Sun Belt

The state, which ranks 31st in population density, has moved up to No. 38 in tested cases of COVID-19 per capita — it was previously last. It remains 48th in total public health emergency preparedness funding per capita.

As Houston strives to improve transit, shrink its carbon footprint and make streets safer for all modes of transportation, it may be struggling to rise above the status quo in some areas. 

Since the turn of the century, many neighborhoods in or near the heart of Houston and the state’s other large metropolitan areas — Dallas, San Antonio and Austin — have been transformed by the ongoing inflow of affluence. A change better known as gentrification.