Editor’s note: Looking back at the year in CultureMap’s City Life section, we see the highs and lows of Houston’s 2024. On the plus side, our suburbs continue to rank highly for their high quality of life and overall affluence. On the downside, readers will note two articles related to the challenges of Hurricane Beryl, as well as the sudden death of CultureMap columnist Ken Hoffman. Let there be no doubt that Ken left us at the peak of his powers, perfectly capturing Houston’s post-Beryl mood and breaking news about Frank Billingsley’s departure from his TV home of 30 years.

Read on for the top 10 City Life stories of 2024.

1. Ken Hoffman knows whom to blame for Houston's too slow Beryl recovery. In what would sadly turn out to be his final column, Ken did what he does best — express what’s on everyone’s mind better than they could themselves. As Houstonians recovered from Beryl’s unexpected strength, Ken called CenterPoint to task for taking too long to restore power and politicians of both parties for not doing enough to improve the situation.

2. Ken Hoffman, CultureMap's consummate Houston columnist, passes away. We were all shocked by Ken’s sudden death, which came only two days after his column about Hurricane Beryl. A dozen of his friends and colleagues shared memories of trips, meals, and other experiences with Ken that they’ll treasure forever.

3. Exclusive: Dominique Sachse sends heartfelt message to Houston fans upon news of her major move. The former KPRC anchor made a splash when she revealed she’d be moving to Dallas to join Dr. Phil’s Merit Street Media. Although the transition was short lived — she left the network in November — Sachse remains a presence on YouTube, where she approximately 1.9 million subscribers.

4. Houston neighbor ranks as one of America's most livable small cities. In the SmartAsset 2024 "Most Livable Small Cities" report, which compared 281 U.S. cities with populations between 65,000 and 100,000, Missouri City came in at No. 77. The Southwest Houston suburb earned the ranking thanks to its relatively low cost of living and strong park system, among other factors.

5. What you need to know about the end of Texas vehicle inspections. The good news is that safety inspections end on December 31. Sadly, Houstonians must still pass an emissions inspection.

6. Houston weather legend Frank Billingsley reveals his upcoming departure from KPRC. Ken Hoffman broke the news that Frank Billinglsley was bidding KPRC farewell after 30 years. Along with sharing his news, the weatherman also revealed some of his favorite moments from his time on the station. Thankfully, Billingsley will return to the airwaves via a new talk show called Hello, Houston! that will debut on Houston Public Media in early 2025.

7. 2 Houston high schools rank among America's top 100 in 2024, says U.S. News. Each year, U.S. News evaluates about 18,000 high schools on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth, and graduation rates. When it ran the numbers, magnet schools Carnegie Vanguard High School and DeBakey High School for Health Professions both made the top 100.

8. These 2 affluent Houston suburbs are among the wealthiest in America.If we’re being honest, neither of them are suburbs in the traditional sense. Rather, they’re both small cities that are surrounded by, and benefit from, their proximity to central Houston.

9. Houston must learn lessons from Beryl if it hopes to recover faster, experts say. With climate change fueling increasingly powerful storms, the city needs to take steps to protect itself. They include: removing trees, bolstering flood-plain protections, and burying more power lines underground.

10. Houston suburb clocks in among best job markets in America. Out of 343 cities considered in the study, The Woodlands comes in at a strong No. 24. Houston, on the other hand, ranked a disappointing No. 272.