The most populous cities in area code 281 are: Houston, Sugar Land, Spring, Baytown, and Humble.
Other cities in the 281 area code include: Katy, Alvin, Kemah, Deer Park, Friendswood, La Porte, Dickinson, Tomball, League City, Cleveland, Cypress, Kingwood, Richmond, Stafford, Fresno, Pinehurst, Porter, Channelview, Manvel, Rosenberg, Seabrook, Highlands, Bacliff, Rosharon, Splendora, Huffman, Brookshire, Fulshear, North Houston, Conroe, and Crosby.
Houston is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth-most populous city in the United States. With a census-estimated 2014 population of 2.239 million within an area of 667 square miles (1,730 km 2), it also is the largest city in the southern United States and the seat of Harris County. Located in Southeast Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, it is the principal city of The Greater Houston metro area, which is the fifth-most populated MSA in the United States.Houston was founded on August 28, 1836, near the banks of Buffalo Bayou (now known as Allen's Landing) and incorporated as a city on June 5, 1837. The city was named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had commanded and won at the Battle of San Jacinto 25 miles (40 km) east of where the city was established. The burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the city's population. In the mid-20th century, Houston became the home of the Texas Medical Center —the world's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions—and NASA's Johnson Space Center, where the Mission Control Center is located. Houston's economy has a broad industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and transportation. Leading in health care sectors and building oilfield equipment, outside of New York City, Houston has more Fortune 500 headquarters than any other U.S. municipality within it's city limits. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled. Nicknamed the "Space City", Houston is a global city, with strengths in business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine, and research. The city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. Houston is the most diverse city in Texas and has been described as the most diverse in the United States. It is home to many cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District. Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District and offers year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. The city is within the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. It is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent between 2000 and 2010. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a 46.24% job growth. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 78,817. In 2015 the population had risen to an estimated 88,156. Founded as a sugar plantation in the early mid-20th century and incorporated in 1959, Sugar Land is the largest city and economic center of Fort Bend County.Sugar Land is home to the headquarters of Imperial Sugar, and the company's main sugar refinery and distribution center were once located in the city. Recognizing this heritage, the Imperial Sugar crown logo can be seen in the city seal and logo.
Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston in Harris County, Texas, United States, part of the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. The population was 54,298 at the 2010 census. While the name "Spring" is applied to a large area of northern Harris County and a smaller area of southern Montgomery County, the original town of Spring, now known as Old Town Spring, is located at the intersection of Spring-Cypress and Hardy roads and encompasses a relatively small area of perhaps 1 km 2.
The 281 area code lies within the Central Daylight Time Zone (or CDT). The current time in Central Daylight Time is 7:27 PM on May 24, 2022.
