Just Google It

What Houstonians search for online: Scandalous celebs, Houston Astros, oil prices top list

Thanks to Google's annual "Year in Search" — an in-depth look at the stories and topics that captured the world's attention this year — Houstonians can find out exactly what their friends and neighbors are searching the most.

Google specifically looked at the most popular local terms searched in Houston, including the most searched terms overall and the most searched news and events.

The top overall searches for 2015 included celebrities known for their rather scandalous behavior ("Lamar Odom" at No. 1 and "Charlie Sheen" at No. 9), as well as sports teams and figures ("Houston Astros" at No. 2 and "Ronda Rousey" at No. 5)

In terms of the news and events Houstonians searched the most, sports teams and events dominated with "Houston Astros" at No. 1, "Canelo vs Cotto" at No. 7, "Chicago Cubs" at No. 8 and "Special Olympics World Games" at No. 9.

Also, given Houston's strong ties to the oil industry, it's no surprise to find "Oil Prices" at No. 4 on the list.

Below are the complete listings of Houstonians' top Google searches from 2015:

Top Trending Searches

1. Lamar Odom
2. Houston Astros
3. Bobbi Kristina Brown
4. Hurricane Patricia
5. Ronda Rousey
6. Paris
7. Straight Outta Compton
8. Sandra Bland
9. Charlie Sheen
10. Jurassic World

Top Trending News/Events

1. Houston Astros
2. Hurricane Patricia
3. Paris
4. Oil Prices
5. El Chapo
6. San Bernadino
7. Canelo vs Cotto
8. Chicago Cubs
9. Special Olympics World Games
10. Blood Moon

Top Trending People

1. Lamar Odom
2. Bobbi Kristina Brown
3. Ronda Rousey
4. Sandra Bland
5. Charlie Sheen
6. Donald Trump
7. Caitlyn Jenner
8. Adele
9. Holly Holm
10. Larry Hernandez

With the kind of year the Houston Astros had it's no wonder they were searched a lot on Google.

Photo by Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com

With the kind of year the Houston Astros had it's no wonder they were searched a lot on Google.

lists

more university rankings

Houston's Rice University tops yet another Texas college rankings list

Rice University/Facebook

Rice has dominated yet another college ranking list.

Rice University is maintaining its reputation as one of the top colleges in the U.S., according to a new batch of rankings from WalletHub.

Rice topped WalletHub's 2026 lists comparing the best colleges and universities in Texas and the best universities in the South. The private institution also ranked as the 9th best university in the country, three spots lower than its 2024 ranking.

The personal finance website's experts analyzed nearly 800 colleges and universities in the U.S. using 30 key metrics, including factors like student-faculty ratios, graduation rates, campus safety, and many more.

Rice was ranked across seven major categories in the report, and scored highly for its faculty resources (No. 10), student educational outcomes (No. 12), student selectivity (No. 16), student career outcomes (No. 26), and campus experience (No. 46).

The only two categories Rice lagged behind in were campus safety (No. 576) and cost and financing (No. 700). U.S. News & World Report says tuition and fees at Rice can add up to more than $65,000 per year for in-state students, with the total cost soaring to nearly $84,000 when factoring in the price for housing, food, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses. That likely explains why the university ranked poorly in the financial category.

In addition to topping WalletHub's rankings, Rice has also claimed top spots in other prestigious lists by U.S. News, Forbes, The Princeton Review, and more. Rice's revered graduate schools – including the MBA program at the Jones Graduate School of Business and Brown School of Engineering and Computing – are also among the best in the country, according to U.S. News and The Princeton Review.

Elsewhere in Houston, The University of Houston also ranked among the statewide top 10, and ranked as the 268th best university in the U.S. for 2026. In the regional rankings of best universities in the South, U of H ranked 52nd on the list.

The 10 best colleges and universities in Texas for 2026 are:

No. 1 – Rice University, Houston
No. 2 – The University of Texas at Austin
No. 3 – Trinity University, San Antonio
No. 4 – Texas A&M University-College Station
No. 5 – Texas Christian University, Fort Worth
No. 6 – Austin College, Sherman
No. 7 – Southwestern University, Georgetown
No. 8 – University of Dallas
No. 9 – The University of Texas at Dallas
No. 10 – University of Houston

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