Is Galveston, Island A Dead City? August 24, 2010

Galveston has made the top ten list of  Dead Cities across America published by 24/7 Wall Street.

This is what it said about the island, which is still trying  to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike:

10. Galveston. This Texas city was one of the largest ports in the US a hundred years ago. It was also the location of one of the greatest natural disasters in American history. In 1900, a hurricane killed between 6,000 and 8,000 people. In the decades after the hurricane, Galveston became a major tourist center due to its location on the Gulf and proximity to several larger Texas cities. Galveston was also a major military recruitment center during WWII. The cause of Galveston’s demise is unique. It had become something of the Sodom and Gomorrah of the southern US. There was a large gambling industry there, some of it illegal, which was controlled by criminals. In the late 1950s,Texas state authorities successfully attacked local organized crime. The regulated tourist trade could not replace the illegal business. Galveston’s port and hospitality industries had begun to improve, but where trampled by the effects of Hurricane Ike in 2008. The event destroyed a large part of the city’s tax base, and set back the tourism industry once again.

I’m going to try to get reaction later today from Galveston’s Mayor. In the meantime you can read the entire list here:
 America’s Ten Dead Cities: From Detroit To New Orleans – 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2010/08/23/americas-ten-dead-cities-from-detroit-to-new-orleans/#ixzz0xWpN6cpe