C h a n g e  o f  A d d r e s s USPS Online Address Change     C o u n t y Harris   A r e a   C o d e 281, 713, & 832 G e o g r a p h y Houston is located in southeast Texas, 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The city occupies an area of approximately 566 square miles near the center of the upper Gulf Coast prairie. This region is characterized by generally flat topography and very fertile soil. Houston has an average elevation of 49 feet above sea level; elevation of Harris County ranges from sea level to 310 feet above. The major topographical feature is Lake Houston on the San Jacinto River just a few miles northeast of the city limits. There are also a number of small bayous and creeks in the vicinity. Houston is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by the Houston Ship Channel. Ships from around the world arrive at the Port of Houston through the channel. The Houston metro area covers six counties: Chambers, Fort Bend, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller. This sheet, however, covers only Harris County.   C l i m a t e Gulf winds have a moderating effect on the climate, resulting in mild winters and relatively cool summer nights. Average temperatures range from 29°F to 101°F. The nearness of the Gulf also results in abundant rainfall. Except for rare drought periods, average annual rainfall totals approximately 45 inches.   P o p u l a t i o n City: 1,702,100 County: 2,818,199 Metro: 3,872,400 G o v e r n m e n t City - Mayor/Council County - Board of Commissioners County Seat - Houston Information about city and county government policies and procedures can be obtained from: Houston City Hall - 900 Bagby Street, Houston 77002, (713) 247-1000 - City Switchboard, (713) 247-1888 - Citizens Assistance Office Harris County Courthouse - 1001 Preston, Houston 77002, (713) 755-6405 - County Clerk's Office, (713) 755-5000 - County 24-Hour Information Service T a x e s Property tax rates may fluctuate yearly and vary according to location of residence. For information contact the County Tax Assessor-Collector's Office, phone (713) 224-1919. L i c e n s e s State auto and driver licenses may be obtained from: Auto License - County Tax Assessor-Collector - 1001 Preston Street, Houston 77002, (713) 224-1919 Drivers License Offices - Texas Department of Public Safety - (713) 681-6187 - Information 4411 West Orem Drive 77045, (713) 433-0700 4545 Dacoma Street 77092, (713) 681-1761 3502 Dover Street 77017, (713) 643-7501 10503 Grant Road 77070, (281) 890-5440 8725 Tidwell Road 77028, (713) 633-9872 1601 Townhurst Street 77043, (713) 465-8462 411 West Canino Road 77037, (281) 447-1185 1610 Preston Road, Pasadena 77503, (713) 473-3232 Pets - Houston has pet control and licensing ordinances. All dogs and cats are required to be licensed, and proof of current rabies inoculations is required. For information contact the City Animal Regulation & Care Division (713-238-2170) or the County Animal Control Department (281-999-3191).   E c o n o m y   &   E m p l o y m e n t Houston is one of the top ranking industrial, shipping, wholesale and retail centers in the south-central U.S. Manufacturing, construction, finance, real estate, insurance, agribusiness, mining, printing and publishing, the service industries, educational services, government employment and international commerce are of major importance. The Port of Houston handles cargos from all over the world. For current information about employment opportunities in the area, contact: Texas Workforce Commission Offices (web site address - www.twc.state.tx.us) 1100 Greens Parkway, Suite 500, Houston 77067-4244, (281) 872-7878 14355 Wallisville Road, Houston 77049-4199, (281) 458-1155 2411 Fountain View Drive, #101, Houston 77057-4817, (713) 785-3555 8990 Lakes At 610 Drive, Houston 77054-2525, (713) 661-3220 5900 Memorial, Suite 101, Houston 77007-8008, (713) 861-8771 601 Jefferson Street, Houston 77002-7900, (713) 658-0966 4400 North Freeway, Suite 300, Houston 77022-3606, (713) 692-7755 3500 Little York Road, Suite 1A, Houston 77093-3600, (713) 697-3437 1322 Space Park Drive, #102, Houston 77058-3410, (281) 335-8282 2020 North Loop W, Suite 205, Houston 77018-8101, (713) 688-6890 8799 North Loop E, Suite 350, Houston 77029-1250, (713) 672-0773 10125 Emnora Lane, Houston 77080-5001, (713) 465-1677 2000 Crawford, Suite 1700, Houston 77002-9010, (713) 750-0055 1550 Foxlake Drive, Suite 360, Houston 77084-4739, (281) 579-8071 11210 Steeplecrest Drive, Suite 208, Houston 77065-4940, (281) 807-9462 7135 Office City Drive, Suite 200, Houston 77087-2733, (713) 847-6118   H o u s i n g Because the availability and cost of homes and apartments change constantly, it is advisable to check the classified columns of the local newspaper, particularly the Sunday editions, for current information. Or, contact the following for assistance and/or names of realtors: Houston Association of Realtors - 3693 Southwest Freeway, Houston 77027, (713) 629-1900 Houston Apartment Association - 10815 Fallstone Road, Houston 77099, (281) 933-2224 U t i l i t i e s Water - City Public Works & Engineering Department, Utility Customer Service Branch, 4200 Leeland, Houston 77023, (713) 224-2500 Gas - Entex - (713) 659-1056 Phone - Southwestern Bell - 800-464-7928 Electric - Houston Lighting & Power Company - (713) 207-7777, 800-332-7143 Cable - Time Warner - (713) 462-9000, TCI - South - (713) 645-2311, North - (281) 537-2900 Refuse - - City of Houston - Solid Waste Management - Northeast - (713) 699-7900, Northwest - (713) 956-6589, Southeast - (713) 928-6257, Southwest - (713) 551-7300 - BFI (Browning-Ferris Industries) - (281) 590-6175   E d u c a t i o n Twenty school districts serve Harris County. The Houston School District is the largest with an enrollment of approximately 206,319 students. For information, contact: Houston School District - 3830 Richmond Avenue, Houston 77027, (713) 892-6000 Aldine School District - 14910 Aldine-Westfield Road, Houston 77039, (281) 449-1011 Alief School District - 12302 High Star Drive, Houston 77072, (281) 498-8110 Channelview School District - 1403 Sheldon Road, Channelview 77530, (281) 452-8002 Crosby School District - 706 Runneburg Road, Crosby 77532, (713) 328-9200 Cypress-Fairbanks School District - 10300 Jones Road, Houston 77065, (281) 897-4000 Deer Park School District - 203 Ivy Avenue, Deer Park 77536, (281) 930-4600 Galena Park School District - 1601 11th Street, Galena Park 77547, (713) 672-7491 Goose Creek School District - 1415 Market Street, Baytown 77520, (713) 420-4800 Huffman School District - 24302 F. M. 2100, Huffman 77336, (713) 324-1871 Humble School District - 110 North Bender Avenue, Humble 77338, (713) 540-5005 Katy School District - 6301 South Stadium Lane, Katy 77494, (713) 396-6000 Klein School District - 7200 Spring Cypress Road, Spring 77379, (281) 376-4180 La Porte School District - 724 South Broadway, La Porte 77571, (281) 842-2551 North Forest School District - 10721 Mesa Drive, Houston 77078, (713) 633-1600 Pasadena School District - 1515 Cherrybrook Lane, Pasadena 77502, (713) 920-6800 Sheldon School District - 8540 C.E. King Parkway, Houston 77044, (281) 459-7301 Spring School District - 16717 Ella Boulevard, Houston 77090, (281) 586-1100 Spring Branch School District - 955 Campbell Road, Houston 77024, (713) 464-1511 Tomball School District - 221 West Main Street, Tomball 77375, (713) 357-3100 Colleges/Universities Public - Alvin Community College, Houston Community College System (with five regional colleges and 31 instructional locations), North Harris Montgomery Community College District (with four colleges and The University Center), San Jacinto College District (with a Central, North and South Campus), Texas Southern University, University of Houston, University of Houston-Clear Lake, University of Houston-Downtown and University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center. Private - Art Institute of Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Services, Houston Baptist University, ITT Technical Institute, Rice University, South Texas College of Law and University of St. Thomas. The Houston area also has a number of business, professional, technical and special interest schools.   B a n k s The Houston area has a number of banks, savings banks and savings and loan institutions. In order to transfer credit information ask your present banker for assistance, or contact: CSC Credit Services - 652 North Sam Houston Parkway East, Houston 77060, (281) 878-1900 New checking accounts may take ten working days to open. Grocery stores will not cash out-of-town checks. New residents may need traveler's checks, cash and/or credit cards. P l a c e s   o f   W o r s h i p The Houston area has more than 15 synagogues and more than 1,700 churches of various denominations. Information concerning them may be obtained from: Catholic Diocese of Galveston-Houston - 1700 San Jacinto Street, Houston 77002, (713) 659-5461 Jewish Community Center - 5601 South Braeswood Boulevard, Houston 77096, (713) 729-3200 Lutheran Council Houston Area - 1130 West 34th Street, Houston 77018, (713) 864-6987 United Methodist Center - 5215 Main Street, Houston 77002, (713) 521-9383 Union Baptist Association - 2060 North Loop West, Houston 77018, (713) 957-2000   N e w s p a p e r s The local daily newspaper is the Houston Chronicle (mornings). For home delivery service, contact: Houston Chronicle - 801 Texas Avenue, Houston 77002, (713) 220-7211 L i b r a r y City Library Department - Houston Central Library - 500 McKinney Street, Houston 77002, (713) 236-1313 In addition to the Central Library, the city operates 34 branch libraries. The county also operates 25 branch libraries throughout the area. M e d i c a l   C a r e Harris County has more than 50 general and specialized hospitals. Among them are Texas Medical Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Texas Orthopedic Hospital, Woman's Hospital of Texas, Hermann Hospital, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and Veterans Medical Center. The community has hundreds of private practitioners and specialists in almost all fields of medicine and dentistry. For assistance in selecting a family doctor or dentist, contact the referral services of: Harris County Medical Society - 1515 Hermann Drive, Houston 77004, (713) 942-7050 Houston Dental Society - 1 East Greenway Plaza, Houston 77046, (713) 961-4337 For Medicare information, contact Social Security Administration, phone 800-772-1213. Office locations include: 10810 Eastex Freeway 77093 10120 Northwest Freeway, Ste. 100, 77092 1111 Bell Street 77002 7141 Office City Drive, Ste. 100, 77087 6234 Richmond Avenue, 77057   O r g a n i z a t i o n s A listing of local organizations can usually be obtained from the local chamber of commerce, the phone book, or your present chapter can usually refer you to the local organization in your in your new city. C u l t u r e Among the areas numerous cultural facilities and opportunities are the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, Alley Theatre, Bayou Bend Collection & Gardens, Children's Museum of Houston, Contemporary Arts Museum, Holocaust Museum Houston, Houston Fire Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and Heritage Society Museum. Cultural activities of the local colleges and universities are usually open to the public. R e c r e a t i o n Among Houston's recreational facilities are senior and youth programs, seven golf courses, more than 50 community centers, more than 40 swimming pools, three tennis centers and a number of parks including Hermann Park, covering 440 acres and featuring the Museum of Natural Science, Houston Zoological Gardens, The Japanese Gardens and Miller Outdoor Theater. For information about municipal recreational programs and facilities, contact: City Parks & Recreation Department - 2999 South Wayside Drive, Houston 77023, Main Number - (713) 845-1000, Information Line (Recording of Events) - (713) 845-1111 YMCA of Greater Houston - 1600 Louisiana, Houston 77002, (713) 659-5566 YWCA - 3621 Willia Street, Houston 77007, (713) 868-9922 Spectator sports include baseball (Astros), basketball (Rockets), rodeos, polo, horse racing at Sam Houston Race Park and intercollegiate sporting events. Among other recreational attractions are Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, Space Center Houston, Adventure Bay Water Park and Six Flags Astroworld/Waterworld.   S h o p p i n g Houston has many fine shopping facilities. The main shopping district, in the downtown area of the city, consists of approximately 27 blocks of shops and stores on Main, Fannin and Travis Streets. There are about 200 shopping centers scattered throughout the Houston metropolitan area. Among the largest are Baybrook Mall, The Galleria, Greenspoint Mall, Memorial City Mall, Old Town Spring, Sharpstown Center, Town & Country Center, University Village, West Oaks Mall and Willowbrook Mall. Major Retail Outlets - Dillard's, Family Dollar, Foley's, K-Mart, Lord & Taylor, Macy's, Marshall's, Mervyn's, Neiman-Marcus, Palais Royal, J.C. Penney, Ross, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sam's Club, Sears, Service Merchandise, Stein Mart, Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreen's, Ward's and Weiner's. Major Grocers - Albertson's, Best Food, Brownie's, Budget Food, Cheri's Food Store, Courtesy Marts, Davis Food City, Diamond Shamrock, E-Z, Exxon Shop, Food Mart, Food Spot, Food Town, H-E-B Pantry, Fiesta Mart, Foodarama Market, Gerland's, Handi Plus, Handi Stop, Jack's Grocery, Kroger, Lucky Food, Lucky 7, M&M Food Market, Mike's Pit Stop, Payless Supermarket, Pricebusters, Quik Food, Randall's, Rice Epicurean, Sellers Bros., Stop N Go, Sunny Food, Super K, Timewise Foods and Zipp's.     T r a n s p o r t a t i o n City and suburban transportation is furnished by Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO); phone (713) 635-4000 for routes, fares and schedules. Taxicabs and rental cars are also available. Intercity passenger service is furnished by numerous airlines, Amtrak, and Greyhound and Kerrville Bus Lines. A number of commercial airlines serve Houston Intercontinental Airport, located approximately nine miles north of the city, and William P. Hobby Airport, just south of Houston. Several smaller airports in the Houston area serve private and charter aircraft.   C h a m b e r  o f  C o m m e r c e Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce - 1201 East Nasa Road 1, Houston 77058-3391, (281) 488-7676, web site address - www.clearlakearea.com Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce - 14511 Falling Creek Drive, #205, Houston 77014, (281) 440-4160, web site address - www.hnwcc.com Houston West Chamber of Commerce - 10777 Westheimer Street, Suite 916, Houston 77042, (713) 785-4922, web site address - www.houstonwestchamber.org       A d d i t i o n a l  I n f o r m a t i o n Greater Houston Partnership - 1200 Smith Street, #700, Houston 77002-4309, (713) 844-3600