Baytown, Texas
|
|
Baytown is a city located in Texas, partly in Chambers County and partly in Harris County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 66,430. Baytown is now one of the principal cities of the Houston—Sugar Land—Baytown Metropolitan Statistical Area.
| Contents |
Geography
TXMap-doton-Baytown.PNG
Location of Baytown, Texas
Baytown is located at 29°44'38" North, 94°57'57" West (29.743752, -94.965767)Template:GR.
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 is water. The total area is 1.51% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 66,430 people, 23,483 households, and 17,025 families residing in the city. The population density is 785.6/km² (2,034.4/mi²). There are 26,203 housing units at an average density of 309.9/km² (802.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 34.24% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 23,483 households out of which 39.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% are married couples living together, 14.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% are non-families. 23.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.80 and the average family size is 3.32.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $40,559, and the median income for a family is $45,346. Males have a median income of $38,039 versus $25,012 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,641. 15.5% of the population and 13.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.9% of those under the age of 18 and 9.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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) 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 Ross S. Sterling and his associates, built the first offshore drilling operation in Texas (second in the United States). The company later built a refinery in Baytown, which would become one of the largest in the world at its time. Since then, many other refineries have been built. 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. The city has also become known for its local community college, Lee College, established in 1934.
External links
- City of Baytown homepage (http://www.baytown.org)
- Handbook of Texas Online: Baytown, Texas (http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/BB/hdb1.html)
| | 
|
|---|---|
| Regions: Arklatex | Big Bend | Central Texas | Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex | East Texas | Edwards Plateau | Houston Metropolitan Area | North Texas | Northeast Texas | Piney Woods | Rio Grande Valley | Texas Hill Country | Texas Panhandle | Llano Estacado | Southeast Texas | South Texas | West Texas | |
| Metropolitan Areas: Abilene | Amarillo | Austin-Round Rock | Beaumont-Port Arthur | Brownsville-Harlingen | College Station-Bryan | Corpus Christi | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | El Paso | Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown | Killeen-Temple | Laredo | Longview-Marshall | Lubbock | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | Midland | Odessa | San Angelo | San Antonio | Sherman-Denison | Texarkana | Tyler | Victoria | Waco | Wichita Falls | |
| See also: List of Texas counties |