Jackson County

Jackson County, Texas.

Jackson County, Texas.

The Jackson County Courthouse in located in Edna, Texas. Photograph by Billy Hathorn.
Jackson County, Texas

Jackson County, Texas.

Map of Jackson County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Jackson County, on U.S. Highway 59 in the Coastal Prairies region southwest of Houston, borders both Lavaca Bay and Carancahua Bay and is bounded by Calhoun, Victoria, Lavaca, Colorado, Wharton, and Matagorda counties. Edna, the county's largest town, is the county seat. The county's center lies at 28°57' north latitude and 96°35' west longitude. Elevation ranges from sea level to 150 feet. Jackson County, one of the original counties of Texas, was formed in 1836 from the old Mexican municipality of Jackson. Both the municipality and the county were named after President Andrew Jackson and were settled predominantly by American colonists. Jackson County comprises 844 square miles. Most of the county has loamy surfaces with clayey subsoils or gray to black, cracking, clayey soils. In the northwestern third, the prairie is surfaced by light-colored and loamy soils with deep reddish subsoils. Marsh millet, salt grass, and cordgrass thrive in the marsh areas; mesquite covers much of the prairie. Between 41 and 50 percent of Jackson County land is deemed prime farmland. With an average annual temperature of 70°, the county has a subtropical, humid climate. Tropical storms and hurricanes are possible from June through October. Temperatures in January vary from an average low of 43° F to an average high of 63° and in July range from 75° to 94°. The average annual rainfall is forty inches. The growing season averages 285 days; the first freeze normally occurs in early December and the last in late February.

Karankawa Indians were the earliest occupants of the future county. Camping along a narrow strip of land along Matagorda Bay, they subsisted on a combination of hunting, gathering, and fishing. In 1528 Europeans made the first contact with Texas Indians when remnants of Pánfilo de Narváez's calamitous expedition washed ashore on an island they named Malhado. Local Indians held Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and a few other survivors in bondage for nearly six years. During his period of Indian captivity, Cabeza de Vaca probably spent some time in what is now Jackson County. In 1684 René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, explored the area and established a settlement called Fort St. Louis, which some claim, probably wrongly, was in the future Jackson County. After San Fernando de Béxar and La Bahía became the focus of Spanish mission activity, the rich coastal area around present Jackson County was largely abandoned. Indians continued to inhabit the region and raid the Spanish ranches to the south.

Continue Reading

Stephen L. Hardin | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Jackson County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

0 ft – 155 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 829.4 mi²
  • Total Area: 856.9 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 42.0°F
July mean maximum: 94.0°F

Rainfall, 2019

43.3 inches

Population Count, 2019

14,760

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

7,243

Unemployment, 2019

6.4%

Property Values, 2019

$3,244,963,595 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$41,770 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$157,678,996 USD

Wages, 2019

$75,679,275 USD

Jackson County

Highlighted:
  • Jackson County
Loading...
Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 375 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 51 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 5,944 (2021) Yes
Town 136 (2009) Yes
Town 125 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 1,982 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 189 (2021) Yes
Lake Yes
Town 110 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 715 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 72 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 227 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 45 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 492 (2021) Yes
Town 35 (2009) Yes
Town
Town

Proud to call Texas home?

Put your name on the town, county, or lake of your choice.


Search Places »