
Galveston County Courts Building
'Galveston County' is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
Texas within the
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of 2005
U.S. Census estimate, the population is 277,563. Its
county seat is
Galveston6.
League City is the largest city in Galveston County in terms of population
[1]; between 2000 and 2005 it surpassed
Galveston as the county's largest city.
Geography
Galveston County is located on the plains of the Texas
Gulf Coast in the southeastern part of the state. The county is bounded on the northeast by
Galveston Bay and on the northwest by
Clear Creek and
Clear Lake. Much of the county covers Galveston Bay, and is bounded to the south by the Galveston Seawall and beaches on the
Gulf of Mexico.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,261
km² (873
mi²). 1,032 km² (398 mi²) of it is land and 1,229 km² (474 mi²) of it (54.35%) is water.
Major Highways
★
Interstate 45
★
State Highway 6 (Texas)
★
State Highway 87 (Texas)
★
State Highway 146 (Texas)
Adjacent counties
★
Harris County (north)
★
Chambers County (northeast)
★
Brazoria County (west)
Demographics
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 250,158 people, 94,782 households, and 66,157 families residing in the county. The
population density was 242/km² (628/mi²). There were 111,733 housing units at an average density of 108/km² (280/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.69%
White, 15.44%
Black or
African American, 0.47%
Native American, 2.10%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 7.18% from
other races, and 2.08% from two or more races. 17.96% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 94,782 households out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were
married couples living together, 13.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.70% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,419, and the median income for a family was $51,435. Males had a median income of $41,406 versus $28,703 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $21,568. About 10.10% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 17.60% of those under age 18 and 10.20% of those age 65 or over.
United States Congress
| 'Senators' | 'Name' | 'Party' | 'First Elected' | 'Level' |
|---|
| | Senate Class 1 | Kay Bailey Hutchison | Republican | 1993 | Senior Senator |
| | Senate Class 2 | John Cornyn | Republican | 2002 | Junior Senator |
| 'Representatives' | 'Name' | 'Party' | 'First Elected' | 'Area(s) of Galveston County Represented' |
|---|
| | District 14 | Ron Paul | Republican | 1996 (also served 1976-1977 and 1979-1985) | Galveston, Dickinson, League City, Kemah, most of Texas City |
| | District 22 | Nick Lampson | Democrat | 2006 (also served 1997-2005) | La Marque, Santa Fe, part of Texas City |
Texas Legislature
Texas Senate
| 'District' | 'Name' | 'Party' | 'First Elected' | 'Area(s) of Galveston County Represented' |
|---|
| | 11 | Mike Jackson | Republican | 1999 | Galveston County Mainland and part of Galveston Island |
| | 17 | Kyle Janek | Republican | 2002 | Part of Galveston Island & all of Bolivar Peninsula |
Texas House of Representatives
| 'District' | 'Name' | 'Party' | 'First Elected' | 'Area(s) of Galveston County Represented' |
|---|
| | 23 | Craig Eiland | Democrat | 1994 | Galveston, Jamaica Beach, Texas City, all of Bolivar Peninsula |
| | 24 | Larry Taylor | Republican | 2002 | Hitchcock, La Marque, Santa Fe, Dickinson, League City, Friendswood (Galveston County part), Algoa, Kemah, Clear Lake Shores |
Communities
Cities
Villages
★
Tiki Island
Unincorporated areas
★
Algoa
★
Bacliff
★
Bolivar Peninsula
★
Crystal Beach
★
Gilchrist
★
High Island
★
Port Bolivar
★
San Leon
Education
School districts serving Galveston County communities are:
★
Clear Creek ISD
★
Dickinson ISD
★
Friendswood ISD
★
Galveston ISD
★
High Island ISD
★
Hitchcock ISD
★
La Marque ISD
★
Santa Fe ISD
★
Texas City ISD
Higher Education
Galveston County is home to
Texas A&M University at Galveston and the
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Three
community colleges also serve the area:
College of the Mainland,
Galveston College and
San Jacinto College.
Public Libraries
The Galveston County Library System operates libraries in most of the larger towns and cities. The
Rosenberg Library in Galveston has the distinction of being the oldest public library in Texas and serves as the headquarters for the Galveston County Library System. Its librarian also functions as the Galveston County librarian.
External links
★
Galveston County government’s website
★
Historic materials of Galveston County, hosted by the
Portal to Texas History
★
Galveston Island State Park
★