Bacliff, Texas
| Bacliff, Texas | |
|---|---|
| Census-designated place (CDP) | |
Bacliff Water Tower
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 Location of Bacliff, Texas |
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| Coordinates: 29°30′19″N 94°59′20″W / 29.50528°N 94.98889°WCoordinates: 29°30′19″N 94°59′20″W / 29.50528°N 94.98889°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Galveston |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.7 sq mi (7.0 km2) |
| • Land | 2.5 sq mi (6.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 16 ft (5 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 8,619 |
| • Density | 3,200/sq mi (1,200/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 77518 |
| Area code(s) | 281 |
| FIPS code | 48-05180 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1329909 |
Bacliff is a census-designated place (CDP) in north-central Galveston County, Texas, United States, 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Galveston. The population was 8,619 at the 2010 census. Bacliff, originally called Clifton-by-the-Sea, began as a seaside resort town. Located on the western shore of Galveston Bay, Bacliff, along with San Leon and Bayview, are the largest unincorporated communities on the Galveston County mainland.
The Bacliff CDP is home to the Kenneth E. Little Elementary school and Bayshore Park, created from land donated by Texas Genco.
Bacliff was established in 1910 by local landowners G.C. Perkins and W.Y. Fuqua as Clifton-by-the Sea. The area was developed as a seaside weekend resort, and included parks, hotels, summer homes, and a bathhouse and open air pavilion built on a pier over the water. Telephone service came to Clifton-by-the-Sea in 1913, and Grand Avenue (FM 646) became the main street. Hurricanes, Galveston's recovery after the Hurricane of 1900, and rapid transportation diminished Clifton-by-the-Sea's popularity.
The hurricane of 1915 destroyed many of the improvements to the area, but by 1924 the bathhouse and pavilion had been restored and summer residents returned to the community. A fire destroyed the pavilion in 1929 and it was rebuilt and hosted numerous summer concerts by both the Galveston and Houston orchestras. The hurricane of 1943 caused major damage to the area and the bathhouse and pavilion were not rebuilt.
In 1933, Clifton-by-the-Sea was home to 50 residents and 2 businesses, and from 1940-1949 it was home to 100 residents and 4 businesses. After World War II the area expanded as it became home for workers of the nearby petrochemical plants. The expansion of the area required the establishment of a post office in 1948. The U.S. Postal Service refused to allow the name Clifton-by-the-Sea to be used due to its length, and the name Clifton was already in use by another Texas town, so the residents chose the same name as the subdivision at the center of business, Bay Cliff, as a replacement. However, the name was misspelled on the postal paperwork as Bacliff. The new name had only seven letters so it was admissible.
"Gator" Miller, former publisher of the Seabreeze, said that in the 1950s the Galveston Daily News bought a large parcel of land and awarded free lots to subscribers; people who canceled subscriptions lost their homesites, which were given to other subscribers. Miller said that this resulted in confused titles and a lack of large business; Miller said that a retailer would not wish to buy land in Bacliff and then discover that an individual claimed title to the land.
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