Houston (/ˈhuːstən/ HOO-stən; Scots: Houstoun), is a village in the council area of Renfrewshire and the larger historic county of the same name in the west central Lowlands of Scotland.

Houston lies within the Gryffe Valley on the banks of the River Gryffe 6 miles (10 km) north-west of Paisley and is the largest settlement in the civil parish of Houston and Killellan, which covers the neighbouring village of Crosslee and a number of smaller settlements in the villages' rural hinterland.

The village grew around a 16th-century castle and parish church dedicated to Saint Peter, which gave the area its former name of Kilpeter ("Cille Pheadair" in Scottish Gaelic).

The present-day old village dates mainly back to the 18th century and was a planned community, replacing earlier buildings.

These additions to the village have expanded its population considerably, changing its character chiefly to a dormitory settlement for nearby Glasgow and Paisley with a largely service-based economy.

In the mid 12th century, the fee of Kilpeter was granted by Baldwin of Biggar, Sheriff of Lanark, to Hugh of Pettinain.

[8] The Castle stayed in the ownership of the family until 1740 when it was purchased by Glasgow tobacco lord Alexander Speirs of Elderslie.

[12] The layout, straddling the Houston Burn, provided washing facilities accessible to local people as well as supporting the small-scale weaving industry.

[8][14] A notable remnant of this move is the village's mercat cross, which incorporates parts dating back to the 14th century.

Due to the move from an original position on Kirk Road, and the fact that it incorporates a large sundial, it has been placed at an unusual angle at the centre of the 'new' village.

As a consequence, Houston did not experience the railway boom of nearby villages like Bridge of Weir and Kilmacolm, expanding slowly until the later half of the 20th century when it became a popular commuter settlement.

[8] In July 2007, Houston was featured prominently in news reports around the United Kingdom after it was discovered that inhabitants of a house in the village were linked to the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack of 30 June.

[16] The Houston Community Council observed that "it is a sobering thought that such a situation could happen on our very doorstep and that even in a quiet, rural setting such as ours there can be people intent on disrupting the natural balance of things by violent means.

[18] The parish spreads over a wide rural hinterland including a number of nearby settlements, the most significant being Crosslee, Craigends and Barochan.

The community council is chiefly a consultative body, forming a focus for local views, and has no statutory powers of its own.

Houston forms part of the Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency for elections to the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The old village was a planned community of houses largely built around the Houston Burn, which gave communal access to washing facilities.

Following his death aged 28 while sitting as Member of Parliament for West Renfrewshire, his mother provided the building costs as a memorial.

The ruin, dated 1635 but believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century,[22] still stands some 4 miles (6 km) west of the centre of Houston on the Barochan Cross Road.

This church is now held by the Kilallan Kirk Preservation Trust following its donation by Elderslie Estates in 2005 and is a scheduled historic monument.

The church's manse, which is immediately adjacent to it, also finds continued use as a private residence and is thought to be the oldest existing dwellinghouse in Renfrewshire.

[8] The village hosts a regular beer festival/[25] A microbrewery, the Houston Brewing Company, also formerly operated from a building adjacent to the Fox and Hounds.

[36] The local distribution network operator, the organisation licensed to transmit electricity from the National Grid to consumers, is Scottish Power.