How Big is Houston? Bigger Than Your Ex's Ego, That's For Sure
You might think you've got a handle on city sizes. New York? Big Apple, no surprise there. LA? Sprawl central, everyone knows that. But Houston? Buckle up, because the H-Town throws out the rulebook when it comes to city limits.
The City Limits? We Don't Need No Stinking City Limits!
Houston, the city itself, clocks in at a respectable 640 square miles. That's enough space to fit all of New York City, Washington D.C., Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Miami inside its borders, with room left over for a rodeo (because Texas).
But that's just the appetizer. We haven't even gotten to the Houston Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) yet. This bad boy stretches across 10 counties and boasts a landmass bigger than Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Rhode Island combined. Yeah, you read that right. We're talking sprawl so epic, it puts Los Angeles to shame (sorry, LA, we still love your Hollywood sign).
Fun Fact: If the Houston MSA were its own state, population-wise it would crack the top 15 in the US, wedged comfortably between Louisiana and Ohio.
So, How Big Are We Talking Here?
Imagine this: you're planning a road trip across Houston. You think, "Hey, a quick jaunt across town, no biggie." Wrong. In Houston, a "quick trip" can turn into a multi-hour odyssey. This city is like a never-ending buffet of suburbs, bayous, and booming energy (quite literally, if you hit a gas line).
The upside? There's always something new to discover. From the bustling downtown scene to the quirky charm of its historic neighborhoods, Houston offers a unique flavor in every corner (or should we say, sprawl-corner?).
But Wait, There's More! (Because Houston Likes to Keep Things Interesting)
If you thought the MSA was impressive, hold onto your hats. There's a term floating around called the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area, or the Greater Houston. This behemoth covers a whopping 12,476 square miles. That's bigger than the entire state of Maryland. Mic drop.
So, the next time someone asks you about Houston, you can hit them with a little geography knowledge and a healthy dose of Texan pride. Houston isn't just big, it's audaciously, unapologetically big. And that's just the way we like it.