Baytown, Texas
Encyclopedia : B : BA : BAY : Baytown, Texas
History
The area of Baytown began to be settled as early as 1822. One of its earliest residents was Nathaniel Lynch, who set up a ferry crossing at the junction of the San Jacinto River and Buffalo Bayou. The ferry service that he started is still in operation today, now known as the Lynchburg Ferry. Other early residents of Baytown include William Scott, one of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred, and Ashbel Smith who owned a plantation in the area.
The city now known as Baytown was originally three separate towns. The first of these was Goose Creek (which was likely once known as Bay Town, and whose name is still reflected in the area's Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District) which dates back to before 1850. This was followed by the rival communities of Pelly in the late 1910s, and East Baytown in the early 1920s. (The "East" in East Baytown was later dropped because it was west of Goose Creek.) Serious talk of merging the three cities began shortly after World War I, but the community of Baytown was opposed to this idea. However, in 1947, the three cities finally agreed to consolidate. The citizens settled on the name Baytown for the new combined city. Baytown as it is known today was officially founded January 24, 1948.
In 1916, the Humble Oil & Refining Company, founded by one-time Texas governor Ross S. Sterling and his associates, built the first offshore drilling operation in Texas (second in the United States). The company later built the Baytown Refinery, which would become one of the largest in the world at its time. Since then, many other refineries have been built in the area. Exxon-Mobil is still one of the major employers in Baytown and now runs over 10 plants in the area.
Another major industry in Baytown began in 1970 when United States Steel opened the Texas Works near the city. The plant was later closed in July 1986 due to a poor economic climate and the decline of American steel in the 1980s.
Geography
Baytown is located at (29.743752, -94.965767)[Geographic references#1GR1], 22 miles (35 km) east of Houston.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 85.9 km² (33.2 mi²). 84.6 km² (32.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (1.51%) is water.
Baytown is bordered by water on three sides. Along the south and west is Galveston Bay. On the east is Cedar Bayou. The city of roughly bordered along the north by Interstate 10. Portions of the city to the east of Cedar Bayou reside in Chambers County, Texas.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 66,430 people, 23,483 households, and 17,025 families residing in the city. The population density was 785.6/km² (2,034.4/mi²). There were 26,203 housing units at an average density of 309.9/km² (802.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.87% White, 13.38% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 14.42% from other races, and 2.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.24% of the population.There were 23,483 households out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.0% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,559, and the median income for a family was $45,346. Males had a median income of $38,039 versus $25,012 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,641. About 13.0% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
Regional City
Because of Baytown's industry, it serves as a central city for several communities in the Eastern region of Greater Houston including the eastern portion of Harris County, western Chambers County, and south-western Liberty County. Also, the city is a primary city of the Houston-Sugarland-Baytown MSA.San Jacinto Mall is a regional shopping mall which opened in 1982 and is one of the largest shopping malls in the region. However, economic changes in the area has left the mall largely vacant. The city is also home to major retail establishments such as Kroger, Target, Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy.
The Baytown Sun serves as the region's newspaper.
Education
Baytown is served by the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District. Based in Baytown, the district has 14 elementary schools (grades K-5), 5 junior highs (grades 6-8), 2 high schools (grades 9-12), a career center, and two alternative centers for edcuation. The district serves all of Baytown, Highlands, outlying areas of East Harris County, and a small portion of West Chambers County. The two local high schools, Robert E. Lee (opened in 1920's) and Ross S. Sterling (opened in 1967) have long had a friendly rivalry between them. Lee High School has the unique distinction of having two campuses as a result of overcrowding.Following several years of research and debate, voters passed a $120 million bond referendum in 2005 to improve present facilities and replace several existing schools and build new ones. Included in this package is a much-needed third high school (which was included in a 1999 referendum, but never materialized). Additionally, a new elementary school will be built, with plans for a 16th elementary to be drawn. One junior high school and one elementary school are due to be replaced. Lee High school will be reformated to a smaller campus and the auxiliary campus will be converted to its original purpose as an alternative educational center. Additionally, the district will add new classrooms and improve its football stadium.
Stallworth Stadium is the home for varsity football and soccer for GCCISD as well as for the annual Bayou Bowl. It seats approximately 16,000 fans, making it one of the largest high school sports venues in the nation. It is currently undergoing a renovation of its press box and installation of an artificial turf.
The area is also served by Baytown Christian Academy and San Jacinto Christian Academy.
East Harris County and West Chambers County are served by Lee College, a two-year junior college.
The City of Baytown operates the Sterling Municipal Library [link]. In addition Baytown residents are served by the Harris County Public Library system.
External links
- [City of Baytown homepage]
- [Baytown housing values and trends]
- [Baytown] from the Handbook of Texas Online
- [Our Baytown]
- [Maps and aerial photos]
- * Street map from [Google Maps] or [Yahoo! Maps]
- * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
- * Aerial image or topographic map from [TerraServer-USA]
- * Satellite image from [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]
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