It may come as no surprise to the hundreds of young Houstonians who gathered together last weekend for the grand opening of the City's skate park that Houston is No. 1. According to a report from Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Houston is the best city in America in which to live.

Thanks to our thriving Downtown district and booming suburbs, Houston is ranked No. 1 on the Best Cities of 2008 list, which focuses on strong economies, abundant jobs, reasonable living costs and fun things to do.

Click here to see a video presentation from Kiplinger.

Mayor Bill White announced the launch of a new health insurance Web site Tuesday to help consumers make informed choices about purchasing health insurance coverage. The site was created to encourage the uninsured to seek affordable coverage and improve accessibility to information about a variety of health care plans.

Downtown Houston is now home to one of the most beautiful, vibrant parks in the country. Discovery Green opened on April 13 with a ribbon cutting by Mayor Bill White, other elected officials and park volunteers. Hundreds of Houstonians gathered in the park for the official opening, which included live entertainment, games and food aplenty.

Houston continues to move forward. History will look back on these last years as a special time for Houston. In a world of conflict and economic gloom, Houston stands out as a place where people from diverse backgrounds work together and economic opportunity grows. The state of Houston? Well, we’re moving forward.

Since I gave my first State of the City address our region has added a quarter of a million new employees. That growth far outstrips that of other American urban centers.