I fell in love with an American (Texan) in Paris (was working for American company in the city) first date at the top of the Eiffel Tower (BEFORE it was cool, worst food in Paris at that time, only the tourists, who didn’t know any better ever ate there!!), however, he soon overcame that false start and after 9 months we were engaged – as my mother said when I called her and told her I met someone … “ …. Please tell me he is NOT French!!, no, I said, he’s a Texan!” We married in native England, honeymoon in the Bahamas and then arrived in Houston!!! was soooo homesick – brother in law bought me a puppy to help ease my pain – I fell in love all over again… Shortly, after puppy arrived, just 8 weeks, Dick was out fishing with his father, I didn’t have a driver’s license at that time, puppy fell off the bed, thought he had broken his leg, cried like a baby (which he was) called mother in law who raced over, it was a Sunday (before Gulf Coast Vet. Emergency clinic) we eventually found a vet that was open – waited and waited for him to finish with another emergency, all the time trying to calculate whether I had enough money to pay him (VERY poor from funding aforementioned wedding and glam honeymoon!!) when we finally got to see him, he was sooo wonderful, told me good news, nothing wrong with puppy, he was crying like a baby because he was a baby…. I thought oh great, now I have to tell Dick I took puppy to vet and paid many $$$$ for no reason… Vet then asked me ‘ … how did you get to Texas?” told him story, met a Texan in Paris, fell in love, ya da, ya, da, ya da … also told him my boss in Paris was an Aggie – noticed he too was a graduate of the Texas A&M school of vet. Medicine – so mentioned how kind my Aggie had been, had given me a wonderful surprise bon voyage party when I left Paris for England … he listened, was kind and gentle the way all vets seem to be (perhaps this is the answer to the healthcare situation in America, let’s swop out doctors for vets) … when I went to check out, holding my breath that I had enough money to pay the bill, his receptionist told me “ …. This one is on us, welcome to Texas!!!” It was such unexpected kindness, that it still makes me pause … that’s when I fell in love with Houston… to paraphrase Gertrude Stein, a wonderfull American who made her home in Paris, “ … England is my country, but Houston is my hometown!”
hottest headlines of 2025
Houston's richest residents, best suburbs, and more top city news in 2025
Editor’s note: As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Houston this year. In our City Life section, readers will notice several of our local universities earned high praise from prestigious global and national publications. Houston's sprawling suburbs continued to skyrocket in popularity for their livability and safety, and no top-10 list is complete without mentioning the city's wealthiest residents. Read on for the top 10 Houston City Life stories of 2025.
1. 2 Houston universities named among world’s best in 2026 rankings. These two high-performing local institutions – Rice University and University of Houston – are in a class of their own, according to the QS World University Rankings 2026. QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) compiles the prestigious list each year; the 2026 edition includes more than 1,500 universities from around the world.
2. Richard Kinder is Houston's richest billionaire in 2025, Forbes says. The Kinder Morgan chairman is the 11th richest Texas resident right now, and ranks as the 108th richest American. Kinder also dethroned Tilman Fertitta to claim the title as the wealthiest Houstonian.
3. 2 Houston neighbors shine as top-10 best places to live in the U.S. Pearland and League City, respectively, claimed No. 3 and No. 6 in U.S. News & World Report's annual "Best Places to Live in the U.S." rankings. The 2025-2026 rankings examined 250 U.S. cities based on five livability indexes: Quality of life, value, desirability, job market, and net migration.
4. 5 Houston suburbs deemed best places to retire in 2026 by U.S. News. The Woodlands and Spring should be on the lookout for an influx of retirees next year, U.S. News predicts. Three more Houston-area neighbors also ranked among the top 25 best places to retire in America.
5. Activist group calls out Houston highway as a 'freeway without a future'. A May 2025 report from Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) included Houston's Interstate 45 expansion on its list of highways with infrastructure that is "nearing the end of its functional life." CNU claims further expansion of Houston's highway system could eventually lead to the loss of the city's bayous, while also diminishing the remaining flood-absorbing land.
6. 10 things to know about America's first Ismaili Center opening in Houston. After nearly 20 years in the making, the long-awaited Ismaili Center, Houston finally opened its doors to the public. The 11-acre site was painstakingly designed and constructed to offer indoor and outdoor public spaces for all Houstonians to enjoy, connect, and engage.
7. Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta asking $192 million for superyacht. Fertitta, who owns the Houston Rockets and restaurant and hospitality conglomerate Landry's, decided to sell his 252-foot yacht, named Boardwalk, to make room for an even larger superyacht he is expected to receive in April 2026. Among numerous luxurious amenities, Boardwalk also features a helipad.
8. 2 Houston neighbors rank among America's safest suburbs in 2025. Spring came in at No. 19 and West University Place followed at No. 21 in SmartAsset's August 2025 study, which is the first time the two Houston suburbs have made it into the top 25.
9. Houston is one of America's most overpriced cities, study finds. This likely isn't a surprise to some Houstonians. The study, conducted by Highland Cabinetry, said Houston "struggles with heavy pollution and underwhelming income levels."
10. 9 Houston universities make U.S. News' 2025 list of top grad schools. Among the newcomers this year are Houston Christian University and Texas Southern University. HCU's graduate education school ranks No. 21 in Texas, and TSU has the 10th best law school in the state.