page_title: Galveston Bay Area
section_title: Ground transportation
hierarchical_section_title: Galveston Bay Area / Transportation / Ground transportation
caption_attribution_description: English: The Fred Hartman Bridge over the Houston Ship Channel, Houston, Texas, USA
context_page_description: The Galveston Bay Area, also known as Bay Area Houston or simply the Bay Area, is a region that surrounds the Galveston Bay estuary of Southeast Texas in the United States, within Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. Normally the term refers to the mainland communities around the bay and excludes Galveston as well as most of Houston.
  Originally part of the pirate kingdom of Jean Lafitte, this area played a role in the early history of Texas having been the site of some early rebellions against Mexican rule and the site of the victory of the Texas army over the Mexican army during the Texas Revolution. Ranching interests became early economic drivers around the bay. As the nearby cities of Galveston and Houston developed as commercial centers, the Bay Area communities became part of a principal commercial corridor between the cities.
  The Bay Area is also the location of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center which houses the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center. The City of Houston's official nickname as "Space City" is derived from this. In addition, a large tourist attraction for area visitors is Space Center Houston.
context_section_description: The Bay Area's two interstate freeways act as linear backbones connecting the communities on either side of the ship channel. The few other freeways in the region provide access into the centers of heavy industry within the region. Connectivity within other communities mostly relies on uncontrolled surface highways.
  Interstate 45 (the Gulf Freeway) is the major freeway for the core areas of the Bay Area linking them with Houston and Galveston. Highway 146 (Bayport Blvd.) is a coastal highway linking the waterfronts of the communities. The Gulf Freeway and Bayport Blvd. together are the main arteries linking the Clear Lake Area communities and Pasadena, though Highway 225, East Beltway 8, Highway 3 and others are important as well. The Fred Hartman Bridge on Highway 146 crosses the ship channel connecting Baytown and La Porte, while the Galveston Causeway on the Gulf Freeway crosses the bay connecting Texas City and Galveston Island.
  In the outlying north Bay Area, Interstate 10 links Anahuac and other communities nearby connecting them to Houston and the rest of the Bay Area. Highway 124 provides access to the Bolivar Peninsula.
  The Houston Metro bus system provides service to the southeast Houston and Pasadena connecting the communities with central Houston.  The remaining communities in the Bay Area communities are not served by mass transit. Greyhound Bus Lines, which provides service to cities nationwide, has stations at Baytown and La Marque/Texas City.
caption: Fred Hartman Bridge connecting Baytown and La Porte
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