Alta Loma

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In 1893, the Alta Loma Land Improvement Company was established by a group of Galveston and Mainland businessmen. The name they chose for the town means “high land” in Spanish, which is suitable because the land stretching from Galveston Bay begins to slope upward as it reaches Alta Loma. The company provided for a store, hotel, depot, school, churches, and cemetery. Brochures acclaiming the nutrient soils of the town attracted settlers from eastern states to settle the area. Along with cash crops like pears, oranges, figs, and strawberries, the family farms also produced various vegetables and milk to sell to the Houston and Galveston markets.

One notable highlight of Alta Loma’s history was the dedication of the artesian well to supply water to the city of Galveston in 1895. Before this well, Galvestonians’ only supply of fresh water was that caught in cisterns. This unreliable supply was not enough for the booming city, so the island was relieved when the well was completed.

Alta Loma was absorbed into the town of Santa Fe when it incorporated in 1978.