Houston, Texas, once viewed as a traditional blue-collar black/white southern city, has evolved into one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse metro areas in the U.S., even surpassing New York in some aspects. With a shifting economy that includes both high-skilled jobs in engineering and medicine and low-skilled minimum-wage positions in construction and services, Houston has become a key destination for new streams of immigration shaping 21st-century America. An annual systematic survey conducted over thirty-eight years has tracked changes in attitudes, beliefs, and experiences, providing a data-driven perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing Houston and the nation. The narrative introduces various new Americans, including a family from Mexico seeking better-paying work since the 1980s, a young man from an affluent Indian family who becomes a doctor in a major medical center, and a white man grappling with job loss due to downsizing. This timely and groundbreaking exploration reveals Houston's role in the rapid transformations redefining American society, showcasing the city as a lens through which we can observe the emerging future of the nation.
