| Official Name: | Surfside Beach, Texas |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Motto: | "Island Life, Texas Style" |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Texas |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Brazoria |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 4.83 |
| Area Land Km2: | 4.12 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.72 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.87 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.59 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.28 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 640 |
| Population Density Km2: | 140.70 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 364.38 |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation M: | 2 |
| Elevation Ft: | 7 |
| Coordinates: | 28.9522°N -95.2844°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 77541 |
| Area Code: | 979 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 48-71384[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1369430[3] |
Surfside Beach, also known locally as Surfside, is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States, that is situated on Follet's Island by the Gulf of Mexico near the city of Freeport. The population was 640 at the 2020 census.[4] The city has claimed the "Cradle of Texas Liberty" title due to the fact that the Treaty of Velasco which ended hostilities between Texas and Mexico was signed at Fort Velasco, which was located near the city's current City Hall.[5]
Former Congressman Ron Paul maintained a home near Surfside Beach before selling it on Facebook in 2011.[6]
Surfside Beach is located in southern Brazoria County on the southwestern tip of Follet's Island at .[7] It is bordered to the southeast by the Gulf of Mexico and to the southwest by the entrance to Freeport Harbor, across which is the village of Quintana. The Intracoastal Waterway runs through the northwestern part of the city, forming the northwestern boundary in some places. The Bluewater Highway runs the length of Surfside Beach and continues northeast on Follet's Island to San Luis Pass and the bridge onto Galveston Island. Texas State Highway 332 begins in Surfside Beach and leads northwest past Freeport to Lake Jackson.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Surfside Beach has a total area of 5.8km2, of which 4.3km2 is land and 1.5km2, or 25.23%, is water. census 2011
| White (NH) | 519 | 81.1% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 11 | 1.7% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 3 | 0.5% | |
| Asian (NH) | 9 | 1.4% | |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 0 | 0.00% | |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 7 | 1.1% | |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 34 | 5.3% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 57 | 8.9% | |
| Total | 640 |
Of the 259 households, 15.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.2% were headed by married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 56.4% were not families. About 42.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.86, and the average family size was 2.50.
In the city, the population was distributed as 10.6% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 17.6% from 25 to 44, 48.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 119.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 122.2 males.[10]
For the period 2008–2012, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $42,656, and for a family was $62,917. Male full-time workers had a median income of $42,692 versus $27,132 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,328.[11] The population sample was too small for poverty figures to be calculated.
The city is served by Brazosport Independent School District (BISD).[12]
It was previously zoned to O.A. Fleming Elementary School (Pre-K–1),[15] and Jane Long Elementary School (grades 2–4).[16] Jane Long was scheduled to close in 2017, with Fleming taking grades K–1 and Velasco Elementary taking over grades 2–4. Fleming was scheduled to close when the new Freeport Elementary School opened in 2018.[17]
The city is also served by Brazosport College.[18] The Texas Legislature designated the Brazosport ISD as in the Brazosport College zone.[19]
The city is served by the Brazoria County Library System.