Houston, TX

Houston is the place to be if you plan to expand into the worldwide oil and energy market. The city is home to 3,600 energy-related establishments, including 600 exploration and production firms and more than 170 pipeline operators. Doing business in Houston is however difficult due to a number of local factors in this highly competitive environment. Finding the key people and building a personal relationship can be as important as the technology itself. Special emphasis should therefore be placed on strategy and business planning to ensure successful market entry. 

The 4th Largest City in the US
Population of more than 2.2 Million within the 1500 km² region comprising the City of Houston
Population of 5.3 Million within the 26,000 km² Greater Houston metropolitan region, making it the 6th largest in the US & larger than the state of New Jersey

Houston Fun facts

• Kiplinger's Personal Finance named Houston the No. 1 city in the country to live and work, based on its strong economy, abundant jobs, reasonable living costs and fun things to do. (2008)
• In 2000 the US Census determined that Houston has no racial or ethnic majority
• Houston ranked as the No. 3 city for Fortune 500 headquarters in Fortune magazine (2008)
• Forbes.com ranked Houston as the No. 7 city in the country for jobs. Houston ranked third in income growth and fourth in job growth. (2008)
• Texas Medical Center (TMC) with 46 member institutions is the largest medical
  complex in the world.
• The Galleria, one of Houston's most popular shopping and tourist destinations, features more than 375 fine stores and restaurants, a full-size ice rink, two high-rise hotels, two office towers and a variety of other amenities. 
• ForbesTraveler.com named Houston one of the best restaurant cities in America (2007).
• Houston is a coastal city with some of the country's most diverse saltwater fishing opportunities available in the nearby waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Houston is also surrounded by 1.5 million acres of lakes and 80,000 miles of rivers and streams.

Rice University
Named the most productive research university in Texas by Academic Analytics (2007).
The Princeton Review, Newsweek College Guide, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Worth magazine, Financial Times, U.S. News and World Report and the Almanac of Architecture and Design all rank Rice as a top institution in the country. 
Rice was included on a recent list in Newsweek magazine of the "new" Ivy League schools.
The Rice Alliance supports entrepreneurs and early-stage technology ventures in Houston and Texas through education, collaboration, and research.