East and southeast houston

Deer Park is often referred to as the Birthplace of Texas. Here lies the site where initial treaty documents securing Texas’ independence from Mexico were drafted following the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. In 2010, Business Week named Deer Park Texas’ Best Affordable Suburb, and CNN named Deer Park among the 100 Best Places to Live. Deer Park provides easy access to the Houston region, the Clear Lake/Bay Area, and the sand and surf of Galveston Island.

Pasadena is located southeast of Houston and is home to the country’s largest petrochemical complex. The city provides easy access to recreational activities, Hobby Airport, the Houston Ship Channel and Port Houston. Global energy giants like BP and Total operate in Pasadena, in addition to more than 5,700 small businesses. Pasadena ISD serves students in Pasadena.

Galveston is a historic beach town just 50 miles southeast of Houston on the Gulf of Mexico. The island is the most-visited beach destination in Texas, with 32 miles of shoreline, one of the country’s largest collections of Victorian architecture, and the fourth-busiest cruise port in the nation. The island offers a variety of attractions, such as the historic Pleasure Pier, home to 16 rides, games, retail shops, and eateries, as well as Moody Gardens, Schlitterbahn Waterpark, historical sites, museums, and restaurants along the beachfront and within the historic downtown district. Students on Galveston Island and the neighboring Bolivar Peninsula attend Galveston ISD. Galveston is also home to the University of Texas Medical Branch, which is the island’s number-one economic driver.

La Marque—also known as the Gateway to the Gulf—is an incorporated residential community about 12 miles northwest of Galveston. La Marque ISD serves most of La Marque, however Dickinson ISD, Hitchcock ISD (hitchcockisd.org), and Santa Fe ISD (sfi sd.org) serve small portions of the area.

Baytown lies 30 miles east of downtown Houston on the northern shore of Galveston Bay between the San Jacinto River to the west, the Trinity River to the east, and seated along both Interstate 10 and State Highway 146. Residents enjoy family fun at Pirate’s Bay, and wildlife and birding enthusiasts fl ock to the Baytown Nature Center and Eddy Gray Wetlands Education & Recreation Center. The area’s major employers include ExxonMobil Baytown Refinery, Exxon Chemical, Chevron Phillips, Bayer, and Amoco. The city is also home to major regional warehouse and distribution centers for Home Depot and Walmart. Goose Creek ISD serves Baytown students.