Colonel Raymond Pearson established the Spirit of 1776 Ranch on what would become Nassau Bay. In 1962, a community was planned which would be an exclusive residential and commercial area emphasizing its pioneers and at a then-staggering cost of $49 million. In 1962 construction of Nassau Bay began and the first residents moved to Nassau Bay in 1964; its initial population was 400. It was developed by Ernest W. Roe Company, with Thompson McCleary of Caudill, Rowlett, and Scott providing architectural services and Nassau Bay Development Associates establishing the development. The name was chosen by the developers because of the tropical feeling it generated. At the time, NASA was moving personnel from several areas in the United States with a high quality of life, including California and, notably, Florida. In 1968 the community had 2,979 residents. The city incorporated in 1970. The population was 6,702 in 1980, 4,526 in 1982, 4,506 in 1991, and 4,170 in 2000.
Geography
Nassau Bay is located in southeastern Harris County at . It is bordered to the west by the city of Webster, and to the north by the city of Houston. It is bordered to the south by Clear Creek and to the southeast by the head of Clear Lake, an arm of Galveston Bay. Across the creek and lake, Nassau Bay is bordered by League City in Galveston County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Nassau Bay has a total area of, of which land and, or 30.12%, are water. It is adjacent to the Johnson Space Center, which lies on the other side of Texas State Highway NASA Road 1 within the Houston city limits. Carlton Bayou, Clear Lake, and Swan Lagoon serve as boundaries of the community.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,170 people, 2,049 households, and 1,213 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,146.0 people per square mile. There were 2,243 housing units at an average density of 1,692.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 89.64% White, 3.91% Asian, 2.23%of multi-racial background, 1.87% African American,1.68% from other races, 0.50% Native American, and 0.17% Pacific Islander. Hispanic or Latino of any race accounted for 6.28% of the population. There were 2,049 households out of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.59. In the city, the population was spread out with 15.3% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 34.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $57,353, and the median income for a family was $77,252. Males had a median income of $52,295 versus $38,819 for females. The per capita income for the city was $39,113. About 3.0% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
The United States Postal Service operates the Nassau Bay Post Office at 18214 Upper Bay Road. Nassau Bay postal addresses are designated as "Houston, Texas".
Sister city
Nassau Bay is the sister city of Star City, Russia, the home of the Russian equivalent of the Johnson Space Center.
