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Galveston is a city in and seat of Galveston County located on Galveston Island on the Gulf Coast in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, the city had a total population of
57,466. Galveston is accessible by the Galveston Causeway linking Galveston Island to the mainland on the north end of the city, a toll bridge on the western end of the island, and by ferry boat service on the east end of the city. Galveston is known for
the hurricane that struck it in 1900. The natural disaster that followed still counts as the most deadly in American history. A 10-mile long, 17-foot high seawall protects the city from floods and hurricane storm surge. The city's tourist
attractions include the Galveston Schlitterbahn waterpark, Moody Gardens botanical park, the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum, the Lone Star Flight Museum, a downtown neighborhood of historic buildings known as The Strand, many historical museums
and mansions, and miles of beach front. The Strand plays host to a yearly Mardi Gras festival, Galveston Island Jazz & Blues Festival, Texas Beach Fest, Lone Star Bike Rally, and a Victorian-themed Christmas festival called Dickens on the Strand (honoring
the works of novelist Charles Dickens, especially A Christmas Carol) in early December. Galveston was also home to the Balinese Room, an historic nightclub, formerly a notorious illegal gambling hall, which was located on a 600-foot pier extending into
the Gulf of Mexico. Galveston is the second-largest city in Galveston County in population after League City; League City surpassed Galveston between 2000 and 2005.
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