Galveston, Texas and Jazz legend Esther Phillips was born in Galveston in 1935. As of 2007, Galveston has five sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International: Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the southeast coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the American State of Texas. The community of , with an estimated population of 50,180 in 2015, is the county seat of surrounding Galveston County and second-largest municipality in the county. It is also within the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area at its southern end on the northwestern coast of the Gulf
Port of Galveston Galveston Wharf Company took control of the port in 1869. They built a grain elevator in 1875, leading Galveston to become a major grain exporter over the next few decades. By 1878, the port of Galveston was the nation's 3rd largest cotton exporter; they fell to 5th by 1882. Galveston's wealth and great esteem was due in large part to the port's activity. As other areas of the United States began to transition to a more industrial economy, Galveston was unable to compete. The port continued to primarily export agricultural goods. Local leaders often blamed the lack of industrial goods