Here in League City, we love our pets! The Karankawa people, the earliest residents of the area of Texas where League City now stands, are among the only known Native American tribe to keep dogs. Their name, in fact, is thought to mean “dog-lovers” or “dog-raisers.”
The Karankawa were a nomadic, coastal people who traveled throughout coastal southeastern Texas. That region now includes League City, a suburb of Houston that’s about 25 miles southeast of the nation’s fourth-largest city. It’s located near Galveston Bay and is the biggest city in Galveston County. It’s home to more than 106,000 people.
League City is a destination for boating enthusiasts because of its location on Clear Lake. There are 15 marinas on the lake. More than 7,000 recreational boats give the area one of the highest concentrations of pleasure craft in the country. There are dinner cruises, fishing charters and other activities available.
Settlers from Louisiana were among the first permanent American residents of the area. They came to establish cattle ranches in the 1850s, decades after Stephen F. Austin’s Old 300 settlement in Texas. The name of the community alternated several times between Clear Creek and League City, chosen to honor a man named J.C. League who donated land for churches and a school. League City became the permanent name in 1902.
League City has been influenced by two groups of immigrants, from Italy and Japan. Over a 30-year span in the early 1900s, a number of Italian families emigrated from the Turin region of northern Italy and settled around League City to grow strawberries, corn, cucumbers, beets, figs, tomatoes, and grapefruit. During the same time period, a small group of Japanese farmers came to the area as well to grow rice. They later switched to other crops.
League City’s climate is classified as humid subtropical. Despite its 91-degree average high temperature in August, it’s one of Texas’ cooler summer locations. Average high temperatures top 85 for four months of the year. The area gets 55 inches of rain annually, which is nearly 20 inches more than the national average.
The city’s recreational reputation extends to dry land as well. League City boasts more than 600 acres of park land and 17 miles of existing or planned trails.
Ineos, the global petrochemical company, has a major part of its U.S. operations headquartered in League City. American Homestar Corp., a mobile-home manufacturer that employs more than 700 people, is based locally.