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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud residents of Galveston County are gathering in |
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Austin on March 1, 2023, to celebrate Galveston County Day at the |
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State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Covering approximately 870 square miles of lush |
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grasslands, warm beaches, and sparkling waters, Galveston County |
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was first inhabited by the Karankawa people and later, several |
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Spanish expeditions passed through the area; the county was formed |
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out of portions of Harrisburg, Liberty, and Brazoria Counties in |
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1838 and named after Bernardo de Gálvez, who supported the United |
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States in the Revolutionary War; and |
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WHEREAS, Galveston, the county's seat, is the birthplace of |
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the national holiday Juneteenth, which marks the day in 1865 that |
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Union Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, |
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announcing the freedom of more than 250,000 enslaved Black people |
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in the state; by the late 1800s, the city had become a center for |
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banking and a national hub for immigration, however during the |
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Galveston hurricane of 1900, the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. |
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history, the town was devastated and thousands of lives were lost; |
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in the wake of the storm, the Galveston seawall was constructed; and |
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WHEREAS, The ports of Galveston and Texas City contributed |
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greatly to the rebuilding of the area after the hurricane, and along |
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with the chemical and petrochemical complex, continue to be |
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important to the economic development of the county; additionally, |
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agriculture, livestock, and the fishing and shrimping industries |
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provide jobs for many residents of the region; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Galveston County is a center for medical |
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services and marine research and is home to a number of institutions |
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of higher education; these include The University of Texas Medical |
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Branch, which encompasses schools of medicine, nursing, health |
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professions, public and population health, and graduate biomedical |
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sciences, and Texas A&M University at Galveston, which is one of six |
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state maritime academies in the nation, as well as College of the |
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Mainland and Galveston College; and |
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WHEREAS, Visitors are drawn to the county's natural beauty |
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and miles of beaches and also enjoy such family-friendly |
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attractions as the Galveston County Fair and Rodeo, the Galveston |
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Island Wild Texas Shrimp Festival, and the Blessing of the Fleet at |
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Kemah; other points of interest include the Strand Historic |
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District, Schlitterbahn Waterpark, the Galveston Island Historic |
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Pleasure Pier, Lone Star Flight Museum, and Moody Gardens; and |
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WHEREAS, Galveston County is blessed with a rich history and |
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abundant natural resources, and its citizens may take great pride |
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in their continuing contributions to the story of the Lone Star |
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State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature |
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hereby recognize March 1, 2023, as Galveston County Day at the State |
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Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the visiting delegation. |