Houston has received several noteworthy accolades this month.

Houston may have a bad reputation for hot, humid weather and nasty traffic, but according to Fortune Small Business magazine, it’s a pretty good place to start a company.

Fortune ranked Houston the fourth best place among large metropolitan areas in the U.S. to launch a business. In addition to jobs, the city’s ability to weather the recession was noted as a reason for the pick.

Houston also ranks near the top in city income growth, as No. 5 in the nation.

Houston’s success with job growth over the past 25 years has placed the city among the top markets in the country for elevated income levels, according to a new research study.

Bizjournals, an affiliate of the Houston Business Journal, combed through 25 years of federal income data to find the nation’s 100 biggest metropolitan areas, covering the span from 1983 through 2008. The study focused on per capita income, a key indicator of earning power and economic vitality, based on figures compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Forbes put the Houston metropolitan area at No. 4 on their new list of America’s 40 “recession proof” retirement cities. Forbes said it considered such factors as average income for seniors, current and expected home prices, job-growth predictions through 2014, the cost of living and median monthly housing cost.

But, arguably, the most important uptick in our city’s rankings is Houston’s move up the best sports city list! The Bayou City is ranked No. 11 this year, up from No. 12 in 2008, according to the The Sporting News rankings. Go Rockets!