Where is Texas City?
Texas City is a city on the southwestern shore of Galveston Bay, in Galveston County. The Handbook of Texas places it about seven miles from Galveston and eleven miles from the Gulf of Mexico. It is a mainland deepwater port. The 2020 Census counted 51,898 residents. The Census lists 66.28 square miles of land area.
How did Texas City develop?
In 1891, Jacob R., Henry and Benjamin F. Myers, shippers from Duluth, Minnesota, saw port potential at Shoal Point. They and other Duluth investors bought about 10,000 acres of bay frontage and renamed the area Texas City. The first townsite plat was filed on May 17, 1893. A post office opened that year. A federally financed channel was dredged to 25 feet, and a customs house opened in 1905. The city incorporated on September 16, 1911.
The Texas City Refining Company was chartered in 1908. Refineries followed in 1931 and 1934. On April 16, 1947, the French ship Grandcamp, loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer, exploded in the harbor. The blast killed 576 people and injured more than 4,000.
Hurricane Carla flooded much of the city in 1961. A 23-foot seawall was begun in 1962 and completed in 1985. In 1982, the city built an inner levee on Moses Lake and installed pumps. It also stopped pumping groundwater, which had contributed to subsidence, and switched to Brazos River water.
Who governs Texas City, and who provides services?
Texas City incorporated under a commission form of government. It is now a home-rule city with a mayor and six commissioners. Four commissioners are elected from districts and two at large. The Galveston County Daily News describes the city’s system as a strong-mayor form. Texas City is a water customer of the Gulf Coast Water Authority, which has its administrative office in the city. The authority’s Mackey plant also serves Galveston, La Marque, Hitchcock and League City.
Which school districts serve Texas City?
Texas City ISD serves Texas City and La Marque. It absorbed La Marque ISD on July 1, 2016. The district reports 14 schools and nearly 8,000 students.
What permit, property and flood rules apply in Texas City?
The city’s Building Inspections department reviews plans, issues building permits and inspects construction. It issues certificates of occupancy when work meets code. Its office is at 7800 Emmett F. Lowry Expressway. The Galveston Central Appraisal District appraises property for the City of Texas City and Texas City ISD.