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SURFSIDE
BEACH, TEXAS
AKA SurfsideBrazoria
County, Texas
Gulf Coast
On the Gulf of Mexico at the end of Highway 332
7 Miles E of Freeport
19 Miles SE of Angleton
Population: 763 (2000) |
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History in a Seashell
Besides being the mouth of the lengthy Brazos River, Surfside also surrounds
the former limits of what was Velasco. Prior to the Great
Storm of 1900, Surfside was a very popular resort of inland Texans who needed
to cool off during the summer months. The Surfside Hotel - one of the largest
and grandest of the resort hotels survided the hurricanes but eventually burned
to the ground. Surfside remained mostly a beach until WWII when it was included
in the newly designated "Brazosport Industrial Complex."
From a 1950s
population of 1,208, it reached its high-water mark in the 1970s with a population
of 2,300. The town incorporated under the name Surfside in 1975 but was
renamed Surfside Beach in the late 1980s. By the late 80s the population
had shrunk to a mere 604. The town still appears on the state map with a 2007
population given as 763. | |
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