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LA PORTE,
TEXAS
Harris County,
Texas
Gulf Coast
“On the northwest shore of Trinity Bay, the inland extension of Galveston
Bay”
Hwy 146
22 Miles E of Houston
About 30 Miles NW of Galveston
Population: 31,880 (2000)
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La Porte is
French for “The Door.” The name was chosen by a real estate consortium
in 1892 in hopes of luring investors and land buyers. The La Porte,
Houston and Northern Railroad Company was chartered in late 1892 and
La Porte became the railroad’s headquarters. The proximity to both
Galveston and Houston
was a draw, but the railroad only managed to lay 12 miles of track
before being absorbed by a larger company. After several sales, it
became Galveston, Houston and Northern Railway Company (1899). Under
the direction of the Southern Pacific system.
In 1900 the town could boast over 500 residents.
That same year St. Mary's Seminary opened and remained there for over
five decades. The downtown section of La Porte was totally destroyed
by a fire around 1915 and shortly thereafter it was struck by a hurricane.
La Porte had its 15 minutes of fame bestowed upon it in the 20s and
30s when it held dances and bathing beauty contests at Sylvan Beach.
Performers included singers Phil Harris and Rudy Vallee and bandleader
/ clarinetist Benny Goodman.
In fact La Porte’s entire economy was driven by the entertainers and
the audiences they drew. Later, refineries and shipyards along the
bay provided jobs for the year-round residents.
In 1954 the Washburn Tunnel was opened, connecting La Porte with nearby
Baytown. (The tunnel was later replaced
by the Fred Hartman
Bridge). The population reached over 7,000 residents by 1949 and
La Porte was now large enough to start absorbing its neighbors. In
1980 the neighbor was the tiny town of Lomax.
Residents of La Porte still regarded their town as a resort even as
the population grew to nearly 28,000 people. Several hurricanes have
stuck Sylvan Beach over the years. The population reached 31,880 for
the 2000 census.
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