Kemah, Texas
Kemah is a city in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,330 at the 2000 census. Kemah's main industry comes from shipping. Originally a small fishing town, Kemah has become a popular tourist destination. Many locals from the Houston Metropolitan Area travel to the city to visit the many restaurants and attractions, which are contained within the Kemah Entertainment District.
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Geography
Map of KemahKemah is located at 29°32′22″N 95°1′9″W / 29.53944°N 95.01917°W (29.539469, -95.019032)[3] and is part of the Clear Lake Area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.82 square miles (4.7 km2), of which, 1.79 square miles (4.6 km2) of it is land and 0.03 square miles (0.078 km2) of it (1.65%) is water.
History
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The city was originally founded as Evergreen in 1898 along the Texas and New Orleans Railroad, when John Henry Kipp and James H. Bradford subdivided their lots to establish a township. The area was also called Shell Siding after the oyster shell middens lining the bay, in some places twenty to thirty feet deep. Indian burial grounds were later found in these shell middens. Kipp petitioned for a post office, but was denied as there was already an Evergreen, Texas (now incorporated into Cleveland, Texas). Residents were polled and Kemah, the Karankawa word for "wind in face", "face wind", or "facing the wind", was chosen. Kemah was granted a post office in 1907.
Commercial fishing has long been an significant area industry and a part of the community's identity as demonstrated by the annual Blessing of the Fleet event that continues today. Agriculture was also important to the community's early prosperity.
From the 1920s to the 1950s Kemah became a significant tourist destination resulting from investment by the Maceo crime syndicate which ran Galveston during this time. The syndicate created a lavish casino district along the boardwalk featuring venues such as the Chili Bowl and the Kemah Den.[4] During the 1950s the State Attorney General and the Texas Rangers finally shut down the Galveston vice empire. Kemah's casinos were closed and its tourism base declined drastically.
During the 1950s a major commercial shrimp fishing fleet was established in the town as the Clear Creek Channel was opened. Though Hurricane Carla severely damaged the city in 1961, the city rebuilt and the fishing business revived. During the 1970s, in part as a result of the establishment of the Johnson Space Center on Clear Lake, tourism began to re-emerge as pleasure boats began to fill the lake.[5]
Kemah has significantly revived as a tourist and recreation destination, especially since the new Kemah Boardwalk, owned by Landry's Restaurants, Inc., was developed in the late 1990s.[6]
House in Kemah, Tx, that was struck by hurricane Ike in 2008On the morning of September 13, 2008 a Category 2 hurricane called Ike made landfall in Galveston County, causing substantial damage to infrastructure and houses in the whole area.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 2,330 people, 892 households, and 566 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,300.8 people per square mile (502.6/km²). There were 1,075 housing units at an average density of 600.2/sq mi (231.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.36% White, 3.82% African American, 0.86% Native American, 3.48% Asian, 15.79% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.76% of the population.
There were 892 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 115.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,620, and the median income for a family was $64,063. Males had a median income of $50,061 versus $31,953 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,373. About 7.8% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
Crime
In a 2008 Houston Press article, "Gator" Miller, publisher of small newspapers such as the monthly magazine Seabreeze and the entertainment magazine Night Moves said that many White American gangs from nearby communities commit crimes in Kemah.[7]
Education
Pupils in Kemah attend schools in Clear Creek Independent School District. The community is within the Board of Trustee District 1,[8] represented by Robert Allan Davee as of 2008.[9]
Pupils are zoned to Stewart Elementary School (formerly Kemah Elementary School) in unincorporated Galveston County[10], League City Intermediate School in League City[11], and Clear Creek High School in League City.[12] Residents are zoned to the College of the Mainland, a community college in Texas City.[13][14]
See also
| Houston portal |
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Grande Dame of the Gulf". Texas Monthly: 168. December 1983. http://books.google.com/books?id=LywEAAAAMBAJ.
- ^ "History of Kemah". Kemah Historical Society.
- ^ Barrington, Carol; Kearney, Sydney (2008). Day Trips from Houston: Getaway Ideas for the Local Traveler. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot. p. 236. ISBN 978-0-7627-4542-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=euz4fbCDlLYC.
- ^ Lomax, John Nova. "Gangsters in Bacliff." Houston Press. September 11, 2008.
- ^ District 1 Map. Clear Creek Independent School District. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
- ^ "School Board Members: Bios and Contact Information." Clear Creek Independent School District. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
- ^ "Stewart Elementary School Boundary." Clear Creek Independent School District. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
- ^ "League City Intermediate School Boundary." Clear Creek Independent School District. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
- ^ "Clear Creek High School Boundary." Clear Creek Independent School District. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
- ^ Texas Education Code, Section 130.174, "College of the Mainland District Service Area".
- ^ "Welcome to College of the Mainland." College of the Mainland. Retrieved on December 8, 2008.
External links
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Categories: Cities in Texas | Galveston County, Texas | Galveston Bay Area | Greater Houston
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