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Awards & Rankings

As the rest of the country discovers what locals have known all along, Houston is finally enjoying the recognition it deserves. Read on for a few accolades H-Town has earned recently.

Travel

• Houston came in at No. 7 on The New York Times' list of the 46 Places to Go in 2013. 
• Houston is the 6th most visited city for business travel, according to Concur Technologies (2012). 
• Budget Travel named Houston one of its Top 10 Budget Travel Destinations for 2011.
• SmarterTravel.com named Houston No. 2 on its list of Top Bargain Destinations for Summer (2011). 
• According to Priceline.com, guests receive the most free hotel perks at Houston hotels (2011). 
• Travel + Leisure named Houstons George Bush Intercontinental Airport No. 3 on its list of America's Safest Airports (2011). 
• According to the North American Hospitality Review, Houston remained one of the 5 Strongest U.S. Travel Markets in 2011.

Arts & Entertainment

• The Children's Museum of Houston was named the No. 1 children's museum in the country by Parents magazine (2011) and one of the top 12 in the country by Forbes (2012).
• The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is the 8th most visited art museum in the U.S., according to The Art Newspaper (2011).

Dining

• Southern Living named Houston one of the Top 10 Tastiest Towns in the South (2011). 
• LivingSocial named Houston No. 4 on its survey of the Best Dining Cities in the U.S. (2011). 
• Esquire named Houston one of the Top 10 Culinary Destinations in the U.S. (December 2010). 

Quality of Life

• Houston named America's Coolest City by Forbes (2012). 
• The American Planning Association named Buffalo Bayou one of the nation's 10 great public spaces (2012). 
• Lower Westheimer made Forbes' list of the hippest hoods in the U.S. (2012). 
• According to Forbes, paychecks stretch the furthest in Houston (2012). 
• U.S. News and World Report named Houston the 7th best shopping city in the country (2012). 
• Fast Company named Houston its 2011 Fast City of the Year.
• According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Harris County residents have the third highest total personal income in the U.S. (2011).
• Forbes.com named Houston the Fastest Growing Millionaire City in the U.S. (2011).
• The Princeton Review listed Rice University No. 1 in Highest Quality of Life Among Students (2011). 
• Travel + Leisure named Downtown's Discovery Green park one of America's Coolest City Parks (2011).
• Travel + Leisure named Houston's Montrose neighborhood one of America's Most Beautiful Neighborhoods (2011).

Education

• Rice University students are the happiest, according The Princeton Review (2012). 
• The Princeton Review listed the University of Houston No. 1 on its list of Best Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Programs in the U.S. (2011). 
• Kiplinger named Rice University No. 4 on its report of Private Colleges with the Best Value (2011).

Medicine

2012 Hospital Rankings by U.S. News & World Report

• 1 – Cancer
• 5 - Ear, Nose & Throat
• 6 - Gynecology

• 2 - Pediatrics: Neonatology
  
• 3 - Pediatrics: Cardiology & Heart Surgery
• 3 - Pediatrics: Pulmonology
  
• 4 - Pediatrics: Gastroenterology
• 4 - Pediatrics: Cancer
• 5 - Pediatrics: Nephrology
• 5 - Pediatrics: Neurology and Neurosurgery
• 7 - Pediatrics: Urology
  

• 6 - Heart and Heart Surgery

• 3 - Rehabilitation

• 4 - Psychiatry

Business

• The Street named Houston No. 1 out of 10 Cities Poised for Greatness in 2012.
• Forbes ranked Houston No. 1 on its list of best Cities for Manufacturing (2012).
• Houston named the second best big city for jobs by Forbes (2012). 
• According to Fortune magazine, Houston is home to the third-highest number of Fortune 500 headquarters in the U.S.--22 Fortune 500 companies are based in Houston (2012).
• Houston ranked No. 1 on Modis' list of Top Cities for IT Jobs (2011).
• Houston ranked No. 1 Most Affordable City to do Business, according to a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Partnership for New York City (2011).
• Houston ranked No. 1 on FDI Magazine's list of Top 10 Major Cities, FDI Strategy (2011).
• According to PayScale, Inc., in 2011, Houston ranked No. 1 in U.S. wage growth (2011).
• Houston ranked No. 2 on The Huffington Post's list of Top Post-Recession U.S. Cities for Young Adults (2011).
• On Numbers (as reported by The Business Journals) named Houston No. 2 on its list of Best Places for Young Adults to Get Started (June 2011). 
• From April 2010 to April 2011, Houston ranked No. 2 in U.S. job growth, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Business Facilities named Houston No. 3 on its list of U.S. Cities with the Best Cost of Living (2011). 
• Houston ranked No. 3 on FDI Magazine's list of Top 10 Major Cities of the Future (2011).

Sustainability

• Houston is ranked No. 3 in the country for green jobs, according to job aggregator SimplyHired.com (2012). 
• The Environmental Protection Agency recognized Houston as the No. 1 Top Local Government Green Power Purchaser (2011).
• Houston ranked No. 4 on The Daily Beast's list of the most generous U.S. cities (2011).