Geographist

As we approach the end of our tour of Galveston County, we've finally arrived at what is now the largest city.  With a 2020 population of 114,392 according to US Census Bureau data, League City surpassed the county's namesake city during the years immediately following the dawn of the 21st century.  With an elevation of 20 feet above sea level, the city covers an area of 53.06 square miles (of which 1.80 sq. mi. is covered by water) and sits at the midpoint between Houston and Galveston.  On a personal note, League City is important to my family as it was our home for three years, and is where my kids go to school as well as where both my mom and wife have worked at various times over the years. As with most of the region, the area now known as League City was originally populated by various native tribes.  A significant archaeological site along the northern boundary (shown in the map above as land extending into Clear Creek next to the labeled nature center) contai...

I want to wish each one of the readers of this blog a very happy Easter.  We'll continue our journey through Galveston County next week as we head towards the finish line.  Only the two largest cities to go!  Thank you once again for continuing to read these posts on a regular basis - it's amazing to think that this little experiment that began with a simple Bible study would have crossed over to so many topics and will likely be approaching 50,000 hits by the time summer arrives!  So with heartfelt gratitude I pass along my appreciation and wishes for a wonderful Easter. 

This week, on our tour of cities in Galveston County, we take a break from some of the big towns we've visited recently to stop by another one of the smaller communities.  But if location means anything, then Bayou Vista is a prime place to be.  According to the 2020 US Census, this town had a total of 1,763 residents, and a total land area of 0.45 square miles (of which 0.13 sq. mi. is water).  Like its neighbor, Tiki Island, this town was built from the marshy wetlands near Jones Bay, which separates Galveston Island from the Texas mainland, and its elevation is therefore a mere 3 feet above sea level.  The citizens embrace their proximity to the bay, however, and have adopted the motto "Where living on the water is a way of life." Sitting at the intersection of I-45, Highway 6, Highway 146, and Highway 3, this small town's site has always been at the crossroads of Galveston County.  Shortly before the Texas Revolution began, a land grant that included everyth...

This week we're stopping at a city named after the Lone Star State itself - Texas City.  They say that everything is bigger here, and this is a city that follows that mantra with the largest total area of any town in the county at 185 square miles (although the majority of that is covered in water with only 66.28 sq. mi. of land area).  Stretching along a significant portion of the eastern portion of Galveston County's mainland, the city's official elevation rises 10 feet above sea level and is home to 51,898 residents according to the 2020 US Census. Nine years after Texas became the 28th American state, the US government erected a lighthouse in Galveston Bay that came to be known as the Halfmoon Shoal Lighthouse.  Along the shore to its west, a small community began to form and by the time a post office was created in 1878 the town was known as Shoal Point.  In 1891 a group of three brothers from Duluth, MN visited the area on a duck hunt and were intrigued by what...