Coming to Texas

Energy giant Chevron departs California for new home in Houston

Chevron is expanding its presence in Houston.

Courtesy of MLK Parade Foundation

The Energy Capital of the World is adding another jewel to its corporate crown.

With the impending move of Chevron’s headquarters from Northern California to Houston, the Houston area will be home to 24 Fortune 500 companies. Chevron ranks 15th on this year’s Fortune 500.

Oil and gas giant Chevron, currently based in San Ramon, California, will join three Fortune 500 competitors that already maintain headquarters in the Houston area:

Spring-based ExxonMobil, No. 7 on the Fortune 500
Houston-based Phillips 66, No. 26 on the Fortune 500
Houston-based ConocoPhillips, No. 68 on the Fortune 500

Chevron, which posted revenue of $200.9 billion in 2023, employs about 7,000 people in the Houston area and about 2,000 people in San Ramon. The company says its chairman and CEO, Mike Wirth, and vice chairman, Mark Nelson, will move to Houston before the end of 2024.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Wirth acknowledged Chevron’s differences of opinion with California policymakers regarding energy matters.

“We believe California has a number of policies that raise costs, that hurt consumers, that discourage investment and ultimately we think that’s not good for the economy in California and for consumers,” Wirth said.

Chevron expects all of its corporate functions to shift to Houston over the next five years. Jobs that support the company’s California operations will remain in San Ramon, where Chevron employs about 2,000 people. Some Chevron employees in San Ramon will relocate to Houston.

The company’s move to Houston hardly comes as a surprise. Speculation about a relocation to Houston intensified after Chevron sold its 98-acre San Ramon headquarters in 2022 and moved corporate employees to leased office space. Over the past several years, Chevron has shifted various corporate functions to Houston.

“This is just the final step that many industry observers were waiting to happen,” Ken Medlock, senior director of the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies at Rice University, says in a news release.

“To start, Houston provides a world-class location for internationally focused energy companies, which is why there is such a massive international presence here,” Medlock adds. “Texas is also the nation’s largest energy producer across multiple energy sources and is poised to lead in emerging opportunities such as hydrogen and carbon capture, so Houston is a great place for domestically focused activities as well.”

The announcement of Chevron’s exit from California comes just a year after ExxonMobil finalized its relocation from Irving to Spring.

“Chevron’s decision to relocate its headquarters underscores the compelling advantages that position Houston as the prime destination for leading energy companies today and for the future,” Steve Kean, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, says in a post on the organization’s website.

“With deep roots in our region,” he adds, “Chevron is [a] key player in establishing Houston as a global energy leader. This move will further enhance those efforts.”

---

This story originally was published on our sister site EnergyCapitalHTX.

business

Fun times in the city

Houston lets loose as one of America's 10 most fun cities in 2024

RodeoHouston.com

undefined

Houston is showing off its fun-loving side in WalletHub's new ranking of the top 10 most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked H-Town No. 9 this year, in a 10-place hike from its 2023 ranking of No. 19.

WalletHub's experts compared 182 U.S. cities across 65 metrics to determine the level of "fun" for each city. The metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Houston performed the best in the overall nightlife and parties category (No. 15). The city earned special recognition for having the No. 1 most dance clubs per capita in a three-way tie with Las Vegas (No. 1 overall) and San Francisco (No. 7 overall).

In the category for entertainment and recreation, Houston ranked No. 23 with the fifth highest number of park playgrounds per capita. Consider The Commons at Hermann Park, which has one of the best free playgrounds in the city. NRG Stadium, the home of the Houston Texans, is also one of the most affordable tailgating destinations in America.

Houston performed the worst in the overall cost category, but it technically only ranked No. 25 out of all 182 cities, which demonstrates just how affordable Houston is in comparison to the rest of the country.

Potential Newstonians should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Austin (No. 6) was the only other Texas city to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list, moving up one spot from its rank as No. 7 in 2023. Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are San Antonio (No. 25), Dallas (No. 31), El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

dance clubs fun cities houston houston texans nightlife parties recreation wallethub

Coming to Texas

Energy giant Chevron departs California for new home in Houston

Fun times in the city

Houston lets loose as one of America's 10 most fun cities in 2024

Houston’s 13 most festive holiday bars serve lots of Christmas cheer

13 festive light displays illuminating Houston this holiday season

Ben Stiller delivers lighthearted fun in new Hulu movie Nutcrackers