Houston is open for business. The coastal Texas city tries to make it simple for entrepreneurs to set up shop and has no general business license. In fact, Houston and Bexar County keep local regulation at a minimum and leave most of the licensing to the state. Therefore, Houston residents have relatively few forms and relatively few costs to get their enterprises up and running. Houston's position on the Gulf of Mexico make it a major port for oil and gas. Accordingly, it has a powerful energy industry as well biomedical research and aeronautics sectors. Houston's ship canal and port drive important shipping and maritime industries.