Jamaica Beach is a small city in Galveston County, on the western end of Galveston Island along the Texas Gulf Coast. With a population of 1,078 at the 2020 census, it is a compact, largely residential community that began life as a planned resort destination and has evolved into a quiet coastal enclave. The community traces its origins to 1957, when the Jamaica Corporation began developing a roughly 2,000-lot resort subdivision built around a marina on the site of a former Karankawa burial ground. The project attracted buyers from Houston seeking weekend and vacation homes by the Gulf. Jamaica Beach incorporated as a general-law city in 1975 and has since progressed from unpaved roads and septic systems to a modern municipal infrastructure. Today, the city is characterized by single-family beach homes, many raised on piers, set along canals and interior streets. Boating, fishing, and beach access define daily life, and the population skews toward retirees and second-home owners, giving the community a stable, unhurried character. Public education is provided by the Galveston Independent School District, which serves the island as a whole. Jamaica Beach's west-end location places it near Galveston Island State Park and within a short drive of the city of Galveston's restaurants, historic districts, and attractions. Houston lies roughly 50 to 60 miles to the northwest, making the community a convenient coastal retreat. For people seeking a low-key island lifestyle with marina access and Gulf beaches at the doorstep, Jamaica Beach offers a distinctive, small-scale alternative on one of Texas's most storied barrier islands.