Daily life
Inside the Loop
in-syd thuh loop
Inside Interstate 610, the inner ring road. It is the city's central social and property divide and every conversation about where you live starts here.
Deed restrictions
deed rih-STRIK-shunz
Private covenants recorded against a subdivision. With no zoning, these — not the city — determine whether a bar or a mid-rise can appear beside your house.
The Med Center
thuh MED sen-ter
The Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world by employment — around 120,000 people work in roughly two square miles south of downtown.
Transport
The Beltway
thuh BELT-way
Beltway 8, the second ring, largely tolled as the Sam Houston Tollway. Beyond it is the Grand Parkway, a third ring — Houston has three concentric rings and uses all of them.
Feeder road
FEE-der rohd
The frontage road running beside a motorway, lined with businesses. Houston says 'feeder' where Dallas says 'frontage', and directions assume the word.
Culture
Bayou City
BY-oo SIT-ee
Houston's own name for itself. The bayous are slow, wide drainage channels that define the city's geography and its flooding.
Food
Asiatown
AY-zhuh-town
The stretch of Bellaire Boulevard in south-west Houston — the largest and most varied Asian commercial district in the American South.
Emergency
High water
hy WAW-ter
Standing water on a road, reported constantly during storms. 'Turn around, don't drown' is a genuine local safety slogan, not a joke — most flood deaths here happen in cars.
Boil water notice
boyl WAW-ter NOH-tis
An instruction issued after a pressure loss in the water system, usually following a storm or a freeze. Keep bottled water in the house from June onward.
911 / 311
nine-one-one / three-one-one
911 for emergencies; 311 for City of Houston services — drainage complaints, potholes, water, deed restriction enforcement referrals.
Social
Y'all / all y'all
yawl / awl yawl
Second person plural, and its emphatic form for a whole group. Used across every community in the most ethnically diverse large city in America.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.