Texas City is a city located in Galveston County, Texas, a county in the U.S. state of Texas within the nowrap: Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown]] metropolitan area. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 41,521 (though the 2005 census estimate placed the population at 44,274). Some sections of water within the Texas City city limits are within Chambers County.

History

Located on the southwest shoreline of Galveston Bay, Texas City is a busy port city on Texas' Gulf Coast. Founded in the late 19th century by Frank Davison, who became its first grocer and postmaster, this city (bordered on the east by numerous port facilities and petrochemical refineries) suffered from the Texas City disaster on April 16, 1947, when the freightors Grandcamp, High Flyer, and Wilson B. Keene, docked in the Port of Texas City, exploded in what is generally regarded as the worst industrial accident in U.S. history. It is believed that the initial explosion was the result of a smoldering fire started by a cigarette tossed by a careless longshoreman in the hold of the Grandcamp, which was carrying a load of ammonium nitrate that had recently arrived in port from Houston. The explosion aboard the Grandcamp ignited fires aboard the other two vessels, both of which exploded later that morning. In all, the explosions killed 581 and injured over 5000 people. The explosions were so powerful and intense that many of the bodies of the townspeople and emergency workers who responded to the initial explosion were never accounted for. The city ultimately recovered quite well from the accident and numerous petro-chemical refineries are still located in the same port area of Texas City. The city has often referred to itself as "the town that would not die," a moniker whose accuracy would be tested once again in the days surrounding Hurricane Ike's assault on the region early on September 13, 2008.

On October 30, 1987, a crane at the Marathon Oil refinery accidentally dropped its load on a tank of liquid hydrogen fluoride, causing a release of 36,000 pounds of hydrogen fluoride gas and required 3,000 residents to be evacuated.

On March 23, 2005, the city suffered another explosion in a local BP (formerly Amoco) oil refinery which killed 15 and injured over 100. The BP facility in Texas City is the United States's third largest oil refinery, employing over 2,000 people and processing 460,000 barrels (73,000 m³) of crude oil each day.

The centerpiece of Texas City's Heritage Square historical district is the former residence of city founder Frank Davison, located on lower 3rd Ave. just two-thirds of a mile west of the Texas City Dike's location. The Davison Home, maintained by the Texas City Historical Association, may have suffered considerable damage as a result of Hurricane Ike's storm surge and 110-m.p.h. sustained winds at landfall.