Where is galveston tx

What to Do. Wetlands Are Bird Magnets. Good drinks, good people, and good times. Come as you are. Leave your worries at the door! Plan Your Stay. Where To Stay The communities around Galveston Bay and along the Texas Gulf Coast offer a tremendous variety of accommodations for every budget and preference.

Selecting a Hotel? Think Location. Galveston's Rail Trolley Service Returns. Dec 3. Dickens on The Strand. Galveston Insider Tips. Share Your Experience. Island Time. The Galveston hurricane of , with wind gusts of miles per hour, flooded the city, battered homes and buildings with floating debris, and killed an estimated 6, people in the city. Another 4, to 6, people died on the nearby coast. For future protection the city and county constructed a seventeen-foot seawall on the Gulf side of the island, raised the grade level, and built an all-weather bridge to the mainland.

The development of other ports by means of the ship channels, alternative sites for business and manufacturing provided by other modes of transportation, and notoriety because of hurricanes destined the island city to medium size. In it had a population of 61, and ranked twenty-ninth in the state. Their idea was to have the governor of the state appoint a mayor and four commissioners. Each commissioner would control a specific function of government-finance, police and fire control, water and sewage, streets and public improvements.

Since the original plan was patently undemocratic, it was subsequently revised to provide for the election of the officers. The commission plan was somewhat popular in the years before World War I but faded in the s in favor of the city-manager plan. Galveston, however, continued with the commission government until , when it too changed to a city-manager form. During the years between the world wars Galveston, under the influence of Sam and Rosario Rose Maceo, exploited the prohibition of liquor and gambling by offering illegal drinks and betting in nightclubs and saloons.

This, combined with the extensive prostitution which had existed in the port city since the Civil War, made Galveston the sin city of the Gulf.

The citizens tolerated and supported the illegal activities and took pride in being "the free state of Galveston. Between and Galveston voters in nonbinding referenda defeated proposals to legalize casino gambling, although proponents argued that gambling could promote the local economy.

Pursuant to a law enacted by the Texas legislature, however, gambling on board cruise ships embarking from Galveston was expected to boost business activity in the wharf district beginning in September During World War II, the island had an air base where B's received their final briefing before leaving for the Pacific. In the s and early s, there were forward looking innovations in Galveston.

The council-manager form of government was adopted in The first container terminal opened in Rosenberg Library was expanded. A block residential historical district was established in the east end; the Strand area and a number of notable buildings were placed on the National Register.

The City of Galveston is located on the upper Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico and occupies virtually all of a mile-long island located approximately 2 miles off the Texas mainland 50 miles southeast of Houston, Texas.

Principal economic support is provided by the Port of Galveston and related interest, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and other health institutions, financial institutions, tourism, shrimping, and fishing.