Houston Business University

How far north of Houston do you need to be to before the air is reasonably clean?

Just curious. I hear a lot about the air pollution in Houston, and I'm curious how far from the city you need to be for reasonably clean air. Thanks.

Public Comments

1. Houston is not even in the top 10 in dirtiest air. Try the LA basin or Phoenix if you want pollution.
2. Out of this world. In the world we are living in now even the great plains air is slightly dirty.
3. The air in Houston is fine, unless you are in Stinkadena sorry, Pasadena.Which it just stinks because of all of the refinery's. I am currently looking out my office window and can see Downtown crystal clear. I work 30 minutes from Downtown.
4. If you "hear" about it you must not live here. Houston area, while not sparkling clean, isn't even in the top ten cities (surprising, considering our size, urbanization, and petrochemical industry base). I live in Houston, in a beautiful tree-lined neighborhood. I don't notice a smell (except a slight wang when wind comes from the east... which is the aforementioned Pasadena).
5. Alaska
6. Yeah unless you live near the ship chanel and in Pasadena, Houston is not even on the top ten list for Dirty air, i've lived in houston for most of my life and while 2 days out of 365 might be aa little hazy it normaly won't affect your long( one exeption year 2000 Bad year for air)
7. I live in North East Harris County, and the air quality is fine.
8. The conroe area is pretty clean, very beautiful they have a lot of trees that way that give off oxygen and recycle the carbon dioxide. its about 50 miles north of downtown houston.
9. The air downtown is pretty clean as long as the toxic cloud from Baytown and Beaumont isn't blowing west. Most of the low performing days polution wise are when the wind is blowing from the southeast.
10. mmm....people keep saying that houston is not even in the top ten...really not sure what top ten they are seeing. go to scorecard.org (a comprehensive site for all questions about pollution) and look up "health risks from criteria air pollutants" [criteria air pollutants are the substances specifically called out as harmful by the clean air act]. when it's broken down by county, Harris County, TX is #3 in the country for criteria pollutant health risks. i didn't spend enough time in the northern suburbs to answer your direct question, but i urge you to do your own research rather than trust anyone who calls it the "petrochemical" industry.
11. I have more allergies now that I live in the heart of the city versus when I lived 40 miles NE in the country. I can't say if it's pollution that causes it or what, but I was less allergic to grass, weeds, pollen, etc. in the country which isn't always the case with everyone.