The Growth of Towns

Even though many Texans lived on ranches and farms, some began to move into towns. In 1850, fewer than 13,000 people lived in towns, but by 1860, there were over 26,000 people living in Texas towns. Galveston and San Antonio had become very large towns. All of the towns were starting to develop, and they started building trade centers, shops, offices for doctors and lawyers, and general stores. There were no paved streets, nearly everything was made from logs or lumber. Texas had two main manufacturing factories, one in Houston that made hats and the other in Henderson that made cloth.