Dickinson, Texas

History

Dickinson is located on a tract of land granted to John Dickinson in 1824, and named after him. A settlement had been established in this area on Dickinson Bayou before 1850. The Galveston, Houston, and Henderson Railroad was built directly through Dickinson. This line was used in the American Civil War to successfully retake Galveston.

The Dickinson Land and Improvement Association was organized in the 1890s by Fred M. Nichols and eight other businessmen. It marketed to potential farmers with claims of the soil's suitability for food crops, and to socialites with the creation of the Dickinson Picnic Grounds and other attractions. By 1911, the Galveston–Houston Electric Railway had three stops in Dickinson, and the Oleander Country Club was a popular destination for prominent Galvestonians.

In 1905, Italian ambassador Baron Mayor des Planches convinced about 150 Italians from crowded eastern cities to move to Dickinson. They joined the dozens relocated there after flooding in Bryan forced them to seek new homes.

Dickinson continued to grow due to its proximity to Texas City, with its shipyards and wartime industries, and later its proximity to the Johnson Space Center.

During the 1920s, Dickinson became a significant tourist destination resulting from investment by the Maceo crime syndicate which ran Galveston during this time. The syndicate created gambling venues in the city such as the Silver Moon casino.

Recently, the City of Dickinson constructed a new multimillion-dollar city hall and library complex which was dedicated June 30, 2009. The complex is located between Highway 3 and F.M. 517 near the intersection.

Also in 2009 the city began hosting a crawfish festival, called the Red, White and Bayou crawfish festival.

Geography

Dickinson is located at 29°27′38″N 95°03′14″W (29.460467, -95.053856). This is about 28 miles (45 km) southeast of Houston and 19 miles (31 km) northwest of Galveston.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.3 square miles (26.6 km²), of which 9.9 square miles (25.6 km²) is land and 0.42 square miles (1.1 km²), or 3.95%, is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,093 people, 6,162 households, and 4,522 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,770.7 people per square mile (683.9/km²). There were 6,556 housing units at an average density of 679.1 per square mile (262.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.35% White, 10.52% African American, 0.64% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 12.82% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.90% of the population.

There were 6,162 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the city, the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,984, and the median income for a family was $46,585. Males had a median income of $36,391 versus $26,943 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,785. About 9.5% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Dickinson City Hall is located at 4403 Highway 3 and the Dickinson Public Library is located at 4411 Highway 3. The Dickinson Police Department is located at 4000 Liggio Street. There are fire stations at 4500 FM 517 East, which also houses EMS, and 221 FM 517 West. The Dickinson Post Office is located at 2515 Termini Street.

Public schools

Most of Dickinson is a part of the Dickinson Independent School District. Some of it is a part of the Santa Fe Independent School District.

The following schools serve the Dickinson ISD portion:

Before the 2004–2005 school year, all DISD elementary schools provided education for Pre-K through 5th grades. But Barber Elementary School was turned into a Middle School center for 5th grade from 2004-2005 school year to 2007-2008 school year. For the 2008–2009 school year and beyond, a newly built Barber Middle School built off FM 517 and Dunbar Middle School (which recently only held the 6th grade) will now both hold 5th-6th grades. Students will be separated into schools based on where they reside. A new R.D. McAdams Junior High School has been built on Hughes Road.

Bay Area Charter Middle School is a state charter school in Dickinson.

Private schools

True Cross School, a Roman Catholic pre-K - 8 school operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, is in Dickinson. True Cross School was the first Roman Catholic school on the Galveston County mainland.

Queen of Angels Academy, a school of the Society of St. Pius X, is located at the original Holy Cross location, and provides a classical Catholic education. Queen of Angels parish also has the traditional Latin Mass daily. Although the church structure was built in 1947, the interior has been renovated to reflect their attachment to Catholic tradition. The sanctuary, containing the main altar, has been praised for its beauty by many visitors.

Colleges and universities

Dickinson is served by the College of the Mainland, a community college in Texas City.

Public libraries

Dickinson Public Library, operated by the city, is located at 4411 Highway 3.

Parks and recreation

The Galveston County Department of Parks and Senior Services operates the Dickinson Community Center at 2714 Highway 3.

Dickinson Bayou is a bayou that flows in and out of the city of Dickinson. Residents and guests enjoy the activities the bayou offers.

Parks are numerous around the city. Paul Hopkins Park on 517 is host to the Festival of Lights each December. Elva Lobit Park and Zempter Park are parks that host the city's youth baseball leagues. A state-maintained boat dock is present at the Highway 3 and 146 bridges.

Notable people