Galveston

Sister cities

• Stavanger
• Málaga
• Niigata

History

Indigenous inhabitants of Galveston Island called the island Auia. Though there is no certainty regarding their route and their landings, Cabeza de Vaca and his crew were shipwrecked at a place he called "Isla de Malhado" in November 1528. This could have referred to Galveston Island or San Luis Island. During his charting of the Gulf Coast in 1785, the Spanish explorer José de Evia labeled the water features surrounding the island "Bd. de Galvestown" and "Bahia de Galvestowm" [sic]. He was working under the orders of Bernardo de Gálvez. In his early chart, he called the western end of the island "Isla de San Luis" and the eastern end "Pt. de Culebras". Evia did not label the island itself on his map of 1799. Just five years later, Alexander von Humboldt borrowed the place names Isla de San Luis, Pte. De Culebras, and Bahia de Galveston. Stephen F. Austin followed his predecessors in the use of "San Luis Island", but introduced "Galveston" to refer to the little village at the east end of the island. Evidence of the name Galveston Island appears on an 1833 map by David H. Burr. Lafitte organized Galveston into a pirate "kingdom" he called "Campeche", anointing himself the island's "head of government". Lafitte remained in Galveston until 1821, when the United States Navy forced him and his raiders off the island. In 1825 the Congress of Mexico established the Port of Galveston and in 1830 erected a customs house. Galveston served as the capital of the Republic of Texas when in 1836 the interim president David G. Burnet relocated his government there. As Anglo-Americans migrated to the city, they brought along or purchased enslaved African Americans, some of whom worked domestically or on the waterfront, including on riverboats. In 1839, the City of Galveston adopted…

Geography

The city of Galveston is situated on Galveston Island, a barrier island off the Texas Gulf coast near the mainland coast. Made up of mostly sand-sized particles and smaller amounts of finer mud sediments and larger gravel-sized sediments, the island is unstable, affected by water and weather, and can shift its boundaries through erosion. The city is about southeast of downtown Houston. The island is oriented generally northeast-southwest, with the Gulf of Mexico on the east and south, West Bay on the west, and Galveston Bay on the north. The island's main access point from the mainland is the Interstate Highway 45 causeway that crosses West Bay on the island's northeast side. A deepwater channel connects Galveston's harbor with the Gulf and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which are land and , or 80.31%, are water. The western portion of Galveston is referred to as the "West End", roughly corresponding to the area west of the western end of the seawall. Communities in eastern Galveston (the area east of the western end of the seawall) include Havre Lafitte, Offats Bayou, Central City, Fort Crockett, Bayou Shore, Lasker Park, Carver Park, Kempner Park, Old City/Central Business District, San Jacinto, East End, and Lindale. As of 2009 many residents of the west end use golf carts as transportation to take them to and from residential houses, the Galveston Island Country Club, and stores. In 2009, Chief of Police Charles Wiley said he believed golf carts should be prohibited outside golf courses, and West End residents campaigned against any ban on their use. In 2011 Rice University released a study, "Atlas of Sustainable Strategies for Galveston Island", which argued the West End of Galveston…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Laughing Gull

  Leucophaeus atricilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  23,834
• Brown Pelican

  Pelecanus occidentalis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  22,322
• Great-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus mexicanus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  21,977
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,685
• White Ibis

  Eudocimus albus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,723
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  17,426
• Snowy Egret

  Egretta thula (Molina, 1782) · Aves
  14,319
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  13,609

Largest nearby schools

• OPPE EL
  Elementary · GALVESTON · 610 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• PARKER EL
  Elementary · GALVESTON · 482 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• WEIS
  Middle · GALVESTON · 374 students · 12.9:1 ratio