[5] The community was named after Sam Houston, first president of the Republic of Texas.

[9] In 1852, William McSpadden platted the original site of the Village of Houston.

[10] The 2007 Midwest flooding caused the Root River to rise to 19 feet (5.8 m), which is about a foot short of the height of the dike protecting the town, necessitating evacuation of the community.

The racial makeup of the city was 99.5% White, 0.4% Native American, and 0.1% from two or more races.

The event includes tractor pulls, the Minnesota State Horsepull, dances and flea markets.

[14] The "International Festival of Owls" is held each year in Houston, and is the only full-weekend, all-owl event in North America.

[15] Houston is the eastern terminus of the Root River segment of the Blufflands State Trail.

In November 2008 the Houston Hurricanes won the Minnesota 9-Man Football State Championship.

Open to students statewide, these programs are unique in that there are no others of their kind in Minnesota.