Freeport is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States, located on the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

, founded in 1912. According to the 2020 census, the city population was 10,696, down from 12,049 in 2010, where

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino were 52% of the population. Freeport's economic growth began in 1939 with the construction of Dow Chemical Company facilities, which remain its largest employer and are the largest integrated chemical manufacturing facility in the United States. In 2002, Freeport LNG was founded; an LNG export terminal was developed in the early 2010s after the US shale gas revolution and came online in 2019. In June 2022 a pipeline rupture and explosion closed the terminal until February 2023.

History

Freeport was founded as a European-American settlement in November 1912 by the Freeport Sulphur Company. The population was 300. However, by 1929, that population had grown to 3,500, and to 4,100 by 1939, influencing a steady increase of economic expansion in Freeport.Freeport, TX

Handbook of Texas The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...

, Retrieved 12 August 2007. By 1937, a Freeport School District had been established, consisting of several segregated schools and 27 teachers. There were two white schools, one black school, and a white high school. Freeport's most substantial economic growth began with the construction of Dow Chemical Company facilities in the city during 1939. As of 2007, this company is the community's largest employer. As of 2011, Freeport had Dow's largest single manufacturing site in the 21st century. In July 1957, Freeport merged with Velasco. This had been a temporary capital of the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

during the 19th century. Soon thereafter, Freeport's population numbered 11,619. In 2003, the city annexed nearby Bryan Beach.

Geography

Freeport is located in southern Brazoria County at (28.959527, –95.356941), near the mouth of the Brazos River in the

. In 2003, the city annexed of beach bounded on the northeast by the village of Quintana and continuing southwest to the mouth of the Brazos River. This beach is known as Bryan Beach. It is just a few miles away from Surfside and Quintana beaches. Texas State Highway 288, the Nolan Ryan Expressway, leads north from Freeport to Angleton, the county seat, and to downtown

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 ...

. Texas State Highway 36 leads northwest to Brazoria. 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 ...

, Freeport has a total area of , of which is land and , or 12.36%, is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild 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, Freeport 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 10,696 people, 4,224 households, and 2,993 families residing in the city. According to 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 ...

numbers as of 2016, there were 12,153 people, 3,788 households with an average of 3.17 persons per household. The median gross rent was $711.00 and the owner-occupied housing rate was 49.5%. The racial makeup of the city was 33.2% non-Hispanic

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 13.9%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.56% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 20.91% from other races, and 3.24% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 52.0% of the population.

Languages Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing. Human language is ch ...

spoken in the household other than English is 49.4%. The mean travel time to work for workers age 16+ was 15.2 minutes. In 2012, there were approximately 1,230 businesses in Freeport. In the city, the

median age A population pyramid (age structure diagram) or "age-sex pyramid" is a graphical illustration of the distribution of a population (typically that of a country or region of the world) by age groups and sex; it typically takes the shape of a pyramid ...

for females is 29 years old and for males is 28. 34.1% of the population is 18 years of age or younger. The median income for a household in the city was $36,044. 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 $17,707. About 27.5% of families 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 ...

Economy

Port Freeport is a

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...

on the

and is currently ranked 26th in international tonnage. The associated chemical plants provide a stable economy. Freeport is the site of the Dow Chemical Company's Texas Operations facility, which is the company's largest integrated site and the largest integrated chemical manufacturing facility in the United States. Chemical production includes Alkalines And Chlorine, Industrial Gases, Industrial Inorganic Chemicals, Plastics Materials And Resins, Synthetic Rubber, Cyclic Crudes And Intermediates, Industrial Organic Chemicals, Agricultural Chemicals, Adhesives And Sealants, and Petroleum Refining. In 2002, Freeport LNG was founded; LNG import came online in 2008, an LNG export terminal was developed in the early 2010s after the US shale gas revolution and came online 2019. LNG in Freeport comes from Texas shale formations cracked open through

hydraulic fracturing Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of Formation (geology), formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the ...

. In June 2022, a pipeline rupture caused methane to leak and an explosion after which the LNG terminal was closed for 8 months.

Government

Freeport is in Texas' 14th congressional district, and is represented by Congressman Randy Weber.

Media

The '' Brazosport Facts'' in Clute is a local paper. It was headquartered in Freeport until the move to Clute in 1976. The ''

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''. ...

'' is the metropolitan area newspaper.

Education

Public education

Schools in Freeport include Brazosport High School (Grades 9–12), Freeport Intermediate School (Grades 7–8), Lanier Middle School (Grades 5–6), Freeport Elementary, and Velasco Elementary School but this place shut down (Grades Pre-K–4). They are all maintained through Brazosport Independent School District. The $19.2 million Freeport Elementary facility opened in 2018. VLK Architects designed the building. The student capacity is 750. Velasco Elementary was a Kindergarten through grade 4 school until 2017, when it became a grade 2–4 school for all of Freeport. Grades K–1 were moved to O. A. Fleming Elementary, which was scheduled to close in 2018 and be replaced by Freeport Elementary. Previously Freeport had O.A. Fleming Elementary School (PK–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.

Tertiary education

It is within the zone for Brazosport College. The

Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. 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 p ...

History

Geography

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Government

Media

Education

Public education

Tertiary education

Libraries

See also

Notes

References

External links