Clear Lake is a brackish lake located near Houston

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, USA in Harris County

Harris County, Texas

As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...

. The lake feeds Galveston Bay

Galveston Bay

Galveston Bay is a large estuary located along the upper coast of Texas in the United States. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by sub-tropic marshes and prairies on the mainland. The water in the Bay is a complex mixture of sea water and fresh water which supports a wide...

. It is bordered by Houston (Clear Lake City

Clear Lake City (Greater Houston)

Clear Lake City is a master-planned community located in southeast Harris County, Texas, within the Bay Area of Greater Houston. It is the second-largest master-planned community in Houston — behind Kingwood...

), Pasadena

Pasadena, Texas

Pasadena is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Harris County, 17th-largest in Texas, and 162nd largest in the United States. The area was founded in 1893 by John H. Burnett of Galveston....

, League City

League City, Texas

League City is a city in Galveston County and Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 45,444; in the 2006 census estimate, the population was listed as 67,200. The 2010 Census places the population of League City...

, Clear Lake Shores

Clear Lake Shores, Texas

Clear Lake Shores is a city in Galveston County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Clear Lake Shores is regarded as "The Yachting Capital of Texas" as the City has more boat slips than people. As of the 2000 U.S...

, Taylor Lake Village

Taylor Lake Village, Texas

Taylor Lake Village is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,694 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Taylor Lake Village is located at ....

, and El Lago, Texas

El Lago, Texas

El Lago is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,075 at the 2000 census.El Lago has particular historical significance as it sits on the site of one of the main hide-outs for the famed pirate and war hero Jean Lafitte....

. NASA

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

's Johnson Space Center lies near its shores.

The lake is a major recreation center and home to one of the largest concentrations of recreational boats and marinas in the nation. The communities surrounding the lake, known collectively as the Clear Lake Area, contain a large base of tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 and high-tech businesses.