Free State of Galveston made these businesses increasingly difficult to sustain. By the end of the 1950s, this era of Galveston's history had ended. The island of Galveston, which lies on the Gulf of Mexico, held one of the first major settlements in the eastern part of what is now Texas. During the mid-to-late-19th century, it became the largest city in the state. Galveston was also an important national commercial center and one of the busiest seaports in the United States, as the Port of Galveston was able to capitalize on Texas' rapid rise in the cotton trade. Its downtown was known as the
Galveston, Texas with some facilities on Pelican Island. The port has facilities to handle all types of cargo including containers, dry and liquid bulk, breakbulk, Roll-on/roll-off, refrigerated cargo and project cargoes. The port also serves as a passenger cruise ship terminal for cruise ships operating in the Caribbean. The terminal was home port to two Carnival Cruise Lines vessels, the "Carnival Conquest" and the "Carnival Ecstasy". In November 2011 the company made Galveston home port to its 3,960-passenger mega-ships "Carnival Magic" and "Carnival Triumph," as well. In 2015, "Carnival Freedom" relocated to Galveston, sailing seven-day cruises. Carnival replaced "Carnival Magic" and "Carnival