Port Arthur, Texas
| Port Arthur, Texas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Port Arthur
|
|
| Nickname(s): PA, PAT | |
 Location of Port Arthur, Texas - U.S. Census Map |
|
| Coordinates: 29°53′6″N 93°56′24″W / 29.88500°N 93.94000°WCoordinates: 29°53′6″N 93°56′24″W / 29.88500°N 93.94000°W | |
| Country |  United States of America |
| State |
 Texas
|
| County | Jefferson |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • City Council |
Mayor Derrick Freeman Osman Swati Tiffany Hamilton Morris Albright III Willie "Bae" Lewis Jr. Raymond Scott Jr. Kaprina Frank Charlotte Moses Stephen Mosely |
| • City Manager | Brian McDougal |
| Area | |
| • Total | 143.8 sq mi (372.3 km2) |
| • Land | 82.9 sq mi (214.8 km2) |
| • Water | 60.8 sq mi (157.6 km2) |
| Elevation | 7 ft (2 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 57,755 |
| • Density | 696.5/sq mi (268.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 77640-77643 |
| Area code(s) | 409 |
| FIPS code | 48-58820 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1384151 |
| Website | PortArthur.net |
Port Arthur is a city in Jefferson County within the Beaumont−Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area of the U.S. state of Texas. A small portion extends into Orange County. It is ninety-one miles east of Houston. The population was 53,818 at the 2010 census.
Early attempts at settlements in the area had all failed. However, in 1895 Arthur Stilwell founded Port Arthur, and the town quickly grew. Port Arthur was incorporated as a city in 1898 and soon developed into a seaport. It eventually became the center of a large oil refinery network. The Rainbow Bridge across the Neches River connects Port Arthur to Bridge City.
Aurora was an early settlement attempt near the mouth of Taylor Bayou on Sabine Lake, about 14 miles (23 km) long and 7 miles (11 km) wide. It is a saltwater estuary formed by the confluence of the Neches and Sabine rivers. Through its tidal outlet 5 miles (8 km) long, Sabine Pass, Sabine Lake drains some 50,000 square miles (100,000 km2) of Texas and Louisiana into the Gulf of Mexico.
The town was conceived in 1837, and in 1840 promoters led by Almanzon Huston were offering town lots for sale. Some were sold, but Huston's project failed to attract many settlers. The area next was known as Sparks, after John Sparks, who moved his family to the shores of Sabine Lake near the site of Aurora. The Eastern Texas Railroad, completed between Sabine Pass and Beaumont, Texas, passed four miles west of Sparks. However, the American Civil War soon began, and rail lines were removed. In 1886, a destructive hurricane hit the coast, causing the remaining residents to dismantle their homes and move to Beaumont. By 1895, Aurora had become a ghost town.
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