Convenience Big Store: The fastest-growing neighborhood in Houston

March 25, 2026

SPRING SALE! Only 25¢

Step into the new season with digital access to essential news.

Act Now

Sale Ends April 12

⛅ Temperature check: High of 84; low of 65. Forecast: As temperatures inch closer to 90 degrees, a late-week cold front could provide some relief and remind us what spring is like.

📱 Sign up for our weather text service to get weekly forecasts and breaking weather alerts sent to your phone.

Good morning, Houston.

Here's what you should know to start your day:

Need to know: Hourslong wait times at IAH had shrunk considerably by Tuesday night. But finding accurate information about how long travelers can expect to wait has been difficult.
Top of the chart: One of the most-read stories on our site yesterday was our Texas data center tracker showing where such facilities are located, or are in the works, across the state.

Here's the rest of the news.

1

Cars drive by Bagby Park in Midtown in Houston on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025.

This neighborhood is becoming Houston's fastest-growing and most diverse area.

Did you know the fastest-growing neighborhood in Houston is Midtown?

That's what a Houston Chronicle analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data showed. Specifically, the neighborhood's population grew by roughly 35% between 2019 and 2024, a surge driven by an increase in Black, Hispanic and Asian residents, according to reporting by Sam González Kelly and Alexandra Kanik. Not only is it growing rapidly, but it's becoming one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city.

Perhaps you've seen the changes in Midtown firsthand. Remember the days when the area was home to "Little Saigon"? Then came the townhomes and apartments and light rail.

As you'll see, this wasn't always a smooth transition. What does Midtown's past tell us about its future? And how is it influencing urban life across the rest of the city?

2

Three takeaways from HISD Superintendent Mike Miles' 'State of the District' speech.

He focused on the district's academic improvements and efforts to prepare students for an AI-driven world in his annual state of the district address.

Also: A top HISD official is joining Fort Worth ISD as second-in-command as the Texas Education Agency prepares to take over the North Texas school district.

3

Colony Ridge developers urge a court to accept a settlement despite objections.

Owners of the Colony Ridge subdivision in Liberty County are urging a judge to accept their proposed settlement with state and federal officials, despite objections from civil rights groups who said the deal ignores longstanding complaints against the company.

4

Third Ward's nightlife chaos is back. Residents demand answers from the city.

Residents along Emancipation and Washington avenues have watched this cycle play out again and again. They're calling for help from the police, the city's 311 help line, and elected officials, writes columnist Joy Sewing.

5

The Woodlands misses out on Tesla's tunnels plan but keeps traffic push moving.

The Woodlands won't see a tunnel for Tesla vehicles under Town Center any time soon, but township officials aren't giving up on addressing increasing traffic in the community.

6

Republican Dan Patrick snubs new Democratic state Sen. Taylor Rehmet.

The upset winner of a special election in a GOP-leaning district was not assigned to any committees of the upper chamber.

7

Ted Cruz's offer to Democrats to end the shutdown might not be the deal they want.

The senator sounds like he wants to give Democrats exactly what they've been asking for to end the nearly six-week-long, partial government shutdown. But there's a catch.

TX TAX - Texas Property Tax Protest Tool

Be the first to use our guided property tax protest tool

The Houston Chronicle is launching a smarter way to prepare your property tax protest — without having to pay a consultant. Sign up for early access to TX Tax, plus get deadline reminders and helpful coverage throughout protest season.

#️⃣ Number of the Day

$941,000

That's how much the University of St. Thomas quietly paid departing staff from 2017 to 2024 as the private institution's finances buckled.

While packages for outgoing university presidents are common, a lot of high-dollar payouts to faculty or staff are not, according to one expert. St. Thomas paid at least eight former employees from July 2017 to June 2024, records show, with five of them receiving more than $100,000 each.

⚾ Sports

Houston Astros Jeremy Peña, right, celebrates with Yainer Diaz after hitting a 2-run home run during an exhibition game at Daikin Park in Houston, Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

Photo by: Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle

Astros: Shortstop Jeremy Peña returned to game action Tuesday, furthering his bid to be ready for opening day. He played six innings in the field and got four at-bats, going 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in the Astros' 6-5 win over the Space Cowboys at Daikin Park.
Cougars: UH freshman Chris Cenac Jr. has 13 games this season with more than 10 rebounds, giving him a special place among the Cougars. He also has two 17-point games in the last four games, helping UH reach a seventh straight Sweet 16.
Longhorns: Sean Miller's run to the Sweet 16 in his first year at Texas has been remarkable, writes columnist Kirk Bohls.

🗣️ Opinion

During a week of tourism, TSA lines turned us into Hotel Houston. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave, writes the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board.
"We will move beyond our sense of betrayal — but we will do so when we are ready, not when a man instructs us that it is time," writes Olga Llamas Rodriguez in a letter to the editor regarding Cesar Chavez. "Justice is not served by haste, and healing cannot be scheduled to accommodate anyone's legacy."

🏙️ Houston Explained

The former Maxwell House coffee plant at 3900 Harrisburg in Houston before it was acquired by the Maximus Coffee Group in 2006.

Photo by: Nick De La Torre, Houston Chronicle

How this iconic Houston coffee plant in the East End got its start

To some, it's an eyesore, all concrete and rusty steel in an area that has been moving in a different direction for some time now. But it's also been there for more than a century, its silhouette blending into the massive downtown skyscrapers just a couple of miles away.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman unveiled changes Tuesday that could give a lift to the agency's moon ambitions but will also affect the Houston-led Gateway program and local companies developing commercial space stations.

The comments came during a presentation at the agency's headquarters in Washington.

The Johnson Space Center is leading development of the Gateway space station that was supposed to orbit the moon.

But Isaacman on Tuesday said that work on Gateway would be paused, according to Andrea Leinfelder's reporting.