Texas City is a city in Galveston County, Texas (with some water area in Chambers County), United States. Located on the southwest shoreline of Galveston Bay, Texas City is a deepwater port on the Gulf Coast and a petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing center. Its population was 51,898 at the 2020 census, making it the third-largest city in Galveston County, behind League City and Galveston. It is part of the Houston metropolitan area. Texas City was the site of a major explosion in 1947 that demolished much of the city and its port.

History

Three duck hunters in 1891 noted that a location along Galveston Bay, known locally as Shoal Point, had the potential to become a major port. Shoal Point had existed since the 1830s, when veterans of the Texas Revolution (1835–1836) were awarded land for their services. The name was applied to the community when a post office opened in 1878. The duck hunters were Benjamin, Henry, and Jacob Myers, three brothers from Duluth, Minnesota. After they returned to Duluth, they formed the Myers Brothers syndicate, and convinced other investors to put up money to buy of Galveston Bay frontage, including Shoal Point. They renamed the area Texas City.

Founding

thumb|Frank B. Davison House

By 1893, the investors had formed the Texas City Improvement Company (TCIC), which plotted and filed the townsite plan. A post office opened in 1893 with Frank B. Davison as the town's first postmaster, to serve about 250 people who had moved there from Minnesota and Michigan. TCIC also received the federal government's permission to dredge an eight-foot channel in the bay from Bolivar Roads (at the east end of Galveston Island) to serve Texas City. In 1894, the channel was first used commercially. TCIC eventually dredged the channel to a 40-foot depth and extended the length of the port to 1.5 mi. TCIC also built a four-mile railroad to the Texas City Junction south of town, where it connected to two other rail lines: Galveston, Houston and San Antonio and Galveston-Houston and Henderson.

Despite these successes, the TCIC went bankrupt in 1897. Its assets were reorganized and then split into two new companies: Texas City Company (TCC) and Texas City Railway Terminal Company (TCRTC). TCC acquired 3,000 city lots and provided water, natural gas, and electricity to the town. TCRTC operated the railroad. These companies were chartered on February 4, 1899. Speed and distance records were set by pilots trained and planes flying out of Texas City's impromptu military air base.

An August 1915 hurricane completely demolished the encampment. Nine soldiers were killed. Military leaders promptly moved the camp to San Antonio.

2005 BP explosion

On March 23, 2005, the city suffered another explosion in a local BP (formerly Amoco) oil refinery, which killed 15 and injured 180. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB)'s final report on the accident, published in March 2007, called the event "one of the worst industrial disasters in recent U.S. history."

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| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br>2020 Census

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 23,391 || 45.1%

|-

| Black or African American || 14,523 || 28.0%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 464 || 0.9%

|-

| Asian || 718 || 1.4%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 46 || 0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 5,627 || 10.8%

|-

| Two or more races || 7,129 || 13.7%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 16,116 || 31.1%

|}

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Texas City had a population of 51,898, 19,526 households, and 13,005 families; the median age was 37.0 years, with 24.7% of residents under the age of 18 and 15.9% aged 65 or older.

For every 100 females there were 91.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.9 males age 18 and over in the city.

Of the city's 19,526 households, 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 38.3% were married-couple households, 19.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present; about 27.5% of all households consisted of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The Texas City Industrial Complex is a leading center of the petrochemical industry. Within this complex, the Galveston Bay Refinery operated by Marathon is the second-largest petroleum refinery in Texas and third-largest in the United States. The Port of Texas City became the third-leading port in Texas by tonnage and ninth in the nation. In recent decades, the city's planners have made efforts to diversify the economy into tourism, health care, and many other sectors. Prisoners there attend the Dickinson Independent School District.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice maintains the Young Medical Facility Complex for females in Texas City.<!--Note that even though the address says Dickisnon, the complex itself is within the limits of Texas City--> Young opened in 1996 as the Texas City Regional Medical Unit.

Arts and culture

In 1928, the city dedicated a room in city hall to form a municipal library, operated by the Texas City Civic Club. In 1947, city hall received damage from the Texas City explosion; it was later demolished. In 1948, the library moved to a former house. In 1964, the library moved into its current building. In 1984, the Moore Memorial Public Library was expanded to .

The Texas City Museum includes the Galveston County Model Railroad Club exhibit.

Parks and recreation

thumb|Federal and local agency workers help clean up the beaches affected by an oil spill on March 27, 2014, in Texas City

thumb|Texas City Post Office

The city operates 42 parks, some of which are part of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail.

The Texas City Prairie Preserve is a nature preserve located on the shores of Moses Lake opposite the city. The terrain of the preserve includes prairie and wetland habitats. The preserve includes of public-access areas, including campsites. The remainder of the preserve is available for tours, including boardwalk access through the marshes.

The Bay Street Park is a property near the bay and the levee. Part of the park commemorates the Aero Squadron, one of the first U.S. Army air squadrons and a precursor to the modern Air Force. The rest of the park features wilderness trails and family entertainment areas.

Nessler Park is a property used for community events such as the annual "Music Fest by the Bay". Other large city parks include Carver Park, Godard Park, and Holland Park.

The centerpiece of Texas City's Heritage Square historical district is the former residence of one of the city's fathers, Frank B. Davison. The Victorian-styled Davison Home was completed in 1897.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Most of Texas City is served by the Texas City Independent School District, which has four elementary schools for kindergarten through grade 4: Kohfeldt Elementary, Roosevelt-Wilson Elementary, Heights Elementary, and Guajardo Elementary. The TCISD intermediate school, Levi Fry Intermediate, provides for fifth and sixth graders, and one TCISD middle school, Blocker Middle School, provides for seventh and eighth graders. Texas City High School serves the TCISD portion of Texas City.

Other portions are a part of the Dickinson Independent School District. Some were previously in the La Marque Independent School District. On December 2, 2015, Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Michael Williams announced that the Texas City Independent School District would absorb the La Marque district effective July 1, 2016.

Private schools

Our Lady of Fatima School, a Roman Catholic elementary school operated by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, is in Texas City.

Colleges and universities

Texas City is served by the College of the Mainland, which is located in Texas City.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The major freeway serving the area is the Gulf Freeway, part of Interstate 45, which connects Texas City with Galveston and Houston. <!--Texas State Highway 99/-->Texas State Highway 146 locally connects Texas City with other Galveston Bay Area communities on the shoreline. Texas Loop 197 combines with Highway 146 to form a ring around the city, providing access to the city's major areas.

Police

In 2008, civilian code-enforcement officers were replaced by police officers because residents tended to ignore civilian officials.

Notable people

  • Chris Ballard, NFL Colts general manager
  • Tajh Bellow, actor
  • Charles Brown, blues singer and pianist
  • John Carona, politician
  • Frank B. Davison, city pioneer who built Davison home, now a museum
  • George Ducas, country music singer
  • Charlie Dupre, former NFL player
  • L.G. Dupre, former NFL player
  • Ben Emanuel, American football player
  • D'Onta Foreman, professional football player
  • Andy Hassler, Major League Baseball, player
  • Johnny Lee, country music singer
  • Edi Patterson, actress on The Righteous Gemstones
  • Stone Phillips, television reporter and correspondent
  • Ron Raines, actor
  • Mary Simpson, one of the first women to be ordained a priest by the American Episcopal Church
  • The 2021 movie Red Rocket is set in Texas City.

References

  • City of Texas City – Official Website
  • Historic Photos from the Moore Memorial Public Library, Texas City, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
  • "Texas City Markers." The Historical Markers Database. Retrieved March 11, 2012
  • Wheaton, Grant. "Annals of Texas City Port of Opportunity."[http://www.local1259iaff.org/annalsoftexascity.htm]