Galveston, Texas

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Galveston
Galveston County Justice Center
Galveston County Justice Center
Seal of Galveston
seal
Location of Galveston, Texas
Location of Galveston in Galveston County (left) and Texas (right)
Basic data
Foundation : 1785
State : United States
State : Texas
County : Galveston County
Coordinates : 29 ° 17 ′  N , 94 ° 50 ′  W Coordinates: 29 ° 17 ′  N , 94 ° 50 ′  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Residents : 53,695 (as of 2020)
Population density : 449 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 539.6 km 2  (approx. 208 mi²) of
which 119.5 km 2  (approx. 46 mi²) is land
Height : 2 m
Postcodes : 77550-77555
Area code : +1 409
FIPS : 48-28068
GNIS ID : 1377745
Website : www.cityofgalveston.org
Mayor : Jim Yarbrough (2014-2018)
Galveston Map.jpg
Galveston and Galveston Bay

Galveston (/ ˈɡælvᵻstən / in English) is a city and the county seat of Galveston County on an island on the east coast of the state of Texas in the United States .

geography

Galveston is located about 80 km southeast of Houston on the Gulf of Mexico on an elongated narrow island Galveston Island off the coast , which at the same time forms the southern border of Galveston Bay .

The city has an area of ​​539.6 km², of which 119.5 km² are land and 420.1 km² (77.85%) are water.

climate

Galveston has an east side climate . South and southeast winds bring warm air from the Mexican desert areas and humid air from the Gulf of Mexico. In summer, temperatures usually rise above 32 degrees Celsius, while in winter temperatures are usually between 15 and 10 ° C. Snowfall is rather rare. The average amount of rain is around 1000 mm per year.

story

Population development
Census resident ± in%
1850 4117 -
1860 7307 77.5%
1870 13,818 89.1%
1880 22,248 61%
1890 29,084 30.7%
1900 37,788 29.9%
1910 36,981 −2.1%
1920 44,255 19.7%
1930 52,938 19.6%
1940 60,862 15%
1950 66,568 9.4%
1960 67,175 0.9%
1970 61,809 −8%
1980 61.902 0.2%
1990 59,067 −4.6%
2000 57,247 −3.1%
2010 47,743 −16.6%
2020 53,695 12.5%
1850-2000, 2010

The island was originally inhabited by the Indian peoples of the Karankawa and Akokisa . In 1528 the Conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca stranded here and began his march back to Mexico. Around 1687 René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle took possession of the area for France and named it St. Louis in honor of his king Louis XIV . He never set foot on the island itself. The Spanish explorer José de Evia mapped the Gulf coast and named the island in 1785 after Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid (* 1746 near Málaga ), the governor of Spanish Louisiana , who was Spaniards, Creoles, Native Americans and Afro-Americans when Spain entered the American Revolution in 1779 had recruited to fight the British.

The first permanent settlement of Europeans on the island was established around 1816 by the pirate captain Louis Michel Aury as a base of operations in support of the Mexican War of Independence against Spain. When he made an unsuccessful attack against the Spaniards in 1817, the pirate Jean Laffite took the opportunity to occupy Galveston, to establish the "pirate kingdom " of Campeche (English also Campeachy ) and to proclaim himself head of government. In 1821 the US Navy asked the pirates to leave the island or be destroyed. Lafitte burned down his settlement and disappeared. Legend has it that his treasure is still buried on the island, the Bolivar Peninsula or High Island .

Mexico used Galveston as a trading port from 1825 and established a customs post in 1830. During the Texan War of Independence , the island served as the main base of the Texan fleet. In 1836 Galveston was the capital of the Republic of Texas for a short time . In the same year, a group of business people around the native Canadian Michel B. Menard bought 19 km² of land from the Austin colony for US $ 50,000 in order to found a city. On April 20, 1838, Menard and his partners resold the first space. 1839 , the city of Galveston was officially established by the adoption of a Constitution and the Congress of the Republic of Texas , the city charter granted.

In the second half of the 19th century, Galveston was a trading and transportation hub for Texas. Between 1840 and 1870, over a quarter of a million immigrants arrived here, including many Germans. At one point 70 percent of US cotton exports came through Galveston. After all, Galveston was Texas' largest city in the 1870 and 1880 censuses. The city is known for its numerous houses in the style of Victorian architecture . Then the growth began to slow down. Other metropolises grew faster, in 1890 Galveston was overtaken by San Antonio and Dallas, and in 1900 by Houston as well. The shipping route to Houston was dredged until 1914, which led to further economic losses in maritime traffic. The city had finally lost its outstanding importance. Today it is a tourist attraction.

  • Menard Home

  • Campbell Home

  • Beissner House

  • Opera House (from 1894)

  • Aquarium in Moody Gardens

Hurricanes

Flooding in Galveston caused by Hurricane Ike

On September 8, 1900, a hurricane struck Galveston, which destroyed most of the city and claimed an estimated 8,000 lives, at that time a fifth of the population. Galveston was rebuilt and a protective wall was built against the sea ( Galveston Seawall ).

Hurricane Ike hit the city on September 13, 2008 at 2:10 a.m. local time . Even before the storm center arrived, Galveston was largely flooded. Waves five meters high broke over the dams. One of the biggest attractions was destroyed - the 79-year-old Balinese Ballroom dance and arcade , where stars such as Frank Sinatra used to perform .

religion

Galveston is considered the mother seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Texas. When the Diocese of Galveston was founded in 1847, it was responsible for Catholics throughout Texas; with increasing population development, other dioceses were later split off. In recognition of the growth of Houston, the Diocese of Galveston was renamed the Diocese of Houston-Galveston in 1959 and the Sacred Heart Church in Houston became the co- cathedral of the diocese alongside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Mary in Galveston. In December 2004, the Diocese of Galveston-Houston was raised to an archdiocese : Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston .

St Joseph's Church, built 1859–60, was the first German Catholic Church in Texas. The church closed in 1969 and is now a museum.

Sights and culture

Galveston Beach, on the Gulf of Mexico

Galveston's historic old town and beaches are major recreational destinations for residents of the Houston area . Many wealthy Houstonians also own vacation homes or apartments in Galveston.

A variety of Galveston's attractions include the Galveston Island Railroad Museum , Strand National Historic Landmark District , Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum, and several historic ships. The tourism and entertainment center Moody Gardens and the amusement park Schlitterbahn Water Park (opening: May 2005) are also of importance for tourism .

Galveston is home to the Symphony Orchestra ( Galveston Symphony Orchestra ) and a ballet company .

Duke Ellington gave concerts here. Galveston is celebrated in a song by US singer Glen Campbell and is the title of a novel by Nic Pizzolatto .

Economy and Infrastructure

After the setback in Galveston's economic development caused by the hurricane disaster of 1900, Houston developed into the economic center of the region.

The port of Galveston is approached by passenger and cargo ships.

Galveston is home to a high school and three higher education institutions:

  • Galveston College ,
  • Texas A&M University at Galveston and
  • Medical Branch of the University of Texas (UTMB), which has operated a large university hospital in Galveston since 1891, which is the largest employer in Galveston County with over 15,000 jobs.

Galveston is also the headquarters of Moody National Bank and American National Insurance .

Town twinning

Galveston's twin cities are:

sons and daughters of the town

See also

Web links

Commons : Galveston, Texas  - Collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Daily Summaries Station Details , Galveston, TX at www.ncdc.noaa.gov ( National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) - formerly National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) )
  2. ↑ Texas Almanac (PDF; 1.2 MB), accessed October 4, 2012
  3. ↑ US Census ( Memento of the original from November 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed October 16, 2012  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / quickfacts.census.gov
  4. ^ Website Galveston - Sister Cities , accessed September 20, 2017