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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

Calhoun County, Texas

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

County Seat: Port Lavaca
Year Organized: 1846
Square Miles: 512

Court House:

211 South Ann Street
County Courthouse
Port Lavaca, TX 77979-4200

Etymology - Origin of County Name

John Caldwell Calhoun, the seventh vice president of the United States

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Calhoun County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Its county seat is Port Lavaca. It is a part of the Victoria, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Calhoun County is named for John Caldwell Calhoun, the seventh vice president of the United States.

On April 4, 1846, Calhoun County was formed from parts of Victoria, Jackson, and Matagorda counties and named for John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, who had advocated Texas statehood. Lavaca was the first county seat. But, as a result of the development of the Indianola Railroad, the formation of other transportation lines, and a shift of population, Indianola became more important and was made county seat in 1852. The county's earliest newspaper, the Lavaca Journal, began publication in 1848; the first county school opened at Lavaca in 1849; and a county courthouse was completed at Indianola in 1857. Both Lavaca and Indianola remained important trade centers until 1861. Exports from Lavaca included cotton, pecans, and lead and copper from Mexico; Indianola exported silver bullion and cattle. The Morgan Lines^qv moved their headquarters from Lavaca to Indianola in 1849, and in 1852 operated regular service to New York. The San Antonio and Mexican Gulf Railway completed a line from Lavaca to Victoria by 1861, and the Indianola Railroad was completed in the 1870s. Both roads eventually became parts of the Southern Pacific system. Trade development ceased, however, with the beginning of the Civil War.^qv

More at Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/hcc2.html (accessed November 4, 2008).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,032 square miles (2,673 km²), of which, 512 square miles (1,327 km²) of it is land and 520 square miles (1,346 km²) of it (50.36%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Jackson County (north)
Matagorda County (east)
Gulf of Mexico (southeast)
Aransas County (southwest)
Refugio County (west)
Victoria County (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

- Point Comfort	city	Incorporated Area
- Port Lavaca (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Seadrift	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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