Everything about Galveston totally explained
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"Galveston" redirects here. For the town in the U.S. state of Indiana, see Galveston, Indiana. For the song, see Galveston (song).
Galveston is a city and the
seat of
Galveston County located along the
Gulf Coast region in the
U.S. state of
Texas within the metropolitan area. As of the 2005
U.S. Census estimate, the city had a total population of 57,466. Galveston is accessible by a
causeway linking
Galveston Island to the mainland on the north end of the city, a toll bridge on the western end of the island, and by ferry boat service on the east end of the city.
Galveston is known for its historic neighborhoods and a ten-mile (16 km) long
seawall designed to protect the city from floods and hurricane storm surge.
The city houses many tourist attractions. The attractions include the Galveston
Schlitterbahn waterpark,
Moody Gardens, the
Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum, the
Lone Star Flight Museum, a downtown neighborhood of historic buildings known as "
The Strand," many historical museums and mansions, and miles of beach front. The Strand plays host to a yearly
Mardi Gras festival, Galveston Island Jazz & Blues Festival, Texas Beach Fest, Lone Star Bike Rally, and a Victorian-themed
Christmas festival called "
Dickens on the Strand" (honoring the works of novelist
Charles Dickens, especially
A Christmas Carol) in early December. Galveston is also home to the
Balinese Room, a historic nightclub, formerly a notorious illegal gambling hall, located on a pier extending into the Gulf of Mexico.
Galveston is the second-largest city in Galveston County in population after
League City; League City surpassed Galveston between 2000 and 2005.
History
Exploration and settlement
Galveston island was originally inhabited by members of the
Karankawa and
Akokisa tribes. The Spanish explorer
Cabeza de Vaca was shipwrecked on the island in 1528 and there began his famous trek to
Mexico. In the late 1600s, the
French explorer
Robert Cavelier de La Salle claimed the area for
Louis XIV and named it
Saint-Louis.
The native tribes were known to have used the name "Auia" for the island and it would later be referred to as "Malhado," the isle of doom, by the first Spaniards.
But during his charting of the Gulf Coast in 1785, the
Spanish explorer José de Evia named the island
Gálvez-towm or
Gálveztown in honor of
Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez. The first permanent European settlements on the island were constructed around 1816 by the pirate
Louis-Michel Aury as a base of operations to support Mexico's rebellion against Spain. In 1817 Aury returned from an unsuccessful raid against Spain to find Galveston occupied by the pirate
Jean Lafitte, who took up residence there after having been driven from his stronghold in Barataria Bay off the coast of
New Orleans, Louisiana. Lafitte organized Galveston into a pirate "kingdom" he called "Campeachy" (or "Campeche"), anointing himself the island's "head of government." Lafitte remained in Galveston until 1821 when he and his raiders were given an ultimatum by the
United States Navy: leave or be destroyed. Lafitte burned his settlement to the ground and sailed under cover of night for parts unknown. There are still rumors that Lafitte's treasure is buried somewhere between Galveston Island, Bolivar Peninsula and High Island.
Following its successful revolution from Spain, the
Congress of Mexico issued a proclamation on October 17, 1825, establishing the
Port of Galveston, and in 1830 erected a customs house. During the
Texas Revolution, Galveston served as the main port for the Texas navy. Galveston also served as the capital of the
Republic of Texas when in 1836
interim president
David G. Burnet relocated his government there.
In 1836, Michel B. Menard, a native of Canada, along with several associates purchased 4,605 acres (18.64 km²) of land for $50,000 from the Austin Colony to found the town that would become the modern city of Galveston. Menard and his associates began selling plots on
April 20,
1838. In 1839, the City of Galveston adopted a charter and was incorporated by the Congress of the
Republic of Texas.
The was fought in and on the island on
January 1,
1863, during the
American Civil War when
Confederate forces under
Major General John B. Magruder attacked and expelled occupying
Union troops from the city, which remained in Confederate hands for the duration of the war.
Juneteenth, which is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, owes its origins to the announcement of the
Emancipation Proclamation upon the return of Union forces to Galveston in 1865.
In the late 1890s, the
Fort Crockett defenses and coastal artillery batteries were constructed in Galveston and along the Bolivar Roads.
Growth
Galveston Bay along the Gulf of Mexico made it the center of trade in Texas, and one of the largest cotton ports in the nation, in competition with New Orleans. Between 1838 and 1842, 18 newspapers were started to serve the island's rapidly growing population (
The Galveston County Daily News is the sole survivor). A
causeway linking the island with the mainland was finished in 1860, which paved the way for railroad expansion.
During this era, Galveston was also home to a number of state firsts, including: the first post office (1836), the first naval base (1836), the first Texas chapter of a
Masonic order (1840); the first cotton compress (1842), first Roman Catholic Cathedral (
St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica) (1847), the first parochial school (
Ursuline Academy) (1847), the first insurance company (1854), the first gas lights (1856), first Jewish Reform Congregation (
Congregation B'nai Israel) (1868), the first opera house (1870), the first orphanage (1876), the first telephone (1878), the first electric lights (1883), the first medical college (now the
University of Texas Medical Branch) (1891), and the first school for nurses (1890).
Storm of 1900
In 1900, the island was struck by a devastating
hurricane. Even post-
Hurricane Katrina, this event holds the record as the United States' deadliest
natural disaster.
In the early morning of
September 8, high surf despite prevailing winds out of the north heralded the oncoming Storm. By noon low-lying areas near the Gulf and the Bay side of the city were taking on water and the winds increased. Near 4 p.m. a storm surge approximately high slammed into the coast. According to many personal accounts, the storm subsided before midnight. Wind speeds reached up to 125 mph (an estimate, since the
anemometer was blown off the U.S. Weather Bureau building).
Isaac Cline was the bureau's chief meteorologist. An account of the events surrounding the hurricane based on his personal records is given in
Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson. The city was devastated, and an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people on the island were killed.
After the storm cleared, the city decided to shore up its defenses against future storms: a permanent concrete
seawall was built along a large portion of the beach front (1902-1904) and the entire grade of the city was raised some behind the wall to a few feet near the Bay (1904-1910). Just after the hurricane, the city originated the City Commission form of
city government (which became known as the "Galveston Plan"), although the city has since adopted the
Council-Manager form of government.
Despite attempts to draw new investment to the city after the hurricane, Galveston never fully returned to its previous levels of national importance or prosperity. Development was also hindered by the construction of the
Houston Ship Channel, which brought the
Port of Houston into direct competition with the natural harbor of
Galveston Bay for sea traffic. To further her recovery, and rebuild her population, Galveston actively solicited immigration. Through the efforts of Rabbi Henry Cohen and
Congregation B'nai Israel, Galveston became the focus of a 1907 immigration plan called the
Galveston Movement that, in the following years, diverted roughly 10,000
Eastern European,
Jewish immigrants from the crowded cities of the Northeastern United States.
Galveston today
Though the storm stalled economic development and the city of Houston grew into the region's principal metropolis, Galveston has regained some of its former glory. Today it's considered a major tourist destination, and remains a port of entry and a destination for
cruise ships, and a port of call and repairs for cargo ships. Galveston is currently ranked the number 1
cruise
port on the Gulf Coast and number 4 in North America (2007). The city features an array of lodging options, including fine hotels, vintage bed & breakfast inns, beachfront condominiums, and resort rentals.
Galveston's historic downtown and abundant beaches are major tourist destinations. Houstonians and visitors from around the world purchase beach homes and condominiums and make Galveston their second home.
Other attractions in Galveston include
Moody Gardens, the
Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum, the
Galveston Railroad Museum,
Schlitterbahn,
the Strand and
the Lone Star Flight Museum. Galveston is also home to several historic ships: the tall ship
Elissa (the official Tall Ship of Texas) at the Texas Seaport Museum and
USS Cavalla and USS
Stewart, both berthed at Seawolf Park on nearby Pelican Island. Galveston is also home to a symphony orchestra and a small ballet company.
The
Galveston County Daily News, the city's main newspaper, is the oldest continuously printed newspaper in Texas since 1842.
Galveston.com, the city's official tourism website, launched in the fall of 1994.
Galveston has been the home of the
University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) since 1891. UTMB is a major teaching and indigent-care hospital which now encompasses 84 acres (340,000 m²)., UTMB is the largest employer in
Galveston County, creating over 15,000 jobs and bringing about $300 million into the local economy. The
Shriners Hospital adjacent to UTMB is a 30-bed pediatric burn hospital providing comprehensive acute care and reconstructive and rehabilitative care to children who have been burned.
American National Insurance Company, one of the largest life insurance companies in the United States, and
Moody National Bank are headquartered in Galveston.
Galveston's beaches are much cleaner than in the past. With the island's population showing greater concern for their environment, washed-up seaweed is now only moved back from the water's edge to allow the natural buildup and preservation of the beaches. The beaches are now cleaned daily by the Galveston Park Board.
In the 2000s, property values rose after expensive projects were completed and demand for second homes increased. This led some middle class families to move from Galveston to other areas such as
League City,
Texas City, and
La Marque. The city population remained relatively the same from 2000 to 2005 according to the
U.S. Census Bureau. The tax base of the
Galveston ISD grew by 13% in 2005 while Galveston ISD lost many district-zoned non-
Hurricane Katrina evacuee students.
In 2003
Houston Press reporter Wendy Grossman published an article stating that prostitution in Galveston is frequently occurring in the morning hours before work; previously prostitution occurred around 2 to 4 A. M., after the clubs closed .
In 2007 The
Associated Press compiled a list of the most vulnerable places to hurricanes in the U.S. and Galveston was one of five areas named. Among the reasons cited were low elevation and the single evacuation route off the island which is blocked by the fourth largest city in the United States,
Houston.
Architecture
Buildings in Galveston notable for their architecture include many in the Historic Strand District, The Hotel Galvez, the Moody Mansion, Ashton Villa, and
Bishop's Palace. The restored
Grand 1894 Opera House is still in use.
Tallest buildings:
- Palisade Palms Trade Winds Tower (Under construction)
- Palisade Palms Beach Club (Under construction)
- The Emerald Condominiums (Under construction)
- Ocean Grove Condominiums (Under construction)
- East Beach Resort & Spa (Under construction)
- American National Insurance Company Tower (One Moody Plaza)
- San Luis Resort South Tower
- San Luis Resort North Tower
- The Breakers Condominiums
- The Galvestonian Resort and Condos
- One Shearn Moody Plaza
- US National Bank Building
- By The Sea Condominiums
- John Sealy Hospital Towers at UTMB
- Medical Arts Building (aka Two Moody Plaza)
The Port of Galveston
The
Port of Galveston, also called
Galveston Wharves, began as a trading post in 1825. Today, the port has grown to of port facilities. The port is located on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, on the north side of Galveston Island, with some facilities on Pelican Island. The port has facilities to handle all types of cargo including containers, dry and liquid bulk, breakbulk, RO/RO, refrigerated, and project cargoes. The port of Galveston also serves as a passenger cruise ship terminal for cruise ships operating in the Caribbean.
Geography and climate
Galveston is located at (29.281137, -94.825945).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 208.4
square miles (539.6
km²), of which, 46.2 square miles (119.5 km²) of it's land and 162.2 square miles (420.1 km²) of it (77.85%) is water.
Record high temperature: 104 °F set on September 5, 2000.
Record low temperature: 8 °F set on February 12, 1899.
Greatest one day rainfall: 13.93 inches set on October 8, 1901.
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Rec High °F | 78 |
83 |
85 |
92 |
94 |
99 |
101 |
100 |
96 |
94 |
85 |
80
|
| Norm High °F | 61.9 |
64.4 |
70 |
75.2 |
81.4 |
86.6 |
88.7 |
89.3 |
86.5 |
79.7 |
71.3 |
64.3
|
| Norm Low °F | 49.7 |
51.5 |
58.2 |
64.7 |
72.3 |
77.8 |
79.8 |
79.5 |
75.6 |
68.4 |
59.4 |
51.8
|
| Rec Low °F | 11 |
8 |
26 |
38 |
52 |
57 |
66 |
67 |
52 |
39 |
26 |
14
|
| Precip (in) | 4.08 |
2.61 |
2.76 |
2.56 |
3.7 |
4.04 |
3.45 |
4.22 |
5.76 |
3.49 |
3.64 |
3.53
|
| Source: USTravelWeather.com (External Link) |
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 57,247 people, 23,842 households, and 13,732 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,240.4 people per square mile (478.9/km²). There were 30,017 housing units at an average density of 650.4/sq mi (251.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.66%
White, 25.49%
Black or
African American, 0.42%
Native American, 3.21%
Asian, 0.07%
Pacific Islander, 9.73% from
other races, and 2.41% from two or more races. 25.77% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 23,842 households out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were
married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.4% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,895, and the median income for a family was $35,049. Males had a median income of $30,150 versus $26,030 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $18,275. About 17.8% of families and 22.3% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 32.1% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.
Notable Galvestonians
Nicholas Joseph Clayton (1840-1916), important architect
Jack Johnson (1878-1946), first black heavyweight boxing champion
Albert Lasker (1880-1952), advertising mogul and benefactor
King Vidor (1894-1982), film director
Douglas Corrigan (1907-1995), Famous aviator also known as "Wrong Way Corrigan"
Thomas M. Price (1916-1998), Prominent modern architect
Katherine Helmond (b. 1928), actress
Kay Bailey Hutchison (b. 1943), US Senator for Texas
Valerie Perrine (b. 1943), actress
Larry Coryell (b. 1943), Jazz guitarist
Barry White (1944-2003), soul singer
Jonathan Pollard (b. 1954), spy for Israel
Bill Engvall (b.1957), comedian, born in Galveston but raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex
Rodnick Phillips (b. 1977), NFL player
Mikhael Ricks (b. 1974), NFL player
Steve McKinney (b. 1975), NFL player
John H. Murphy (1913-2007), newspaperman for seventy-four years
Damon Jones (b. 1976), NBA player
Michael Bishop (b. 1976), CFL player
Casey Hampton (b. 1977), NFL player
Brandon Backe (b. 1978), MLB player
Greg Randall (b. 1978), NFL player
Javon Walker (b. 1978), NFL player
Randy Hymes (b. 1979), NFL player
Felix Cora Jr. (b. 1980), professional boxer
Derrek Pope (b. 1982), NFL player
Angela Beyince (b. 1982), Songwriter
Alex McLeod (b. 1968), actress
Regina Thompson (b.???), 22 time World Champion Women's Karate
Jimmy Kessler - the first Native Texan to assume the leadership of Congregation B'nai Israel
Olga Samaroff (1880-1948), classical pianist and teacher
Eileen Sedgwick (1898-1991), actress
Tony Buzbee(b. 1968), Prominent Attorney whose principal office is in Galveston.
George P. Mitchell (b. 1919), American business man and real estate developer
Transportation
Island Transit, which also runs the Galveston Island Trolley, operates Galveston Island's public transportation services.
Interstate 45 Starts in Galveston and serves as a main artery to Galveston from mainland Galveston County and Houston. FM 3005 connects Galveston to Brazoria County via the San Luis Pass-Vacek toll bridge. And State Highway 87, via the free Bolivar Ferry, connects the island to the Bolivar Peninsula.
Scholes International Airport at Galveston, a general aviation and military airport, is located in Galveston.
Greyhound Bus Lines serves Galveston Station (External Link).
Galveston in pop culture
The Jimmy Buffett song, "Who's the Blonde Stranger?" and Jimmy Webb's "Galveston" (popularized by Glen Campbell) are set in or refer to Galveston, as are ZZ Top's "Balinese", Dierks Bentley's "I Can Only Think of One", Gene Autry's "Gallivantin' Galveston Gal" and R.E.M.:s "Houston".
The Galveston shoreline was the filming location for the infamous beach-driving scene between Jack Nicholson and Shirley MacLaine in the 1983 Oscar-winning film Terms of Endearment.
Rapper DMX shot the music video for "Party Up (In Here)" at the Frost Bank in Galveston.
Education
Colleges and universities
The city is home to three post-secondary institutions: Galveston College (a junior college opened in 1967), Texas A&M University at Galveston, and University of Texas Medical Branch.
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
The city of Galveston is served by Galveston Independent School District.
GISD Elementary Schools
Burnet Elementary School (PK-5)
L.A. Morgan Elementary School (PK-5)
Greta Oppe Elementary School (PK-5)
Gladnieo Parker Elementary School (PK-5)
Henry Rosenberg Elementary School (PK-5)
Charles B. Scott Elementary School (PK-5)
GISD Middle Schools
Austin Middle School (6-8)
Central Middle School (6-8)
Weis Middle School (6-8)
GISD High School
Ball High School (9-12)
State charter schools
State charter schools are state-funded schools not affiliated with the local school district.
Ambassadors Preparatory Academy (K through 5th)
Odyssey Academy (Pre-K through 8th)
Private schools
Elementary
Galveston Catholic School (K through 8th) - operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
Satori Elementary School (K through 6th) - non-religious, parent cooperative school.
Trinity Episcopal School (Pre-K through 8th) - operated by the Episcopal Church.
High School
O'Connell College Preparatory School
K through 12th
Heritage Christian Academy (K through 12th)
Seaside Christian Academy (K through 12th) - Located in Galveston, affiliated with Seaside Baptist Church in Jamaica Beach
Public libraries
The city is served by the Rosenberg Library.
Postal service
The United States Postal Service operates three post offices in Galveston:
Galveston Main Post Office - 601 25th Street, 77550-9998
Bob Lyons Post Office Station - 5826 Broadway Street, 77551-9998
Medical Branch Unit on the campus of the University of Texas Medical Branch, 77555-9998
In November 2007 a Contract Postal Unit opened inside a local business in Jamaica Beach.
West Galveston Contract Unit (77554-9998) - Bob Smith Drive near FM 3005.
Community information
The Galveston County Department of Parks and Senior Services operates the Galveston Community Center at 2201 Avenue L.
The Galveston County YMCA is located in Galveston.
Sister cities
Galveston has five sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
Thiruvananthapuram, India
Veracruz, Mexico
Stavanger, Norway
Niigata, Japan
Cape Town, South AfricaFurther Information
Get more info on 'Galveston'.
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