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

Brazoria County, Texas 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 stat ...

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

near the city of Freeport. The population was 640 at the 2020 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

Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, and 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 as for Texas' ...

maintained a home near Surfside Beach before selling it on

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

in 2011. Surfside Beach has been criticized for having some of the worst coastal waters in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, having levels of

Enterococcus ''Enterococcus'' is a large genus of lactic acid bacteria of the phylum Bacillota. Enterococci are Gram-positive cocci that often occur in pairs ( diplococci) or short chains, and are difficult to distinguish from streptococci on physical ch ...

bacteria greater than 104cfu/100ml, providing very little, if not no access to the main beach it'self.

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 Navigability, 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, the ...

runs through the northwestern part of the city, forming the northwestern 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, Texas, Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, Texas, Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City ...

. Texas State Highway 332 begins in Surfside Beach and leads northwest past Freeport to Lake Jackson. 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 ...

, 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, there were 640 people, 327 households,and 156 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 2010, 482 people, 259 households, and 113 families resided in the city. The population density was . There were 879 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup 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 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, 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 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 $26,328. The population sample was too small for poverty figures to be calculated.

Education

The city is served by Brazosport Independent School District (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 (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 opened in 1968 and offers primarily associate degrees and some bachelor's degrees. The campus features The Clarion, a regional musical performance venue, ...

. 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 ...

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: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