City Government
The City of Baytown municipal government is a "council-manager government" form of government as provided by charter. Pursuant to its provisions and subject only to the limitations imposed by the state constitution and by this charter, all powers of the city shall are vested in an elective council, which enacts local legislation, adopts budgets, determines policies, and appoints the city manager. The city manager executes the laws and administers the government of the city.
Geography
 |
| Aerial view of Baytown |
Baytown is located on the northern shore of Galveston Bay between the San Jacinto River on the west and the Trinity River on the east. Coastal Plains section in Texas, in Harris County, of which Houston is the county seat; 30 miles east of Downtown Houston. 50 miles west of Beaumont and 40 miles north of Galveston.
Elevation ranges between 0 and 30 feet above sea level. The tidal bays of Baytown, which fan out in to Galveston and Trinity Bays, produce an abundance of marine life.
Climate
Baytown's climate is dominated by the Gulf of Mexico. Prevailing Gulf winds make summer nights pleasant and keep the harsh winter weather to the north. Summers in Baytown are warm with an avg. daily temperate in the low 90's. Winters are mild with daily high temperatures averaging 65 degrees. Snowfall is extremely rare.
Thriving Business Community
Baytown is a prosperous industrial community with major corporations represented, such as ExxonMobil Baytown Refinery, Exxon Chemical, Chevron Phillips, Bayer, Amoco and more. Retail sales have climbed each year and have exceeded $600 million annually. Shopping ranges from quaint little shops and boutiques to one of the largest single-level shopping malls in the Southwest.
Baytown's financial community comprises seven banks and four credit unions that serve the needs of business and industry as well as residents.
Health
Baytown's proximity to the Texas Medical Center has made its health care delivery system outstanding. The city supports two hospitals which have a combined capacity of over 500 beds and 300 physicians making it possible to deliver comprehensive medical services using state of the art technology. Fully equipped emergency/trauma centers are readily available as well as facilities for surgery, intensive care services, cardiopulmonary care, birthing centers and diagnostic procedures. Few other cities can boast of such highly advanced medical care for a community such as Baytown. The medical professionals are constantly striving to improve their services so that the residents are ensured the best health care possible.
Media
There is one daily newspaper (The Baytown Sun), and one Houston newspaper (Houston Chronicle). Houston offers six television stations received locally and Cablevision is also available.
| Fast Facts |
|
Date of Incorporation |
January 24, 1948 |
|
Area Incorporated (square miles) |
34 |
|
Form of Government |
Council-Manager |
|
Miles of Streets |
288 |
|
Number of Parks |
45 |
|
Number of Park Acres |
985 |
|
Municipal Water System |
|
Number of water customers |
19,550 |
|
System Capacity (million gallons per day) |
26 |
|
Miles of water mains |
366 |
|
Municipal Wastewater System |
|
Number of sewer connections |
19,047 |
|
Current system capacity (million gallons per day) |
16.2 |
|
Under construction (million gallons per day) |
4.0 |
|
Miles of sanitary sewer lines |
365 |
|
Major highways |
|
Interstate 10 |
|
State Highway 146 |
|
Loop 330 |
| Railroads |
|
Union Pacific |
|
Minutes to Bush Intercontinental Airport |
55 |
|
Minutes to Hobby Airport |
35 |
|
Minutes to Port of Houston |
20 |
|
Education |
|
Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District |
|
Number of Elementary Schools |
14 |
|
Number of Junior Schools |
5 |
|
Number of High Schools |
2 |
|
(third high school under design) |
|
|
Lee College |
|
Age Distribution (American Community Survey Profile 2003) |
|
65 and over |
12% |
|
45 to 64 |
23% |
|
25 to 44 |
30% |
|
18 to 24 |
9% |
|
Under 18 |
25% |
|
Median Age (American Community Survey 2003) |
35.2 years |
|
Median Household Income (American Community Survey 2003) |
$41,101 |
|
Average Home Value |
$89,315 |
|
City Property Tax Rate (per $100 valuation) |
$.73703 |
|
Principal Taxpayers |
|
ExxonMobil Company |
|
CenterPoint Energy |
|
Verizon Southwest |
|
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. |
|
Continental Airlines, Inc. |
|
Valero Marketing & Supply |
|
Car Son Bay LP |
|
Memorial NW Pavilion Trust |
|
Camden Property Trust |
|
LCY Elastomers LP |
|
Employment by Industry (American Community Survey 2003) |
|
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining |
4% |
|
Construction |
20% |
|
Manufacturing |
14% |
|
Wholesale trade |
2% |
|
Retail trade |
14% |
|
Transportation and warehousing and utilities |
3% |
|
Information |
1% |
|
Finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing |
6% |
|
Professional and business services |
9% |
|
Educational, health and social services |
12% |
|
Leisure and hospitality |
10% |
|
Other services (except public administration) |
2% |
|
Public administration |
4% |
|
Sales Tax Rate (percent) |
|
State of Texas |
6.250 |
|
City of Baytown |
1.000 |
|
Baytown Municipal Development District |
.500 |
|
Baytown Street Maintenance Sales Tax |
.250 |
|
Baytown Crime Control and Prevention District |
.125 |
|
Baytown Fire Control and Emergency Medical Services District |
.125 |
|
Total |
8.250 |
|
Economic Development Incentives |
|
Downtown Redevelopment Program |
|
Enterprise Zone Program |
|
Industrial Development Agreements |
|
Tax Increment Investment Zone |
|
Tax Abatement Policy |