Surfside Beach, also known locally as Surfside, is a city in

Brazoria County Brazoria County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 372,031. The county seat is Angleton. Brazoria County is included in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan statis ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States, that is situated on Follet's Island by the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

near the city of Freeport. The population was 482 at the 2010 census. The city has claimed the "Cradle of Texas Liberty" title due to the fact that the Treaty of Velasco which ended hostilities between Texas and Mexico was signed at Fort Velasco, which was located near the city's current City Hall. Former

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, physician and retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977 and again from 1979 to 1985, as well ...

maintains a home in Surfside.

Geography

Surfside Beach is located in southern Brazoria County on the southwestern tip of Follet's Island at . It is bordered to the southeast by the Gulf of Mexico and to the southwest by the entrance to Freeport Harbor, across which is the village of Quintana. The

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...

runs through the northwest part of the city, forming the northwest boundary in some places. The Bluewater Highway runs the length of Surfside Beach and continues northeast on Follet's Island to San Luis Pass and the bridge onto

Galveston Island Galveston Island ( ) is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast in the United States, about southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston in Galveston County. T ...

Texas State Highway 332 State Highway 332 (SH 332) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas. The highway includes a concurrent section with SH 288 that brings the total length to . The highway begins at a junction with State Highway 36 (SH 36) in Brazoria an ...

begins in Surfside Beach and leads northwest past Freeport to Lake Jackson. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Surfside Beach has a total area of , of which is land and , or 25.23%, is water. census 2011

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 640 people, 327 households,and 156 families residing in the city. As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, 482 people, 259 households, and 113 families resided in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 427.7 people per square mile (165.5/km). There were 879 housing units at an average density of 287/sq mi (110.9/km). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 93.8% White, 1.7% African American, 1.0% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.8% some other race, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 6.6% of the population. Of the 259 households, 15.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.2% were headed by

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 56.4% were not families. About 42.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.86, and the average family size was 2.50. In the city, the population was distributed as 10.6% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 17.6% from 25 to 44, 48.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 119.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 122.2 males. For the period 2008–2012, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $42,656, and for a family was $62,917. Male full-time workers had a median income of $42,692 versus $27,132 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $26,328. The population sample was too small for poverty figures to be calculated.

Education

The city is served by

Brazosport Independent School District Brazosport Independent School District is a school district based in Clute, Texas ( USA) in Greater Houston. The district serves the cities, towns, and villages of Clute, Freeport, Jones Creek, Lake Jackson, Oyster Creek, Quintana, Richwood, ...

(BISD). * Freeport Elementary School (Pre-Kindergarten to grade 1) * Velasco Elementary School (grades 2–4) * Lanier Middle School (5–6) * Freeport Intermediate School (7–8) *

Brazosport High School Brazosport High School is a public high school located at the intersection of Brazosport Boulevard and West 2nd Street in Freeport, Texas, United States. It handles grades nine through twelve and is part of the Brazosport Independent School Distr ...

(9–12) It was previously zoned to O.A. Fleming Elementary School (Pre-K–1), and Jane Long Elementary School (grades 2–4). Jane Long was scheduled to close in 2017, with Fleming taking grades K–1 and Velasco Elementary taking over grades 2–4. Fleming was scheduled to close when the new Freeport Elementary School opened in 2018. The city is also served by

Brazosport College Brazosport College (BC) is a public community college in Lake Jackson, Texas. The college was opened in 1968 and offers primarily associate degrees and some bachelor's degrees. The campus features The Clarion, a regional musical performance ven ...

. The

Texas Legislature The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ...

designated the Brazosport ISD as in the Brazosport College zone.Texas Education Code Sec. 130.170. BRAZOSPORT COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
/ref> The city is served by the Brazoria County Library System.

Gallery

File:SurfsideBeachtownhall2.jpg, City hall File:SurfsideBeachEMS.jpg, EMS & Rescue File:SurfsideBeachFD.jpg, Fire station

Notes

References

External links

*
Village of Surfside Beach city government official website
{{authority control Cities in Brazoria County, Texas Cities in Texas Greater Houston Ron Paul Populated coastal places in Texas