San Leon is a census-designated place (CDP) in Galveston County, Texas, United States.

[3] During the early 19th century, the pirate Jean Lafitte, who ruled Galveston Island, established a stronghold at Eagle Point in modern San Leon.

When the North Galveston, Houston, and Kansas City Railroad was built through the area in 1893, the town began to develop as a commercial center.

Attempts were made in the early 20th century to establish a resort community in the area, but these efforts met with only modest success.

[6] In April 1985, residents of San Leon, Bacliff and Bayview considered an incorporation proposal to become the City of Bayshore.

Opponents said that the tax base was too small to support municipal services including police and road and drainage improvements.

Donna Maples, vice president of the Bacliff - Bayview Community Association, said that historically, San Leon had generated most of the opposition to incorporation proposals.

[11] On September 13, 2008, San Leon, TX received extensive damage from Hurricane Ike.

[12] That year, Bacliff and San Leon formed a nine-member board to prepare the communities for incorporation.

Robinson electric generation plant formerly operated by Texas Genco, located in the area, was demolished.

The Bacliff, San Leon, and Bayview communities form the "Bayshore" area.

[17] Effective August 15, 2019 Galveston County Commissioners Court approved revised Federal Emergency Management Agency flood plain maps which categorized the vast majority of San Leon as being at high risk from floods.

[10] As of 2012, San Leon, Bayview, and Bacliff together make up the largest unincorporated community in the mainland portion of Galveston County by population.

[39] In 2008, Phale Cassady Le, an outreach coordinator of Boat People SOS Houston, said that in San Leon and Bacliff, between 150 and 200 Vietnamese families were involved with crab-, oyster-, and shrimp-fishing operations.

Nick Cenegy of The Galveston County Daily News said that the Vietnamese community in San Leon and Bacliff had a "tradition of self-reliance and wariness of outsiders.