Medicial Might

Houston's best hospital is . . . . New US News & World Report rankings see streak continue despite controversy

Many Houston hospitals are in a state of change, with new owners, new names and new controversies. But when it comes to the latest US News & World Report rankings of the best hospitals in Houston, the status quo remains. In the 2013-14 rankings, released Tuesday, most of the Houston-area hospitals remain in the same top positions as the previous year's rankings.

Although it has a new name, Houston Methodist Hospital remains the No. 1 ranked hospital in the Houston area, according to the list, which is based on the number of nationally ranked and high performing medical specialties. Houston Methodist is also ranked as the No. 1 hospital in the state.

St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, which was recently sold to Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives, remains at No. 2, followed by the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (No. 3), Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical Center (No. 4) and the Menninger Clinic and TIRR Memorial Hermann (both tied at No. 5).

Also on the list of top regional hospitals:

UTMB (at No. 11) and Woman's Hospital (tied at No. 13) are new to the most recent list while Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital dropped off.

For the seventh year running, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center remains the nation's No. 1 cancer hospital despite financial pressures and controversies over the state grant application process. M.D. Anderson also ranked No. 3 among the nation's hospitals for ear, nose and throat; and No. 6 in gynecology.

TIRR- Memorial Hermann remains in the No. 3 position on the list of the nation's best rehabilitation hospitals while The Menninger Clinic remains ranks No. 5 nationally among psychiatric hospitals. The Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and Houston Methodist also remain on the list of best hospitals in the nation for cardiology and heart surgery. The Texas Heart Institute ranks at No. 10 and Houston Methodist is No. 14.

Good doctors pay off. The Houston Methodist Hospital is ranked the best in the Houston region in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings.

Methodist Hospital System

Good doctors pay off. The Houston Methodist Hospital is ranked the best in the Houston region in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings.

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4th of July Fun

Houston shines as a top city in Texas to celebrate 4th of July

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Houston is looking pretty patriotic this summer. H-Town has just been named the third-best city in Texas for celebrating the Fourth of July, and it lands among the top 50 in the nation for its Independence Day festivities in 2026.

Houston ranks No. 3 statewide and No. 47 nationally in WalletHub's annual report comparing the "Best & Worst Places for 4th of July Celebrations." WalletHub's experts annually ranks the 100 biggest U.S. cities across 18 metrics like affordability, the variety of celebrations on July 4th, weather favorability, safety, and more. Last year, Houston ranked 39th nationwide.

The three best cities in the U.S. for celebrating the Fourth of July in 2026 — marking the nation's monumental 250th birthday — are Las Vegas (No. 1), New York City (No. 2), and Orlando (No. 3).

Among individual categories, Houston is the 8th most affordable U.S. city to visit over the Fourth of July holiday, and it ranks 16th in the "attractions and activities" subcategory — based on a separate survey of the best and worst cities for recreation. Houston also ranked 37th overall for its abundance of July 4th celebrations. Local festivities in honor of America's 250th birthday will include spirited performances from Keith Urban and Collective Soul at the Freedom Over Texas festival.

Houston's predictably hot weather forecast for the holiday earns it a bottom-tier ranking at No. 92 overall, and the city's safety and accessibility comes in 95th place.

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas and Fort Worth ranked as the top two best cities in the Lone Star State for celebrating America's founding, and ranked 39th and 42nd nationally. The remaining 10 Texas cities that appeared in the report ranked among the bottom 50.

This year's festivities are expected to be meteoric compared to previous years to commemorate the milestone anniversary, according to the report.

"This year, the National Retail Federation projects that U.S. households will spend a collective $9.4 billion on food for Fourth of July festivities alone," the report's author wrote.

Here's how the rest of Texas stacks up in the report:

No. 57 – El Paso
No. 63 – Lubbock
No. 74 – San Antonio
No. 80 – Arlington
No. 81 – Plano
No. 84 – Austin
No. 91 – Corpus Christi
No. 93 – Irving
No. 99 – Laredo
No. 100 – Garland

wallethub report houston holidays 4th of july

Medicial Might

Houston's best hospital is . . . . New US News & World Report rankings see streak continue despite controversy

Good doctors pay off. The Houston Methodist Hospital is ranked the best in the Houston region in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings.

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4th of July Fun

Houston shines as a top city in Texas to celebrate 4th of July