Galveston County - Clear Lake Shores

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The first community we'll look at during our no-particular-order survey of Galveston County is the small town of Clear Lake Shores.  Nestled in the far northern extent of the county, this town has a total area of less than 0.75 square miles, only 0.43 of which is on land.  Clear Lake Shores claimed a population of 1,258 residents in the 2020 census, which represented a significant recovery after the 2010 count had dropped significantly due primarily to the impact of Hurricane Ike in 2008 which destroyed several homes.  Set along the shoreline where Clear Lake meets Galveston Bay, the town has an elevation of just 10' above sea level.


Clear Lake has long been a popular location for aquatic sports and recreation, and the allure of waterfront properties enticed developers to this portion of the county during the prosperous time following the first World War.  Oil was big business at that time, and money was easily changing hands.  Many of the initial buyers of the new parcels were those affluent individuals seeking a weekend or part-time getaway for enjoyment, and therefore there were few permanent residents.  By the time of the Great Depression, development was nearly halted and a newspaper from Houston supposedly even began offering to sell lots for below market value in exchange for a subscription.

After World War II the good times returned to the region, and new full-time residents moved into Clear Lake Shores to build more permanent homes.  As the population increased so did the public services, and the development was officially incorporated into a city in 1962.  With a large freshwater lake to the west and easy access to Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico to the east, boating has remained a popular attraction for residents and tourists alike, and a significant number of the businesses in town are devoted to supporting that industry.  In addition to the many private slips and docks that line the shore, the city boasts several marinas that have given the small town its moniker as "The Yachting Capital of Texas".  As of now, I haven't been able to find any famous residents of Clear Lake Shores during their short history.

As a side note, I'd like to once again thank everyone who has read this blog over the months and years.  This week I noticed that I've had more than 35,000 page views, which is pretty astounding to consider.  If there are topics you'd be interested in seeing more about, please feel free to drop a comment and let me know what you think!

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