine to make this a city of international proportions well prepared to welcome everyone and anyone.