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Texas Counties

Texas is divided into 254 counties, more than any other U.S. state Texas was originally divided into municipalities, a unit of local government under Spanish and Mexican rule. When the Republic of Texas gained its independence in 1836, there were 23 municipalities, which became the original Texas counties. Many of these would later be divided into new counties. The most recent county to be created was Kenedy County in 1921. The most recent county to be organized was Loving County in 1931

Baylor County, Texas

Baylor County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Seymour
Year Organized: 1858
Square Miles: 871

Court House:

101 S. Washington
County Courthouse
Seymour, TX 76380-2566

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Henry Weidner Baylor, a surgeon in the Texas Rangers during the Mexican-American War

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Baylor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Its county seat is Seymour. Baylor is named for Henry Weidner Baylor, a surgeon in the Texas Rangers during the Mexican-American War. Baylor County is not to be confused with Baylor University, which is located approximately 230 miles southeast in McLennan County.

Baylor County was formally organized in 1879 with Seymour as county seat. That same year both Seymour and Round Timber were assigned the county's first post offices. By 1880, fifty farms and ranches encompassing 13,506 acres had been established in the county, supporting a population of 708 people; more than 13,506 cattle were counted in the county that year. Baylor County's first newspaper was the Cresset, which began publishing in 1880 and lasted for several years. It was followed by the Seymour Scimeter, which failed in 1886. Early settlers were tested by a drought and severe winters in 1886 and 1887, but these hard times were followed by seasons of bumper wheat crops, which led to a settlement boom. By 1890 there were 169 farms and ranches in the county, and the population had climbed to 2,595.
More at Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/hcb4.html (accessed November 4, 2008).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 901 square miles (2,334 km²), of which, 871 square miles (2,255 km²) of it is land and 30 square miles (78 km²) of it is water. The total area is 3.36% water.

Neighboring Counties:

Wilbarger County (north)
Archer County (east)
Throckmorton County (south)
Knox County (west)
Foard County (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

- Seymour (County Seat)

city

Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

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