Houston's HEART is the center for
Health
Education
Art
Recreation
Technology
Health
The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical complex in the world with 7 million patient visits a year – an internationally recognized community of healing, education and groundbreaking research. It is the home of many of the nation's best hospitals, physicians, researchers, educational institutions, health care providers and innovators.
Education
The South Main area provides higher education and specialized learning opportunities to nearly 60,000 and lifelong learning opportunities to all Houstonians. Institutions of higher learning include Rice University, the University of St. Thomas, the Houston Community College System and Texas Medical Center institutions that train 33,000 high school, college and graduate students in health care professions. Cultural institutions including 18 museums, Miller Outdoor Theatre and Hermann Park provide educational opportunities for all ages and interests. And since 1932, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has committed $330 million to educating the youth of Texas.
Art
There is art in abundance in the South Main area – visual and performing arts and exceptional architecture. Museums include the encyclopedic collection of world art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Menil Collection with an internationally recognized collection and campus created through the personal vision of Dominique and John de Menil; the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Lawndale Art Center and the Houston Center for Photography that showcase contemporary art and photography; the Center for Contemporary Craft that nurtures fine work in fabric, metal, wood, ceramics and mixed media. Miller Outdoor Theatre offers 130 performances of dance, theater, and music free in a park setting. Architectural moments of note are buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe, Philip Johnson, Rafael Moneo, Renzo Piano, Robert Venturi as well as the Rothko Chapel and the Astrodome hailed as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”
Recreation
Houstonians and visitors from around the world come to the South Main area for amusement, relaxation and just plain fun. In its 445 acres, Hermann Park has a miniature train, an 18-hole golf course, a beautiful lake with paddleboats, a playground for all, jogging trails, a free outdoor theatre, the Houston Zoo, dinosaurs and other delights at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and many beautiful gardens, pathways and picnic spots. NRG Stadium is home to the NFL Houston Texans, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo together with many spectacular public events.
Technology
Human knowledge and capabilities are advanced daily in medicine, biotechnology, nutrition, public health, agriculture, energy and engineering. The developing Innovation Corridor is anchored by the Rice University’s Ion Center in the repurposed Sears Building, the Texas Medical Center incubator venue TMCx in the repurposed Nabisco building and the major campus dedicated to innovation that is being developed a new campus in the Texas Medical Center.