Texas City

A Newcomer’s Guide to Texas City, Texas

Located less than an hour southeast of downtown Houston and just across the bridge from Galveston, Texas City is a thriving deepwater port city that serves as one of the state’s top petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing centers. It’s the third largest city in Galveston County, just behind Galveston and League City, and is considered to be part of the Greater Houston area.

Whether you’re moving to the area as part of a job transition, want to invest in real estate, or are just passing through for a short period of time, Texas City has a lot to offer. In this guide, we’ll hit the highlights and attempt to give you an upfront and personal look at what Texas City is all about.

History of Texas City

The rich history of Texas City starts with an unlikely trio of three duck hunters. In 1891, three brothers from Duluth, Minnesota – Jacob, Henry, and Benjamin Myers – noticed that Shoal Point in Galveston Bay had the potential to be a major port city. And while Shoal Point had been around for more than 50 years, it wasn’t until after the Myers brothers returned to Duluth and convinced investors to purchase the 10,000 acres on Galveston Bay – including Shoal Point – that the area became known as Texas City.

In 1893, the investors started plotting land and filed an official town site plan. A post office was opened in the area and roughly 250 people moved to Texas City from Minnesota and Michigan. The Texas City Improvement Company – which was formed by the investors – also received permission from the Federal Government to dredge an eight-foot channel in the bay. This channel became the first commercially used channel in Texas City.

Soon after, a grid of streets, houses, and business buildings began to appear on the mainland. Texas City officially incorporated in 1911 and chose its first mayor, William P. Tarpey, later that year.

From a national perspective, Texas City played a strategic role as a military deployment site during the Mexican Revolution. While nothing ever came of it, nearly half of the country’s entire land military personnel were stationed there at some point while tensions threatened to spill over across the border.

In the 1920s, Texas City underwent a lot of growth and expansion. A sugar refinery, gasoline cracking plant, grain elevator, and fig processing plant, among other warehouses, farms, and refineries were attracted to the area.

One of the defining moments in Texas City history involved a great explosion that nearly destroyed the entire city on April 16, 1947. The explosion, which occurred when a ship loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer blew up, caused a chain reaction of fires and killed 576 people, while injuring more than 4,000 more. Over the last 60 years, Texas City has worked hard to recover from the disaster and is once again a thriving port city with a bright future.

Texas City Demographics

Texas City has grown a lot over the past couple of decades. Based on the last census, estimates suggest Texas City has a population of 47,618. That’s a 5.6 percent rate of growth since 2010.

Texas City has a fairly even split in terms of race, with 42 percent identifying as white, 30 percent as Hispanic, and 23 percent as black. The median resident age is 37.5, which is roughly three years older than the state of Texas.

The median household income in Texas City is $48,525, which falls below the state average of $55,653. The estimated per capita income is $23,715.

Texas City residents tend to be high school graduates, with more than four out of every five adults over the age of 25 receiving a diploma. However, just 12.8 percent have a college degree – and less than 5 percent hold any sort of graduate degree.

Overall, Area vibes gives Texas City a 72 on their Livability scale. That’s three points higher than the state score and six points higher than the national average. It receives good grades on categories like amenities, cost of living, education, and weather, while getting failing grades on crime, employment, and housing.

Texas City Job Market

Texas City is very much a blue-collar town with lots of money pouring out in the form of petroleum and chemicals. The Texas City Industrial Complex is the center of the petrochemical industry and contains the Galveston Bay Refinery, operated by Marathon. This is the second largest petroleum refinery in all of Texas, and the third largest in the United States.

The Port of Texas City is the third leading port in the state and ninth in the nation (by tonnage). And while city planners have tried to make Texas City a more balanced area with focuses on tourism and economic diversification, it will always be a port city.

Naturally, the most common occupations for Texas City residents include construction and extraction jobs, production occupations, and sales positions. The five biggest employers in the Galveston and Bay-Area are The University of Texas Medical Branch Health System, NASA Johnson Space Center, Clear Lake Regional Medical Center, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, and Fertitta Entertainment.

Texas City Schools

The majority of Texas City falls within the Texas City Independent School District. The elementary schools in the district include Kohfeldt Elementary, Roosevelt-Wilson Elementary, Heights Elementary, and Northside Elementary. The only public middle school is Blocker Middle School, while 9th – 12th graders attend Texas City High School. The school system is notably average, with the district receiving a 5 out of 10 grade from GreatSchools.

When it comes to higher education, Texas City is in a prime location. Within a 35-mile radius, there are schools like The University of Texas Medical Branch, University of Houston (main campus and Clear Lake campus), Alvin Community College, San Jacinto Community College, Lee College, and Texas Southern University.

Things to Do in Texas City

One of the first things people want to know when moving to or visiting a new area is, what’s there to do? Well, you don’t have to look very hard to find something exciting to do in Texas City. Here’s just a small sampling of attractions in the area:

• Texas City Prairie Preserve. This 2,300-acre nature preserve is located on the beautiful shores of Moses Lake. It contains a number of prairie and wetland habitats and offers many public access areas, campsites, and guided tours.
• Texas City Dike. One of Texas City’s landmarks is the Dike, which sticks out some 5.3 miles into the bay and offers world-class fishing, camping, and beach access.
• Texas City Museum. If you want to get an even better picture of what the history of Texas City looks like, check out the museum on 6th North. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday and has exhibits for the entire family to enjoy.

Popular Attractions in Houston

The Houston Zoo. Fun for all ages, the Houston Zoo gives you the opportunity to observe wildlife you won’t find in your backyard. They’ve even got a live webcam that allows you to watch the animals. You can watch gorillas, leafcutter ants, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, zebras, and more.

The Houston Space Center. Offering summer day camps and exhibits that are out of this world, the Space Center is truly the place to take your kids.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science. You can experience a butterfly garden, a planetarium, a giant screen theatre, and all kinds of exhibits, activities, and lectures at this museum.

The Museum of Fine Arts. If fine art is what you’re looking for, this is a great attraction for the Houston area. With sculptures, presentations, and dazzling pieces of art, there’s no shortage of creativity here.

Houston’s Underground Tunnel Tour. Many people don’t know there are tunnels under the city of Houston, and you can tour these tunnels.

Free activities. There are plenty of free activities you can do in Houston, including biking along the Buffalo Bayou, checking out a bat colony at the Waugh Drive Bridge, check out the Houston Zoo for free every first Tuesday from 2pm to close, and catch movie screenings at Market Square Park.

Texas City Real Estate Market

According to Neighborhood Scout, the median home value in Texas City is $118,728, while the average market rent is $1,021. Right around 57 percent of properties are owner occupied, while 42 percent are rented out. Most properties are single-family homes (68.8 percent), while 23.2 percent are classified as apartments.

According to the more than 300 homes listed on Realtor.com as of May 2017, the median listing price for homes in Texas City is $212,000. That equates to roughly $98 per square foot.

Give Green Residential a Call

Looking to move to Texas City? We hope Green Residential will be the first phone call you make. Our business has been in Greater Houston for three generations and is one of the only family owned and operated real estate companies still in the area. For more information on how we can help you find the home of your dreams, please contact us at your earliest convenience!