...Texas Historical Markers...

The Galveston Seawall...

The Galveston Seawall is a seawall in Galveston, Texas, USA that was built after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 for protection from future hurricanes. Construction began in September, 1902, and the initial segment was completed on July 29, 1904. From 1904 to 1963, the seawall was extended from 3.3 miles (5.3 km) to over 10 miles (16 km) long. Reporting in the aftermath of the 1983 Hurricane Alicia, the Corps of Engineers estimated that $100 million in damage was avoided because of the seawall. On September 12, 2008 Hurricane Ike forced waves to go over the top of the seawall.

Texas F.M. 3005, otherwise known as Seawall Boulevard along the wall, runs along the seawall.

The seawall is presently 10 miles (16 km) long. It is approximately 17 feet (5.2 m) high, and 16 feet (4.9 m) thick at its base. The seawall was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 2001.

Many miles of the seawall are painted with murals called "wall art". These huge murals are painted by children and depict underwater life. The art is meant to make the seawall more interesting to visitors.

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CULTURE & LIFE

The culture of Texas has been a melting pot of "Southern" (Dixie) and Southwestern (Mexi-WASPy fusion) North American culture with pockets of colonies of ethnic groups, in and around metropolitan and other urban areas while the entire Rio Grande River valley, and increasingly other areas to the east and north of it, have been re-mexicized due to recent migration and high birth rates (accompanied by "white flight") among the ethnic Mexican population.

OIL and NATURAL GAS

All of this is due to Texas' geographic location and settler past in the United States' history. The state of Texas is a diverse ethnic-origin state predominantly due to international migration before and over its history, while at the same time very North American, and an international place to live, in part because of its many oil industries. Texas also has an influx of people from the central United States moving in to find oil.

MUSIC

Texas has a vibrant live music scene in Austin boasting more music venues per capita than any other U.S. city, befitting the city's official slogan as The Live Music Capital of the World. Austin's music revolves around the many nightclubs on 6th Street and an annual film, music, and multimedia festival known as South by Southwest. The longest-running concert music program on American television, Austin City Limits, is videotaped at the University of Texas at Austin campus.

HISTORY

  • EXCITEMENT & FOOD

    Texas promises two things for its visitors: exciting time and mouth watering local dishes. Texas is world wide famous for its good food . Texas is famed for Barbeque, Chili, Tex-Mex, Down Home and Fine Dinning. Texas music, food, festivals and events promises an exciting trip to a rich cultural history.

  • ENTERTAINMENT

    The Houston Livestock Show is held annually for more than 20 days during February and March. Between January and February, Texas celebrates the The Fort Worth Livestock Show and Rodeos. Every year Fair Park at Dallas, organizes The State Fair of Texas. The University of Texas organizes the OU football competition during the State Fair near Fair Park at the Cotton Bowl.

  • SPORTS

    Texas is known for its love of American football and is noted for the intensity with which people follow high school and college football teams. Texas is also home to two NFL teams, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Houston Texans. Baseball is also very popular in Texas. In Major League Baseball, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros are popular in the state, The state has three NBA teams: the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas Mavericks). Hockey has been a growing participatory sport in the Dallas/Fort Worth area since the Minnesota North Stars became the Dallas Stars in 1993.