Galveston County, Texas the end of the 19th century, a group of investors established Texas City directly across the West Bay from Galveston with the hope of making it a competing port city. The port began operations just before the start of the 20th century. The 1900 Galveston Hurricane devastated the county, killing an estimated 6000 people on the island alone and numerous others in the rest of the county. The Port of Galveston was closed for a time during reconstruction, but recovery was swift and profound. By 1910, the county's citizens had developed the commission form of government, constructed the seawall, and
Education in Galveston, Texas 2008, Galveston ISD had a different school configuration: Elementary schools served pre-Kindergarten through grade 5 and Austin, Weis, and Central middle schools served grades 6 through 8. Galveston has several state-funded charter schools not affiliated with local school districts, including Kindergarten through 5th Grade Ambassadors Preparatory Academy and Pre-Kindergarten through 8th Grade Odyssey Academy. In addition opened KIPP Coastal Village as a part of GISD in 2009. Several private schools exist in Galveston. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston operates two Roman Catholic private schools, including Holy Family Catholic School (K through 8th) and O'Connell College Preparatory School (9-12). O'Connell