Editing Galveston, Texas (section)

==Economy==
===Port of Galveston===
The [[Port of Galveston]], also called Galveston Wharves, began as a trading post in 1825.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of The Port of Galveston, Texas |work=The Post of Galveston |access-date=September 27, 2009 |url=http://www.portofgalveston.com/about/history.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021084016/http://www.portofgalveston.com/about/history.shtml <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=October 21, 2009}}</ref> Today, the port has grown to {{convert|850|acre|km2|1}} of port facilities. The port is located on the Gulf [[Intracoastal Waterway]], on the north side of Galveston Island, with some facilities on [[Pelican Island (Texas)|Pelican Island]]. The port has facilities to handle all types of cargo including [[containerization|containers]], dry and liquid bulk, [[Break bulk cargo|breakbulk]], [[Roll-on/roll-off]], refrigerated cargo and project cargoes.

The port also serves as a passenger cruise ship terminal for cruise ships operating in the Caribbean. The terminal was [[home port]] to two [[Carnival Cruise Lines]] vessels, the ''[[Carnival Conquest]]'' and the ''[[Carnival Ecstasy]]''. In November 2011 the company made Galveston [[home port]] to its 3,960-passenger mega-ships ''[[Carnival Magic]]'' and ''[[Carnival Triumph]]'' as well. In 2015, ''[[Carnival Freedom]]'' relocated to Galveston, sailing seven-day cruises. Carnival replaced ''Carnival Magic'' and ''Carnival Triumph'' in the first half of 2016 with ''[[Carnival Breeze]]'' and ''[[Carnival Liberty]]'', respectively, but replaced ''Liberty'' with ''[[Carnival Valor]]'' later in the year due to mechanical issues.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2015/02/16/carnival-cruise-texas-breeze/23488831/ |title=Carnival's newest ship to be based in Texas |work=USA TODAY |access-date=November 25, 2017 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201215814/https://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2015/02/16/carnival-cruise-texas-breeze/23488831/ |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/florida-cruise-guide/os-carnival-magic-port-canaveral-april-2016-20150616-story.html |title=Carnival Magic coming to Port Canaveral sooner than expected |last=Tribou |first=Richard |work=OrlandoSentinel.com |access-date=November 25, 2017 |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031937/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/florida-cruise-guide/os-carnival-magic-port-canaveral-april-2016-20150616-story.html |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.galvnews.com/news/free/article_bcb61fba-8168-5044-9330-44e0a4a6099c.html |title=Carnival to shorten Liberty cruises, replace ship with Valor |last=Elder |first=Laura |work=The Daily News |access-date=November 25, 2017 |language=en| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201043110/http://www.galvnews.com/news/free/article_bcb61fba-8168-5044-9330-44e0a4a6099c.html |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Carnival Breeze'' and ''Carnival Freedom'' sail seven-day Caribbean cruises, and ''Carnival Valor'' sails four- and five-day Caribbean cruises from Galveston. Carnival planned on replacing ''Breeze'' with ''[[Carnival Vista]]'' in 2018, and ''Valor'' with ''[[Carnival Dream]]'' in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/carnival-vista-heads-to-galveston-carnival-breeze-to-port-canaveral |title=Carnival Vista Heads to Galveston, Carnival Breeze to Port Canaveral {{!}} Travel Agent Central |website=www.travelagentcentral.com |language=en |access-date=November 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034544/https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/carnival-vista-heads-to-galveston-carnival-breeze-to-port-canaveral |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2017/11/carnival_new_orleans_all_year.html |title=Carnival bringing new cruise ships to New Orleans in 2019 |work=NOLA.com |access-date=November 25, 2017 |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119055834/http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2017/11/carnival_new_orleans_all_year.html |archive-date=November 19, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Galveston is the home port to [[Royal Caribbean International]]'s, [[MS Liberty of the Seas|MS ''Liberty of the Seas'']], which is the largest cruise ship ever based here and one of the largest ships in the world. In September 2012 [[Disney Cruise Line]]'s ''[[Disney Magic]]'' also became based in Galveston, offering four-, six-, seven-, and eight-day cruises to the Caribbean and the Bahamas.

===Finance===
[[File:American National Insurance Company Building -- Galveston.jpg|200px|thumb|upright|[[One Moody Plaza]], the location of the [[American National Insurance Company]]]]

[[American National Insurance Company]], one of the largest life insurance companies in the United States, is based in Galveston. The company and its subsidiaries operate in all 50 U.S. states, the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]], [[Puerto Rico]], and [[American Samoa]]. Through its subsidiary, American National de México, Compañía de Seguros de Vida, it provides products and services in [[Mexico]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=American National Insurance Company |work=Hoover's |author=Nell Newton |access-date=October 4, 2009 |url=http://www.hoovers.com/global/cobrands/nasdaq/factsheet.xhtml?ID=12603 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814210527/http://www.hoovers.com/global/cobrands/nasdaq/factsheet.xhtml?ID=12603 |archive-date=August 14, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.anico.com/Investor%20Relations/pdfs/2008AnnualReport.pdf "2008 Annual Report"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806120355/http://www.anico.com/Investor%20Relations/pdfs/2008AnnualReport.pdf |date=August 6, 2010}} ''[[American National Insurance Company]]''. Retrieved October 4, 2009.</ref> [[Moody National Bank]], with headquarters in downtown Galveston, is one of the largest privately owned Texas-based banks. Its trust department, established in 1927, administers over 12 billion dollars in assets, one of the largest in the state.<ref>[https://www.moodybank.com/about-us "About Moody National Bank"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420140254/http://www.moodybank.com/About_MNB/about_mnb.aspx |date=April 20, 2009}} ''[[Moody National Bank]]''. Retrieved October 4, 2009.</ref> In addition, the regional headquarters of Iowa-based United Fire & Casualty Company are located in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|title=After year in Webster, United Fire returns to isle |work=The Galveston County Daily News |author=Laura Elder |date=September 22, 2009 |access-date=October 4, 2009 |url=http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=b29af327396b0e96 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224040935/http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=b29af327396b0e96 |archive-date=February 24, 2012 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===Tourism===
[[File:Pleasure Pier entrance in Galveston, Texas.jpg|left|thumb|Pleasure Pier entrance in Galveston]]
[[File:MoodyGardens.jpg|thumb|The Rainforest Pyramid at [[Moody Gardens]]]]

In the late 1800s Galveston was known as the "Playground of the South".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meetingsfocus.com/Magazines/ArticleDetails/tabid/136/RegionID/247/ArticleID/17847/Default.aspx|title=A Gulf Coast gem is becoming a 'Playground of the South' all|publisher=Meetings Focus |access-date=September 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926154240/http://www.meetingsfocus.com/Magazines/ArticleDetails/tabid/136/RegionID/247/ArticleID/17847/Default.aspx|archive-date=September 26, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tourtexas.com/content.cfm?id=36 |title=Galveston Island – Tour Texas |work=tourtexas.com |access-date=September 25, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927093840/http://www.tourtexas.com/content.cfm?id=36 |archive-date=September 27, 2015}}</ref> Today, it still retains a shared claim to the title among major cities along the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast states]]. Galveston is a popular tourist destination which in 2007 brought $808 million to the local economy and attracted 5.4 million visitors. The city features an array of lodging options, including hotels such as the historic [[Hotel Galvez]] and Tremont House, vintage bed and breakfast inns, and beachfront condominiums.

The city's tourist attractions include the [[Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier]], Galveston [[Schlitterbahn]] waterpark, [[Moody Gardens]] botanical park, the [[Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum]], the [[Lone Star Flight Museum]], [[Galveston Railroad Museum]], a downtown neighborhood of historic buildings known as [[Strand National Historic Landmark District|The Strand]], many historical museums and mansions, and miles of beach front from the East End's Porretto Beach, Stewart Beach to the West End pocket parks. Previously Galveston had a {{convert|40|acre|ha|adj=on}} aquarium theme park called [[Sea-Arama Marineworld]], which opened in 1965, closed in January 1990, and was demolished in 2006.<ref>{{cite news|author=Hlavaty, Craig |url=https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/galveston/article/Sea-Arama-in-Galveston-was-an-island-attraction-13063170.php |title=Sea-Arama in Galveston was an island attraction for decades |newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=July 10, 2018 |access-date=July 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710215722/https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/galveston/article/Sea-Arama-in-Galveston-was-an-island-attraction-13063170.php |archive-date=July 10, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Galveston Sea Wall.jpg|thumb|Sea Wall entrance at Galveston Beach]]

The Strand plays host to a yearly [[Mardi Gras]] festival, Galveston Island Jazz & Blues Festival and a Victorian-themed [[Christmas]] festival called [[Dickens on the Strand]] (honoring the works of novelist [[Charles Dickens]], especially ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'') in early December. Galveston is home to several historic ships: the tall ship [[Elissa (ship)|''Elissa'']] (the official Tall Ship of Texas) at the Texas Seaport Museum and [[USS Cavalla (SS-244)|USS ''Cavalla'']] and {{USS|Stewart|DE-238|6}}, both berthed at [[Seawolf Park]] on nearby Pelican Island. Galveston is ranked the number one cruise port on the Gulf Coast and fourth in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Historic City, New Opportunities |publisher=Galveston Chamber of Commerce |access-date=April 13, 2009 |url=http://www.galvestonchamber.com/custom2.asp?pageid=204 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711070717/http://www.galvestonchamber.com/custom2.asp?pageid=204 |archive-date=July 11, 2011}}</ref>

The Galveston Summer Musicals was a professional summer stock theater company performing at Galveston's Moody Gardens. Prior to 2004, they performed at the Mary Moody Northen Amphitheater in West Galveston Island.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/location/galveston-summer-months-9438612 |title=Galveston Summer Months |access-date=July 13, 2020 |archive-date=July 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713011254/https://www.houstonpress.com/location/galveston-summer-months-9438612 |url-status=live}}</ref>