Galveston


Region Type Maps & Charts (if available, no international)
North America, South & Gulf Seaport, City Galveston

City (1990 pop. 59,070; 2000 pop. 57,247), (cap.) Galveston co., on Galveston Isl., SE Texas, 42 miles SE of Houston; 29º13'N 94º53'W. The isl. lies across the entrance to Galveston Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. Long causeways connect the city with the mainland, Houston, and Texas City; Intracoastal Waterway passes through Galveston and West bays, bet. isl. and mainland; free ferry NE to Port Bolivar Peninsula, opposite side of entrance to Galveston Bay; toll bridge connects SW end of isl. to Follets Isl. and mainland. Despite the ship channel to the larger port at Houston, Galveston remains a key port of entry. Oil refining and shipbuilding are major industries. The Spanish knew the bay and the isl. early; it was probably there that Cabeza de Vaca was shipwrecked in 1528. Settlement began in the 1830s.

Sources

Robert A. McCaughey

Compiler

Peter Richards

Back to Locations Search