[2] Galveston County is part of the nine-county Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land (Greater Houston) metropolitan statistical area.

[3] In 1519, an expedition led by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda actually sailed past Galveston Island while charting the route from the Florida peninsula to the Pánuco River.

The information gathered from the expedition enabled the Spanish government to establish control over the entire Gulf Coast, including Galveston Island.

In 1783, José Antonio de Evia, a Spanish navigator, surveyed the area and named the bay "Galveston" to honor Bernardo de Gálvez, who supported the United States in the Revolutionary War.

Texas soon joined the United States, and Galveston's importance continued to grow as it came to dominate the worldwide cotton trade.

As railroads between Galveston, Harrisburg, Houston, and other towns were built during the 19th century, small communities grew up along the rail lines.

Nevertheless, Galveston continued to remain a prominent destination for the shipping and trade industries.

A bridge was completed in 1859, when the Galveston, Houston, and Henderson Railroad built a wooden trestle that was used by all other railway lines to the island until 1875, when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built its own bridge.

By 1910, the county's citizens had developed the commission form of government, constructed the seawall, and raised the merit of the whole city.

Investors had worried that the Texas coast was a dangerous place to establish major commercial operations because of the threat of hurricanes, and the 1900 disaster seemed to prove that.

[8] During this time, the city was home to many casinos, whorehouses, and speakeasies, in addition to becoming a center of culture, economy, and nightlife, all due to the free availability of gambling and alcohol.

The county prospered as oil fueled Texas City's industrial growth, and wealthy tourists flocked to Galveston and the other entertainment districts.

Tourism has gradually resurged, both on the island and on the mainland, and today has become a major industry in the county.

Aerospace and related service industries continue to be important in the Clear Lake area of the county.

[9] Galveston County is located on the plains of the Texas Gulf Coast in the southeastern part of the state.

Others are outside of Hitchcock and Santa Fe along Texas State Highway 6, and the three communities in the "Bayshore" area: Bacliff, San Leon, and Bayview.

[21] On October 13, Judge Jeff Brown of the Southern District of Texas ordered the county commissioners to redraw the electoral map within one week to include at least one majority-minority district, finding the 2021 map to be "stark and jarring" in its gerrymandering of Galveston County.

[28] The Mainland Medical Center, a 233-bed, private, for-profit hospital, operates in Texas City.

The airport is primarily used for general aviation, offshore energy transportation, and some limited military operations.

Regularly scheduled passenger rail service in Galveston County ceased on April 11, 1967.