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In the period between 2000 — when the Astros moved from Southwest Houston's AstroDome to a new downtown ballpark — and 2004, when H-Town's first Super Bowl hosting gig approached and the city finally got a light rail system, Houston's downtown went through quite an overhaul.
Still the center of most city businesses and government offices, downtown Houston is now a thriving social and cultural hub for all ages. Houston has a renowned arts program, the crown jewel of which is the Houston Grand Opera, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in April 2005. The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts is home to excellent acoustic concerts and Broadway shows traveling in the Southwest. Bars and restaurants line the sides of most main streets, which are now accessible via subway. This eases the parking crunch, especially on weekends.
The downtown area features Minute Maid Park — born Enron Field before the infamous fallout from financial scandal forced a name change — and the Toyota Center, the homes of the Astros and Rockets, respectively. George R. Brown Convention Center sits adjacent to Minute Maid Park, and hosts large-scale gatherings frequently, including the ‘NFL Experience' exhibit last January for Super Bowl 38, which attracted thousands of sports fans.
Downtown living — almost all apartments, many of them lofts — tends to be the most expensive in the Houston area. The amount of opportunities therein is staggering, however, which can make the price seem worthwhile.
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—Downtown writeup by Joy Howard
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