Being the largest city in Texas, Houston has proven to be an important metropolitan area in the southern United States. Houston is also the fourth largest city in America, but here are 7 things you don't know about Houston, Texas.

1. Sam Houston Park, located in Houston, contain restored and reconstructed homes which were initially constructed between the 1820s and early 1900s.

2. The largest urban evacuation in United States history occurred in 2001 when an estimated two and a half million Houston area residents fled the city becaus of the threat of an approaching Hurricane Rita.

3. The city of Houston is the largest city in the United States that does not have zoning regulations.

4. Many people forget that Houston is one of the few cities to be named after a sitting President. At the time of its founding, General Sam Houston was President of the Republic of Texas.

5. Houston is exceeded only by New York City the amount of Fortune 500 companies that are headquartered there.

6. One key development in 1950 that attracted many companies to relocate to Houston was the widespread availability of air conditioning.

7. The Astrodome, former home to the Houston Astros, was the first domed stadium built in the entire world.

With its rich political history combined with its ties to the oil industry, Houston will remain a vital city not only to Texas and the south, but to America as a whole.