WELCOME TO SOUTHWEST HOUSTON!

The Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce serves a community of businesses and residences that is unsurpassed in the Houston area in quality of living factors. Easy access to downtown Houston, as well as to the rest of the city via major freeways, makes the southwest area ideal for businesses. It is also home to major shopping, entertainment and educational venues including the Galleria, Reliant Center, Museum District, and other amenities.

The history, charm and neighborly ties of the communities put southwest Houston in the top tier of residential areas anywhere. Each neighborhood is unique, but many share similar qualities that make them a wonderful place to live and do business. Southwest Houston reflects all the best of what has made Houston the fourth-largest city in the United States.

Over the past 57 years, the Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce has grown with the communities around us. Progress in southwest Houston is continuous. Updating of roads and infrastructure, new and redeveloping shopping and business centers, and the ongoing renovation – house by house – of older, close-in neighborhoods, are constants for us. The areas served by the Chamber are perfectly positioned to offer many benefits for residential and business needs.

It’s Happening in Southwest Houston

If it’s happening in Houston, it’s happening in Southwest Houston! Southwest Houston is a primary business and residential hub of the city. From the renowned Texas Medical Center to the vibrant Galleria area to dozens of terrific neighborhoods inbetween, Southwest Houston is the place to live, work and play. Southwest Houston covers almost 60 square miles of charming neighborhoods, thriving businesses districts, exciting entertainment venues, and world-class medical care and educational institutions.

Business in Southwest Houston

With over 14,000 business establishments and approximately $13.5 billion dollars in annual payroll, Southwest Houston adds significantly to the Houston area economy. Its convenient, close-in location is traversed by most major thoroughfares in the city. Easy access to downtown and other business and residential areas of the city make Southwest Houston a great place to do business.

Living in Southwest Houston

Southwest Houston also boasts some of the first suburbs of Houston, although most of the area is now considered to be urban. The approximately 400,000 residents in Southwest Houston enjoy an enormous variety of choices in housing, shopping, entertainment, health care, public and private schools, higher education, and worship.

What’s New in Southwest Houston

Business

• Business continues to thrive and grow in Southwest Houston as has generally been the case for the past century.
• The world-renowned Galleria shopping center has added a fourth wing, anchored by Macy’s and Nordstrom’s.
• The Texas Medical Center continues adding large buildings for research and patient care at a record pace.
• Several older buildings that sit on large parcels of land are being razed to make way for new development. Property on Post Oak at San Felipe, Kirby and Westheimer, and the former sites of Astroworld and the Houston Independent School District headquarters are slated for new large-scale mixed use development in the next few years.
• Light rail is coming to Southwest Houston. METRO’s University Line is slated to run from the University of Houston/Texas Southern University, across the south side of downtown and down the Westpark/Richmond Avenue corridor to the Hillcroft Transit Center. This line will encompass a vast section of the area served by the Greater Southwest Houston Chamber.

Residential

• The on-going revival of several neighborhoods in Southwest Houston continues at a rapid pace. Bungalows from the 1940s and 1950s are being replaced with large brick and stucco mansions by people who love the close-in conveniences of Southwest Houston. The areas of Meyerland and Braeswood, and the Cities of West University, Bellaire, and Southside Place are the most notable examples of this trend.
• Additionally, high-rise apartments and condos are being built in record numbers. As Southwest Houston becomes denser, high-rise living is becoming a popular housing choice for young professionals and empty-nesters who want to have an urban living experience. The Galleria and Uptown areas are particularly suited for this kind of luxury development.

And More . . .

Southwest Houston continues to grow in many dimensions. Here are a few more examples –

• Several Houston Independent School District schools in our area have benefited from the passing of a multi-million dollar bond sale in the late 1990s. The money has been used to substantially renovate and improve the facilities of dozens of elementary, middle and high schools, some even to the point of being torn down and completely rebuilt.
• Houston Community College has recently opened an extensive campus in a large, former retail space near Bellaire. This is a convenient place to start a college career, get a two-year degree, or seek continuing education courses.
• The Compaq Center, former home of the Houston Rockets, underwent a stunning transformation into a worship center when Lakewood Church, one of the largest churches in the southwest, assumed the lease of the venue (near Greenway Plaza) from the City of Houston.

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