Nassau Bay is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States, bordering the outermost southeastern edge of the city of Houston. It is located in the Clear Lake Area near Galveston Bay, directly adjacent to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The population was 5,347 at the 2020 census.
History
Colonel Raymond Pearson established the Spirit of 1776 Ranch on what would become Nassau Bay. In 1962, a community was planned which would be an exclusive residential and commercial area emphasizing its pioneers and at a then-staggering cost of $49 million. In 1962 construction of Nassau Bay began and the first residents moved to Nassau Bay in 1964; its initial population was 400. It was developed by Ernest W. Roe Company, with Thompson McCleary of Caudill, Rowlett, and Scott providing architectural services and Nassau Bay Development Associates establishing the development. The name was chosen by the developers because of the tropical feeling it generated. At the time, NASA was moving personnel from several areas in the United States with a high quality of life, including California and, notably, Florida.
In 1968 the community had 2,979 residents. The city incorporated in 1970. The population was 6,702 in 1980, 4,526 in 1982, 4,506 in 1991, and 4,170 in 2000.
Geography
thumb|Map of Nassau Bay
200px|thumb|Howard Ward Park
Nassau Bay is located in southeastern Harris County at (29.544463, –95.089558). It is bordered to the west by the city of Webster, and to the north by the city of Houston. It is bordered to the south by Clear Creek and to the southeast by the head of Clear Lake, an arm of Galveston Bay. Across the creek and lake, Nassau Bay is bordered by League City in Galveston County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Nassau Bay has a total area of , of which land and , or 30.12%, are water.
| align = right
| align-fn = center
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Nassau Bay city, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|3,554
|3,044
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,413
|85.23%
|76.06%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |63.83%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|78
|135
|style='background: #ffffe6; |340
|1.87%
|3.37%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.36%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|20
|25
|style='background: #ffffe6; |18
|0.48%
|0.62%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.34%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|163
|138
|style='background: #ffffe6; |229
|3.91%
|3.45%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.28%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|6
|6
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|0.14%
|0.15%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|3
|5
|style='background: #ffffe6; |16
|0.07%
|0.12%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.30%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|84
|77
|style='background: #ffffe6; |222
|2.01%
|1.92%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.15%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|262
|572
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,107
|6.28%
|14.29%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |20.70%
|-
|Total
|4,170
|4,002
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,347
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Nassau Bay had a population of 5,347 and a median age of 40.2 years. 18.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.3 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,501 households in Nassau Bay, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.3% were married-couple households, 25.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 3,694 || 69.1%
|-
| Black or African American || 361 || 6.8%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 40 || 0.7%
|-
| Asian || 229 || 4.3%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 5 || 0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 306 || 5.7%
|-
| Two or more races || 712 || 13.3%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,107 || 20.7%
|}
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, represented by Win Weber as of 2008.
Pupils are zoned to Robinson Elementary School in Pasadena, Space Center Intermediate School (Houston), and Clear Creek High School (League City).
Prior to the 2006–2007 school year, Nassau Bay was zoned to Falcon Pass Elementary School (Houston).
Private schools
St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal School, a private school, is located in Nassau Bay.
Colleges and universities
The portion of Clear Creek ISD in Harris County (and therefore Nassau Bay) is assigned to San Jacinto College.
Government and infrastructure
The United States Postal Service operates the Nassau Bay Post Office at 18214 Upper Bay Road. Nassau Bay postal addresses are designated as "Houston, Texas".
Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated Strawberry Health Center in Pasadena for ZIP code 77058. The nearest public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.
Sister city
Nassau Bay is the sister city of Star City, Russia, the home of the Russian equivalent of the Johnson Space Center.
Notable people
- Richard Garriott (b. 1961) – video game developer and businessman
- Tramon Mark (b. 2001) – college basketball player
- Bob J. Perry (1932–2013) – homebuilder and major political donor
References
External links
- City of Nassau Bay official website
- Nassau Bay – Handbook of Texas
- G.W. Robinson Elementary School
