Alvin

History

The Alvin area was settled in the mid-19th century when bull ranches were established in the area. The Santa Fe Railroad eventually expanded into the area, and a settlement was established along the railroad. Alvin was originally named "Morgan" by the town's residents in honor of the settlement's original resident, Santa Fe employee Alvin Morgan; upon discovery that the name Morgan had been taken, the town named itself after Morgan's first name. The town was officially incorporated in 1893, making it the oldest incorporated settlement in Brazoria County. Alvin Morgan received a land grant from the state of Texas prior to 1891. Alvin was a sundown town in the 1930s, where practically no African Americans were allowed to live. In 1960, the city annexed a stretch of land to protect Alvin from being annexed by other cities. The city's unusual borders were the subject of a lawsuit against Missouri City when it attempted an annexation into Brazoria County and across Alvin's city limits in 2002. On July 25, 1979, Tropical Storm Claudette stalled over Alvin and inundated the region with of rain in 42 hours. The total included in 24 hours, at the time the highest amount of rainfall in 24 hours in American history.

Geography

Alvin is bordered to the northeast by Friendswood and League City in Galveston County, and part of its southeast border is along the village of Hillcrest. Texas State Highway 35 bypasses the center of the city to the east; it leads north to downtown Houston and southwest to Angleton, the Brazoria County seat. Texas State Highway 6 crosses Highway 35 and passes through the center of Alvin, leading southeast to Galveston and northwest to Sugar Land According to the United States Census Bureau, Alvin has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.26%, is water.

Race & ethnicity