Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
Total Population: 5,946,800
Change From 2000: 26.1%
Some things really are bigger in the South. Houston is home to a whopping 24 Fortune 500 headquarters, a tally that's bested only by New York. The area added 1.23 million people over the last decade -- a greater increase in real terms than any other major metro, landing it in eighth place in the country in terms of percentage increase.
The undisputed capitol of Big Oil, Houston is home to the high-powered "Energy Corridor," where more than 70,000 people work for some of the world's biggest oil companies. Houston isn't a one-industry town -- it hosts both food giant Sysco and Continental Airlines -- but the city's most famous corporate residents are energy titans like ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil and Halliburton. This is one place where gas-guzzling pick-up trucks and high prices at the pump can actually be good news.
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Last updated April 14 2011: 10:33 AM ET
