Freeport, Texas
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1943 and the latest in 1974. It stands in the Brazosport census division. It lies in ZIP code area 77541. The Survey maps it on the Freeport quadrangle. 10,696 people lived here at the 2020 count.
Population over time
2 figuresFreeport fell from 12,049 to 10,696 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 12,049 | |
| 2020 | 10,696 | -1,353 (-11%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 12 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1943 USGS Freeport quadrangle1:24000
- 1943 USGS Freeport quadrangle1:31680
- 1951 USGS Bay City quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Bay City quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Bay City quadrangle1:250000
- 1964 USGS Freeport quadrangle1:24000, 5 printings
- 1974 USGS Bay City quadrangle1:250000
Photographs
8 of 39 photographs shown, 1943Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.
Vachon, John, 1943. Library of Congress
Vachon, John, 1943. Library of Congress
Vachon, John, 1943. Library of Congress
Vachon, John, 1943. Library of Congress
Vachon, John, 1943. Library of Congress
Vachon, John, 1943. Library of Congress
Vachon, John, 1943. Library of Congress
Vachon, John, 1943. Library of Congress
Every photograph of Brazoria County
Fires near this place
34 since 2008Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 34 fires within 5 miles of Freeport between 2008 and 2015, burning about 145 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Smoking | 10 |
| Debris and open burning | 5 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 5 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 4 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2012 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | CENTER POINT |
| 12 September 2011 | Smoking | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | PORT FREEPORT |
| 6 August 2014 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | VELASCO |
| 22 August 2012 | Smoking | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | YELLOWSTONE LEVEE |
| 11 August 2009 | Smoking | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | 332/690 |
| 5 July 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | INTERCOASTAL WATERWAY |
| 4 July 2013 | Smoking | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | BRAZOS RIVER AT BAYWOOD |
| 31 July 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Texas A & M Forest Service | BRAZOS PIPE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
6 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Freeport: 4 producers, 1 past producer, 1 plant. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Magnesite, Sulfur, Halite, Limestone, Ultra Pure, Vanadium, Molybdenum. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Mound Mine | Sulfur, Halite, Limestone, Ultra Pure | Past Producer | 1904, 1912, 1968 | |
| Gulf Chem and Metallurgical Plant | Vanadium, Molybdenum | Producer | ||
| A P Green Refractories | Magnesite | Producer | ||
| Dow Chemical Plant | Magnesite | Producer | ||
| Dow Freeport Plants A and B | Magnesite | Plant | 1941 | |
| Us Gypsum Freeport Plant | Magnesite | Producer |
Storms near this place
26 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Freeport in 26 storm reports between 1993 and 2019: 9 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 5 flash flood, 3 funnel cloud. The reports record 12 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1997 | Lightning | Freeport | 11 hurt, $100,000 | Lightning struck HCl tank at Dow Chemical causing it to rupture. 11 people treated for contact of the HCl. |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeport | 1 hurt, $60,000 | In extreme southeast Brazoria county, on the eastern end of Follets Island just before San Luis Pass, several homes received roof damage, two mobile homes were overturned, and there was one serious injury. Reported by Emergency Management. |
| September 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeport | $50,000 | Estimated 70 mph winds in Freeport/Surfside area uprooted and snapped numerous trees. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeport | $50,000 | Wall of building blown down with trees down on Ave. A. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeport | $30,000 | Trees, fences and power lines down. |
| September 2002 | Flash Flood | Freeport | $30,000 | Two feet of water on streets in Freeport. |
| September 2002 | Flash Flood | Freeport | $25,000 | Numerous roads flooded and impassable from Freeport to Lake Jackson. |
| February 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeport | $25,000 | Gulf States Utilities building roof blown off, several light poles blown down. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeport | $17,000 | Street signs blown down and 2x6 boards snapped in Surfside. |
| April 2007 | Flash Flood | Freeport | $15,000 | Water reported in a couple of homes in and around the old Velasco District. |
| September 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeport | $15,000 | Roof damage to homes. |
| October 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeport | $10,000 | Police Department reported trees and power lines down in Freeport. |
| July 2005 | Hail | Freeport | $9,000 | Quarter-size hail in Surfside. |
| March 1993 | Hail | Freeport | $5,000 | Freeport Police Dept reported marble- to golfball-size hail in freeport and winds estimated at 50 mph caused some tree damage. Brazoria County Sherrif's Office reported some street flooding. |
| May 2016 | Lightning | Freeport | $3,000 | Lightning that struck and knocked over a power pole in Freeport caused power outages throughout the city. |
| February 1998 | Hail | Freeport | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 1995 | Hail | Freeport | $2,000 | Freeport police reported golf ball-size hail. |
| April 1995 | Hail | Freeport | $1,000 | Freeport police reported marble-size hail. |
| September 2019 | Flash Flood | Freeport | - | Heavy rain caused flooding and the subsequent closure of the intersection of Highway 36 and FM 1495 in Freeport. |
| September 2018 | Funnel Cloud | Freeport | - | A funnel cloud was sighted in the Freeport area. |
| February 2017 | Heavy Rain | Freeport | - | Some street flooding resulted from three inches of rain. |
| May 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeport | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph within the town of Freeport. |
| June 2001 | Flash Flood | Freeport | - | Flooding from the remnants of T.S. Allison. Damage included in previous report. |
| September 1999 | Funnel Cloud | Freeport | - | Funnel cloud reported near CR 469 just off of FM 2918. |
| May 2001 | Funnel Cloud | Freeport | - | no account filed |
| September 1999 | Waterspout | Freeport | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Velasco | 0.5 miles | 12 | |
| Midway | 1.2 miles | 12 | |
| Velasco Heights | 2.1 miles | 12 | |
| Brazosport | 2.4 miles | 12 | |
| Gulf Park | 2.9 miles | 9 | |
| Quintana | 3.1 miles | 12 | |
| Quintana Beach | 3.1 miles | 12 | |
| Surfside | 3.4 miles | 12 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Freeport | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q959375 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1357720. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






