Beaumont

Sister cities

• Beppu

History

In 1824 Noah and Nancy Tevis settled on the west bank of the Neches River and developed a farm. Soon after that, a small community grew up around the farm, which was named Tevis Bluff or Neches River Settlement. In 1835 the land of Tevis, together with the nearby community of Santa Anna (in total, ), was purchased by Henry Millard (–1844), Joseph Pulsifer (1805–1861), and Thomas Byers Huling (1804–1865). They began planning a town to be laid out on this land. They added more property for a total of 200 acres. Beaumont became a town on December 16, 1838. Beaumont's first mayor was Alexander Calder. From the town's founding in 1835, business activities included real estate, transportation, and retail sales. Later, other businesses were formed, especially in railroad construction and operation, new building construction, lumber sales, and communications. The Port of Beaumont became a successful regional shipping center. Beaumont was a small center for cattle raisers and farmers in its early years. With an active riverport by the 1880s, it became an important lumber and rice-milling town. The city exported rice as a commodity crop. Beaumont's lumber boom, which reached its peak in the late 19th century, was stimulated by the rebuilding and expansion of the railroads in the state and region after the Civil War. The Beaumont Rice Mill, founded in 1892 by Joseph Eloi Broussard, was the first commercially successful rice mill in Texas. The holdings of those companies formed the basis for the Lower Neches Valley Authority established by the state legislature in 1933. The rise of Beaumont's mill economy drew many new residents to the city, many of them immigrants. By the early 20th century, the city was served by the Southern Pacific; Kansas City Southern, Atchison, Topeka,…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.53%, are water. Beaumont lies on Texas' coastal plain, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, east of Houston, and just south of the dense pine forests of East Texas. The city is bordered on the east by the Neches River and to the north by Pine Island Bayou. Before being settled, the area was crisscrossed by numerous small streams. Most of these streams have since been filled in or converted for drainage purposes. The island directly across from Riverfront Park is called Trinity Island. There are also three other islands in the Neches River around the downtown area/port: Harbor, Smith and Clark. Beaumont is relatively flat compared to other Texas cites at being 16 ft. above sea level. South of Beaumont, Port Arthur is only 7 ft. above sea level. Several towns and communities have been absorbed into the city of Beaumont. These include: Amelia, established in 1885 and incorporated into Beaumont in 1956; Elizabeth, the depot of Amelia that was established around 1903 or after and annexed into Beaumont in 1957; Elwood, established sometimes in the late 1800s, changed to Voth in 1902, and annexed into Beaumont in 1957; Guffey, post office was established in 1901 and closed in 1925 but is part of Beaumont now; Santa Anna, became part of Beaumont when it was founded; Tevis Bluff, became part of Beaumont when it was founded in 1835. Beaumont has 8 buildings over tall, the tallest being the Edison Plaza, which is tall. The old Edson Hotel, built in 1928 is nearly the same height at . One of the most prominent downtown buildings is the 15-story San Jacinto Building. Built in 1921, it sports one of the largest four faced clock towers in the nation, each dial…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,892
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,684
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,504
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,273
• Eurasian Moorhen

  Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,051
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,983
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,909
• Great-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus mexicanus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  1,834

Largest nearby schools

• WEST BROOK SR H S
  High · BEAUMONT · 2,245 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• BEAUMONT UNITED H S
  High · BEAUMONT · 2,131 students · 19.4:1 ratio
• PIETZSCH/MAC ARTHUR EL
  Elementary · BEAUMONT · 1,083 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• MARSHALL MIDDLE
  Middle · BEAUMONT · 711 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• ODOM MIDDLE
  Middle · BEAUMONT · 709 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• GUESS EL
  Elementary · BEAUMONT · 699 students · 21.2:1 ratio
• VINCENT MIDDLE
  Middle · BEAUMONT · 688 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• REGINA HOWELL EL
  Elementary · BEAUMONT · 682 students · 17.9:1 ratio