Houston

Environment

Houston is situated in the Texas Coastal Plains region, which rises from sea level to about 305 meters (1,001 feet). Near the Gulf Coast, these lands are marshy; however, as they stretch inland, they become flat, low prairies and at Houston form a fertile crescent that is well suited to farming and grazing for fine-breed cattle.

An inland port city, Houston is linked to the Gulf of Mexico, 82 kilometers (51 miles) southeast, by the Houston Ship Channel and Intracoastal Waterway at Galveston. Access to water transportation, raw materials, and natural gas and oil reserves have made the Coastal Plains the most densely populated part of the state and the center of Texas industry, with Houston as the hub.

Within Houston city limits, the Mayor's Office of Environmental Policy employs the Brownfields Program. This program is designed to facilitate reuse of eligible properties identified as Houston "brownfields," including abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial or commercial properties with environmental contamination. Qualifying sites are chosen based on which will generate the greatest potential employment opportunities and most evident community benefits.