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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

Falls County, Texas

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

County Seat: Marlin
Year Organized: 1850
Square Miles: 769

Court House:

P.O. Box 458
County Courthouse
Marlin, TX 76661-0458

Etymology - Origin of County Name

waterfalls on the Brazos River

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Falls County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is named for the waterfalls on the Brazos River. Its seat is Marlin

On January 28, 1850, the state legislature formed Falls County from Limestone and Milam counties. The falls of the Brazos gave the county its name. Since Falls County was established its boundaries have not changed. The legislature stipulated that Viesca would be the county seat, but the citizens petitioned for another location because most of the residents lived east of the Brazos River. The citizens voted 20-0 in favor of Adams, which officially became the county seat on January 30, 1851. Soon after, the town was renamed Marlin in honor of the Marlin family. The settlers of Falls County came from the slaveholding South, primarily Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. By the census of 1860 the county had 1,716 slaves (47 percent of the total population) and 504 farms. Falls County relied less on cotton than other Texas counties, harvesting only 2,030 bales in 1860, and relied instead on a diverse agricultural economy. Wool was a major crop, with 17,500 pounds produced in 1860, the highest in Falls County history. Cattle was the most important livestock, with 26,310, a total not matched until 1900.

More at Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/FF/hcf1.html (accessed November 5, 2008).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 774 square miles (2,004 km²), of which, 769 square miles (1,992 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (12 km²) of it (0.61%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Limestone County (northeast)
Robertson County (southeast)
Milam County (south)
Bell County (southwest)
McLennan County (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

- Lott	city	Incorporated Area
- Marlin (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Rosebud	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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