The Top 10 Cities for African American Professionals series continues with city number two, store Houston, ambulance Texas. We continue to provide information on places to live and/or move to in order to find that perfect career and living environment. The list of cities were put together by looking at numerous lists and city rankings based on the percentage of African Americans, story industries offered, salaries, and crime rate.
This week, we look at Texas’ largest city, Houston.
(Second in Top 10 Cities series)
The list:
- Washington, D.C.
- Houston, Texas
- Atlanta, Ga.
- Dallas, Texas
- Raleigh, N.C.
- New York City, N.Y.
- Charlotte, N.C.
- Indianapolis, Ind.
- Columbus, Ohio
- Jacksonville, Fla.
Info and numbers from cities taken from the United States Census Bureau website (census.gov) and city-data.com.
Photo by Charles http://99cnaclasses.com
Houston, Texas
Gender percentage: Males 50.2 percent; Females 49.8 percent
Median Age: 32.1 years
Percentage of African Americans: 23.7 percent
As Texas’ largest city and the fourth largest city in the United States, Houston offers a wide variety of activities for those of all ages. The city is full of history, and according to its website is home to the Landmark River Oaks Theatre. This historical theatre is open to the public, and serves as a regular movie theater showing independent and foreign movies as well as midnight movies on Friday and Saturday nights. However, its history (built in 1939) makes the experience that much more entertaining. It has two floors of screening rooms, with the main screening room downstairs and two smaller ones on the upper level.
Houston, and the entire state of Texas, is known for being extremely hot, so going underground to an air-conditioned tunnel to escape the heat would be any newcomer or tourist’s dream. The city of Houston features a 7.5 mile tunnel system that connects 95 city blocks. These tunnels are 20 feet below the surface and are, as the Downtown Tunnel System website says, “an interconnected series of restaurants, shops and other businesses.”In essence, the Houston tunnels are an underground mall. It’s open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Percentage of those with Bachelor’s Degree or higher: 28.7 percent
Houston is a city of many universities and colleges. One of the nation’s top schools, Rice University, is in Houston. Rice is ranked at 18 out of the top 100 National Universities list. Located in the Museum District, it has a notable school of Architecture and is home to the Shepherd School of Music, which is known for its symphony orchestra.
Houston is home to many Historically Black Colleges. Two examples are Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University. Prairie View is known for its graduate programs in engineering and business. Both programs are ranked on the top best engineering and business graduate programs. TSU is one of the largest HBCUs in the country and has a well-respected law school, the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. TSU also has a well-known business and public affairs school in the Jesse H. Jones School of Business and the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs.
Average Salary: $44, 648
Top Industries (according to Forbes.com): Energy, Aerospace & Defense, Bio-science
Houston is a very scientific and technology driven city. Forbes.com states that the Texas Medical Center, which is “the world’s largest concentration of health care and research institutions,” is located in Houston. The city is home to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Johnson Space Center. The Mission Control Center is also located there. These institutions, dedicated to science in healthcare and space exploration, provide competitive jobs for those looking to work in the industry. As of 2010, according to the Aerospace Industries Association, the average salary of someone working in the Aerospace and defense industry is $80,175. Jobs within this industry include aerospace engineer, aircraft electrician, and airframe and engine mechanic.
Within the biological sciences industry, this includes jobs dealing with research, microbiology, nano-biology, and genetics. Individuals in these fields typically earn an average salary of $82,697 according to the Biotechnology Industry Organization website. Going to college to major in biology or biomedical engineering can benefit persons interested in jobs in this field. Similar to aerospace and defense, jobs and careers in this field are highly competitive.
The energy industry includes careers dealing with the production and sale of energy, such as fuel extraction and manufacturing. Houston, according to city-data.com, is known for the production and manufacturing of oil and gas. Companies like ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66 and Baker Hughes Inc. are all located in Houston. The average salary of an individual working in this industry, according to Hays Recruiting Experts Salary Guide, is $121,400. That is an average of the entire energy industry, not specific positions within that industry.
Crime Rate (Robberies per 100, 000): 375.7
Houston is not as dangerous as most cities. It is ranked number 91 on the neighborhoodscouts.com’s Top 100 Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S. Local Houston CBS affiliates states that within the city, some of the dangerous neighborhoods include: 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Ward, Sunnyside, Studewood, Acres Home and South Park. City-data states that in 2011, per 100,000 there were: 198 murders, 771 rapes, 8,054 robberies, 11,869 assaults, 27,459 burglaries and 68,596 thefts.
In conclusion …
As America’s fourth largest city, Houston has a lot to offer young African American professionals. Going underground to shop in order to escape the heat in the Houston Tunnels always has the potential to be a great getaway for both shopping and leisure. There also are great educational opportunities in Houston like Rice, Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern University. With competitive programs comes a competitive job market, and Houston is very competitive. Offering jobs for engineers, scientists, and manufacturers, Houston provides not only a great working environment for young African American professionals, but also a very competitive salary. Houston has some crime but isn’t as dangerous as most cities. All in all, Houston is the perfect place for someone looking to work with or in the environment.
