Baytown, TX

Nathaniel Lynch established a ferry at the meeting of the San Jacinto River and Buffalo Bayou after settlers began arriving in the Baytown area in 1822; the Lynchburg Ferry still operates. Baytown lies at the river’s outlet on Galveston Bay, about 26 road miles east of Houston, and counted 83,701 residents in 2020. Three industrial districts outside the city limits but within its extraterritorial jurisdiction concentrate petroleum and petrochemical processing. Downtown cultural institutions include the Baytown Little Theater, Lee College Performing Arts Center, Art Gallery of Baytown, and a public-art program.