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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

Ector County, Texas

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

County Seat: Odessa
Year Organized: 1887
Square Miles: 901

Court House:

1010 East 8th Street
County Courthouse
Odessa, TX 79761-4634

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Mathew Duncan Ector, a Confederate general in the Civil War

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Ector County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas.It is named for Mathew Ector, a Confederate general in the American Civil War. Its seat is Odessa

But, as pioneer J. J. Amburgery later pointed out, the area did present one decided advantage to prospective farmers: "Land was pretty cheap out there. I bought seven sections of school land for $1 an acre." During the late 1880s and in the 1890s settlers began to trickle in. In 1890 the census enumerated 224 residents, and in 1891 Ector County was formally organized, with Odessa, the largest town, designated as the county seat. In the early 1890s Methodists established a small school, Odessa College, but it burned down in 1892. By 1900, there were twenty-five farms and ranches in the county, and the population had grown to 381.

More at Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/EE/hce2.html (accessed November 5, 2008).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 902 square miles (2,335 km²), of which, 901 square miles (2,334 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2 km²) of it (0.07%) is water. Ector County has an average rainfall of about 14 inches per year and a warm, sunny, semiarid climate. Most of the county is relatively flat with small areas slightly rolling. The area is known for its stark flat landscape. There are few naturally occurring trees with most of them being mesquite trees which more resemble large bushes.

Neighboring Counties:

Andrews County (north)
Midland County (east)
Upton County (southeast)
Crane County (south)
Ward County (southwest)
Winkler County (west)

Cities and Towns:

- Goldsmith	city	Incorporated Area
- Odessa (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

Online High Schools

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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