Freeport is a city in
Brazoria CountyBrazoria County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Its county seat is Angleton, and its largest city is Pearland. The county also includes what was once Velasco, Texas, which was the first capitol of the...
,
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown Metropolitan Area and is situated in
Southeast TexasSoutheast Texas is a subregion of East Texas located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The subregion is geographically centered around the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown and Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan areas...
. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 12,708 and is about sixteen miles away from
AngletonAngleton is a city in and the county seat of Brazoria County, Texas, United States, within the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area. Angleton lies at the intersection of State Highway 288, State Highway 35, and the Union Pacific Railroad. The population was 18,130 at the 2000 census...
.
BASFBASF SE is a German chemical company and the largest chemical company in the world. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...
is the major employer in Freeport, as the company operates a large chemical plant complex in Freeport.
Freeport is in the
14th congressional districtTexas's 14th district for the United States House of Representatives is a Congressional district that covers the area south and southwest of the Greater Houston region, including Galveston, in the state of Texas. The district was created as a result of the 1900 U.S. Census and was first contested...
http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/tx14_109.gif, and is represented by Congressman
Ron PaulRonald Ernest Paul, M.D. is an American physician and Republican Congressman for the state of Texas. Paul is a member of the Liberty Caucus of Republican congressmen which aims to limit the size and scope of the federal government, and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Joint...
.
Freeport was officially founded in November 1912 by the Freeport Sulphur Company.
Freeport is a city in
Brazoria CountyBrazoria County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Its county seat is Angleton, and its largest city is Pearland. The county also includes what was once Velasco, Texas, which was the first capitol of the...
,
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown Metropolitan Area and is situated in
Southeast TexasSoutheast Texas is a subregion of East Texas located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The subregion is geographically centered around the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown and Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan areas...
. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 12,708 and is about sixteen miles away from
AngletonAngleton is a city in and the county seat of Brazoria County, Texas, United States, within the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area. Angleton lies at the intersection of State Highway 288, State Highway 35, and the Union Pacific Railroad. The population was 18,130 at the 2000 census...
.
BASFBASF SE is a German chemical company and the largest chemical company in the world. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...
is the major employer in Freeport, as the company operates a large chemical plant complex in Freeport.
Freeport is in the
14th congressional districtTexas's 14th district for the United States House of Representatives is a Congressional district that covers the area south and southwest of the Greater Houston region, including Galveston, in the state of Texas. The district was created as a result of the 1900 U.S. Census and was first contested...
http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/tx14_109.gif, and is represented by Congressman
Ron PaulRonald Ernest Paul, M.D. is an American physician and Republican Congressman for the state of Texas. Paul is a member of the Liberty Caucus of Republican congressmen which aims to limit the size and scope of the federal government, and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Joint...
.
History
Freeport was officially founded in November 1912 by the Freeport Sulphur Company. The population was 300, however by 1929 that population grew to 3,500 and to 4,100 in 1939. Such a population growth also influenced a steady increase of economic expansion in Freeport.
By 1937, a Freeport School District had been established which consisted of several segregated schools and twenty-seven teachers. There were two white schools, one black school, and a high school.
Freeport's most substantial economic growth began with the construction of
Dow Chemical CompanyThe Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan. As of 2007, it is the second largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization .Dow Chemical...
facilities in the city during 1939. The company still provides the majority of economic resources for the community. It is the largest single site of the company today.
In July 1957, Freeport merged with
Velasco, TexasVelasco was a town in Texas, United States. Founded in 1831, Velasco is situated on the east side of the Brazos River in southeast Texas. It is sixteen miles south of Angleton, Texas, and four miles from the Gulf of Mexico....
, the first capital of the
Republic of TexasThe Republic of Texas was an independent state in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1845.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
during the 19th century. Soon thereafter, Freeport's population numbered 11,619. In 2003, the city annexed nearby Bryan Beach.
Freeport Main Street Program
A visit from former
First Lady of Texas"The Yellow Rose of Texas" is a traditional folk song which has long been popular in the United States and is considered an unofficial state song of Texas. The actual author is unknown; the original publisher only stated that it was composed and arranged expressly for Charles H. Brown by "J.K."...
and
First Lady of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the President of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president...
Laura BushLaura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the forty-third President of the United States, George W. Bush, and was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2009....
in the year 2000 started an initiative in Freeport called "The Main Street Program." The program is an attempt to revitalize the economy and entrepreneurial spirit throughout the city, specifically the downtown area.
The Freeport Main Street Program is a subprogram of The
National Trust for Historic PreservationThe National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities....
and in turn the
Texas Historical CommissionThe Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas....
and is supervised by an advisory board. Freeport Main Street merged with the Freeport Historical Commission in 2007. Freeport was recognized as a National Main Street City in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Geography
Freeport is located at (28.959527, -95.356941).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 13.3 square miles (34.4 km²), of which, 11.9 square miles (30.8 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) of it (10.54%) is water.
Freeport is very near the Gulf of Mexico. In 2003, the city annexed 3.5 miles of beach bounded on the north by the Village of Quintana and continuing south to the mouth of the Brazos River. This beach is known as Bryan Beach and is maintained as a city park. It is just a few miles away from both
Surfside BeachSurfside Beach is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States that is situated on the Gulf of Mexico just west of Galveston Island. The population was 763 at the 2000 census...
and
Quintana BeachQuintana is a town in Brazoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 38 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Quintana is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.8 square miles , of which, 0.6 square miles of it is land and...
. This continues to be Freeport's main tourist attraction.
Houston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and the largest city within the state of Texas. As of the 2008 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2 million within an area of 600 square miles . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of...
lies about 50 miles northwest of Freeport.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 12,708 people, 4,163 households, and 3,097 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 1,069.6 people per square mile (413.0/km²). There were 4,841 housing units at an average density of 407.5/sq mi (157.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.55% White, 13.38% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 20.91% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.05% of the population.
There were 4,163 households out of which 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.59.
In the city the population was spread out with 35.7% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,245, and the median income for a family was $32,421. Males had a median income of $30,714 versus $17,028 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $12,426. About 22.3% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Schools in Freeport include
Brazosport High SchoolBrazosport High School is a secondary school located at the intersection of Brazosport Boulevard and West 2nd Street in Freeport, Texas. It handles grades nine through twelve and is part of the Brazosport Independent School District....
(Grades 9-12), Freeport Intermediate School (Grades 7-8), Lanier Middle School (Grades 5-6), O.A. Fleming Elementary School, Jane Long Elementary School, and Velasco Elementary School (Grades Pre-K-4). They are all maintained through the
Brazosport Independent School DistrictBrazosport Independent School District is a school district based in Freeport, Texas .The district serves the cities, towns, and villages of Clute, Freeport, Jones Creek, Lake Jackson, Oyster Creek, Quintana, Richwood, and Surfside Beach...
. Many athletics events for the district take place in Freeport at
Hopper FieldHopper Field is a stadium located in Freeport, Texas on the campus of Brazosport High School. It is currently home to the high school football teams of the Brazosport Independent School District , and seats 10,478. The stadium opened in 1949, and has artificial turf. The stadium is also the site...
.
Since the late 1990s, several schools have been rebuilt or are currently being rebuilt due to old age. Such schools include Freeport Intermediate School, O.A. Fleming Elementary School, Velasco Elementary School, and Brazosport High School.
The city is served by the
Brazosport CollegeBrazosport College, or BC, is a public, coeducational college located in Lake Jackson, Texas. The college was opened in 1968, and offers two-year and four-year degrees...
.
The Freeport Library is a part of the
Brazoria County Library SystemThe Brazoria County Library System operates public libraries in Brazoria County, Texas, United States.The system has several libraries in many cities.-Branches:* Alvin Library - Alvin* Angleton Library - Angleton* Brazoria Library - Brazoria...
.
External links