Bay City is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and the county seat of

Matagorda County Matagorda County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 36,255. Its county seat is Bay City, not to be confused with the larger Baytown in Harris and Chambers Counties. Matagorda County i ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. The population was 17,614 at the 2010 census and 18,061 at the 2020 census.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.12% is covered by water. Bay City was formerly named "Bay Prairie", as the natural ecosystems that surround the town are prairies crisscrossed by creeks that lead into the bay.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Bay City has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,061 people, 6,602 households, and 4,086 families residing in the city. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, 18,667 people, 6,912 households, and 4,769 families resided in the city. The population density was . There were 8,113 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 61.62% White, 17.26% African American, 0.74% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 16.84% from other races, and 2.59% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 34.74% of the population. Of the 6,912 households, 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were not families. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.25. In the city, the population was distributed as 30.9% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,446, and for a family was $39,281. Males had a median income of $38,202 versus $23,058 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $15,284. About 18.3% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over. Minorities make up the largest ethnic portion of Bay City, Texas.

Economy

In 2017, Bay City became the site of a new $1.8-billion

Tenaris Tenaris S.A., organized in Luxembourg, is a manufacturer and supplier of steel pipes and related services for the petroleum industry. The company produces and ships over 4 million tons of pipes annually. In 2023, 53% of the company's sales wer ...

seamless-pipe mill, making tubular goods, such as

drill pipe Drill pipe, is hollow, thin-walled, steel or aluminium alloy pipe (material), piping that is used on drilling rig (petroleum), drilling rigs. It is hollow to allow drilling fluid to be pumped down the hole through the bit and back up the annulus ...

and casing, for the oil-drilling industry. Bay City formerly housed the headquarters of Stanley Stores.Staff.
Price-Lo Supermarkets opens two new stores in Houston
." ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

''. Sunday July 24, 1988. Business 6. Retrieved on November 20, 2011. The chain made several donations to the Bay City Museum.

Attractions

Bay City is home to the Matagorda County Birding Nature Center, a expanse of gardens and wildlife along the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

of Texas. Other attractions include the Matagorda County Museum, Market Days every third Saturday, and a variety of small shops and boutiques downtown. The Bay City Art League, also located here, has recently undergone major renovations and is currently working to revitalize the art scene in Matagorda County. In addition, the Bay City Community Theatre group (CAST) regularly produces shows at various local venues. File:Bay City TX Airport.jpg, Bay City Regional Airport File:BayCityTexas.JPG, Businesses in Bay City File:Matagorda County Museum in Bay City, TX IMG 1034.JPG, Matagorda County Museum File:Downtown Bay City, TX IMG 1041.JPG, Downtown Bay City

Education

Bay City is served by the

Bay City Independent School District Bay City Independent School District is a 4A public school district based in Bay City, Texas (USA). It is the largest school district in Matagorda county, covering 158 sq mi. BCISD operates five campuses: Bay City High School, Bay City Junio ...

, consisting of elementary, intermediate, junior high, and high schools (including

Bay City High School Bay City High School is a public high school located on Texas State Highway 35 on the western edge of Bay City, Texas, United States. School A new school campus was opened in 2002. Academics The school offers a curriculum in line with Texas sta ...

). The district previously operated seven schools until grade levels were condensed. It is now operating five schools and is led by superintendent Dr. Marshall Scott III. The designated community college for Bay City ISD is

Wharton County Junior College Wharton County Junior College (WCJC) is a public community college with its main campus in Wharton, Texas. The college also has campuses in Richmond, Sugar Land, and Bay City. WCJC offers a range of postsecondary educational prog ...

. It has a campus in Bay City, focusing on technical training and nuclear plant operations.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways

Texas State Highway 35 State Highway 35 (SH 35) is a state highway near the southeastern edge of Texas, United States, that is maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). It runs primarily south–north, paralleling the Gulf of Mexico for much o ...

Texas State Highway 60 State Highway 60 (SH 60) is a state route running from Wallis to Matagorda, Texas. The route was designated on August 21, 1923, from Wharton to Matagorda, previously numbered SH 12C. On June 8, 1925, SH 60 was extended n ...

Farm to Market 2668

Rail

Bay City is located on the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

(UP) main line that roughly parallels the

Texas Gulf Coast Texas Gulf Coast is an intertidal zone which borders the Coast, coastal region of South Texas, Southeast Texas, and the Texas Coastal Bend. The Texas coastal geography boundaries the Gulf of Mexico encompassing a geographical distance relative be ...

from Brownsville to Algoa, near

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. The main line is shared by the

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

under

trackage rights Railway companies can interact with and control others in many ways. These relationships can be complicated by bankruptcies. Operating Often, when a railroad first opens, it is only a short spur of a main line. The owner of the spur line may c ...

, and the BNSF operates a

branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...

from Bay City to

Wadsworth Wadsworth may refer to: People * Wadsworth (given name) * Wadsworth (surname) Places * Wadsworth, Illinois, United States, a village * Wadsworth, Kansas, United States * Wadsworth, Nevada, United States, a census-designated place * Wadswort ...

. As of 2024, the rail lines serving the city are used for freight haulage only; no passenger service is offered.

Air

Bay City Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located five nautical miles (9 km) east of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

of Bay City., effective 2023-08-10.

Health care

Matagorda County is served by the Matagorda Regional Medical Center, and the mission-aligned Matagorda Medical Group. The Matagorda Episcopal Health Outreach Program (MEHOP), the county's only federally qualified health center, offers Family Medical, OB/Gyn, Pediatrics, Behavior Health, and Dentistry services. MEHOP accepts most insurances and assures that no patient will be denied or unable to access health care services due to an individual's inability to pay.

Government

File:Bay City TX Courthouse.JPG, Courthouse from 6th Street File:Bay City TX City Hall.JPG, The City Hall on 5th Street File:Bay City, TX, Water tower IMG 1037.JPG, Bay City Water Tower

Notable people

* Charles Austin, Olympic gold medalist * Forrest Bess, artist *

Robert Blackmon Robert James Blackmon (born May 12, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 1990 NFL draft. He played ...

, professional football player * David Caldwell, professional football player * J. B. Cox, professional baseball player *

Joe DeLoach Joseph ("Joe") Nathaniel DeLoach (born June 5, 1967) is an American former sprinter who was the 1988 Olympic champion in the 200 m. Born in Bay City, Texas into a family with 11 sisters and one brother, DeLoach enjoyed running at a young age and ...

, Olympic gold medalist during the Seoul Olympics * Mark Dennard, professional football player *

Alex Dixon Hugh Alexander Dixon (born February 7, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for USL Championship club Monterey Bay FC. College and amateur The first youth club Dixon played for was the Texas Heat. He then joine ...

, professional soccer player *

Hart Lee Dykes Hart Lee Dykes Jr. (born September 2, 1966) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for two seasons with the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklah ...

, professional football player * Simon Fletcher, professional football player *

Ronnie Heard Ronnie Heard (born October 5, 1976) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football at Mississippi. Heard also pl ...

, professional football player *

Quentin Jammer Quentin Tremaine Jammer (born June 19, 1979) is an American former professional football cornerback who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, earning unanimous All-Ameri ...

, professional football player *

Chandi Jones Chandi Jones (born March 25, 1982) is a professional basketball player. Jones is the daughter of Janice and David Jones , a former professional football player who later became a collegiate basketball coach. High school Born in Wharton, Texas, Jo ...

, professional basketball player *

Greg Laughlin Gregory Haines Laughlin (born January 21, 1942) is a politician from Texas. He is a former member of the United States House of Representatives. Early life and education Laughlin was born in Bay City, Texas, and was raised in West Columbia, ...

, U.S. Representatives from Texas's 14th district * C. Wallis Ohl, Jr., retired Provisional Bishop of Fort Worth * Ricardo Ramírez, Roman Catholic Bishop *

Tracy Simien Tracy Anthony Simien (born May 21, 1967) is a former professional American football linebacker. He played college football at Texas Christian University. He played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL), mainly for the Kansas City C ...

, professional football player *

That Mexican OT Virgil René Gazca (born February 2, 1999), known professionally as That Mexican OT, is an American rapper from Bay City, Texas. He is best known for his 2023 single "Johnny Dang" (with Paul Wall and Drodi), which entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 1 ...

, Mexican-American Rapper *

Mal Whitfield Malvin Greston Whitfield (October 11, 1924 – November 19, 2015) was an American athlete, goodwill ambassador, and airman. Nicknamed "Marvelous Mal", he was the Olympic Games, Olympic champion in the 800 metres, 800 meters at the 1948 Summer O ...

, Olympic gold medalist * Cedric Woodard, professional football player

In popular culture

Part of the 1965 movie ''

Baby the Rain Must Fall ''Baby the Rain Must Fall'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Lee Remick, Steve McQueen and Don Murray. Dramatist Horton Foote, who wrote the screenplay, based it on his 1954 play ''The Traveling Lady. ...

'' was filmed in Bay City.

Churches

File:Bay City Texas 1st Baptist Church.JPG, The First Baptist Church of Bay City dates to the 1850s. A hurricane destroyed the sanctuary in 1909. The current structure dates to 1947. File:First United Methodist Church of Bay City, TX IMG 1040.JPG, First United Methodist Church of Bay City dates to 1870. File:First Presbyterian Church (Bay City, Texas).JPG, First Presbyterian Church of Bay City File:Cedarvale Cemetery, Bay City, TX IMG 1046.JPG, Entrance to Cedarvale Bay City Cemetery, which dates to 1896 with the burial of Rufus A. Mathis, an early Bay City pioneer

References

External links

*
Bay City in Handbook of Texas
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Matagorda County, Texas County seats in Texas Micropolitan areas of Texas