BlockGilchrist, Texas
13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1931 and the latest in 1994. It stands in the Bolivar Peninsula census division. It lies in ZIP code area 77617. The Survey maps it on the High Island quadrangle. It stands 7 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 13 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.
- 1931 USGS High Island quadrangle1:24000
- 1943 USGS High Island quadrangle1:31680
- 1943 USGS High Island quadrangle1:24000
- 1950 USGS Houston quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Houston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS High Island quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1975 USGS Houston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1983 USGS Anahuac quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1994 USGS High Island quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
70 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 70 fires within 5 miles of Gilchrist between 1992 and 2020, burning about 14,457 acres in total. 19 started naturally. 8 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 32 |
| Natural | 19 |
| Debris and open burning | 8 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 8 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 September 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5.0 acres | Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge | WF MUNDY MARSH WEST WILLOW 3-D |
| 14 September 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 10 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
| 14 September 1992 | Natural | 253 acres | Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge | WOODLOT |
| 9 August 2003 | Natural | 276 acres | Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge | DEEPMARSH 1 |
| 7 August 1999 | Natural | 70 acres | Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge | UNDRSHORMA |
| 6 August 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 496 acres | Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge | TXAHR-FY17-WF-NW SOUTH UNIT |
| 3 August 1999 | Natural | 500 acres | Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge | PACE99 |
| 27 August 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 acres | Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge | WF GIWW SPOIL PIT SOUTH |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
6 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Gilchrist in 6 storm reports between 1997 and 2026: 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 flash flood, 1 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilchrist | $40,000 | 30+ powerlines and powerpoles blown down along a 1.5 mile stretch. Meacoms Pier sustained extensive structural damage. |
| January 1999 | Tornado (F1) | Gilchrist | $35,000 | The initial touchdown occurred just off Hwy 87 at the intersection of Car Street and Featherstone Street where it ripped off the roof of a dilapidated house. In addition, a motorized boat was tossed from this location and found approximately 150 to 200 feet (from interview with resident) down the street. Numerous pieces of wood were embedded into the ground. Street signs were also downed by high winds. |
| January 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Gilchrist | $25,000 | The initial touchdown was near the beach where it partially destroyed a beach home on stilts and a moderate sized radio tower. The most significant damage occurred to a housewhere approximately 100 windows were blown out. In addition high winds rolled a motor home about 10 feet. |
| August 2003 | Flash Flood | Gilchrist | $3,000 | Portions of Highway 87 on the Bolivar Peninsula impassable. |
| February 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilchrist | - | NOAA Ocean Service tides and water Levels observation site in High Island measured a 59 mph wind gust. |
| March 2024 | Hail | Gilchrist | - | A social media user documented widespread hail in Gilchrist. The maximum hail diameter observed was 1.25 inches. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rollover | 1.0 miles | 13 | |
| Caplen | 2.0 miles | 14 | |
| Bolivar Peninsula | 5.4 miles | 14 | |
| High Island | 6.3 miles | 13 | |
| Stingaree | 8.8 miles | 16 | |
| Crystal Beach | 8.8 miles | 16 | |
| Patton Woods | 9.1 miles | 16 | |
| Elmgrove | 10.4 miles | 16 |
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 Gilchrist | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1524181 | 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 1336524. 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.
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.