Where is Baytown?
Baytown is a city on Interstate 10 and State Highway 146, thirty miles east of downtown Houston. It lies in southeastern Harris County and extends east into Chambers County. The 2020 Census counted 83,701 residents. The Census Bureau gives its land area as 37.00 square miles.
How did Baytown develop?
Nathaniel Lynch set up a ferry crossing at the junction of the San Jacinto River and Buffalo Bayou in 1822. William Scott, one of Stephen F. Austin’s Old Three Hundred, received a land grant covering most of present Baytown in 1824. A settlement near his home on Scott’s Bay was called Bay Town.
Oil was struck beside Tabbs Bay in 1908. By 1916 the Goose Creek oilfield was the first offshore drilling operation in Texas. The towns of Pelly and Goose Creek grew near the field in 1917 and 1918. In 1917 Ross S. Sterling and associates founded the Humble Oil and Refining Company and named its refinery site Baytown. Refinery construction began in 1919.
The refinery community never incorporated, and Pelly annexed it in December 1945. Pelly and Goose Creek voted to consolidate in 1947 and chose the name Baytown. The city was established on January 24, 1948. The Baytown–La Porte Tunnel under the Houston Ship Channel opened in September 1953, linking the city with La Porte.
Who governs Baytown, and who provides services?
Baytown’s charter sets up a council-manager government. The council has a mayor elected at large and six council members elected from single-member districts. The mayor serves a three-year term.
The City of Baytown provides water and sewer service, and its Utility Services Division bills water, sewer and garbage. The Baytown Area Water Authority, a five-member board appointed by the City Council, oversees the city’s wholesale water supplier. CenterPoint Energy maintains the electric lines and provides gas service.
Which school districts serve Baytown?
The city’s newcomer page names Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District as the district serving Baytown. The district operates independently from the city and is funded by its own taxes.
What permit, property and flood rules apply in Baytown?
The Planning and Development Services Department handles building and development permits. Applications go through the city’s Citizen Self Service portal. Baytown has zoning under its Unified Land Development Code, with an interactive zoning map.
Baytown takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, which makes federal flood insurance available to residents. The city’s Floodplain Protection page says obstructions and poorly protected development in floodplains add to flood losses.