Galveston, Texas
Encyclopedia
Galveston is a coastal
city located on Galveston Island
in the U.S. state
of Texas
. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of 208 square miles (538.7 km²). Located within the metropolitan area, the city is the seat
and second-largest city of Galveston County
in population.
Named after Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez
, Galveston's first European settlements on the island were constructed around 1816. The Port of Galveston
was established in 1825 by the Congress of Mexico
following its successful revolution from Spain. The city served as the main port for the Texas Navy
during the Texas Revolution
and later served as the capital of the Republic of Texas
.
During the 19th century, Galveston became a major U.S. commercial center and one of the largest port
s in the United States
. Galveston is known for the hurricane
that devastated the city in 1900. The natural disaster that followed still counts as the deadliest in American history.
Much of Galveston's modern economy is centered in the tourism
, health care
, shipping
and financial
industries. The 84 acres (339,936.2 m²) University of Texas Medical Branch
campus with an enrollment of more than 2,500 students is a major economic force of the city. Galveston is home to six historic districts containing one of the largest and historically significant collections of nineteenth-century buildings with over 60 structures listed in the National Register of Historic Places
.
Galveston Island was originally inhabited by members of the Karankawa
and Akokisa
tribes who used the name "Auia" for the island. The Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca and his crew were shipwrecked on the island or nearby in November 1528, calling it "Isla de Malhado" ("Isle of Doom"), and there began his famous trek to Mexico. During his charting of the Gulf Coast in 1785, the Spanish explorer José de Evia named the island Gálvez-town 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
. Lafitte organized Galveston into a pirate "kingdom" he called "Campeche", anointing himself the island's "head of government." Lafitte remained in Galveston until 1821 when he and his raiders were forced off the island by the United States Navy
.
In 1825 the Congress of Mexico
established the Port of Galveston
and in 1830 erected a customs house
. Galveston served as the capital of the Republic of Texas
when in 1836 interim
president David G. Burnet
relocated his government there. In 1836, Canadian Michel Branamour Menard
and several associates purchased 4605 acres (18.6 km²) of land for $50,000 to found the town that would become the modern city of Galveston. In 1839 the City of Galveston adopted a charter and was incorporated by the Congress of the Republic of Texas
. The city was by then a burgeoning port and attracted many new residents, Jewish merchants amongst them.
The Battle of Galveston
occurred 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. In the late 1890s, the Fort Crockett
defenses and coastal artillery batteries were constructed in Galveston and along the Bolivar Roads.
At the end of the 19th century, the city of Galveston had a population of 37,000. Its position on the natural harbor of 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. During this golden era of Galveston's history, the city was home to a number of state
firsts that include among others the first post office (1836), the first naval base (1836), the first Texas chapter of a Masonic order (1840); the first cotton compress (1842), the first parochial school (Ursuline Academy) (1847), the first insurance company (1854), the first gas lights (1856), the first opera house (1870), the first orphanage (1876), the first telephone (1878) and the first electric lights (1883).
During the post-Civil-War period, leaders such as George T. Ruby and Norris Wright Cuney
, who headed the Texas Republican Party, promoted African-American civil rights
helping to drastically improve educational and employment opportunities for blacks in Galveston and in Texas.
. This event
holds the record as the United States' deadliest natural disaster
. The city was devastated, and an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people on the island were killed. Following the storm, a 10 miles (16.1 km) long, 17 feet (5.2 m) high seawall
was constructed to protect the city from floods and hurricane storm surge. A team of engineers including Henry Martyn Robert
(Robert's Rules of Order
) designed the plan to raise much of the existing city to a sufficient elevation behind a seawall so that confidence in the city could be maintained.
The city developed the city commission form of city government, known as the "Galveston Plan
", to help expedite recovery.
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 the Port of Galveston
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 an immigration plan called the Galveston Movement
that, between 1907 and 1914, diverted roughly 10,000 Eastern Europe
an, Jewish immigrants from the crowded cities of the Northeastern United States
. Additionally numerous other immigrant groups, including Greeks
, Italians
and Russian Jews came to the city during this period. This immigration trend substantially altered the ethnic makeup of the island, as well as many other areas of Texas and the western U.S.
Though the storm stalled economic development and the city of Houston grew into the region's principal metropolis, Galveston economic leaders recognized the need to diversify from the traditional port-related industries. In 1905 William Lewis Moody, Jr.
and Isaac H. Kempner, members of two of Galveston's leading families, founded the American National Insurance Company
; and two years later, Mr. Moody would further invest in Galveston by establishing the City National Bank, which would later become the Moody National Bank
.
During the 1920s and 1930s, the city re-emerged as a major tourist destination. Under the influence of Sam Maceo
and Rosario Maceo
, the city exploited the prohibition
of liquor and gambling in clubs like the Balinese Room
offering entertainment to wealthy Houstonians and other out-of-towners. Combined with prostitution which had existed in the city since the Civil War, Galveston became known as the sin city of the Gulf. Galvestonians accepted and even supported the illegal activities, often referring to their island as the "Free State of Galveston
". The island had entered what would later become known as the open era.
The 1930s and 1940s brought much change to the Island City. During World War II, the Galveston Municipal Airport, predecessor to Scholes International Airport, was re-designated a U.S. Army Air Corps
base and named "Galveston Army Air Field". In January 1943, Galveston Army Air Field was officially activated with the 46th Bombardment Group
serving an anti-submarine role in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1942, William Lewis Moody, Jr., along with his wife Libbie Shearn Rice Moody, established the Moody Foundation
, with the purpose of "benefiting present and future generations of Texans." The foundation, one of the largest in the United States, would play a prominent role in Galveston during later decades, helping to fund numerous civic and health-oriented programs.
put pressure on the gaming industry on the island. Finally in 1957, Texas Attorney General
Will Wilson
and the Texas Rangers
began a massive campaign of raids which wrecked gambling and prostitution in the city. As these vice industries crashed, so did tourism taking the rest of the Galveston economy with it. Neither the economy nor the culture of the city was the same afterward.
The economy of the island entered a long, stagnant period. Many businesses relocated off of the island during this period, however, health care, insurance and financial industries continue to be strong contributors to the economy. By 1959, the city of Houston had long out-paced Galveston in population and economic growth. Beginning in 1957 the Galveston Historical Foundation began its efforts to preserve historic buildings. The 1966 book The Galveston That Was helped encourage the preservation movement. Restoration efforts financed by motivated investors, notably Houston businessman George P. Mitchell
, gradually created the Strand Historic District and reinvented other areas. A new, family-oriented tourism emerged in the city over many years.
The 1960s saw the expansion of higher education in Galveston. Already home to the University of Texas Medical Branch, the city got a boost in 1962 with the creation of the Texas Maritime Academy, predecessor of Texas A&M University at Galveston
; and by 1967 a community college
, Galveston College
, had been established.
In the 2000s, property values rose after expensive projects were completed and demand for second homes increased. Hurricane Ike
made landfall on Galveston Island in the early morning of September 13, 2008 as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 110 miles per hour. The island has since re-established services and the population has returned but some damage remains.
that is made up mostly of sand-sized particles and smaller amounts of finer mud sediments and larger gravel-sized sediments on the Texas
Gulf coast near the mainland coast. The city is about 45 miles (72 km) southeast of downtown Houston. The island is oriented generally northeast-southwest, with the Gulf of Mexico
on the east and south, West Bay on the west, and Galveston Bay
on the north. The island's main access point from the mainland is the Interstate Highway 45
causeway that crosses West Bay on the northeast side of the island.
A deepwater channel connects Galveston's harbor with the Gulf and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 208.4 square miles (539.8 km²), of which 46.2 square miles (119.7 km²) is land and 162.2 square miles (420.1 km²) and 77.85% is water. The island is 50 miles (80.5 km) southeast of Houston.
The western portion of Galveston is referred to as the "West End". Communities in eastern Galveston include Lake Madeline, Offats Bayou, Central City, Fort Crockett, Bayou Shore, Lasker Park, Carver Park, Kempner Park, Old City/Central Business District, San Jacinto, East End, and Lindale. Residential communities in the West End include Laguna Harbor.
and bounded by Ave. K, 23rd St., Ave. P, and 26th St., contains a collection of historic homes constructed from the Civil War through World War II. The East End Historic District
, located on both sides of Broadway and Market Streets, contains 463 buildings. Other districts include Cedar Lawn Historic District, Denver Court Historic District and Fort Travis.
The Strand National Historic Landmark District
is a National Historic Landmark District
of mainly Victorian era
buildings that now house restaurants, antique stores,
historical exhibits, museums and art galleries. The area is a major tourist attraction
for the island city and also plays host to two very popular seasonal festival
s. It is widely considered the island's shopping and entertainment center. Today, "the Strand" is generally used to refer to the entire five-block business district between 20th and 25th streets in downtown Galveston, very close to the city's wharf. Throughout the 19th century, the port city of Galveston grew rapidly and the Strand was considered the region's primary business center. For a time, the Strand was known as the "Wall Street of the South".
(Cfa in Köppen climate classification system). Prevailing winds from the south and southeast bring heat from the deserts of Mexico
and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico
. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 90 °F (32 °C) and the area's humidity drives the heat index
even higher. Winters in the area are temperate with typical January highs above 60 °F (15 °C) and lows near 50 °F (10 °C). Snowfall is generally rare. Annual rainfall averages well over 40 inches (1,016 mm) a year with some areas typically receiving over 50 inches (1,270 mm).
Hurricanes are an ever-present threat during the summer and fall season. Galveston Island
and the Bolivar Peninsula are generally at the greatest risk among the communities near the Galveston Bay. However, though the island and peninsula provide some shielding, the bay shoreline still faces significant danger from storm surge.
of 2000, there were 57,247 people, 23,842 households, and 13,732 families residing in the city. , the city had a total population of 57,466. 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 per square mile (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 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.
, also called Galveston Wharves, began as a trading post in 1825. Today, the port has grown to 850 acres (3.4 km²) 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
, Roll-on/roll-off, refrigerated cargo and project cargoes.
The port also serves as a passenger cruise ship terminal for cruise ships operating in the Caribbean. The terminal is home port
to two Carnival Cruise Lines
vessels, the Carnival Conquest
and the Carnival Ecstasy. The Port of Galveston will be home port
to Carnival Cruise Lines 3,960 passenger megaship Carnival Magic
and Carnival Triumph
in November, 2011. Carnival Magic will operate seven-day Caribbean cruise from Galveston beginning Nov. 14, 2011, becoming the largest cruise ship based at the Port year-round. The port is also the winter home port to Royal Caribbean International
's, MS Mariner of the Seas, which is currently the largest cruise ship based in Galveston. In 2012 the Disney Magic will come to Galveston and offer seven-day cruises to Mexico and the Caribbean.
, one of the largest life insurance companies in the United States, is based in Galveston. The company and its subsidiaries operate in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico
, and American Samoa
. Through its subsidiary, American National de México, Compañía de Seguros de Vida, it provides products and services in Mexico
. Moody National Bank
, with headquarters in downtown Galveston, is one of the largest privately owned Texas-based banks. Its trust department, established in 1927, administers over 12 billion dollars in assets, one of the largest in the state. In addition, the regional headquarters of Iowa-based United Fire & Casualty Company are located in the city.
Ike severely damaged the 550-bed John Sealy Hospital
causing the University of Texas System
Board of Regents
to cut nearly one-third of the hospital staff. Since the storm, the regents have committed to spending $713 million dollars to restore the campus, construct new medical towers, and return John Sealy Hospital to its 550 bed pre-storm capacity.
In 2011, the UT Board of Regents approved the construction of a new 13 story hospital that will be located next to John Sealy Hospital. Construction will begin in the fall of 2011, with the demolition of the old Jennie Sealy and Shriners hospitals, and continue until completion in 2016. The facility will have 250 room, 20 operating suites and 54 intensive care beds. When the new hospital is complete, along with the renovations at John Sealy, both complexes will have around 600 beds.
The university reopened their Level I Trauma Center on August 1, 2009 which had been closed for eleven months after the hurricane and, , had reopened 370 hospital beds.
The city is also home to a 30-bed acute
burn
s hospital for children, the Shriners Burns Hospital at Galveston
. The Galveston hospital is one of only four in the chain of 22 non-profit Shriners hospitals, that provides acute burns care. Although the Galveston Hospital was damaged by Hurricane Ike, the Shriners national convention held in July 2009 voted to repair and reopen the hospital.
Galveston is a popular tourist destination which in 2007 brought $808 million to the local economy and attracted 5.4 million visitors. The city features an array of lodging options, including hotels such as the historic Hotel Galvez and Tremont House, vintage bed and breakfast inns, beachfront condominiums, and resort rentals. The city's tourist attractions include the Galveston Schlitterbahn
waterpark, Moody Gardens
botanical park, the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum
, the Lone Star Flight Museum
, Galveston Railroad Museum, a downtown neighborhood of historic buildings known as The Strand
, many historical museums and mansions, and miles of beach front from the East End's Porretto Beach, Stewart Beach to the West End pocket parks. The Strand plays host to a yearly Mardi Gras
festival, Galveston Island Jazz & Blues Festival 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 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 ranked the number one cruise port on the Gulf Coast and fourth in the United States.
.jpg)
Galveston contains one of the largest and historically significant collections of nineteenth-century buildings in the United States. Galveston's architectural preservation and revitalization efforts over several decades have earned national recognition.
Located in the Strand District, the Grand 1894 Opera House
is a restored historic Romanesque Revival
style Opera House that is currently operated as a not-for-profit performing arts
theater. The Bishop's Palace
, also known as Gresham's Castle, is an ornate Victorian house located on Broadway and 14th Street in the East End Historic District of Galveston, Texas. The American Institute of Architects
listed Bishop's Palace as one of the 100 most significant buildings in the United States, and the Library of Congress
has classified it as one of the fourteen most representative Victorian structures in the nation. The Galvez Hotel
is a historic hotel that opened in 1911. The building was named the Galvez, honoring Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez
, for whom the city was named. The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on April 4, 1979. The Michel B. Menard House, built in 1838 and oldest in Galveston, is designed in the Greek revival style. In 1880, the house was bought by Edwin N. Ketchum who was police chief of the city during the 1900 Storm. The Ketchum family owned the home until the 1970s. The red-brick Victorian
Italianate
home, Ashton Villa
, was constructed in 1859 by James Moreau Brown. One of the first brick structures in Texas, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a recorded Texas Historic Landmark. The structure is also the site of what was to become the holiday known as Juneteenth
. Where On June 19, 1865 Union
General Gordon Granger standing on its balcony read the contents of “General Order No. 3”, thereby emancipating all slaves in the state of Texas
.
St. Joseph’s Church was built by German immigrants in 1859-60 and is the oldest wooden church building in Galveston and the oldest German Catholic
Church in Texas. The church was dedicated in April 1860, to St. Joseph, the patron saint of laborers. The building is a wooden gothic revival structure, rectangular with a square bell tower with trefoil
window. The U.S. Custom House began construction in 1860 and was completed in 1861. The Confederate Army occupied the building during the American Civil War
, In 1865, the Custom House was the site of the ceremony officially ending the Civil War.
Galveston's modern architecture include the American National Insurance Company
Tower (One Moody Plaza), San Luis Resort South and North Towers, The Breakers Condominiums, The Galvestonian Resort and Condos, One Shearn Moody Plaza, US National Bank Building, the Rainforest Pyramid at Moody Gardens, John Sealy Hospital
Towers at UTMB and Medical Arts Building (also known as Two Moody Plaza).
for the city as well as Galveston County. Radio station KGBC
, on air since 1947, has also served as a local media outlet. Television station KHOU
signed on the air as KGUL-TV on March 23, 1953. Originally licensed in Galveston, KGUL was the second television station to launch in the Houston area after KPRC-TV
. One of the original investors in the station was actor James Stewart
, along with a small group of other Galveston investors. In June 1959, KGUL changed its call sign
to KHOU and moved the city of license to Houston. The local hip hop
name for Galveston is "Galvo."
Galveston has been home to many important figures in Texas and U.S. history. During the island's earliest history it became the domain of Jean Lafitte
, the famed pirate and American hero of the War of 1812
. Much later in the 19th century, the African American
Galveston civil rights leader Norris Wright Cuney
rose to become the head of the Texas Republican Party and became one of the most important Southern black leaders of the century. Richard Bache, Jr.
who represented Galveston in the Senate of the Second Texas Legislature in 1847 and assisted in drawing up the Constitution of 1845. He was also the grandson of Benjamin Franklin
, one of the Founding Fathers
of the United States of America
and Deborah Read
. Noted portrait and landscape artist Verner Moore White
moved from Galveston the day before the 1900 hurricane. While he survived, his studio and much of his portfolio was destroyed. One of the survivors of the 1900 Galveston Storm was the Hollywood director King Vidor
who made his directing debut in 1913 with the film Hurricane in Galveston
. Later Jack Johnson
, nicknamed the “Galveston Giant”, became the first black world heavyweight boxing champion.
During the first half of the 20th century William L. Moody Jr. established a business empire which includes American National Insurance Company
, a major national insurer, and founded the Moody Foundation
, one of the largest charitable organizations in the United States. Sam Maceo
, a nationally known organized crime
boss, with the help of his family, was largely responsible for making Galveston a major U.S. tourist destination from the 1920s to the 1940s. John H. Murphy
, was a Texas newspaperman for seventy-four years, was the longtime executive vice president of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association. Douglas Corrigan
became of the early transatlantic aviators, and was given the nickname "Wrong Way" for claiming to have mistakenly made the ocean crossing after being refused permission to make the flight.
More recently Tilman J. Fertitta
, part of the Maceo bloodline, established the Landry's Restaurants corporation which owns numerous restaurants and entertainment venues in Texas and Nevada. Kay Bailey Hutchison
is the senior senator
from Texas and the first female Texas senator.
"), although the city has since adopted the council-manager
form of government. Galveston's city council serves as the city's legislative branch, while the city manager works as the chief executive officer and the municipal court system serves as the city's judicial branch. The city council and mayor promote ordinances to establish municipal policies. The Galveston City Council consists of six elected positions, each derived from a specified electoral district
. Each city council member is elected to a two year term, while the mayor is elected to a two year term. The city council appoints the city manager, the city secretary, the city auditor, the city attorney, and the municipal judge. The city's Tax Collector is determined by the city council and is outsourced to Galveston County. The city manager hires employees, promotes development, presents and administers the budget, and implements city council policies. Joe Jaworski is mayor, having replaced term-limited Lyda Ann Thomas
May 2010. Jaworski is also the grandson of Leon Jaworski
, United States Special Prosecutor
during the Watergate Scandal
in the 1970s.
The Galveston Fire Department provides fire protection
services through six fire stations and seventeen pieces of apparatus
. The Galveston Police Department has provided the city's police protection
for more than 165 years. Over 170 authorized officers serve in three divisions. The city is served by the Rosenberg Library
, successor to the Galveston Mercantile Library, which was founded in 1871. It is the oldest public library in the State of Texas. The library also serves as headquarters of the Galveston County Library System and its librarian also functions as the Galveston County Librarian.
Galveston is the seat
and second-largest city (after League City, Texas
) of Galveston County
in population. The Galveston County Justice Center, which houses all the county's judicial functions as well as jail, is located on 59th street. The Galveston County Administrative Courthouse, the seat of civil and administrative functions, is located near the city's downtown. Galveston is within the County Precinct 1; Patrick Doyle serves as the Commissioner of Precinct 1. The Galveston County Sheriff's Office operates its law enforcement headquarters and jail from the Justice Center. The Galveston County Department of Parks and Senior Services operates the Galveston Community Center. Galveston is located in District 23 of the Texas House of Representatives
. , Craig Eiland
represents the district. Most of Galveston is within District 17
of the Texas Senate
; Joan Huffman
represents the district. A portion of Galveston is within District 11
of the Texas Senate
; Mike Jackson represents the district. Galveston is in Texas's 14th congressional district
and is represented by Ron Paul
.
The Galveston Division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
, the first federal court in Texas, is based in Galveston and has jurisdiction over the counties of Galveston, Brazoria, Chambers and Matagorda. It is housed in the United States Post Office, Customs House and Court House federal building in downtown Galveston. The United States Postal Service
operates several post offices in Galveston, including the Galveston Main Post Office and the Bob Lyons Post Office Station. In addition the post office has a contract postal unit at the Medical Branch Unit on the campus of the University of Texas Medical Branch
and the West Galveston Contract Postal Unit, located on the west end of Galveston Island in the beachside community of Jamaica Beach
.
is a two-runway airport in Galveston; the airport is primarily used for general aviation, offshore energy transportation, and some limited military operations. The nearest commercial airline service for the city is operated out of Houston through William P. Hobby Airport
and George Bush Intercontinental Airport
. The University of Texas Medical Branch
has two heliports, one for Ewing Hall and one for its emergency room.
The Galveston Railway
, originally established and named in 1854 as the Galveston Wharf and Cotton Press Company, is a Class III
terminal switching railroad that primarily serves the transportation of cargo to and from the Port of Galveston. The railway operates 32 miles (51.5 km) of yard track at Galveston, over a 50 acres (202,343 m²) facility. Island Transit
, which operates the Galveston Island Trolley
manages the city's public transportation services. Bus service is operated by Greyhound Bus Lines out of Galveston Station.
Interstate 45
has a southern terminus in Galveston and serves as a main artery to Galveston from mainland Galveston County and Houston. Farm to Market Road 3005
(locally called Seawall Boulevard
) connects Galveston to Brazoria County
via the San Luis Pass-Vacek toll bridge. State Highway 87, known locally as Broadway Street, connects the island to the Bolivar Peninsula via the Bolivar Ferry.
(UTMB) campus has grown to more than 70 buildings and an enrollment of more than 2,500 students. The 84 acres (339,936.2 m²) campus includes schools of medicine
, nursing
, allied health professions, and a graduate school
of biomedical sciences, as well as three institutes for advanced studies & medical humanities, a major medical library, seven hospitals, a network of clinics that provide a full range of primary and specialized medical care, and numerous research facilities.
Galveston is home to two post-secondary institutions offering traditional degrees in higher education. Galveston College
, a junior college that opened in 1967, and Texas A&M University at Galveston
, an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University
.
, which includes six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school, Ball High School
. There is also one magnet middle school
, Austin Middle School, serving grades 5 through 8.
Galveston has several state-funded charter schools
not affiliated with local school districts, including kindergarten through 8th grade Ambassadors Preparatory Academy and pre-kindergarten through 8th Grade Odyssey Academy. In addition KIPP: the Knowledge Is Power Program
plans to open KIPP Coastal Village in Galveston.
Several private schools exist in Galveston. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
operates two Roman Catholic private schools, including Holy Family Catholic School (K through 8th) and O'Connell College Preparatory School
(9-12). Other private schools include Satori Elementary School, Trinity Episcopal School, Seaside Christian Academy, and Heritage Christian Academy.
: Armavir
, Armenia
Thiruvananthapuram
, India
Veracruz
, Mexico
Stavanger
, Norway
Málaga
, Andalusia
, Spain
Niigata
, Japan
Tamsui, Taiwan
(Republic of China
)
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
city located on Galveston Island
Galveston Island
Galveston Island is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf coast in the United States, about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston....
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of 208 square miles (538.7 km²). Located within the metropolitan area, the city is the seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
and second-largest city of Galveston County
Galveston County, Texas
Galveston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 291,309. Its county seat is Galveston. League City is the largest city in Galveston County in terms of population; between...
in population.
Named after Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez
Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez
Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Gálvez was a Spanish military leader and the general of Spanish forces in New Spain who served as governor of Louisiana and Cuba and as viceroy of New Spain.Gálvez aided the Thirteen Colonies in their quest for independence and led...
, Galveston's first European settlements on the island were constructed around 1816. The Port of Galveston
Port of Galveston
The Port of Galveston is the port of the city of Galveston, Texas. It was established by a proclamation issued by the Congress of Mexico on October 17, 1825, while the land known today as Texas was still part of Mexico...
was established in 1825 by the Congress of Mexico
Congress of Mexico
The Congress of the Union is the legislative branch of the Mexican government...
following its successful revolution from Spain. The city served as the main port for the Texas Navy
Texas Navy
The Texas Navy was the official navy of the Republic of Texas. Two Texas Navies were naval fighting forces. There is a “Third and Honorary” Texas Navy, in which officers are commissioned by the Governor of Texas as Admirals, Commanders and Lieutenants....
during the Texas Revolution
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
and later served as the capital of the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
.
During the 19th century, Galveston became a major U.S. commercial center and one of the largest port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Galveston is known for the hurricane
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston in the U.S. state of Texas, on September 8, 1900.It had estimated winds of at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale...
that devastated the city in 1900. The natural disaster that followed still counts as the deadliest in American history.
Much of Galveston's modern economy is centered in the tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
, shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
and financial
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
industries. The 84 acres (339,936.2 m²) University of Texas Medical Branch
University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch is a component of the University of Texas System located in Galveston, Texas, United States, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Houston...
campus with an enrollment of more than 2,500 students is a major economic force of the city. Galveston is home to six historic districts containing one of the largest and historically significant collections of nineteenth-century buildings with over 60 structures listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Exploration, settlement and 19th century
Karankawa
Karankawa were a group of Native American peoples, now extinct as a tribal group, who played a pivotal part in early Texas history....
and Akokisa
Akokisa
The Akokisa were the indigenous tribe that lived on Galveston Bay and the lower Trinity and San Jacinto rivers in Texas, primarily in the present-day Greater Houston area...
tribes who used the name "Auia" for the island. The Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca and his crew were shipwrecked on the island or nearby in November 1528, calling it "Isla de Malhado" ("Isle of Doom"), and there began his famous trek to Mexico. During his charting of the Gulf Coast in 1785, the Spanish explorer José de Evia named the island Gálvez-town or Gálveztown in honor of Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez
Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez
Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Gálvez was a Spanish military leader and the general of Spanish forces in New Spain who served as governor of Louisiana and Cuba and as viceroy of New Spain.Gálvez aided the Thirteen Colonies in their quest for independence and led...
. The first permanent European settlements on the island were constructed around 1816 by the pirate Louis-Michel Aury
Louis-Michel Aury
Louis-Michel Aury was a French Corsair operating in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean during the early 19th century.Aury was born in Paris, France, in about 1788. He served in the French Navy, but from 1802 served in privateer ships...
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
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte was a pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places...
. Lafitte organized Galveston into a pirate "kingdom" he called "Campeche", anointing himself the island's "head of government." Lafitte remained in Galveston until 1821 when he and his raiders were forced off the island by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
In 1825 the Congress of Mexico
Congress of Mexico
The Congress of the Union is the legislative branch of the Mexican government...
established the Port of Galveston
Port of Galveston
The Port of Galveston is the port of the city of Galveston, Texas. It was established by a proclamation issued by the Congress of Mexico on October 17, 1825, while the land known today as Texas was still part of Mexico...
and in 1830 erected a customs house
Custom House
A custom house or customs house was a building housing the offices for the government officials who processed the paperwork for the import and export of goods into and out of a country. Customs officials also collected customs duty on imported goods....
. Galveston served as the capital of the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
when in 1836 interim
Interim
Interim is an album by British rock band The Fall, compiled from live and studio material and released in 2004. It features the first officially released versions of "Clasp Hands", "Blindness" and "What About Us?" — all of which were later included on the band's next studio album Fall Heads Roll —...
president David G. Burnet
David G. Burnet
David Gouverneur Burnet was an early politician within the Republic of Texas, serving as interim President of Texas , second Vice President of the Republic of Texas , and Secretary of State for the new state of Texas after it was annexed to the United States of America.Burnet was born in Newark,...
relocated his government there. In 1836, Canadian Michel Branamour Menard
Michel Branamour Menard
Michel Branamour Menard was one of the founders of Galveston, Texas.Menard was born in Montreal and worked for John Jacob Astor in the fur trade for a time. He was involved in fur trading with the Shawnee first out of Detroit, and later in Missouri. He later shifted into the mule and horse...
and several associates purchased 4605 acres (18.6 km²) of land for $50,000 to found the town that would become the modern city of Galveston. In 1839 the City of Galveston adopted a charter and was incorporated by the Congress of the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
. The city was by then a burgeoning port and attracted many new residents, Jewish merchants amongst them.
The Battle of Galveston
Battle of Galveston
The Battle of Galveston or the Second Battle of Galveston was a naval and land battle that occurred on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War when Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. John B...
occurred on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
when Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
forces under Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
John B. Magruder
John B. Magruder
John Bankhead Magruder was a career military officer who served in the armies of three nations. He was a U.S. Army officer in the Mexican-American War, a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and a postbellum general in the Imperial Mexican Army...
attacked and expelled occupying Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
troops from the city. In the late 1890s, the Fort Crockett
Fort Crockett
Fort Crockett is a government reservation on Galveston Island overlookingthe Gulf of Mexico originally built as a defense installation to protect the city and harbor of Galveston and to secure the entrance to Galveston Bay,...
defenses and coastal artillery batteries were constructed in Galveston and along the Bolivar Roads.
At the end of the 19th century, the city of Galveston had a population of 37,000. Its position on the natural harbor of Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay is a large estuary located along the upper coast of Texas in the United States. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by sub-tropic marshes and prairies on the mainland. The water in the Bay is a complex mixture of sea water and fresh water which supports a wide...
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. During this golden era of Galveston's history, the city was home to a number of state
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
firsts that include among others the first post office (1836), the first naval base (1836), the first Texas chapter of a Masonic order (1840); the first cotton compress (1842), the first parochial school (Ursuline Academy) (1847), the first insurance company (1854), the first gas lights (1856), the first opera house (1870), the first orphanage (1876), the first telephone (1878) and the first electric lights (1883).
During the post-Civil-War period, leaders such as George T. Ruby and Norris Wright Cuney
Norris Wright Cuney
Norris Wright Cuney, or simply Wright Cuney, was an American politician, union leader, and African American activist in Texas in the United States. He became active in Galveston politics serving as an alderman and a national Republican delegate...
, who headed the Texas Republican Party, promoted African-American civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
helping to drastically improve educational and employment opportunities for blacks in Galveston and in Texas.
Hurricane of 1900 and recovery
On September 8, 1900, the island was struck by a devastating hurricaneTropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
. This event
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston in the U.S. state of Texas, on September 8, 1900.It had estimated winds of at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale...
holds the record as the United States' deadliest natural disaster
Natural disaster
A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard . It leads to financial, environmental or human losses...
. The city was devastated, and an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people on the island were killed. Following the storm, a 10 miles (16.1 km) long, 17 feet (5.2 m) high seawall
Galveston Seawall
The Galveston Seawall is a seawall in Galveston, Texas, USA that was built after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 for protection from future hurricanes. Construction began in September, 1902, and the initial segment was completed on July 29, 1904. From 1904 to 1963, the seawall was extended from ...
was constructed to protect the city from floods and hurricane storm surge. A team of engineers including Henry Martyn Robert
Henry Martyn Robert
Henry Martyn Robert was the author of Robert's Rules of Order, which became the most widely used manual of parliamentary procedure and remains today the most common parliamentary authority in the United States....
(Robert's Rules of Order
Robert's Rules of Order
Robert's Rules of Order is the short title of a book containing rules of order intended to be adopted as a parliamentary authority for use by a deliberative assembly written by Brig. Gen...
) designed the plan to raise much of the existing city to a sufficient elevation behind a seawall so that confidence in the city could be maintained.
The city developed the city commission form of city government, known as the "Galveston Plan
City commission government
City commission government is a form of municipal government which once was common in the United States, but many cities which were formerly governed by commission have since switched to the council-manager form of government...
", to help expedite recovery.
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
Houston Ship Channel
The Houston Ship Channel, located in Houston, Texas, is part of the Port of Houston—one of the United States's busiest seaports. The channel is the conduit for ocean-going vessels between the Houston-area shipyards and the Gulf of Mexico.-Overview:...
, which brought the Port of Houston
Port of Houston
The Port of Houston is a port in Houston—the fourth-largest city in the United States. The Port is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico...
into direct competition with the natural harbor of the Port of Galveston
Port of Galveston
The Port of Galveston is the port of the city of Galveston, Texas. It was established by a proclamation issued by the Congress of Mexico on October 17, 1825, while the land known today as Texas was still part of Mexico...
for sea traffic. To further her recovery, and rebuild her population, Galveston actively solicited immigration. Through the efforts of Rabbi Henry Cohen
Henry Cohen (rabbi)
Henry Cohen was a Jewish Texan rabbi who served Congregation B'nai Israel in Galveston, Texas from 1888 to 1952.-History in Galveston:...
and Congregation B'nai Israel, Galveston became the focus of an immigration plan called the Galveston Movement
Galveston Movement
The Galveston Movement, also known as the Galveston Plan, was one immigration assistance program operated by several Jewish organizations between 1907 and 1914. The program worked to divert Jewish immigrants, fleeing Russia and eastern Europe, away from East Coast cities, particularly New York,...
that, between 1907 and 1914, diverted roughly 10,000 Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an, Jewish immigrants from the crowded cities of the Northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
. Additionally numerous other immigrant groups, including Greeks
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Italians
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Russian Jews came to the city during this period. This immigration trend substantially altered the ethnic makeup of the island, as well as many other areas of Texas and the western U.S.
Though the storm stalled economic development and the city of Houston grew into the region's principal metropolis, Galveston economic leaders recognized the need to diversify from the traditional port-related industries. In 1905 William Lewis Moody, Jr.
William Lewis Moody, Jr.
William Lewis Moody Jr. was an American financier and entrepreneur from Galveston, Texas, who founded a private bank, an insurance company, and one of the largest charitable foundations in the United States. Moody was active in the day-to-day operations of his companies until two days before his...
and Isaac H. Kempner, members of two of Galveston's leading families, founded the American National Insurance Company
American National Insurance Company
American National Insurance Company is a major American insurance corporation based in Galveston, Texas. The company and its subsidiaries operate in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa.-Company description:...
; and two years later, Mr. Moody would further invest in Galveston by establishing the City National Bank, which would later become the Moody National Bank
Moody National Bank
Moody National Bank is a nationally chartered bank, founded in 1907, that is based in Galveston, Texas, USA.With assets of nearly $1 billion dollars Moody Bank is one of oldest and largest privately owned Texas-based banks. Its trust department, established in 1927, administers over $15.5 billion...
.
During the 1920s and 1930s, the city re-emerged as a major tourist destination. Under the influence of Sam Maceo
Sam Maceo
Salvatore Maceo, also known as Sam Maceo, was a businessman, community leader, and organized crime boss in Galveston, Texas in the United States. Because of his efforts, Galveston Island became a nationally known resort town during the early and mid 20th century, a period known as Galveston's Open...
and Rosario Maceo
Rosario Maceo
Rosario Maceo , also known as Papa Rose or Rose Maceo, was a Sicilian immigrant and organized crime boss in Galveston, Texas in the United States. Because of his efforts and those of his brother Sam, Galveston Island became a nationally known resort town during the early and mid 20th century,...
, the city exploited the prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
of liquor and gambling in clubs like the Balinese Room
Balinese Room
The Balinese Room was a well-known nightclub in Galveston, Texas, United States built on a pier stretching 600 feet from the Galveston Seawall over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico...
offering entertainment to wealthy Houstonians and other out-of-towners. Combined with prostitution which had existed in the city since the Civil War, Galveston became known as the sin city of the Gulf. Galvestonians accepted and even supported the illegal activities, often referring to their island as the "Free State of Galveston
Free State of Galveston
The Free State of Galveston was a whimsical name given to the island city of Galveston in the U.S. state of Texas during the early-to-mid-20th century. Today, the term is sometimes used to describe the culture and history of that era...
". The island had entered what would later become known as the open era.
The 1930s and 1940s brought much change to the Island City. During World War II, the Galveston Municipal Airport, predecessor to Scholes International Airport, was re-designated a U.S. Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
base and named "Galveston Army Air Field". In January 1943, Galveston Army Air Field was officially activated with the 46th Bombardment Group
46th Test Wing
The 46th Test Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing operates as tenant unit at Holloman AFB, NM.-Mission:...
serving an anti-submarine role in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1942, William Lewis Moody, Jr., along with his wife Libbie Shearn Rice Moody, established the Moody Foundation
Moody Foundation
The Moody Foundation is a charitable foundation incorporated in Texas and based in the island city of Galveston. It was chartered in 1942 by William Lewis Moody, Jr...
, with the purpose of "benefiting present and future generations of Texans." The foundation, one of the largest in the United States, would play a prominent role in Galveston during later decades, helping to fund numerous civic and health-oriented programs.
Post–World War II
The end of the war drastically reduced military investment in the island. Increasing enforcement of gambling laws and the growth of Las VegasLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
put pressure on the gaming industry on the island. Finally in 1957, Texas Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Will Wilson
Will Wilson
Will Reid Wilson, Sr. was a prominent Democratic politician in his native Texas best known for his service as attorney general of Texas from 1957-1963. In 1968, he joined the Republican Party to support the election of Richard M. Nixon as U.S. President. Nixon thereafter named Wilson an assistant...
and the Texas Rangers
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
began a massive campaign of raids which wrecked gambling and prostitution in the city. As these vice industries crashed, so did tourism taking the rest of the Galveston economy with it. Neither the economy nor the culture of the city was the same afterward.
The economy of the island entered a long, stagnant period. Many businesses relocated off of the island during this period, however, health care, insurance and financial industries continue to be strong contributors to the economy. By 1959, the city of Houston had long out-paced Galveston in population and economic growth. Beginning in 1957 the Galveston Historical Foundation began its efforts to preserve historic buildings. The 1966 book The Galveston That Was helped encourage the preservation movement. Restoration efforts financed by motivated investors, notably Houston businessman George P. Mitchell
George P. Mitchell
George Phydias Mitchell is an American businessman, real estate developer and philanthropist from Texas.-Biography:He was born to Greek immigrant parents in the port city of Galveston, Texas. Mitchell earned a degree from Texas A&M University with an emphasis in geology and petroleum engineering...
, gradually created the Strand Historic District and reinvented other areas. A new, family-oriented tourism emerged in the city over many years.
The 1960s saw the expansion of higher education in Galveston. Already home to the University of Texas Medical Branch, the city got a boost in 1962 with the creation of the Texas Maritime Academy, predecessor of Texas A&M University at Galveston
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Texas A&M University at Galveston is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University offering undergraduate degrees in marine biology, marine fisheries, marine engineering technology, marine sciences, marine transportation, maritime administration, maritime studies, maritime systems...
; and by 1967 a community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
, Galveston College
Galveston College
Galveston College is a comprehensive community college located on Galveston Island in Galveston, Texas, United States. GC is led by a president who answers to nine member publicly elected Board of Regents....
, had been established.
In the 2000s, property values rose after expensive projects were completed and demand for second homes increased. Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
made landfall on Galveston Island in the early morning of September 13, 2008 as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 110 miles per hour. The island has since re-established services and the population has returned but some damage remains.
Geography
The city of Galveston is situated on Galveston Island, a barrier islandBarrier island
Barrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...
that is made up mostly of sand-sized particles and smaller amounts of finer mud sediments and larger gravel-sized sediments on the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Gulf coast near the mainland coast. The city is about 45 miles (72 km) southeast of downtown Houston. The island is oriented generally northeast-southwest, with the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
on the east and south, West Bay on the west, and Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay is a large estuary located along the upper coast of Texas in the United States. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by sub-tropic marshes and prairies on the mainland. The water in the Bay is a complex mixture of sea water and fresh water which supports a wide...
on the north. The island's main access point from the mainland is the Interstate Highway 45
Interstate 45
Interstate 45 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It connects the cities of Dallas and Houston, continuing southeast from Houston to Galveston over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico...
causeway that crosses West Bay on the northeast side of the island.
A deepwater channel connects Galveston's harbor with the Gulf and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 208.4 square miles (539.8 km²), of which 46.2 square miles (119.7 km²) is land and 162.2 square miles (420.1 km²) and 77.85% is water. The island is 50 miles (80.5 km) southeast of Houston.
The western portion of Galveston is referred to as the "West End". Communities in eastern Galveston include Lake Madeline, Offats Bayou, Central City, Fort Crockett, Bayou Shore, Lasker Park, Carver Park, Kempner Park, Old City/Central Business District, San Jacinto, East End, and Lindale. Residential communities in the West End include Laguna Harbor.
Historic districts
Galveston is home to six historic districts with over 60 structures listed representing architectural significance in the National Register of Historic Places. The Silk Stocking National Historic District, located between Broadway and Seawall BoulevardSeawall Boulevard
Seawall Boulevard is a major road in Galveston, Texas in the United States. The boulevard is conterminous with Farm to Market Road 3005 south of 61st Street. It runs along the Gulf coast waterfront of the island near the main parts of the city...
and bounded by Ave. K, 23rd St., Ave. P, and 26th St., contains a collection of historic homes constructed from the Civil War through World War II. The East End Historic District
East End Historic District (Galveston, Texas)
East End Historic District is a historic district in Galveston, Texas.It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.-External links:* , at Historic American Building Survey...
, located on both sides of Broadway and Market Streets, contains 463 buildings. Other districts include Cedar Lawn Historic District, Denver Court Historic District and Fort Travis.
The Strand National Historic Landmark District
Strand National Historic Landmark District
The Strand Historic District, also known as the Strand District, in downtown Galveston, Texas , is a National Historic Landmark District of mainly Victorian era buildings that now house restaurants, antique stores, and curio shops. The area is a major tourist attraction for the island city and also...
is a National Historic Landmark District
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
of mainly Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
buildings that now house restaurants, antique stores,
historical exhibits, museums and art galleries. The area is a major tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
for the island city and also plays host to two very popular seasonal festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
s. It is widely considered the island's shopping and entertainment center. Today, "the Strand" is generally used to refer to the entire five-block business district between 20th and 25th streets in downtown Galveston, very close to the city's wharf. Throughout the 19th century, the port city of Galveston grew rapidly and the Strand was considered the region's primary business center. For a time, the Strand was known as the "Wall Street of the South".
Climate
Galveston's climate is classified as humid subtropicalHumid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
(Cfa in Köppen climate classification system). Prevailing winds from the south and southeast bring heat from the deserts of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 90 °F (32 °C) and the area's humidity drives the heat index
Heat index
The heat index is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity in an attempt to determine the human-perceived equivalent temperature — how hot it feels, termed the felt air temperature. The human body normally cools itself by perspiration, or sweating, which evaporates and carries...
even higher. Winters in the area are temperate with typical January highs above 60 °F (15 °C) and lows near 50 °F (10 °C). Snowfall is generally rare. Annual rainfall averages well over 40 inches (1,016 mm) a year with some areas typically receiving over 50 inches (1,270 mm).
Hurricanes are an ever-present threat during the summer and fall season. Galveston Island
Galveston Island
Galveston Island is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf coast in the United States, about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston....
and the Bolivar Peninsula are generally at the greatest risk among the communities near the Galveston Bay. However, though the island and peninsula provide some shielding, the bay shoreline still faces significant danger from storm surge.
2000 Census data
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 57,247 people, 23,842 households, and 13,732 families residing in the city. , the city had a total population of 57,466. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,240.4 people per square mile (478.9/km²). There were 30,017 housing units at an average density of 650.4 per square mile (251.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.66% White, 25.49% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.42% Native American, 3.21% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 9.73% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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 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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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.
Port of Galveston
The Port of GalvestonPort of Galveston
The Port of Galveston is the port of the city of Galveston, Texas. It was established by a proclamation issued by the Congress of Mexico on October 17, 1825, while the land known today as Texas was still part of Mexico...
, also called Galveston Wharves, began as a trading post in 1825. Today, the port has grown to 850 acres (3.4 km²) of port facilities. The port is located on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
Intracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are artificial canals...
, on the north side of Galveston Island, with some facilities on Pelican Island
Pelican Island (Texas)
Pelican Island is an island located in Galveston County, Texas. It is part of the city of Galveston and is linked to Galveston Island by a causeway. The island is home to the Texas A&M University at Galveston as well as USS Stewart , USS Cavalla and Seawolf Park...
. The port has facilities to handle all types of cargo including containers
Containerization
Containerization is a system of freight transport based on a range of steel intermodal containers...
, dry and liquid bulk, breakbulk
Break bulk cargo
In shipping, break bulk cargo or general cargo is a term that covers a great variety of goods that must be loaded individually, and not in intermodal containers nor in bulk as with oil or grain. Ships that carry this sort of cargo are often called general cargo ships...
, Roll-on/roll-off, refrigerated cargo and project cargoes.
The port also serves as a passenger cruise ship terminal for cruise ships operating in the Caribbean. The terminal is home port
Home port
A vessel's home port is the port at which it is based, which may not be the same as its port of registry shown on its registration documents and lettered on the stern of the ship's hull...
to two Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...
vessels, the Carnival Conquest
Carnival Conquest
Carnival Conquest is a Conquest-class cruise ship owned and operated by Carnival Cruise Lines. Sixty percent of her staterooms have ocean views, and sixty percent of those have balconies. Carnival Conquest cruises the Western Caribbean from the port of Galveston, Texas...
and the Carnival Ecstasy. The Port of Galveston will be home port
Home port
A vessel's home port is the port at which it is based, which may not be the same as its port of registry shown on its registration documents and lettered on the stern of the ship's hull...
to Carnival Cruise Lines 3,960 passenger megaship Carnival Magic
Carnival Magic
Carnival Magic is a Dream-class cruise ship, and is one of the latest of the Carnival Cruise Lines ships to enter the fleet. Her sister ship, the Carnival Dream entered service on September 21, 2009, and a second sister Carnival Breeze will enter service in June 2012. She is the Carnival flagship...
and Carnival Triumph
Carnival Triumph
Carnival Triumph is a post-Panamax Triumph-class cruise ship, operated by Carnival Cruise Lines in the Caribbean.-Layout:Carnival Triumph has a "Great Cities of the World" theme. Her amenities include the Paris Dining Room, the London Dining Room, the Rome Lounge, Club Rio featuring music, and a...
in November, 2011. Carnival Magic will operate seven-day Caribbean cruise from Galveston beginning Nov. 14, 2011, becoming the largest cruise ship based at the Port year-round. The port is also the winter home port to Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...
's, MS Mariner of the Seas, which is currently the largest cruise ship based in Galveston. In 2012 the Disney Magic will come to Galveston and offer seven-day cruises to Mexico and the Caribbean.
Finance
American National Insurance CompanyAmerican National Insurance Company
American National Insurance Company is a major American insurance corporation based in Galveston, Texas. The company and its subsidiaries operate in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa.-Company description:...
, one of the largest life insurance companies in the United States, is based in Galveston. The company and its subsidiaries operate in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
. Through its subsidiary, American National de México, Compañía de Seguros de Vida, it provides products and services in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Moody National Bank
Moody National Bank
Moody National Bank is a nationally chartered bank, founded in 1907, that is based in Galveston, Texas, USA.With assets of nearly $1 billion dollars Moody Bank is one of oldest and largest privately owned Texas-based banks. Its trust department, established in 1927, administers over $15.5 billion...
, with headquarters in downtown Galveston, is one of the largest privately owned Texas-based banks. Its trust department, established in 1927, administers over 12 billion dollars in assets, one of the largest in the state. In addition, the regional headquarters of Iowa-based United Fire & Casualty Company are located in the city.
Health care
Galveston is the home of several of the largest teaching hospitals in the state, located on the campus of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Prior to Hurricane Ike, the University employed more than 12,000 people. Its significant growth in the 1970s and 1980s was attributable to a uniquely qualified management and medical faculty including: Mr. John Thompson; Dr. William James McGanity, Dr. William Levin, Dr. David Daeschner and many more.Ike severely damaged the 550-bed John Sealy Hospital
John Sealy Hospital
John Sealy Hospital is a hospital that is a part of the University of Texas Medical Branch complex in Galveston, Texas, United States.Sealy opened on January 10, 1890. It was founded by the widow and brother of one of the richest citizens of Texas, John Sealy after his death...
causing the University of Texas System
University of Texas System
The University of Texas System encompasses 15 educational institutions in Texas, of which nine are academic universities and six are health institutions. The system is headquartered in Austin and has a total enrollment of over 190,000 students...
Board of Regents
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs public institutions of higher education, which include both state universities and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual colleges and universities, or both. In general they operate as...
to cut nearly one-third of the hospital staff. Since the storm, the regents have committed to spending $713 million dollars to restore the campus, construct new medical towers, and return John Sealy Hospital to its 550 bed pre-storm capacity.
In 2011, the UT Board of Regents approved the construction of a new 13 story hospital that will be located next to John Sealy Hospital. Construction will begin in the fall of 2011, with the demolition of the old Jennie Sealy and Shriners hospitals, and continue until completion in 2016. The facility will have 250 room, 20 operating suites and 54 intensive care beds. When the new hospital is complete, along with the renovations at John Sealy, both complexes will have around 600 beds.
The university reopened their Level I Trauma Center on August 1, 2009 which had been closed for eleven months after the hurricane and, , had reopened 370 hospital beds.
The city is also home to a 30-bed acute
Acute (medicine)
In medicine, an acute disease is a disease with either or both of:# a rapid onset, as in acute infection# a short course ....
burn
Burn
A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
s hospital for children, the Shriners Burns Hospital at Galveston
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit hospitals across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’...
. The Galveston hospital is one of only four in the chain of 22 non-profit Shriners hospitals, that provides acute burns care. Although the Galveston Hospital was damaged by Hurricane Ike, the Shriners national convention held in July 2009 voted to repair and reopen the hospital.
Tourism
Schlitterbahn
Schlitterbahn is a family-owned and operated company based in New Braunfels, Texas, USA. Schlitterbahn began its first park, Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, in 1979. Since then Schlitterbahn has developed three waterparks located in Texas and one in Kansas City, Kansas.Schlitterbahn Waterparks are...
waterpark, Moody Gardens
Moody Gardens
Moody Gardens is a tourist complex in Galveston, Texas. It is owned, through a complex agreement, by the City of Galveston but funded, operated, and supported by the multi-billion dollar Moody Foundation....
botanical park, the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum
Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum
The Ocean Star Offshore Oil Rig & Museum, located in Galveston, Texas, is a museum dedicated to the offshore oil and gas industry. Located next to the Strand National Historic Landmark District, the museum is housed on a retired jack-up rig set up in the Galveston harbor.-History:The Ocean Star was...
, the Lone Star Flight Museum
Lone Star Flight Museum
The Lone Star Flight Museum, located in Galveston, Texas, USA, is an aerospace museum that displays more than 40 historically significant aircraft and many hundreds of artifacts related to the history of flight. The museum's collection is rare because most of the aircraft are flyable...
, Galveston Railroad Museum, a downtown neighborhood of historic buildings known as The Strand
Strand National Historic Landmark District
The Strand Historic District, also known as the Strand District, in downtown Galveston, Texas , is a National Historic Landmark District of mainly Victorian era buildings that now house restaurants, antique stores, and curio shops. The area is a major tourist attraction for the island city and also...
, many historical museums and mansions, and miles of beach front from the East End's Porretto Beach, Stewart Beach to the West End pocket parks. The Strand plays host to a yearly Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
festival, Galveston Island Jazz & Blues Festival and a Victorian-themed Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
festival called Dickens on the Strand
Dickens on the Strand
Dickens on the Strand is an annual Christmas festival in Galveston, Texas occurring the first weekend in December. Established in 1974 and set against the historical backdrop of Galveston's Strand, participants come to witness and relive the Charles Dickens era. Saturday features a parade...
(honoring the works of novelist Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
, especially A Christmas Carol) in early December. Galveston is home to several historic ships: the tall ship Elissa
Elissa (ship)
The tall ship Elissa is a three-masted barque. She is currently moored in Galveston, Texas, and is one of the oldest ships sailing today....
(the official Tall Ship of Texas) at the Texas Seaport Museum and USS Cavalla
USS Cavalla (SS-244)
USS Cavalla , a Gato-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for a salt water fish, best known for sinking the Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku, a veteran of the Pearl Harbor attack....
and USS Stewart
USS Stewart (DE-238)
USS Stewart is an Edsall class destroyer escort, the third United States Navy ship so named. This ship was named for Rear Admiral Charles Stewart , who commanded USS Constitution during the War of 1812. The Stewart is one of only two preserved U.S...
, both berthed at Seawolf Park
Seawolf Park
Seawolf Park is a memorial to , a United States Navy Sargo-class submarine mistakenly sunk by U.S. Navy forces in 1944 during World War II. It is located on Pelican Island , just north of Galveston, Texas, in the United States....
on nearby Pelican Island. Galveston is ranked the number one cruise port on the Gulf Coast and fourth in the United States.
Arts and culture
Galveston is home to the Galveston Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble of amateur and professional musicians formed in 1979 under the direction of Richard W. Pickar, Musical Director-Conductor. The Galveston Ballet is a regional pre-professional ballet company and academy serving Galveston county. The company presents one full-length classical ballet in the spring of each year and one mixed repertory program in the fall, both presented at the Grand 1894 Opera House.Architecture
Located in the Strand District, the Grand 1894 Opera House
Grand 1894 Opera House
The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston, Texas is a historic theater currently operated as a not-for-profit performing arts theater. The Romanesque Revival style Opera House is located at 2020 Post Office Street in Galveston's Strand District.- History :...
is a restored historic Romanesque Revival
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
style Opera House that is currently operated as a not-for-profit performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
theater. The Bishop's Palace
Bishop's Palace, Galveston
The Bishop's Palace, also known as Gresham's Castle, is an ornate Victorian house located on Broadway and 14th Street in the East End Historic District of Galveston, Texas...
, also known as Gresham's Castle, is an ornate Victorian house located on Broadway and 14th Street in the East End Historic District of Galveston, Texas. The American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
listed Bishop's Palace as one of the 100 most significant buildings in the United States, and the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
has classified it as one of the fourteen most representative Victorian structures in the nation. The Galvez Hotel
Galvez Hotel
The Hotel Galvez is a historic hotel located in Galveston, Texas, United States that opened in 1911. The building was named the Galvez, honoring Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez, for whom the city was named...
is a historic hotel that opened in 1911. The building was named the Galvez, honoring Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez
Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez
Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Gálvez was a Spanish military leader and the general of Spanish forces in New Spain who served as governor of Louisiana and Cuba and as viceroy of New Spain.Gálvez aided the Thirteen Colonies in their quest for independence and led...
, for whom the city was named. The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on April 4, 1979. The Michel B. Menard House, built in 1838 and oldest in Galveston, is designed in the Greek revival style. In 1880, the house was bought by Edwin N. Ketchum who was police chief of the city during the 1900 Storm. The Ketchum family owned the home until the 1970s. The red-brick Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
home, Ashton Villa
Ashton Villa
Ashton Villa is a fully restored, historic home located on the corner of 23rd and Broadway in Galveston, Texas, United States. Constructed in 1859, it was one of the first brick structures in Texas.-History:...
, was constructed in 1859 by James Moreau Brown. One of the first brick structures in Texas, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a recorded Texas Historic Landmark. The structure is also the site of what was to become the holiday known as Juneteenth
Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday in the United States honoring African American heritage by commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865...
. Where On June 19, 1865 Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
General Gordon Granger standing on its balcony read the contents of “General Order No. 3”, thereby emancipating all slaves in the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
St. Joseph’s Church was built by German immigrants in 1859-60 and is the oldest wooden church building in Galveston and the oldest German Catholic
German Catholics
The German Catholics were a schismatic sect formed in December 1844 by German dissidents from the Roman Catholic Church, under the leadership of Johannes Ronge.-History:...
Church in Texas. The church was dedicated in April 1860, to St. Joseph, the patron saint of laborers. The building is a wooden gothic revival structure, rectangular with a square bell tower with trefoil
Trefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...
window. The U.S. Custom House began construction in 1860 and was completed in 1861. The Confederate Army occupied the building during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, In 1865, the Custom House was the site of the ceremony officially ending the Civil War.
Galveston's modern architecture include the American National Insurance Company
American National Insurance Company
American National Insurance Company is a major American insurance corporation based in Galveston, Texas. The company and its subsidiaries operate in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa.-Company description:...
Tower (One Moody Plaza), San Luis Resort South and North Towers, The Breakers Condominiums, The Galvestonian Resort and Condos, One Shearn Moody Plaza, US National Bank Building, the Rainforest Pyramid at Moody Gardens, John Sealy Hospital
John Sealy Hospital
John Sealy Hospital is a hospital that is a part of the University of Texas Medical Branch complex in Galveston, Texas, United States.Sealy opened on January 10, 1890. It was founded by the widow and brother of one of the richest citizens of Texas, John Sealy after his death...
Towers at UTMB and Medical Arts Building (also known as Two Moody Plaza).
Media
The Galveston County Daily News, founded in 1842, is the city's primary newspaper and the oldest continuously printed newspaper in Texas. It currently serves as the newspaper of recordNewspaper of record
Newspaper of record is a term that may refer either to any publicly available newspaper that has been authorized by a government to publish public or legal notices , or any major newspaper that has a large circulation and whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered professional and...
for the city as well as Galveston County. Radio station KGBC
KGBC
KGBC is a radio station licensed to Galveston, Texas, USA. It has served the Galveston area since 1947. The station is currently owned by SIGA Broadcasting, Inc. of Houston....
, on air since 1947, has also served as a local media outlet. Television station KHOU
KHOU-TV
KHOU is the CBS affiliate television station in Houston, Texas. Serving Greater Houston, it is owned by the Belo Corporation and broadcasts on digital and PSIP channel 11...
signed on the air as KGUL-TV on March 23, 1953. Originally licensed in Galveston, KGUL was the second television station to launch in the Houston area after KPRC-TV
KPRC-TV
KPRC-TV is the NBC affiliated television station based in Houston, Texas, and serving the Greater Houston television market. It has studios located in the Sharpstown district on the Southwest portion of the city, and has a transmitter site in unincorporated Fort Bend County near Missouri City...
. One of the original investors in the station was actor James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
, along with a small group of other Galveston investors. In June 1959, KGUL changed its call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
to KHOU and moved the city of license to Houston. The local hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
name for Galveston is "Galvo."
Notable Galvestonians
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte was a pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places...
, the famed pirate and American hero of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Much later in the 19th century, the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Galveston civil rights leader Norris Wright Cuney
Norris Wright Cuney
Norris Wright Cuney, or simply Wright Cuney, was an American politician, union leader, and African American activist in Texas in the United States. He became active in Galveston politics serving as an alderman and a national Republican delegate...
rose to become the head of the Texas Republican Party and became one of the most important Southern black leaders of the century. Richard Bache, Jr.
Richard Bache Jr. (Texas politician)
Richard Bache, Jr. , was a Representative to the Second Texas Legislature in 1847 and assisted in drawing up the Texas Constitution of 1845, the first of Texas' five state constitutions.-Early life and ancestors:...
who represented Galveston in the Senate of the Second Texas Legislature in 1847 and assisted in drawing up the Constitution of 1845. He was also the grandson of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, one of the Founding Fathers
Founding Fathers of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...
of the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Deborah Read
Deborah Read
Deborah Read Franklin was the spouse of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, and a prominent inventor, printer, thinker, and revolutionary.-Life Before Second Marriage:...
. Noted portrait and landscape artist Verner Moore White
Verner Moore White
Verner Moore White , born Thomas Verner Moore White but informally known as Verner White, was an American landscape and portrait painter...
moved from Galveston the day before the 1900 hurricane. While he survived, his studio and much of his portfolio was destroyed. One of the survivors of the 1900 Galveston Storm was the Hollywood director King Vidor
King Vidor
King Wallis Vidor was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades...
who made his directing debut in 1913 with the film Hurricane in Galveston
Hurricane in Galveston
Hurricane in Galveston is a 1913 short drama film directed by King Vidor. It was Vidor's debut film as a director....
. Later Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...
, nicknamed the “Galveston Giant”, became the first black world heavyweight boxing champion.
During the first half of the 20th century William L. Moody Jr. established a business empire which includes American National Insurance Company
American National Insurance Company
American National Insurance Company is a major American insurance corporation based in Galveston, Texas. The company and its subsidiaries operate in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa.-Company description:...
, a major national insurer, and founded the Moody Foundation
Moody Foundation
The Moody Foundation is a charitable foundation incorporated in Texas and based in the island city of Galveston. It was chartered in 1942 by William Lewis Moody, Jr...
, one of the largest charitable organizations in the United States. Sam Maceo
Sam Maceo
Salvatore Maceo, also known as Sam Maceo, was a businessman, community leader, and organized crime boss in Galveston, Texas in the United States. Because of his efforts, Galveston Island became a nationally known resort town during the early and mid 20th century, a period known as Galveston's Open...
, a nationally known organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
boss, with the help of his family, was largely responsible for making Galveston a major U.S. tourist destination from the 1920s to the 1940s. John H. Murphy
John H. Murphy
John Hulen Murphy, I , a newspaperman for seventy-four years, was the longtime executive vice president of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association and the former assistant to the late Richard J.V...
, was a Texas newspaperman for seventy-four years, was the longtime executive vice president of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association. Douglas Corrigan
Douglas Corrigan
Douglas Corrigan was an American aviator born in Galveston, Texas. He was nicknamed "Wrong Way" in 1938. After a transcontinental flight from Long Beach, California, to New York, he flew from Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York, to Ireland, though his flight plan was filed to return to Long...
became of the early transatlantic aviators, and was given the nickname "Wrong Way" for claiming to have mistakenly made the ocean crossing after being refused permission to make the flight.
More recently Tilman J. Fertitta
Tilman J. Fertitta
Tilman Joseph Fertitta is an American businessman and the founder, chairman of the board, President, CEO and primary shareholder of Landry's Restaurants...
, part of the Maceo bloodline, established the Landry's Restaurants corporation which owns numerous restaurants and entertainment venues in Texas and Nevada. Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....
is the senior senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Texas and the first female Texas senator.
Local government
After the hurricane of 1900, the city originated the City Commission form of city government (which became known as the "Galveston PlanCity commission government
City commission government is a form of municipal government which once was common in the United States, but many cities which were formerly governed by commission have since switched to the council-manager form of government...
"), although the city has since adopted the council-manager
Council-manager government
The council–manager government form is one of two predominant forms of municipal government in the United States; the other common form of local government is the mayor-council government form, which characteristically occurs in large cities...
form of government. Galveston's city council serves as the city's legislative branch, while the city manager works as the chief executive officer and the municipal court system serves as the city's judicial branch. The city council and mayor promote ordinances to establish municipal policies. The Galveston City Council consists of six elected positions, each derived from a specified electoral district
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
. Each city council member is elected to a two year term, while the mayor is elected to a two year term. The city council appoints the city manager, the city secretary, the city auditor, the city attorney, and the municipal judge. The city's Tax Collector is determined by the city council and is outsourced to Galveston County. The city manager hires employees, promotes development, presents and administers the budget, and implements city council policies. Joe Jaworski is mayor, having replaced term-limited Lyda Ann Thomas
Lyda Ann Thomas
Lyda Ann Thomas is the former mayor of Galveston, Texas, United States. She was first elected in 2004 to succeed Roger "Bo" Quiroga. Thomas was the third female mayor of Galveston.-Education and politics :...
May 2010. Jaworski is also the grandson of Leon Jaworski
Leon Jaworski
Leonidas "Leon" Jaworski was the second Special Prosecutor during the Watergate Scandal...
, United States Special Prosecutor
Special prosecutor
A special prosecutor generally is a lawyer from outside the government appointed by an attorney general or, in the United States, by Congress to investigate a government official for misconduct while in office. A reasoning for such an appointment is that the governmental branch or agency may have...
during the Watergate Scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
in the 1970s.
City services
Fire protection
Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, compartmentalisation, suppression and investigation of fire and its related emergencies, as well as the research and development, production, testing and application of...
services through six fire stations and seventeen pieces of apparatus
Fire apparatus
A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...
. The Galveston Police Department has provided the city's police protection
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
for more than 165 years. Over 170 authorized officers serve in three divisions. The city is served by the Rosenberg Library
Rosenberg Library
Rosenberg Library, a public library located at 2310 Sealy Street in Galveston, Texas, United States, is the oldest continuously operating library in Texas...
, successor to the Galveston Mercantile Library, which was founded in 1871. It is the oldest public library in the State of Texas. The library also serves as headquarters of the Galveston County Library System and its librarian also functions as the Galveston County Librarian.
County, state, and federal government
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
and second-largest city (after League City, Texas
League City, Texas
League City is a city in Galveston County and Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 45,444; in the 2006 census estimate, the population was listed as 67,200. The 2010 Census places the population of League City...
) of Galveston County
Galveston County, Texas
Galveston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 291,309. Its county seat is Galveston. League City is the largest city in Galveston County in terms of population; between...
in population. The Galveston County Justice Center, which houses all the county's judicial functions as well as jail, is located on 59th street. The Galveston County Administrative Courthouse, the seat of civil and administrative functions, is located near the city's downtown. Galveston is within the County Precinct 1; Patrick Doyle serves as the Commissioner of Precinct 1. The Galveston County Sheriff's Office operates its law enforcement headquarters and jail from the Justice Center. The Galveston County Department of Parks and Senior Services operates the Galveston Community Center. Galveston is located in District 23 of the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
. , Craig Eiland
Craig Eiland
Allen Craig Eiland is a Democratic member and former Speaker pro Tempore of the Texas House of Representatives. Eiland represents Texas House district 23, which includes Galveston, Jamaica Beach, Texas City and the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County and all of Chambers County.Prior to...
represents the district. Most of Galveston is within District 17
Texas Senate, District 17
District 17 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves portions of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Senator Kyle Janek announced his resignation on May 29, 2008. Governor Rick Perry called for a special...
of the Texas Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
; Joan Huffman
Joan Huffman
Joan J. Huffman is a former felony court judge in Houston, Texas, and an incoming Republican member of the 31-member Texas State Senate from District 17, which includes a portion of populous Harris County. Huffman will also be the sixth currently serving female member of the chamber...
represents the district. A portion of Galveston is within District 11
Texas Senate, District 11
District 11 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves portions of Brazoria, Galveston and Harris counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 11 is Mike Jackson.-2004:-2002:-1998:...
of the Texas Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
; Mike Jackson represents the district. Galveston is in Texas's 14th congressional district
Texas's 14th congressional district
Texas's 14th district for the United States House of Representatives is a Congressional district that covers the area south and southwest of the Greater Houston region, including Galveston, in the state of Texas. The district was created as a result of the 1900 U.S. Census and was first contested...
and is represented by Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
.
The Galveston Division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over the southern part of Texas...
, the first federal court in Texas, is based in Galveston and has jurisdiction over the counties of Galveston, Brazoria, Chambers and Matagorda. It is housed in the United States Post Office, Customs House and Court House federal building in downtown Galveston. The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates several post offices in Galveston, including the Galveston Main Post Office and the Bob Lyons Post Office Station. In addition the post office has a contract postal unit at the Medical Branch Unit on the campus of the University of Texas Medical Branch
University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch is a component of the University of Texas System located in Galveston, Texas, United States, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Houston...
and the West Galveston Contract Postal Unit, located on the west end of Galveston Island in the beachside community of Jamaica Beach
Jamaica Beach, Texas
Jamaica Beach is a city in Galveston County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,075.-History:Prior to its development, Jamaica Beach was a Karankawa burial ground. Johnny Goyen and Earl Galceran of the Jamaica Corporation developed Jamaica Beach as a 2,000-lot...
.
Transportation
Scholes International Airport at GalvestonScholes International Airport at Galveston
Scholes International Airport at Galveston is an airport located in Galveston, Texas, United States. The airport, three miles southwest of downtown Galveston, has two runways.- Overview :...
is a two-runway airport in Galveston; the airport is primarily used for general aviation, offshore energy transportation, and some limited military operations. The nearest commercial airline service for the city is operated out of Houston through William P. Hobby Airport
William P. Hobby Airport
William P. Hobby Airport is a public airport in Houston, Texas, located from Downtown Houston. The airport covers and has four runways. Hobby Airport is Houston's oldest commercial airport and was the city's primary air terminal until the opening of Houston Intercontinental Airport in 1969...
and George Bush Intercontinental Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport, is a Class B international airport in Houston, Texas, serving the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Located north of Downtown Houston between Interstate 45 and U.S. Highway 59...
. The University of Texas Medical Branch
University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch is a component of the University of Texas System located in Galveston, Texas, United States, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Houston...
has two heliports, one for Ewing Hall and one for its emergency room.
The Galveston Railway
Galveston Railroad
The Galveston Railroad is a Class III terminal switching railroad headquartered in Galveston, Texas. It primarily serves the transportation of cargo to and from the Port of Galveston....
, originally established and named in 1854 as the Galveston Wharf and Cotton Press Company, is a Class III
Class III railroad
A Class III railroad, as defined by the Surface Transportation Board, is a railroad with an annual operating revenue of less than $20 million . The term only applies to United States railroads, but is sometimes applied to other countries...
terminal switching railroad that primarily serves the transportation of cargo to and from the Port of Galveston. The railway operates 32 miles (51.5 km) of yard track at Galveston, over a 50 acres (202,343 m²) facility. Island Transit
Island Transit (Texas)
Island Transit is a public transit company operating in Galveston, Texas. The company runs bus routes, and a streetcar system, called Galveston Island Trolley....
, which operates the Galveston Island Trolley
Galveston Island Trolley
The Galveston Island Trolley is a heritage streetcar in Galveston, Texas, United States. As of late 2006, the total network length was 6.8 miles with 22 stations. The Galveston Island Trolley is operated by Island Transit...
manages the city's public transportation services. Bus service is operated by Greyhound Bus Lines out of Galveston Station.
Interstate 45
Interstate 45
Interstate 45 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It connects the cities of Dallas and Houston, continuing southeast from Houston to Galveston over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico...
has a southern terminus in Galveston and serves as a main artery to Galveston from mainland Galveston County and Houston. Farm to Market Road 3005
Farm to Market Road 3005
Farm to Market Road 3005 is a farm to market road in Galveston County, Texas.-Route description:FM 3005 has a western terminus at the approach to the toll bridge over San Luis Pass; the bridge connects to the Bluewater Highway on the Brazoria County side...
(locally called Seawall Boulevard
Seawall Boulevard
Seawall Boulevard is a major road in Galveston, Texas in the United States. The boulevard is conterminous with Farm to Market Road 3005 south of 61st Street. It runs along the Gulf coast waterfront of the island near the main parts of the city...
) connects Galveston to Brazoria County
Brazoria County, Texas
Brazoria County[p] is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Regionally, parts of the county are within the extreme southern-most fringe of the regions locally known as Southeast Texas. Brazoria County is among a...
via the San Luis Pass-Vacek toll bridge. State Highway 87, known locally as Broadway Street, connects the island to the Bolivar Peninsula via the Bolivar Ferry.
Colleges and universities
Established in 1891 with one building and fewer than 50 students, today the University of Texas Medical BranchUniversity of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch is a component of the University of Texas System located in Galveston, Texas, United States, about 50 miles southeast of Downtown Houston...
(UTMB) campus has grown to more than 70 buildings and an enrollment of more than 2,500 students. The 84 acres (339,936.2 m²) campus includes schools of medicine
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
, nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
, allied health professions, and a graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
of biomedical sciences, as well as three institutes for advanced studies & medical humanities, a major medical library, seven hospitals, a network of clinics that provide a full range of primary and specialized medical care, and numerous research facilities.
Galveston is home to two post-secondary institutions offering traditional degrees in higher education. Galveston College
Galveston College
Galveston College is a comprehensive community college located on Galveston Island in Galveston, Texas, United States. GC is led by a president who answers to nine member publicly elected Board of Regents....
, a junior college that opened in 1967, and Texas A&M University at Galveston
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Texas A&M University at Galveston is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University offering undergraduate degrees in marine biology, marine fisheries, marine engineering technology, marine sciences, marine transportation, maritime administration, maritime studies, maritime systems...
, an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
.
Primary and secondary schools
The city of Galveston is served by Galveston Independent School DistrictGalveston Independent School District
Galveston Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Galveston, Texas, United States.In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.- Catchment area :...
, which includes six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school, Ball High School
Ball High School
Ball High School is a public secondary school in Galveston, Texas, United States. Ball, which covers grades 9 through 12, is a part of Galveston Independent School District....
. There is also one magnet middle school
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
, Austin Middle School, serving grades 5 through 8.
Galveston has several state-funded charter schools
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
not affiliated with local school districts, including kindergarten through 8th grade Ambassadors Preparatory Academy and pre-kindergarten through 8th Grade Odyssey Academy. In addition KIPP: the Knowledge Is Power Program
KIPP: the Knowledge Is Power Program
KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a nationwide network of free open-enrollment college-preparatory schools in under-resourced communities throughout the United States. KIPP schools are usually established under state charter school laws and KIPP is America’s largest network of charter schools...
plans to open KIPP Coastal Village in Galveston.
Several private schools exist in Galveston. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston encompasses of ten counties in the southeastern area of Texas: Galveston; Harris; Austin; Brazoria; Fort Bend; Grimes; Montgomery; San Jacinto; Walker; and Waller.The chancery of the diocese is located in Downtown Houston. The Archdiocese's...
operates two Roman Catholic private schools, including Holy Family Catholic School (K through 8th) and O'Connell College Preparatory School
O'Connell College Preparatory School
O'Connell College Preparatory School is a 4-year coeducational parochial/private high school in Galveston, Texas, United States that offers university-preparatory programs...
(9-12). Other private schools include Satori Elementary School, Trinity Episcopal School, Seaside Christian Academy, and Heritage Christian Academy.
Sister cities
Galveston has six sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities InternationalSister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
: Armavir
Armavir, Armenia
Armavir is a city located in western Armenia. The 1989 census reported that the city had a total population of 46,900, but this has declined considerably: the 2001 census counted 32,034; estimate for 2008 is 26,387. It is the capital of the Armavir province . The city of Armavir in Russia, founded...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Niigata
Niigata, Niigata
is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Tamsui, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
(Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
)
See also
- Free State of GalvestonFree State of GalvestonThe Free State of Galveston was a whimsical name given to the island city of Galveston in the U.S. state of Texas during the early-to-mid-20th century. Today, the term is sometimes used to describe the culture and history of that era...
- Galveston Hurricane of 1900Galveston Hurricane of 1900The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston in the U.S. state of Texas, on September 8, 1900.It had estimated winds of at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale...
- Battle of GalvestonBattle of GalvestonThe Battle of Galveston or the Second Battle of Galveston was a naval and land battle that occurred on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War when Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. John B...
- Galveston MovementGalveston MovementThe Galveston Movement, also known as the Galveston Plan, was one immigration assistance program operated by several Jewish organizations between 1907 and 1914. The program worked to divert Jewish immigrants, fleeing Russia and eastern Europe, away from East Coast cities, particularly New York,...
- History of the Jews in Galveston, TexasHistory of the Jews in Galveston, TexasJews have inhabited the city of Galveston, Texas, for almost two centuries. The first known Jewish immigrant to the Galveston area was Jao de la Porta, who, along with his brother Morin, financed the first settlement by Europeans on Galveston Island in 1816. de la Porta was born in Portugal of...
- Hurricane IkeHurricane IkeHurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
- Isaac's Storm
- Jean LafitteJean LafitteJean Lafitte was a pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places...