Editing Texas City, Texas (section)

===World War II impact===
Prosperity and industrial expansion returned as the United States became more involved in World War II. Enemy submarines had almost completely stopped the shipment of petroleum products to friendly countries from the Middle East, South America, and Southeast Asia. Texas City refineries and chemical plants worked around the clock at full capacity to supply the war effort. Realizing that all of the world's tin smelters could no longer supply the US demand, [[Jesse H. Jones]], head of the Defense Plant Corporation, decided to build the [[Texas City tin smelter]]. The government also funded construction of a petrochemical plant to make [[styrene monomer]], a vital raw material for synthetic rubber. Monsanto Chemical Company contracted to operate the facility, which became the nucleus of an even larger petrochemical complex after the war. By 1950, the local population had reached 16,620.<ref name="HOTO-Benham"/>