In the competitive battle to become the destination for Amazon’s second headquarters, Houston fell just short of its goal. 

However, it wasn’t for lack of trying. Even though Houston didn’t succeed in its Amazon bid, its attempts to lure the internet titan was part of an overall effort to become more tech savvy and innovative. Houston has long been associated with the oil industry, but it’s taken several steps toward becoming a more welcome destination for the tech sector. The city now touts its research credentials and its new Innovation Corridor as reasons for entrepreneurs and tech companies to consider moving into the area. In fact, it was recently ranked one of the country’s most entrepeneurial cities.

Here are some reasons why:

Tier One Universities

Rice University

The Carnegie Foundation, an education policy and research center with a history dating back more than a century, recognizes universities with high research activity as Tier One universities. Tier One universities are noted for their academic excellence and their world-class research. This designation indicates that a university has achieved a prestigious position in the area of academic scholarship and scientific research. In fact, there are only eight Carnegie recognized Tier One universities in the state of Texas, and Houston is home to two of them.

Rice University has long been known as one of the nation’s most prestigious schools and was recognized as number 14 in U.S. News’ rankings of the nation’s best schools. Rice University is regularly ranked among the top 20 universities in the country and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a university whose low cost of attendance typically pays off with high income careers after college. Located in the University Place neighborhood of Houston, the area attracts the educated and entrepreneurial from throughout Houston.

Houston is also home to the University of Houston. In contrast to Rice, the University of Houston is a public university that has only held the title of Tier One since 2011. This was the culmination of years of work to improve the school’s performance and research base. Today, it is one of only 115 universities among the country’s 4700 that met the requirements of Tier One. Alongside Rice, it contributes to the increasingly expanding research and technology orientation of the city.

The Innovation Corridor

The Innovation Corridor map courtesy of Greater Houston

While the city has attracted researchers and scientists to its highly prized universities, the city of Houston has also made a strong commitment to developing its Innovation Corridor. The term “Innovation Corridor” was part of the marketing meant to lure Amazon, but the neighborhoods throughout the corridor have long been considered prime destinations for the city’s entrepreneurs, businesses, and researchers. This corridor connects some of Houston’s most innovative neighborhoods together along a single stretch of the city.

Rice University forms one end of the corridor and sits directly next to the Texas Medical Center, which is home to some of the nation’s top ranked hospitals. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is ranked as among the nation’s best hospitals and highest performing by U.S. News. Its position next to Rice University makes the area home to some of the city’s best educated residents.

Both neighborhoods are also connected by METRORail northward through some of the city’s most commercially successful neighborhoods, including Midtown, Montrose, and Downtown Houston. From downtown, a second METRORail line connects residents to East Downtown and the area around the University of Houston. The Innovation Corridor manages to connect the city’s two major research centers by rail line while also connecting the major business hubs of Houston.

Photo courtesy of Agsftw

Midtown has been the focus of extensive redevelopment in response to its incredible growth, with numerous parks constructed and greenways established in the area. On the other hand, Montrose has a longstanding reputation as among the city’s most eclectic neighborhoods, giving rise to numerous musicians and artists over the course of decades. Downtown Houston and East Downtown, meanwhile, border the city’s Central Business District, where much of the city’s commerce is done.

Whether by highway or METRORail, Houston’s most research intensive, commercially active, and culturally vibrant neighborhoods are all easily connected to one another. For anyone looking to move into the area, a home in one of these neighborhoods provides access to the city’s intelligentsia as well as its various artists and business savvy entrepreneurs. Houston’s reputation and history may be rooted in the oil industry, but the city is building its future by focusing on diverse research and commercial endeavors.