Houston is a city in southeastern Texas and also the seat of Harris County. Located at the head of the Houston Ship Channel, which links the city to the Gulf of Mexico, Houston is an inland seaport as well as a major financial, distribution, and manufacturing center for the southern United States. It is the largest city in Texas and also the fourth largest in the country, behind New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The terrain is level and drains into a several bayous as well as canals. The city has a humid coastal climate, with hot summers and very mild winter seasons. Houston was named for Sam Houston, a notable military leader and hero of the Texas Revolution (1835-1836).
The Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area includes the counties of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller. In addition to Houston, the area includes Pasadena, Texas City, Galveston, Brazoria, and several other cities and communities.
Houston has sprawled into nearby counties, expanding mainly to the north and west. The city is the largest in the country without zoning laws; therefore businesses are permitted to operate throughout residential neighborhoods. Regardless of the lack of zoning laws, the industrial and residential regions are generally separated from one another because the primary industrial section developed and remains over the ship canal, while residential neighborhoods developed primarily outside this area. However, some overlap does occur.
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