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ALVIN,
TEXAS Brazoria
County, Texas
Gulf Coast
Highway 6 and Highway 35
12 Miles SE of Houston
Population:
21,413 (2000) |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Alvin, named for Alvin Morgan, a railroad cattle
shipping agent, dates to the 1860s when it was a flag stop/ shipping point on
the Santa Fe Railroad. Morgan was the area’s first permanent resident, building
his house there in 1879. When a post office application was submitted under Alvin’s
last name, it was rejected since another community was using the name of Morgan.
Alvin experienced a population explosion in the 1890s when it went from a meager
100 people to an estimated 2,000 with the span of six years. The early economy
was based on agriculture. School classes were first taught in the Methodist church
until a separate building could be constructed in the 1890s.
The 1940 population
had grown to just over 3,000 people and fifteen years later it was approaching
4,000. Alvin was home to a German Prisoner of War Camp during WWII.
Between 1960 and 1970 Alvin nearly doubled its population, rising to over 10,000.
Alvin suffered severe damage from the 1900
Galveston Storm and has been struck by other major storms over the years.
Tropical Storm Claudette broke a state record for rain in 1979, producing 43 inches
of rain within a single 24-hour period.
Where
to Stay
Alvin
Hotels |
 |
1920s
Brazoria and Ft Bend County map showin Alvin
(Above "I" in "BRAZORIA"
near Galveston County line)
Courtesy Texas General Land Office |
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