Retail shops, chic restaurants, lofts, office space, and theaters line Houston from the Alamo to Santa Rosa, giving the street its famously eclectic and fashionable reputation.

The two streets serve as part of the east-west backbone of the central business district, with Commerce oriented more towards vehicular traffic and Houston being among the most pedestrian-dense corridors in the city.

The road now known as "Houston" was originally called "Rivas Street" east of the river and "El Paseo del Rio" west of it.

[2] Due in large part to less commercial and vehicular activity along the street, Houston was a much cleaner avenue than that of its southerly sister, a fact that the Maverick family was keen on advertising.

[2] Houston Street roared to life at the dawn of the streetcar age, a period that lasted for 55 years in San Antonio.