53,000 inhabitants. Galveston or the thwarted destiny. The city that was to become the economic heart of Texas is today a small, quiet, provincial island with a typical seaside feel.At the beginning of the 16th century, when the first Spanish settlers arrived, this territory was inhabited by the Akokisa and Karankawa tribes. Very quickly abandoned by the Spanish Crown, because it was considered too small, this piece of land was finally colonized first by the French, under Louis XIV. The French explorer René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle built Fort Saint-Louis, which did not survive. But the history of the island with France is far from ending here. Through much less official channels, the pirate Louis-Michel Aury converted it into a military base to support the Mexican rebellion against Madrid. Finally, he was "dethroned" by another tricolored privateer, Jean Lafitte, who took advantage of his predecessor's departure for war to invest the place. Much more enterprising, he decided to make it his headquarters, which then took the name of Campeche. But in front of such a disorder, the American army feels obliged to intervene to stabilize the region. Jean Lafitte burned his possessions and escaped in 1821.Like a large part of Texas, Galveston, after having been Spanish, became Mexican, before gaining its independence. During the Texas Revolution of 1835, the island became the main port of the Republic of Texas, before becoming one of the main gateways to the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, starting in 1845. Galveston also became known as a very large immigration port, equivalent to Ellis Island in New York.Because of its strategic position, it could not be otherwise: Galveston did not stop growing. As the 20th century approached, it had more than 40,000 inhabitants, far more than any other city in Texas. As the cotton capital of Texas, the megalopolis also exported sugar and collected dollars. At the time, it was even nicknamed the "Wall Street of the South. More than half of the cotton produced in Texas was transported by rail to Galveston, which saw the birth of a rival port, Houston, in the late 1860s. However, it was not competition that was to threaten the city's future. On September 8, 1900, a hurricane of demonic force hit Galveston and caused more than 6,000 deaths. According to the measuring instruments of the time, the violent winds reached a speed of 220 km/h. In response, the authorities built a levee of about ten kilometers. Although it limited the damage during the following hurricanes, it could not slow down the slow recession. The neighboring Houston was too strong.Galveston then preserved a certain amount of port activity, notably military, but turned to other sectors of activity to ensure its survival. Tourism created thousands of jobs. The city was able to inject millions of dollars to become a major pole of attraction. The construction of the three impressive pyramids in Moody Gardens is the best demonstration of this. You only have to see its streets come alive on a Shrove Tuesday (the third most important in the United States after New Orleans and Baton Rouge in Louisiana) to understand that life here is a little different from the rest of Texas. With its three famous pyramids housing natural wonders, its miles of pleasant beaches and above all its rich past, Galveston has enough assets to make it worthwhile to spend two days on the coast. The number one attraction of Galveston today is its openness to the sea. Many Houstonians flock to Galveston on weekends to lounge on the beaches and enjoy the festive atmosphere of the waterfront.Be aware that Galveston was hit hard by Hurricane Ike in September 2008. Most of the city has been rebuilt, but some houses are still abandoned. It is not uncommon to notice in cafes and museums, plaques indicating the height that the water reached on September 13, 2008.

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Galveston et son fameux pier. Jean-Baptiste THIBAUT
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