We're No. 1!

Everybody get ready to brag to your out-of-town friends again: For the second week, Houston has the most expensive gasoline in the state. The weekly AAA Texas gas-price survey found the average cost of a gallon of unleaded in Houston went up 4 cents this week, to $2.93 a gallon. That's 8 cents more than the statewide average of $2.85, up about 5 cents over last week and 62 cents over last year's average. The increases, AAA says, are the result of record high crude oil prices.

"With the price of crude oil reaching an all-time record high of $75.19 this week and demand for motor fuel remaining strong this summer, retail gasoline prices are only a few cents away from the record highs reached following Hurricane Katrina last year," said auto club spokeswoman Rose Rougeau.

HoustonGasPrices.com reports that the cheapest gallon of gas in the Houston area is $2.68 at the Kroger at 249 and 2920 in Tomball; the most expensive is $3.18 at the Shell station at the Southwest Freeway and Chimney Rock (a full 9 cents higher than the second-most expensive gallon in town). If you're looking for really cheap gas, take a trip to Corpus Christi, where the AAA says gas averages $2.70 a gallon.