Gulf Apartment Locators

Galveston, Texas

Galveston's Best FREE Apartment Locating Service

Galveston Texas - Galveston Texas - located only one-hour's drive southeast of downtown Houston, the City of Galveston rests on a beautiful 32-mile long and three-mile wide semitropical island. Besides its mild year-round temperatures, sunny beaches and warm Gulf waters, Galveston is a city rich in history.

Chartered in 1839, Galveston served as the principal commercial port of the Southwest during much of the 19th Century and subsequently a major port of immigration for over 250,000 Europeans over a 30-year period. Cotton, mercantile housing, banks, publishing and printing, flour and grain mills, railroads, land development and shipping fueled a sustained economic boom up to the turn of the century. Galveston became known as the "Queen City of the Gulf," and The Strand area, the heart of Galveston's financial and commercial district, was referred to as the "Wall Street of the Southwest."

The boom years were abruptly ended by the country's worst natural disaster, the 1900 Storm, which killed 6,000 and left 8,000 homeless. The construction of a 17-foot seawall along Galveston's coastline was begun shortly after the "Great Storm," and was at the time considered a significant engineering feat. The resilient people of Galveston rallied to work on the elevation of 2,200 of its buildings an average of five feet above sea level.

The 1900 Storm and the dredging of the Houston Ship Channel in 1914, which diverted much of the city's trade to Houston, directly contributed to the waning of Galveston's prominence.

Today, Galveston is known for its tourism, insurance, financial and fishing and shrimping industries, as well as its health and educational institutions. The city hosts The University of Texas Medical Branch, the county's largest employer, The Texas Maritime Academy, Galveston College, The Marine Biomedical Institute and the Texas A&M Marine Biology Branch. The Port of Galveston, besides remaining a commercial port, is a popular Cruise line port of departure, hosting two of the world's largest cruise ship lines.

The Island's beaches, Gulf waters and mild climate make Galveston a popular fun-in-the-sun playground and destination for summer vacationers, snow birds and fishing and boating aficionados, all of which contribute to the city's large hospitality industry. Other tourist attractions include Moody Gardens with its state-of-the-art marine life aquarium, tropical rain forest and 3-D IMAX theaters, The Lone Star Flight Museum, The Texas Sea Port Museum and the Railroad Museum.

Galveston's history contributes to its present-day character. This is no better demonstrated than by the 40-block residential area of Victorian style historical homes which was established by the Galveston County Cultural Arts Council. The beautifully renovated historical buildings in the Downtown "Strand" District reflect the city's illustrious past. The area, with its historic hotels, shops, restaurants and clubs, is a popular place for visitors. A number of Galveston's historical buildings have been placed on the National Register.