Galveston County, Texas



Galveston County is a located in the  of  within the  metropolitan area. As of 2005 estimate, the population is 277,563. Its is. is the largest city in Galveston County in terms of population ; between 2000 and 2005 it surpassed as the county's largest city.

Geography
Galveston County is located on the plains of the Texas in the southeastern part of the state. The county is bounded on the northeast by and on the northwest by  and. Much of the county covers Galveston Bay, and is bounded to the south by the Galveston Seawall and beaches on the.

According to the, the county has a total area of 2,261 (873 ). 1,032 km² (398 sq mi) of it is land and 1,229 km² (474 sq mi) of it (54.35%) is water.

Major Highways

 * [[Image:I-45.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Texas 6.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Texas 87.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Texas 146.svg|20px]]

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (west)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 250,158 people, 94,782 households, and 66,157 families residing in the county. The was 242/km² (628/sq mi). There were 111,733 housing units at an average density of 108/km² (280/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 72.69%, 15.44% or , 0.47% , 2.10% , 0.04% , 7.18% from , and 2.08% from two or more races. 17.96% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 94,782 households out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were living together, 13.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.70% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,419, and the median income for a family was $51,435. Males had a median income of $41,406 versus $28,703 for females. The for the county was $21,568. About 10.10% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the, including 17.60% of those under age 18 and 10.20% of those age 65 or over.

Education
s serving Galveston County communities are:



Higher Education
Galveston County is home to and the.

Three also serve the area:,  and.

Public Libraries
The Galveston County Library System operates libraries in most of the larger towns and cities. The in Galveston has the distinction of being the oldest public library in Texas and serves as the headquarters for the Galveston County Library System. Its librarian also functions as the Galveston County librarian.

Political organization
The head of a Texas County, as set up in the, is the , who sits as the chair of the county's. As of 2007, this position in Galveston County is held by Judge. The county is split into four geographical divisions called. Each precinct elects a to sit as a representative of their precinct on the commissioners court and also for the oversight of county functions in their area.

Other elected positions in Galveston County include a, a , a , a , a , nine s, a Tax Assessor-Collector, a , and every in the county except s, who are appointed by the officials of their respective cities.

Hospital services
Galveston County is served by a major medical complex in Galveston and a private for-profit hospital in Texas City.

The in Galveston is a 1,200 bed, major medical complex comprised of seven hospitals. The main general care hospital is with other on-campus hospitals specializing in women, children, burn victims, geriatrics and psychiatrics. Currently, UTMB is certified as a and serves as the lead trauma facility for the nine-county region in southeast Texas, including the  area. The Mainland Medical Center, 233 bed, private, for-profit, hospital operates in Texas City.

Transportation
The City of Galveston is served by, a public transportation agency.

is a two-runway airport located on Galveston Island that is primarily used for general aviation, offshore energy transportation, and some limited military operations.

The closest airport with regularly scheduled commercial service is Houston's located in adjacent.

All rail traffic is currently industrial related. Regularly schedule passenger service in Galveston County ceased on April 11, 1967.