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Galveston County, Texas

Galveston County (/ˈɡælvɪstən/ GAL-vis-tən) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, located along the Gulf Coast adjacent to Galveston Bay. As of the 2020 census, the population was 350,682.[1] The county was founded in 1838. The county seat is the City of Galveston, founded the following year of 1839, located on Galveston Island. The most populous municipality in the county is League City, a suburb of Houston at the northern end of the county, which surpassed Galveston in population during the early 2000s.[2]

Galveston County
Galveston County Courts Building
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 29°23′N 94°52′W / 29.38°N 94.86°W / 29.38; -94.86
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1838
Named forCity of Galveston
SeatGalveston
Largest cityLeague City
Area
 • Total874 sq mi (2,260 km2)
 • Land378 sq mi (980 km2)
 • Water495 sq mi (1,280 km2)  57%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total350,682
 • Estimate 
(2021)
355,062
 • Density400/sq mi (150/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district14th
Websitewww.galvestoncountytx.gov

Galveston County is part of the nine-county Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land (Greater Houston) metropolitan statistical area.

History

Sixteenth-century Spanish explorers knew Galveston Island as the Isla de Malhado, the "Isle of Misfortune", or Isla de Culebras, the "Isle of Snakes".[3] In 1519, the expedition led by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda actually sailed past Galveston Island while he was charting the route from the Florida peninsula to the Pánuco River. The information gathered from the expedition enabled the Spanish government to establish control over the entire Gulf Coast, including Galveston Island. In 1783, José Antonio de Evia, a Spanish navigator, surveyed the area and named the bay Galveston to honor Bernardo de Gálvez, who supported the United States in the Revolutionary War.[4]

Galveston County was formally established under the Republic of Texas on May 15, 1838.[5] The county was formed from territory taken from Harrisburg, Liberty, and Brazoria Counties, with governmental organization taking place in 1839.[6] The island and city of Galveston was by far the most important population center. The city of Galveston was the republic's largest city and its center of commerce and culture. Port Bolivar on the Bolivar Peninsula was a port of secondary importance. Other development in the area was initially mostly ranching interests and small farming communities. Texas soon joined the United States, and Galveston's importance continued to grow as it came to dominate the worldwide cotton trade. As railroads between Galveston, Harrisburg, Houston, and other towns were built during the 19th century, small communities grew up along the rail lines. Nevertheless, Galveston continued to remain a prominent destination for the shipping and trade industries. A bridge was completed in 1859, when the Galveston, Houston, and Henderson Railroad built a wooden trestle that was used by all other railway lines to the island until 1875, when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built its own bridge. At the end of the 19th century, a group of investors established Texas City directly across the West Bay from Galveston with the hope of making it a competing port city. The port began operations just before the start of the 20th century.

 
Map of Galveston County in 1879
 
Queen of Angels Church in Dickinson, Texas

The 1900 Galveston Hurricane devastated the county, killing an estimated 6000 people on the island alone and numerous others in the rest of the county. The Port of Galveston was closed for a time during reconstruction, but recovery was swift and profound. By 1910, the county's citizens had developed the commission form of government, constructed the seawall, and raised the merit of the whole city.

Investors had worried that the Texas coast was a dangerous place to establish major commercial operations because of the threat of hurricanes, and the 1900 disaster seemed to prove that. Though Galveston rebuilt its port and other major operations quickly, major investment moved inland, largely to Houston. Soon, Houston and Texas City had outpaced Galveston as major ports.

The oil boom in Texas began in 1901, and soon pipelines and refineries were built in Texas City. Industrial growth blossomed, especially during World War II. Galveston's manufacturing sector, however, was more stagnant during the 20th century.

Galveston, traditionally an attractive tourist destination even before the storm, transformed itself into a major, nationally known destination. It was around this time that entrepreneur, power broker and racketeer, Sam Maceo rose to power and transformed the island in what was known as the Free State of Galveston. [7] During this time period, the city was home to many casinos, whorehouses and speakeasies, in addition to becoming a center of culture, economy and nightlife, all due to the free availability of gambling and alcohol. [7] The city's entertainment business spread throughout the county with major casino districts in Kemah and Dickinson enabled by a lax attitude among law enforcement in the county (Houstonians often humorously referred to the Galveston County line as the "Maceo-Dickinson line"). The county prospered as oil fueled Texas City's industrial growth, and wealthy tourists flocked to Galveston and the other entertainment districts. [7]

The gambling empire was destroyed in the 1950s as state law enforcement dismantled its establishments. Galveston's economy crashed as did the economies of some other county municipalities that were dependent on tourism. Texas City's economy weathered the storm because of its strong industry.

The establishment on NASA's Johnson Space Center in 1963 soon created new growth opportunities for the county municipalities near Clear Lake and Harris County. The Clear Lake area communities in Harris and Galveston Counties soon became more tied toward each other, while the island of Galveston languished for many years as businesses increasingly left for the mainland.

Tourism has gradually resurged, both on the island and on the mainland, and today has become a major industry in the county. Aerospace and related service industries continue to be important in the Clear Lake area of the county. Texas City has become an important petrochemical center.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 874 square miles (2,260 km2), of which 378 square miles (980 km2) is land and 495 square miles (1,280 km2) (57%) is covered by water.[8]

Galveston County is located on the plains of the Texas Gulf Coast in the southeastern part of the state. The county is bounded on the northeast by Galveston Bay and on the northwest by Clear Creek and Clear Lake. Much of the county covers Galveston Bay, and is bounded to the south by the Galveston Seawall and beaches on the Gulf of Mexico.

Adjacent counties

Communities

Galveston County has several unincorporated areas; most of them are on the Bolivar Peninsula. Others are outside of Hitchcock and Santa Fe along Texas State Highway 6, and the three communities in the "Bayshore" area: Bacliff, San Leon, and Bayview.[9]

Cities

Villages

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Alta Loma, previously unincorporated,[10] became a part of Santa Fe in 1978.[11]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
18504,529
18608,22981.7%
187015,29085.8%
188024,12157.8%
189031,47630.5%
190044,11640.2%
191044,4790.8%
192053,15019.5%
193064,40121.2%
194081,17326.0%
1950113,06639.3%
1960140,36424.1%
1970169,81221.0%
1980195,94015.4%
1990217,39911.0%
2000250,15815.1%
2010291,30916.5%
2020350,68220.4%
2021 (est.)355,062[12]1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]
1850–2010[14] 2010[15] 2020[16]
Galveston County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[15] Pop 2020[16] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 172,652 191,358 59.27% 54.57%
Black or African American alone (NH) 39,229 43,120 13.47% 12.30%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1,052 1,036 0.36% 0.30%
Asian alone (NH) 8,515 12,202 2.92% 3.48%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 128 223 0.04% 0.06%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 426 1,455 0.15% 0.41%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 4,037 12,652 1.39% 3.61%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 65,270 88,636 22.41% 25.28%
Total 291,309 350,682 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the U.S. Census Bureau treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

According to the census of 2000, 250,158 people, 94,782 households, and 66,157 families resided in the county.[17] The population density was 628 people per square mile (242/km2). The 111,733 housing units averaged 280 per square mile (108/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 72.69% White, 15.44% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 2.10% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 7.18% from other races, and 2.08% from two or more races. About 18% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. By the publication of the 2020 census, the population grew to 350,682 with a racial and ethnic makeup at 54.57% non-Hispanic white, 12.30% non-Hispanic Black or African American, 0.30% non-Hispanic Native American, 3.48% non-Hispanic Asian, 0.06% non-Hispanic Pacific Islander, 0.41% non-Hispanic some other race, 3.61% non-Hispanic multiracial, and 25.28% Hispanic or Latino of any race.[16]

Of the 94,782 households at the 2000 census, 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were married couples living together, 13.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were not families. Around 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was distributed as 26.70% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $42,419, and for a family was $51,435. Males had a median income of $41,406 versus $28,703 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,568. About 10.10% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.60% of those under age 18 and 10.20% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

United States Congress

U.S. Senators Name Party First Elected Level
Senate Class 2 John Cornyn Republican 2002 Senior Senator
Senate Class 1 Ted Cruz Republican 2012 Junior Senator
U.S. Representatives Name Party First Elected
District 14 Randy Weber Republican 2012
United States presidential election results for Galveston County, Texas[18]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 93,911 60.56% 58,842 37.95% 2,307 1.49%
2016 73,757 60.01% 43,658 35.52% 5,488 4.47%
2012 69,059 62.74% 39,511 35.89% 1,508 1.37%
2008 62,258 59.29% 41,805 39.81% 941 0.90%
2004 61,290 57.83% 43,919 41.44% 772 0.73%
2000 50,397 54.20% 40,020 43.04% 2,566 2.76%
1996 35,251 44.01% 38,458 48.02% 6,380 7.97%
1992 31,303 34.69% 38,623 42.80% 20,316 22.51%
1988 34,913 47.15% 38,633 52.18% 496 0.67%
1984 40,262 52.40% 36,092 46.97% 482 0.63%
1980 29,527 46.65% 30,778 48.62% 2,992 4.73%
1976 25,251 39.62% 37,873 59.42% 611 0.96%
1972 30,936 57.49% 22,565 41.93% 310 0.58%
1968 16,229 30.86% 26,041 49.52% 10,322 19.63%
1964 12,365 28.64% 30,672 71.04% 136 0.32%
1960 16,373 40.10% 23,940 58.64% 515 1.26%
1956 17,567 52.43% 15,603 46.57% 336 1.00%
1952 15,715 45.00% 19,058 54.58% 147 0.42%
1948 4,857 25.85% 12,491 66.47% 1,444 7.68%
1944 1,542 10.23% 11,748 77.94% 1,784 11.83%
1940 2,443 17.92% 11,161 81.87% 28 0.21%
1936 1,666 15.00% 9,370 84.37% 70 0.63%
1932 2,011 15.98% 10,491 83.38% 80 0.64%
1928 4,401 42.43% 5,951 57.38% 20 0.19%
1924 1,912 25.10% 5,068 66.52% 639 8.39%
1920 1,625 30.27% 2,933 54.63% 811 15.11%
1916 1,263 25.64% 3,543 71.94% 119 2.42%
1912 336 10.01% 2,513 74.86% 508 15.13%

Texas Legislature

Texas Senate

District Name Party First Elected
11 Larry Taylor Republican 1999

Texas House of Representatives

District Name Party First Elected Area(s) of Galveston County Represented
23 Mayes Middleton Republican 2014 Galveston, Jamaica Beach, Texas City, Port Bolivar, Crystal Beach, Gilchrist & High Island
24 Greg Bonnen Republican 2012 Hitchcock, La Marque, Santa Fe, Dickinson, League City, Friendswood (Galveston County part), Algoa, Kemah, Clear Lake Shores
 
Galveston County Administrative Courthouse
 
The Joe Max Taylor Galveston Law Enforcement Facility includes the main station of the Galveston County Sheriff's Office

Education

Eight independent school districts (ISDs) serve Galveston County communities:[19]

A ninth school district, La Marque Independent School District, was subsumed into Texas City ISD in 2016 after the Texas Education Agency revoked its accreditation due to poor academic and financial performance.[20]

Higher education

The city of Galveston is home to Texas A&M University at Galveston, an extension of the main A&M campus in College Station, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

The Texas Legislature specified that the following community colleges also serve the area: College of the Mainland for Texas City (including former La Marque), Hitchcock, Santa Fe, Friendswood, and Dickinson school districts as well as the Galveston County portion of Clear Creek ISD (in other words, mainland Galveston County); and Galveston College for Galveston ISD and High Island ISD (the islands).[21]

Public libraries

The Galveston County Library System operates libraries in most of the larger towns and cities. The Rosenberg Library in Galveston has the distinction of being the oldest public library in Texas, and serves as the headquarters for the Galveston County Library System. Its librarian also functions as the Galveston County librarian. Also, seven other libraries are in Galveston County, including the Genevieve Miller Library in Hitchcock, the La Marque Public Library, the Helen Hall Public Library in League City, the Moore Memorial Public Library in Texas City, the Dickinson Public Library, the Friendswood Public Library, and the Mae Bruce Library in Santa Fe.

Political organization

The head of a Texas county, as set up in the Texas Constitution, is the county judge, who sits as the chair of the county's commissioners' court.[22] The county is split into four geographical divisions called precincts. Each precinct elects a commissioner to sit as a representative of their precinct on the commissioners court and also for the oversight of county functions in their area.

Other elected positions in Galveston County include a county clerk, a district attorney, a district clerk, a county clerk, a sheriff, nine constables, a tax assessor-collector, a county treasurer, and every judge in the county except municipal judges, who are appointed by the officials of their respective cities.[23]

Hospital services

Galveston County is served by a major medical complex in Galveston and a private for-profit hospital in Texas City.

The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston is a 1,200-bed, major medical complex of seven hospitals. The main general-care hospital is John Sealy Hospital, with other on-campus hospitals specializing in women, children, burn victims, geriatrics, and psychiatrics. Currently, UTMB is certified as a level I trauma center and serves as the lead trauma facility for the nine-county region in southeast Texas, including the Greater Houston area.[24]

The Mainland Medical Center, a 233-bed, private, for-profit hospital, operates in Texas City.[25]

Corrections

The Galveston County Jail is located at 5700 Avenue H in Galveston.[26]

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice and University of Texas Medical Branch manage health care facilities for prisoners in Galveston, Galveston County. The facilities include the co-gender Galveston Hospital for prisoners in Galveston[27] and the Young Medical Facility Complex for females in Texas City.[28] Hospital Galveston began contracting for medical treatment of prisoners in 1983.[29] Young opened in 1996 as the Texas City Regional Medical Unit.[30]

Transportation

Major highways

Airports

Scholes International Airport at Galveston (IATA: GLS, ICAO: KGLS), the county's sole publicly owned airport, is a two-runway airport located on Galveston Island in Galveston. The airport is primarily used for general aviation, offshore energy transportation, and some limited military operations.

Privately owned airports for private use include Creasy Airport and Kami-Kazi Airport, both inn unincorporated areas.

The closest airport with regularly scheduled commercial service is William P. Hobby Airport, located in Houston.[citation needed] The Houston Airport System stated that Galveston County is also within the primary service area of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, an international airport near Houston in Harris County.[31]

Private heliports for private use include:

Rail

All rail traffic is currently industry-related. Regularly scheduled passenger rail service in Galveston County ceased on April 11, 1967.[32]

Mass transit

The City of Galveston is served by Island Transit, a public transportation agency.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  2. ^ Schladen, Marty (July 23, 2006). . Galveston County Daily News. Archived from the original on December 31, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ Diana J. Kleiner. "Galveston County". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  4. ^ "Galveston". Galveston County Historical Museum. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  5. ^ Office of the Auditor of Galveston County, Texas. "Galveston County 2007 Comprehensive Financial Report" (PDF). Galveston County, Texas. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  6. ^ Galveston County, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
  7. ^ a b c "Sam Maceo is the kindly king of the Texas gambling realm".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  9. ^ Evans, Thayer. "Crime numbers go down - Figures drop 26.4 percent in unincorporated Galveston County." Houston Chronicle. Thursday February 3, 2005. ThisWeek p. 1. "Other unincorporated areas are along Texas 6 outside Hitchcock and Santa Fe and in the Bayshore area, which includes Bacliff, Bayview and San Leon." Available at NewsBank Record Number: 3841079.
  10. ^ "Community Plan 2010-2011." Galveston County. p. 3 (PDF 3/41). Retrieved on January 5, 2015.
  11. ^ "ALTA LOMA, TX." Handbook of Texas. Retrieved on January 5, 2015.
  12. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021". Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  13. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  14. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  15. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Galveston County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  16. ^ a b c "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Galveston County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  17. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  19. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Galveston County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022. - Text list
  20. ^ Zaveri, Mihir. "Texas City ISD moves toward absorbing La Marque school district" (). Houston Chronicle. Wednesday, February 17, 2016. Retrieved on March 22, 2018.
  21. ^ Texas Education Code Sec. 130.174. COLLEGE OF THE MAINLAND DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Sec. 130.179. GALVESTON COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
  22. ^ Galveston County, http://www.co.galveston.tx.us/County_Judge/default.htm
  23. ^ "Pages - Galveston County". co.galveston.tx.us.
  24. ^ "Welcome - School of Health Professions - UTMB Health" (PDF). sahs.utmb.edu.
  25. ^ Mainland Medical Center, http://www.mainlandmedical.com/CustomPage.asp?guidCustomContentID={263215B6-AC55-4276-A52B-B8F34390E0BE} June 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "Corrections Bureau - Jail Division." Galveston County Sheriff's Office. Accessed September 12, 2008.
  27. ^ "Hospital Galveston." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Accessed September 12, 2008.
  28. ^ "YOUNG MEDICAL FACILITY COMPLEX (GC) August 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Accessed September 12, 2008.
  29. ^ Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Turner Publishing Company, 2004. 50. ISBN 1-56311-964-1, ISBN 978-1-56311-964-4.
  30. ^ Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Turner Publishing Company, 2004. 51. ISBN 1-56311-964-1, ISBN 978-1-56311-964-4.
  31. ^ "Master Plan Executive Summary July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." George Bush Intercontinental Airport Master Plan. Houston Airport System. December 2006. 2-1 (23/130). Retrieved on December 14, 2010.
  32. ^ "Galveston County Railroad Museum". galvestonrrmuseum.com.
  33. ^ "ASHE, John Baptista, (1810 - 1857)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  34. ^ "88 Dez Bryant, R". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  35. ^ "Red Bryant". Pro-Football-Reference.Com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.

Further reading

  • Petitt, Jr., B.M. and A.G. Winslow. (1957). Geology and ground-water resources of Galveston County, Texas [U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 1416]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

External links

  • Galveston County government’s website
  • Galveston County Economic Development
  • Historic materials of Galveston County, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
  • Galveston Island State Park
  • Galveston County, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
  • Galveston County District Court
  • "Galveston. I. A S. E. county of Texas" . The American Cyclopædia. 1879.

Coordinates: 29°23′N 94°52′W / 29.38°N 94.86°W / 29.38; -94.86

galveston, county, texas, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, 2. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Galveston County Texas news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message Galveston County ˈ ɡ ae l v ɪ s t en GAL vis ten is a county in the U S state of Texas located along the Gulf Coast adjacent to Galveston Bay As of the 2020 census the population was 350 682 1 The county was founded in 1838 The county seat is the City of Galveston founded the following year of 1839 located on Galveston Island The most populous municipality in the county is League City a suburb of Houston at the northern end of the county which surpassed Galveston in population during the early 2000s 2 Galveston CountyU S countyGalveston County Courts BuildingSealLocation within the U S state of TexasTexas s location within the U S Coordinates 29 23 N 94 52 W 29 38 N 94 86 W 29 38 94 86Country United StatesState TexasFounded1838Named forCity of GalvestonSeatGalvestonLargest cityLeague CityArea Total874 sq mi 2 260 km2 Land378 sq mi 980 km2 Water495 sq mi 1 280 km2 57 Population 2020 Total350 682 Estimate 2021 355 062 Density400 sq mi 150 km2 Time zoneUTC 6 Central Summer DST UTC 5 CDT Congressional district14thWebsitewww wbr galvestoncountytx wbr govGalveston County is part of the nine county Houston The Woodlands Sugar Land Greater Houston metropolitan statistical area Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2 1 Adjacent counties 3 Communities 3 1 Cities 3 2 Villages 3 3 Census designated places 3 4 Unincorporated communities 4 Demographics 5 Politics 5 1 United States Congress 5 2 Texas Legislature 5 2 1 Texas Senate 5 2 2 Texas House of Representatives 6 Education 6 1 Higher education 6 2 Public libraries 7 Political organization 8 Hospital services 9 Corrections 10 Transportation 10 1 Major highways 10 2 Airports 10 3 Rail 10 4 Mass transit 11 Notable people 12 See also 13 References 14 Further reading 15 External linksHistory EditSixteenth century Spanish explorers knew Galveston Island as the Isla de Malhado the Isle of Misfortune or Isla de Culebras the Isle of Snakes 3 In 1519 the expedition led by Alonso Alvarez de Pineda actually sailed past Galveston Island while he was charting the route from the Florida peninsula to the Panuco River The information gathered from the expedition enabled the Spanish government to establish control over the entire Gulf Coast including Galveston Island In 1783 Jose Antonio de Evia a Spanish navigator surveyed the area and named the bay Galveston to honor Bernardo de Galvez who supported the United States in the Revolutionary War 4 Galveston County was formally established under the Republic of Texas on May 15 1838 5 The county was formed from territory taken from Harrisburg Liberty and Brazoria Counties with governmental organization taking place in 1839 6 The island and city of Galveston was by far the most important population center The city of Galveston was the republic s largest city and its center of commerce and culture Port Bolivar on the Bolivar Peninsula was a port of secondary importance Other development in the area was initially mostly ranching interests and small farming communities Texas soon joined the United States and Galveston s importance continued to grow as it came to dominate the worldwide cotton trade As railroads between Galveston Harrisburg Houston and other towns were built during the 19th century small communities grew up along the rail lines Nevertheless Galveston continued to remain a prominent destination for the shipping and trade industries A bridge was completed in 1859 when the Galveston Houston and Henderson Railroad built a wooden trestle that was used by all other railway lines to the island until 1875 when the Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built its own bridge At the end of the 19th century a group of investors established Texas City directly across the West Bay from Galveston with the hope of making it a competing port city The port began operations just before the start of the 20th century Map of Galveston County in 1879 Queen of Angels Church in Dickinson Texas The 1900 Galveston Hurricane devastated the county killing an estimated 6000 people on the island alone and numerous others in the rest of the county The Port of Galveston was closed for a time during reconstruction but recovery was swift and profound By 1910 the county s citizens had developed the commission form of government constructed the seawall and raised the merit of the whole city Investors had worried that the Texas coast was a dangerous place to establish major commercial operations because of the threat of hurricanes and the 1900 disaster seemed to prove that Though Galveston rebuilt its port and other major operations quickly major investment moved inland largely to Houston Soon Houston and Texas City had outpaced Galveston as major ports The oil boom in Texas began in 1901 and soon pipelines and refineries were built in Texas City Industrial growth blossomed especially during World War II Galveston s manufacturing sector however was more stagnant during the 20th century Galveston traditionally an attractive tourist destination even before the storm transformed itself into a major nationally known destination It was around this time that entrepreneur power broker and racketeer Sam Maceo rose to power and transformed the island in what was known as the Free State of Galveston 7 During this time period the city was home to many casinos whorehouses and speakeasies in addition to becoming a center of culture economy and nightlife all due to the free availability of gambling and alcohol 7 The city s entertainment business spread throughout the county with major casino districts in Kemah and Dickinson enabled by a lax attitude among law enforcement in the county Houstonians often humorously referred to the Galveston County line as the Maceo Dickinson line The county prospered as oil fueled Texas City s industrial growth and wealthy tourists flocked to Galveston and the other entertainment districts 7 The gambling empire was destroyed in the 1950s as state law enforcement dismantled its establishments Galveston s economy crashed as did the economies of some other county municipalities that were dependent on tourism Texas City s economy weathered the storm because of its strong industry The establishment on NASA s Johnson Space Center in 1963 soon created new growth opportunities for the county municipalities near Clear Lake and Harris County The Clear Lake area communities in Harris and Galveston Counties soon became more tied toward each other while the island of Galveston languished for many years as businesses increasingly left for the mainland Tourism has gradually resurged both on the island and on the mainland and today has become a major industry in the county Aerospace and related service industries continue to be important in the Clear Lake area of the county Texas City has become an important petrochemical center Geography EditAccording to the United States Census Bureau the county has a total area of 874 square miles 2 260 km2 of which 378 square miles 980 km2 is land and 495 square miles 1 280 km2 57 is covered by water 8 Galveston County is located on the plains of the Texas Gulf Coast in the southeastern part of the state The county is bounded on the northeast by Galveston Bay and on the northwest by Clear Creek and Clear Lake Much of the county covers Galveston Bay and is bounded to the south by the Galveston Seawall and beaches on the Gulf of Mexico Adjacent counties Edit Harris County north Chambers County northeast Gulf of Mexico southeast Brazoria County west Communities EditGalveston County has several unincorporated areas most of them are on the Bolivar Peninsula Others are outside of Hitchcock and Santa Fe along Texas State Highway 6 and the three communities in the Bayshore area Bacliff San Leon and Bayview 9 Cities Edit Bayou Vista Clear Lake Shores Dickinson Friendswood small part in Harris County Galveston county seat Hitchcock Jamaica Beach Kemah La Marque League City small part in Harris County Santa Fe Texas City Villages Edit Tiki IslandCensus designated places Edit Bacliff Bolivar Peninsula San LeonUnincorporated communities Edit Algoa Bayview Caplen Crystal Beach Gilchrist High Island Port Bolivar Alta Loma previously unincorporated 10 became a part of Santa Fe in 1978 11 Demographics EditHistorical populationCensus Pop 18504 529 18608 22981 7 187015 29085 8 188024 12157 8 189031 47630 5 190044 11640 2 191044 4790 8 192053 15019 5 193064 40121 2 194081 17326 0 1950113 06639 3 1960140 36424 1 1970169 81221 0 1980195 94015 4 1990217 39911 0 2000250 15815 1 2010291 30916 5 2020350 68220 4 2021 est 355 062 12 1 2 U S Decennial Census 13 1850 2010 14 2010 15 2020 16 Galveston County Texas Demographic Profile NH Non Hispanic Race Ethnicity Pop 2010 15 Pop 2020 16 2010 2020White alone NH 172 652 191 358 59 27 54 57 Black or African American alone NH 39 229 43 120 13 47 12 30 Native American or Alaska Native alone NH 1 052 1 036 0 36 0 30 Asian alone NH 8 515 12 202 2 92 3 48 Pacific Islander alone NH 128 223 0 04 0 06 Some Other Race alone NH 426 1 455 0 15 0 41 Mixed Race Multi Racial NH 4 037 12 652 1 39 3 61 Hispanic or Latino any race 65 270 88 636 22 41 25 28 Total 291 309 350 682 100 00 100 00 Note the U S Census Bureau treats Hispanic Latino as an ethnic category This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category Hispanics Latinos can be of any race According to the census of 2000 250 158 people 94 782 households and 66 157 families resided in the county 17 The population density was 628 people per square mile 242 km2 The 111 733 housing units averaged 280 per square mile 108 km2 The racial makeup of the county was 72 69 White 15 44 Black or African American 0 47 Native American 2 10 Asian 0 04 Pacific Islander 7 18 from other races and 2 08 from two or more races About 18 of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race By the publication of the 2020 census the population grew to 350 682 with a racial and ethnic makeup at 54 57 non Hispanic white 12 30 non Hispanic Black or African American 0 30 non Hispanic Native American 3 48 non Hispanic Asian 0 06 non Hispanic Pacific Islander 0 41 non Hispanic some other race 3 61 non Hispanic multiracial and 25 28 Hispanic or Latino of any race 16 Of the 94 782 households at the 2000 census 33 80 had children under the age of 18 living with them 52 40 were married couples living together 13 10 had a female householder with no husband present and 30 20 were not families Around 25 1 of all households were made up of individuals and 8 1 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older The average household size was 2 60 and the average family size was 3 12 In the county the population was distributed as 26 70 under the age of 18 8 70 from 18 to 24 30 20 from 25 to 44 23 30 from 45 to 64 and 11 10 who were 65 years of age or older The median age was 36 years For every 100 females there were 95 90 males For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93 10 males In 2000 the median income for a household in the county was 42 419 and for a family was 51 435 Males had a median income of 41 406 versus 28 703 for females The per capita income for the county was 21 568 About 10 10 of families and 13 20 of the population were below the poverty line including 17 60 of those under age 18 and 10 20 of those age 65 or over Politics EditUnited States Congress Edit U S Senators Name Party First Elected LevelSenate Class 2 John Cornyn Republican 2002 Senior SenatorSenate Class 1 Ted Cruz Republican 2012 Junior SenatorU S Representatives Name Party First ElectedDistrict 14 Randy Weber Republican 2012United States presidential election results for Galveston County Texas 18 Year Republican Democratic Third partyNo No No 2020 93 911 60 56 58 842 37 95 2 307 1 49 2016 73 757 60 01 43 658 35 52 5 488 4 47 2012 69 059 62 74 39 511 35 89 1 508 1 37 2008 62 258 59 29 41 805 39 81 941 0 90 2004 61 290 57 83 43 919 41 44 772 0 73 2000 50 397 54 20 40 020 43 04 2 566 2 76 1996 35 251 44 01 38 458 48 02 6 380 7 97 1992 31 303 34 69 38 623 42 80 20 316 22 51 1988 34 913 47 15 38 633 52 18 496 0 67 1984 40 262 52 40 36 092 46 97 482 0 63 1980 29 527 46 65 30 778 48 62 2 992 4 73 1976 25 251 39 62 37 873 59 42 611 0 96 1972 30 936 57 49 22 565 41 93 310 0 58 1968 16 229 30 86 26 041 49 52 10 322 19 63 1964 12 365 28 64 30 672 71 04 136 0 32 1960 16 373 40 10 23 940 58 64 515 1 26 1956 17 567 52 43 15 603 46 57 336 1 00 1952 15 715 45 00 19 058 54 58 147 0 42 1948 4 857 25 85 12 491 66 47 1 444 7 68 1944 1 542 10 23 11 748 77 94 1 784 11 83 1940 2 443 17 92 11 161 81 87 28 0 21 1936 1 666 15 00 9 370 84 37 70 0 63 1932 2 011 15 98 10 491 83 38 80 0 64 1928 4 401 42 43 5 951 57 38 20 0 19 1924 1 912 25 10 5 068 66 52 639 8 39 1920 1 625 30 27 2 933 54 63 811 15 11 1916 1 263 25 64 3 543 71 94 119 2 42 1912 336 10 01 2 513 74 86 508 15 13 Texas Legislature Edit Texas Senate Edit District Name Party First Elected11 Larry Taylor Republican 1999Texas House of Representatives Edit District Name Party First Elected Area s of Galveston County Represented23 Mayes Middleton Republican 2014 Galveston Jamaica Beach Texas City Port Bolivar Crystal Beach Gilchrist amp High Island24 Greg Bonnen Republican 2012 Hitchcock La Marque Santa Fe Dickinson League City Friendswood Galveston County part Algoa Kemah Clear Lake Shores Galveston County Administrative Courthouse The Joe Max Taylor Galveston Law Enforcement Facility includes the main station of the Galveston County Sheriff s OfficeEducation EditEight independent school districts ISDs serve Galveston County communities 19 Clear Creek ISD Dickinson ISD Friendswood ISD Galveston ISD High Island ISD Hitchcock ISD Santa Fe ISD Texas City ISDA ninth school district La Marque Independent School District was subsumed into Texas City ISD in 2016 after the Texas Education Agency revoked its accreditation due to poor academic and financial performance 20 Higher education Edit The city of Galveston is home to Texas A amp M University at Galveston an extension of the main A amp M campus in College Station and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston The Texas Legislature specified that the following community colleges also serve the area College of the Mainland for Texas City including former La Marque Hitchcock Santa Fe Friendswood and Dickinson school districts as well as the Galveston County portion of Clear Creek ISD in other words mainland Galveston County and Galveston College for Galveston ISD and High Island ISD the islands 21 Public libraries Edit The Galveston County Library System operates libraries in most of the larger towns and cities The Rosenberg Library in Galveston has the distinction of being the oldest public library in Texas and serves as the headquarters for the Galveston County Library System Its librarian also functions as the Galveston County librarian Also seven other libraries are in Galveston County including the Genevieve Miller Library in Hitchcock the La Marque Public Library the Helen Hall Public Library in League City the Moore Memorial Public Library in Texas City the Dickinson Public Library the Friendswood Public Library and the Mae Bruce Library in Santa Fe Political organization EditThe head of a Texas county as set up in the Texas Constitution is the county judge who sits as the chair of the county s commissioners court 22 The county is split into four geographical divisions called precincts Each precinct elects a commissioner to sit as a representative of their precinct on the commissioners court and also for the oversight of county functions in their area Other elected positions in Galveston County include a county clerk a district attorney a district clerk a county clerk a sheriff nine constables a tax assessor collector a county treasurer and every judge in the county except municipal judges who are appointed by the officials of their respective cities 23 Hospital services EditGalveston County is served by a major medical complex in Galveston and a private for profit hospital in Texas City The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston is a 1 200 bed major medical complex of seven hospitals The main general care hospital is John Sealy Hospital with other on campus hospitals specializing in women children burn victims geriatrics and psychiatrics Currently UTMB is certified as a level I trauma center and serves as the lead trauma facility for the nine county region in southeast Texas including the Greater Houston area 24 The Mainland Medical Center a 233 bed private for profit hospital operates in Texas City 25 Corrections EditThe Galveston County Jail is located at 5700 Avenue H in Galveston 26 The Texas Department of Criminal Justice and University of Texas Medical Branch manage health care facilities for prisoners in Galveston Galveston County The facilities include the co gender Galveston Hospital for prisoners in Galveston 27 and the Young Medical Facility Complex for females in Texas City 28 Hospital Galveston began contracting for medical treatment of prisoners in 1983 29 Young opened in 1996 as the Texas City Regional Medical Unit 30 Transportation EditMajor highways Edit Interstate 45 State Highway 3 State Highway 6 State Highway 87 State Highway 146Airports Edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message Scholes International Airport at Galveston Scholes International Airport at Galveston IATA GLS ICAO KGLS the county s sole publicly owned airport is a two runway airport located on Galveston Island in Galveston The airport is primarily used for general aviation offshore energy transportation and some limited military operations Privately owned airports for private use include Creasy Airport and Kami Kazi Airport both inn unincorporated areas The closest airport with regularly scheduled commercial service is William P Hobby Airport located in Houston citation needed The Houston Airport System stated that Galveston County is also within the primary service area of George Bush Intercontinental Airport an international airport near Houston in Harris County 31 Private heliports for private use include University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston has two heliports one for Ewing Hall and one for its emergency room Republic Helicopters Heliport is in an unincorporated area adjacent to Hitchcock Rail Edit All rail traffic is currently industry related Regularly scheduled passenger rail service in Galveston County ceased on April 11 1967 32 Mass transit Edit The City of Galveston is served by Island Transit a public transportation agency Notable people EditJohn Baptista Ashe former U S Representative for Tennessee 33 Dez Bryant American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Dallas Cowboys was born in Galveston County 34 Red Bryant American football defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League was born in Galveston County 35 YBN Almighty Jay rapper in the YBN collective was born in Galveston County Larry Taylor Republican member of the Texas Senate from District 11 2013 Present and Texas House of Representatives from District 24 2003 2013 See also Edit Texas portalList of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast National Register of Historic Places listings in Galveston County Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Galveston CountyReferences Edit State amp County QuickFacts United States Census Bureau Retrieved July 5 2022 Schladen Marty July 23 2006 Forces drive people off island Galveston County Daily News Archived from the original on December 31 2007 Retrieved January 14 2014 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Diana J Kleiner Galveston County Texas State Historical Association Retrieved March 16 2018 Galveston Galveston County Historical Museum Retrieved March 17 2018 Office of the Auditor of Galveston County Texas Galveston County 2007 Comprehensive Financial Report PDF Galveston County Texas Archived PDF from the original on October 9 2022 Retrieved November 12 2010 Galveston County Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online a b c Sam Maceo is the kindly king of the Texas gambling realm a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link 2010 Census Gazetteer Files United States Census Bureau August 22 2012 Retrieved April 27 2015 Evans Thayer Crime numbers go down Figures drop 26 4 percent in unincorporated Galveston County Houston Chronicle Thursday February 3 2005 ThisWeek p 1 Other unincorporated areas are along Texas 6 outside Hitchcock and Santa Fe and in the Bayshore area which includes Bacliff Bayview and San Leon Available at NewsBank Record Number 3841079 Community Plan 2010 2011 Galveston County p 3 PDF 3 41 Retrieved on January 5 2015 ALTA LOMA TX Handbook of Texas Retrieved on January 5 2015 Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties April 1 2020 to July 1 2021 Retrieved July 5 2022 Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades US Census Bureau Texas Almanac Population History of Counties from 1850 2010 PDF Texas Almanac Archived PDF from the original on October 9 2022 Retrieved April 27 2015 a b P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE 2010 DEC Redistricting Data PL 94 171 Galveston County Texas United States Census Bureau a b c P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE 2020 DEC Redistricting Data PL 94 171 Galveston County Texas United States Census Bureau U S Census website United States Census Bureau Retrieved May 14 2011 Leip David Dave Leip s Atlas of U S Presidential Elections uselectionatlas org Retrieved July 23 2018 2020 CENSUS SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP Galveston County TX PDF U S Census Bureau Archived PDF from the original on October 9 2022 Retrieved June 29 2022 Text list Zaveri Mihir Texas City ISD moves toward absorbing La Marque school district Archive Houston Chronicle Wednesday February 17 2016 Retrieved on March 22 2018 Texas Education Code Sec 130 174 COLLEGE OF THE MAINLAND DISTRICT SERVICE AREA Sec 130 179 GALVESTON COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA Galveston County http www co galveston tx us County Judge default htm Pages Galveston County co galveston tx us Welcome School of Health Professions UTMB Health PDF sahs utmb edu Mainland Medical Center http www mainlandmedical com CustomPage asp guidCustomContentID 263215B6 AC55 4276 A52B B8F34390E0BE Archived June 11 2008 at the Wayback Machine Corrections Bureau Jail Division Galveston County Sheriff s Office Accessed September 12 2008 Hospital Galveston Texas Department of Criminal Justice Accessed September 12 2008 YOUNG MEDICAL FACILITY COMPLEX GC Archived August 21 2008 at the Wayback Machine Texas Department of Criminal Justice Accessed September 12 2008 Texas Department of Criminal Justice Turner Publishing Company 2004 50 ISBN 1 56311 964 1 ISBN 978 1 56311 964 4 Texas Department of Criminal Justice Turner Publishing Company 2004 51 ISBN 1 56311 964 1 ISBN 978 1 56311 964 4 Master Plan Executive Summary Archived July 11 2011 at the Wayback Machine George Bush Intercontinental Airport Master Plan Houston Airport System December 2006 2 1 23 130 Retrieved on December 14 2010 Galveston County Railroad Museum galvestonrrmuseum com ASHE John Baptista 1810 1857 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Retrieved October 10 2012 88 Dez Bryant R CBSSports com Retrieved November 21 2012 Red Bryant Pro Football Reference Com Retrieved October 3 2012 Further reading EditPetitt Jr B M and A G Winslow 1957 Geology and ground water resources of Galveston County Texas U S Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 1416 Washington D C U S Government Printing Office External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Galveston County Texas Galveston County government s website Galveston County Economic Development Historic materials of Galveston County hosted by the Portal to Texas History Galveston Island State Park Galveston County Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online Galveston County District Court Galveston I A S E county of Texas The American Cyclopaedia 1879 Coordinates 29 23 N 94 52 W 29 38 N 94 86 W 29 38 94 86 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Galveston County Texas amp oldid 1115115993, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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