Galveston Island
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Gulf of Mexico |
Coordinates | 29°13′20″N 94°54′32″W / 29.22222°N 94.90889°W |
Archipelago | Texas barrier islands |
Area | 66 sq mi (170 km2) |
Length | 27 mi (43 km) |
Width | 3 mi (5 km) |
Highest point | 20 feet (6.1 m) |
Administration | |
United States | |
State | Texas |
County | Galveston County |
Largest settlement | Galveston (pop. 47,743) |
Demographics | |
Population | 48,726 (2010) |
Pop. density | 342.21/km2 (886.32/sq mi) |
Galveston Island (
The island is about 27 miles (43.5 km) long and no more than 3 miles (4.8 km) wide at its widest point. 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 Interstate Highway 45 which crosses the Galveston Causeway that crosses West Bay on the northeast side of the island.
The far north end of the island is separated from the
The residents of the island (the nontourists) classify themselves in two ways: born on the island (BOI) and islander by choice (IBC). “BOI” is cited in print from at least 1956 and “IBC” is cited in print from 1975.[1]
Education
All residents are zoned to Ball High School.
Colleges and universities include:
- Galveston College (GC)
- Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG)
- University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)
History
At the time of European encounter,
Historians believe the island is where Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and his small party made a brief stopover in November 1528, during his lengthy and notable survival odyssey.[2]
(De la Porta was namedThe privateer
With the advent of
During the Civil War, the Union army seized control of the island from the South for a few months during early 1863. Confederate forces commanded by John B. Magruder expelled them from the island, and the Confederates controlled it for the remainder of the war.
On September 8, 1900, the greatest natural disaster to ever strike the United States occurred at Galveston. In the early evening hours of September 8, the
Isaac M. Cline, the meteorologist in charge of the local Weather Bureau, lived on Galveston Island. Cline was aware of a storm in the Gulf based on previous reports from Florida. Although weather conditions were relatively calm on September 7, Cline observed the rough seas and the high waves that seemed to become more ominous by the hour. He sent a telegram to Washington, D.C., saying he thought a large part of the city was going to be underwater. He predicted a very heavy loss of life.[citation needed]
After the hurricane passed, the state and city constructed a seawall around the settled portion of the island. Some houses were razed, and the many new ones to be constructed were built on stilts. Sand dredged from nearby waterways was pumped into the area within the seawall. In time, the elevation of the eastern portion of the island was raised by as much as 17 ft (5.2 m).[7]
See also
- Henry Cohen Community House
- History of the Jews in Galveston, Texas
- Battle of Galveston
- Islands portal
- Texas portal
References
- ^ Barry Popik, "BOI (Born On the Island) & IBC (Islander By Choice)", Big Apple blog, 17 August 2008
- ^ a b Donald E. Chipman: Malhado Island from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ "TSHA | de la Porta Brothers".
- ^ "Jewish Texans". Archived from the original on 2010-06-16. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
- ^ a b http://beta.traveltex.com/tx_cul_je.asp?SN=1904746&LS=0 [dead link]
- ^ "Galveston: A City on Stilts" Archived 2009-01-06 at the Wayback Machine, Galveston Historic Foundation, Accessed 2009.10.20.
- ^ "The 1900 Storm: Tragedy and Triumph: Rebuilding a city" Archived 2010-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, Galveston Newspapers Inc. Retrieved on December 18, 2007
Further information
- Galveston Island from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Galveston Island State Park official web site.
- ISBN 978-0-14-103204-7.
External links
Galveston Island.