The landscape around the bay features a mix of swamps, beaches, industrial facilities, tourist attractions, and historic sites.

Prior to European settlement the area around Galveston Bay was settled by the Karankawa and Atakapan tribes, who lived throughout the Gulf coast region.

[27] Small settlements such as Lynchburg and San Jacinto were gradually established around the bay and in 1830 Mexican authorities created a customs and garrison post at Anahuac commanded by Juan Davis Bradburn.

[28] Conflicts between Bradburn and the settlers in the region led to the Anahuac Disturbances, a prelude to the larger Texas Revolution that was to come.

Following a coup in the Mexican government many freedoms previously enjoyed by the Texans were revoked causing Texas to revolt and declare its independence in 1835.

[32][33] During the American Civil War, during which Texas seceded from the United States, the area served a limited role in the conflict as new fortifications like Fort Chambers, near Anahuac, were constructed to ward off a mainland invasion by Union forces and to protect supply routes to and from Galveston.

[30][35] The success of these enterprises and the growth of Galveston as one of the prime commercial centers in the South and Southwest helped promote the construction of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway; and the La Porte, Houston and Northern Railroad through the area over the course of the 19th century.

[13] The newly established community of Texas City opened its port and railroad junctions shipping cotton and grain.

[42] In 1915 Goose Creek acquired the first offshore oil drilling site in the state and soon after refineries opened in Texas City, Baytown and Pasadena.

[47][48] The World Wars created new manufacturing opportunities for factories around the bay and the area's population grew even faster than Houston.

[51] Hurricane Ike struck the Bay Area in 2008 causing substantial damage both environmentally and economically, the most destructive event since 1900.

[53] The Galveston Bay Area is located on the gulf coastal plain, and its vegetation is classified as temperate grassland and marshes.

Additionally the system of bayous, rivers, and marshes that ring the Bay support their own ecosystems allowing for diverse wildlife and enabling freshwater farming of crawfish.

[73] Excessive ozone levels can occur due to industrial activities; nearby Houston is ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States.

Though Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula provide some shielding, the Bay Area still faces more danger than Houston and other inland communities, particularly because of storm surge.

[82][83] The Bay Area's four major employment sectors are aerospace, petrochemicals and chemical processing, high-tech (software, biotechnology, electronics, etc.

The most widespread economic activities in the area revolve around petroleum and petrochemicals, largely centered in Baytown, Pasadena/La Porte, and Texas City.

These industries in Houston and the Bay Area account for nearly half of the U.S. petrochemical manufacturing[85] and approximately one third of the U.S. petroleum refining capacity.

[88][89] Businesses around this core include a broad range of high-tech development enterprises from aerospace engineering to software and electronics.

Communities in the Pasadena/Baytown area are served by Deer Park, Goose Creek Consolidated, La Porte, and Pasadena Independent School Districts.

The Bay Area's two interstate freeways act as linear backbones connecting the communities on either side of the ship channel.

Notable facilities outside the area covered by BAHHN include San Jacinto Methodist Hospital (Baytown) and Mainland Medical Center (Texas City).

The Strawberry Festival in Pasadena celebrates the role the iconic fruit played in rescuing the town's economy following the 1900 Hurricane.

Nearby, the Sterling Mansion, a former Governor's residence at Morgan's Point, marks the edge of the former Gold Coast of Texas.

The Baytown Nature Center, located on two peninsulas along the ship channel, and the Texas City Prairie Preserve, located along Moses Lake and the bay, are largely undeveloped nature preserves with views of wetlands and coastal wildlife in addition to a variety of park facilities.

[138] The Seabrook Trail System which includes Robinson and Pine Gully parks offers primitive access to natural habitats for numerous species.

Further from the core on the northeast side of the bay sits the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, a 34,000-acre (140 km2) federal nature preserve.

[152] The shoreline of Clear Lake itself has the greatest concentration of recreational boats in Texas and ranks third nationwide (Watergate even claims to be the nation's largest).

[154] The Texas City Rangers are a minor-league basketball team that plays its home games at La Marque High School.

[155] The Houston Raceway Park in Baytown holds regular drag racing and speedway motorsport events through the year.