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Freeport, Texas
City in Texas, United States

Freeport is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States, located on the Gulf of Mexico, founded in 1912. According to the 2020 census, the city population was 10,696, down from 12,049 in 2010, where Hispanic 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.

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History

See also: Velasco, Texas

Freeport was founded as a European-American settlement in November 1912 by the Freeport Sulphur Company.2 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.3

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.4

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.5 As of 2011, Freeport had Dow's largest single manufacturing site in the 21st century.6

In July 1957, Freeport merged with Velasco. This had been a temporary capital of the Republic of Texas during the 19th century. Soon thereafter, Freeport's population numbered 11,619.7 In 2003, the city annexed nearby Bryan Beach.8

Geography

Freeport is located in southern Brazoria County at 28°57′34″N 95°21′25″W / 28.95944°N 95.35694°W / 28.95944; -95.35694 (28.959527, –95.356941),9 near the mouth of the Brazos River in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2003, the city annexed 3.5 miles (5.6 km) 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 17 miles (27 km) to Angleton, the county seat, and 61 miles (98 km) to downtown Houston. Texas State Highway 36 leads northwest 15 miles (24 km) to Brazoria.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Freeport has a total area of 17.1 square miles (44.2 km2), of which 14.9 square miles (38.7 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.5 km2), or 12.36%, is water.10

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Freeport has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.11

Climate data for Freeport, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–present)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)83(28)83(28)88(31)95(35)98(37)103(39)100(38)104(40)105(41)96(36)90(32)84(29)105(41)
Mean maximum °F (°C)76.9(24.9)78.5(25.8)81.3(27.4)85.6(29.8)90.0(32.2)93.5(34.2)95.0(35.0)96.6(35.9)94.4(34.7)89.7(32.1)84.1(28.9)79.2(26.2)97.3(36.3)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)64.1(17.8)67.2(19.6)72.7(22.6)78.1(25.6)84.2(29.0)89.7(32.1)91.5(33.1)92.0(33.3)89.0(31.7)82.5(28.1)73.6(23.1)66.9(19.4)79.3(26.3)
Daily mean °F (°C)55.2(12.9)58.7(14.8)64.5(18.1)70.5(21.4)77.4(25.2)83.1(28.4)84.9(29.4)85.1(29.5)81.2(27.3)73.9(23.3)64.3(17.9)57.8(14.3)71.4(21.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)46.2(7.9)50.1(10.1)56.3(13.5)62.8(17.1)70.6(21.4)76.4(24.7)78.3(25.7)78.1(25.6)73.4(23.0)65.3(18.5)55.0(12.8)48.7(9.3)63.4(17.4)
Mean minimum °F (°C)31.7(−0.2)36.2(2.3)39.7(4.3)48.0(8.9)59.4(15.2)68.4(20.2)72.4(22.4)72.0(22.2)63.4(17.4)49.1(9.5)39.0(3.9)34.1(1.2)29.3(−1.5)
Record low °F (°C)15(−9)15(−9)25(−4)36(2)41(5)57(14)64(18)65(18)45(7)34(1)26(−3)13(−11)13(−11)
Average precipitation inches (mm)4.02(102)2.44(62)2.91(74)2.87(73)3.87(98)4.74(120)4.18(106)4.98(126)7.06(179)4.37(111)4.69(119)3.80(97)49.93(1,268)
Average snowfall inches (cm)0.0(0.0)0.0(0.0)0.0(0.0)0.0(0.0)0.0(0.0)0.0(0.0)0.0(0.0)0.0(0.0)0.0(0.0)0.0(0.0)0.0(0.0)0.0(0.0)0.0(0.0)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)9.78.26.96.16.17.88.27.99.66.67.49.694.1
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)0.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.0
Source: NOAA1213

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19201,798—
19303,16275.9%
19402,579−18.4%
19506,012133.1%
196011,61993.3%
197011,9973.3%
198013,44412.1%
199011,389−15.3%
200012,70811.6%
201012,049−5.2%
202010,696−11.2%
U.S. Decennial Census14
Freeport racial composition as of 202015 (NH = Non-Hispanic)16
RaceNumberPercentage
White (NH)2,42322.65%
Black or African American (NH)1,12510.52%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)320.3%
Asian (NH)530.5%
Some Other Race (NH)260.24%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)2392.23%
Hispanic or Latino6,79863.56%
Total10,696

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 census17 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, 13.9% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 20.91% from other races, and 3.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.0% of the population. Languages 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 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 for the city was $17,707. About 27.5% of families were below the poverty line.18

Economy

Port Freeport is a seaport on the Gulf of Mexico 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 site19 and the largest integrated chemical manufacturing facility in the United States.20 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.21

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. In June 2022, a pipeline rupture caused methane to leak and an explosion after which the LNG terminal was closed for 8 months.22

Government

Freeport is in Texas' 14th congressional district,23 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 1976.24

The Houston Chronicle 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.25

The $19.2 million Freeport Elementary facility opened in 2018. VLK Architects designed the building. The student capacity is 750.26

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.27

Previously Freeport had O.A. Fleming Elementary School (PK–1),28 and Jane Long Elementary School (grades 2–4).29 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 2018.30

Tertiary education

It is within the zone for Brazosport College.31 The Texas Legislature designated the Brazosport ISD as in the Brazosport College zone.32

Libraries

The Freeport Library is a part of the Brazoria County Library System.33

See also

  • Texas portal

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Freeport, Texas.

References

  1. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Freeport city, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2014. https://archive.today/20200212202536/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4827420 ↩

  2. Haynes, Williams (1959). Brimstone, The Stone That Burns. Princeton: D. Van Norstrand Company, Inc. pp. 75–85. ↩

  3. Freeport, TX, Handbook of Texas, Retrieved 12 August 2007. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hef03 ↩

  4. Freeport, TX, Handbook of Texas, Retrieved 12 August 2007. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hef03 ↩

  5. Freeport, TX, Handbook of Texas, Retrieved 12 August 2007. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hef03 ↩

  6. "Texas Operation – Freeport, Texas" (PDF). Dow Chemical Company. Retrieved January 9, 2011. http://texasiof.ces.utexas.edu/texasshowcase/pdfs/overviews/dow.pdf ↩

  7. Freeport, TX, Handbook of Texas, Retrieved 12 August 2007. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hef03 ↩

  8. Evans, Thayer. "Freeport annexes part of Bryan Beach area". Chron. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 6, 2023. https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/pearland-news/article/freeport-annexes-part-of-bryan-beach-area-2116625.php ↩

  9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011. https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html ↩

  10. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Freeport city, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2014. https://archive.today/20200212202536/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4827420 ↩

  11. Climate Summary for Freeport, Texas http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=43314&cityname=Freeport%2C+Texas%2C+United+States+of+America&units= ↩

  12. "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 12, 2023. https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=hgx ↩

  13. "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 12, 2023. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00413340&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL ↩

  14. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html ↩

  15. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 23, 2022. https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4827420&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 ↩

  16. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[16][17] ↩

  17. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008. https://www.census.gov ↩

  18. §https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/freeportcitytexas/PST045216 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/freeportcitytexas/PST045216 ↩

  19. "Texas Operation – Freeport, Texas" (PDF). Dow Chemical Company. Retrieved January 9, 2011. http://texasiof.ces.utexas.edu/texasshowcase/pdfs/overviews/dow.pdf ↩

  20. "Detailed Facility Report". echo.epa.gov. Retrieved January 12, 2025. https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=110008170237 ↩

  21. "Detailed Facility Report". echo.epa.gov. Retrieved January 12, 2025. https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=110008170237 ↩

  22. Erdenesanaa, Dylan Baddour, Delger (February 23, 2023). "Natural Gas Terminal Reopens After Massive Explosion". Retrieved January 12, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) https://www.texasobserver.org/freeport-lng-reopens-methane-explosion/ ↩

  23. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 24, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) https://web.archive.org/web/20090324230502/http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/tx14_109.gif ↩

  24. "The History of The Facts". Brazosport Facts. Archived from the original on August 31, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20150831012109/https://thefacts.com/site/history/ ↩

  25. "Brazosport Independent School District". Brazosport Independent School District. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20140517055621/http://brazosportisd.net/ ↩

  26. Calahan, Erinn (April 5, 2017). "BISD breaks ground on new Freeport Elementary campus". Brazosport Facts. Retrieved June 17, 2020. https://thefacts.com/free_share/article_05ba7670-1957-5371-90c9-520ad00fc3c6.html ↩

  27. Calahan, Erinn (April 5, 2017). "BISD breaks ground on new Freeport Elementary campus". Brazosport Facts. Retrieved June 17, 2020. https://thefacts.com/free_share/article_05ba7670-1957-5371-90c9-520ad00fc3c6.html ↩

  28. "Elementary Boundary Zones" (PDF). Brazosport Independent School District. Retrieved June 17, 2020. - Compare to a map of the Surfside Beach city limits. https://www.brazosportisd.net/UserFiles/Servers/Server_415374/File/District/About%20BISD/District%20Maps/BISD%20Elementary%20Boundary%20Zones.pdf ↩

  29. "Brazosport ISD School Feeder Patterns". Brazosport Independent School District. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20170402173013/http://brazosportisd.net/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=527372 ↩

  30. Calahan, Erinn (April 5, 2017). "BISD breaks ground on new Freeport Elementary campus". Brazosport Facts. Retrieved June 17, 2020. https://thefacts.com/free_share/article_05ba7670-1957-5371-90c9-520ad00fc3c6.html ↩

  31. "Brazosport College Map" (PDF). Brazoria County Appraisal District. Retrieved June 18, 2020. http://www.brazoriacad.org/uploads/1/2/9/0/12902727/brazosport_college_map.pdf ↩

  32. Texas Education Code Sec. 130.170. BRAZOSPORT COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm ↩

  33. "Brazoria County Library System". Brazoria County Library System. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121031100123/http://bcls.lib.tx.us/ ↩