SURFSIDE BEACH, TEXAS. Surfside Beach, also known as Surfside and Follett's Island, at the mouth of the Brazos River on the Gulf of Mexico in southeastern Brazoria County, encompasses the site of old Velasco.^qv The townsite, from which Surfside Beach stretches to the north, was a popular resort area before 1900. The Grand Surfside Hotel survived the hurricanes of 1875 and 1900 but was later destroyed by fire. The community began to develop again after it became part of the Brazosport industrial community in the 1940s. The population was estimated at 1,208 in 1958 and reached a maximum of 2,301 in 1970, when the town had fifty businesses. Surfside Beach was incorporated in 1975 under the name Surfside but was renamed Surfside Beach in 1988. The population declined to 604 by 1988, when the community reported no businesses. In 1990 the population was 611. The population was 763 in 2000.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: James A. Creighton, A Narrative History of Brazoria County (Angleton, Texas: Brazoria County Historical Commission, 1975).

Diana J. Kleiner