Americans are paying more to live in apartments, as demand for housing increases and many would-be homebuyers are forced to rent because prices for houses have gotten too steep.

A tumultuous year for the economy, prompted by a global pandemic, didn’t stifle the Houston-area housing market in 2020. The area’s housing market gained $42 billion in value last year, according to a recent report from Zillow. Greater Houston’s housing market is now worth an estimated $533 billion -- up $272 billion from 2011. Of the Lone Star State’s largest Texas metro areas, Houston’s housing market isn’t the most valuable (The Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan area holds that distinction) but it did see the largest total increase in value during the pandemic: The Dallas-Fort Worth housing market is worth $625 billion, up $38 billion in value in 2020; Austin’s housing market is worth $264 billion, up $27 billion in value; and San Antonio’s housing market is worth $167 billion, up $9 billion in value. “2020 was a remarkable year for the housing market.

Whatever the reason you’re here, whether you’re honest-to-goodness house hunting, you’re a Christmas- obsessed Zillow-surfer, you’re searching for new images to tack to your dream home vision board, or you just need something magical to gawk at to pass the time cooped up indoors, enjoy a virtual tour of Kris Kringle’s cabin.

HOUSTON – Pasadena is one of America’s most affordable suburbs with a city feel, according to a report on the “Cityness Index” created by Zillow and Yelp Inc.Pasadena offers an affordability edge over Houston. The typical home value in Pasadena is $168,080, which is about 14% lower than in Houston, according to the report. Located about 15 miles southeast of downtown Houston, Pasadena is ranked No. 5 on the list of affordable suburbs. The flexibility to work from home occasionally amid the pandemic is driving more people to consider moving, per the report.

Torn between city life and the quiet suburbs? According to Zillow Research, Pasadena, located approximately 15 miles southeast of downtown Houston, is one of the most affordable suburbs with a city feel in the U.S. The Houston-area suburb ranks fifth on its list, scoring a cityness index of 60.5. Pasadena ranks fifth in the nation on list of best affordable communities with a big city vibe (Zillow)The new “Cityness Index” was created by Zillow and Yelp to help identify U.S. suburbs that best strike that balance. Additionally, Pasadena is determined to be one of the most affordable suburbs with a typical home value of around $168,000, according to Zillow.

Across the big companies in the S&P 500 index, more than a third did not have a single Black director in 2019, according to Black Enterprise. In many cases, forces outside the companies are pushing for better representation in the board room and in senior executive ranks. Shareholders, governments and other proponents say it makes business sense for companies leadership to reflect the customers they serve and the workforces they oversee. In recent years, shareholders and governments have been putting heavier pressure on companies to add women in particular to their boards. Another 27 companies that already have at least one Black director also pledged to encourage corporations broadly to accelerate efforts to get full representation on boards.