League City is a city primarily in Galveston County, Texas, United States. It has a small portion north of Clear Creek within Harris County zoned for residential and commercial uses. The population was 114,392 at the 2020 census. It is part of the metropolitan area.
League City is home to several waterside resorts, such as South Shore Harbor Resort and Conference Center and Waterford Harbor and Yacht Club Marina, popular with residents of nearby Houston. Between 2000 and 2005, League City surpassed Galveston as Galveston County's largest city.
History
League City was settled at the former site of a Karankawa Indian village. Three families, the Butlers, the Cowarts, and the Perkinses, are considered to be the founding families of the city. The Winfield Family has also recently been acknowledged as a founding family by the City Government. The Cowart family settled on a creek now called Cowart's Creek after them (now often called "Coward's Creek"). The Perkins family built on a creek notably lined with magnolia trees and named it Magnolia Bayou. The Butler family settled inland. The Winfield Family purchased land in League City from the great nephew of Stephen F. Austin and moved there, to a place near what is now Hobbs Road.
The first resident of the town proper, George W. Butler, arrived from Louisiana in 1854 and settled at the junction of Clear Creek and Chigger Bayou. The area was known as Butler's Ranch or Clear Creek until J. C. League acquired the land from a man named Muldoon on his entering the priesthood. This began a small feud over the name, as Butler was the postmaster. The name was changed several times, alternating between Clear Creek and the new League City. In the end, League City was chosen.
In 1907, League had two railroad flatcars of live oak trees left by the railroad tracks. These were for the residents to plant on their property. Butler and his son Milby supervised the planting of these trees, now known as the Butler Oaks. Many of them line Main Street to this day.
Starting in the early 1970s, the bodies of 30 murdered women were discovered in Galveston County, with 4 being discovered in League City, and more have gone missing from the same area. This location has become known as the Texas Killing Fields.
In the 2000s, rising real estate costs in Galveston forced many families to move to other areas, including League City. This meant an influx of children out of Galveston ISD and into other school districts like Clear Creek ISD and Dickinson ISD.
Geography
League City is located southeast of Houston, and the same distance northwest of Galveston.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.22%, is water.
| Jan mean F = 54.8
| Feb mean F = 58.6
| Mar mean F = 64.3
| Apr mean F = 69.8
| May mean F = 77.0
| Jun mean F = 82.4
| Jul mean F = 83.9
| Aug mean F = 84.1
| Sep mean F = 80.1
| Oct mean F = 72.1
| Nov mean F = 62.9
| Dec mean F = 56.6
| Jan avg record high F = 77.3
| Feb avg record high F = 79.7
| Mar avg record high F = 82.8
| Apr avg record high F = 86.1
| May avg record high F = 90.7
| Jun avg record high F = 94.5
| Jul avg record high F = 96.4
| Aug avg record high F = 97.7
| Sep avg record high F = 94.6
| Oct avg record high F = 89.9
| Nov avg record high F = 83.5
| Dec avg record high F = 79.7
| year avg record high F = 98.5
| Jan avg record low F = 27.8
| Feb avg record low F = 32.1
| Mar avg record low F = 35.9
| Apr avg record low F = 43.3
| May avg record low F = 54.8
| Jun avg record low F = 66.6
| Jul avg record low F = 69.8
| Aug avg record low F = 70.0
| Sep avg record low F = 59.8
| Oct avg record low F = 44.7
| Nov avg record low F = 35.1
| Dec avg record low F = 30.0
| year avg record low F = 26.3
| unit precipitation days = 0.1 inch
| Jan precipitation days = 6.2
| Feb precipitation days = 4.8
| Mar precipitation days = 4.2
| Apr precipitation days = 4.3
| May precipitation days = 5.0
| Jun precipitation days = 7.0
| Aug precipitation days = 6.9
| Jul precipitation days = 6.3
| Sep precipitation days = 7.4
| Oct precipitation days = 5.5
| Nov precipitation days = 5.1
| Dec precipitation days = 5.9
| Jan record high F = 84
| Feb record high F = 86
| Mar record high F = 92
| Apr record high F = 93
| May record high F = 97
| Oct record high F = 96
| Nov record high F = 88
| Dec record high F = 85
| Jun record high F = 103
| Jul record high F = 101
| Aug record high F = 107
| Sep record high F = 106
| Jan record low F = 18
| Feb record low F = 15
| Mar record low F = 23
| Apr record low F = 37
| May record low F = 43
| Jun record low F = 57
| Jul record low F = 62
| Aug record low F = 60
| Sep record low F = 50
| Oct record low F = 29
| Nov record low F = 26
| Dec record low F = 16
| Jan snow inch = 0.0
| Feb snow inch = 0.0
| Mar snow inch = 0.0
| Apr snow inch = 0.0
| May snow inch = 0.0
| Jun snow inch = 0.0
| Jul snow inch = 0.0
| Aug snow inch = 0.0
| Sep snow inch = 0.0
| Oct snow inch = 0.0
| Nov snow inch = 0.0
| Dec snow inch = 0.2
| Jan snow days = 0.0
| unit snow days = 0.1 inch
| Feb snow days = 0.0
| Mar snow days = 0.0
| Apr snow days = 0.0
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.0
| Nov snow days = 0.0
| Dec snow days = 0.0