Interstate 610 (I-610) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that forms a 37.972-mile-long (61.110 km) loop around the inner city sector of the city of Houston, Texas. I-610, colloquially known as The Loop, Loop 610, The Inner Loop, or just 610, traditionally marks the border between the inner city of Houston and its surrounding areas. It is the innermost of the three Houston beltways, the other two being Beltway 8 and State Highway 99, of which various segments are under construction or planning. In Houston, the area inside I-610 is the urban core. Jeff Balke of the Houston Press wrote that the freeway "is as much a social and philosophical divide as a physical one". Mike Snyder in the Houston Chronicle wrote that, as someone from inside I-610, he historically felt "kind of special" due to being close to "the city's historical core and its major business, educational and cultural institutions".
I-610 seen from Park Towers South (North Post Oak and I-610) in Houston; view toward south and toward the interchange with I-69/US 59