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Physical Features: Gulf Coastal Plain; flat, broken by bays; many different soils; drains to Colorado River, creeks, coast; South Texas Project Reservoir.

Economy: Agribusiness, oil and gas fields, refinery.

History: Karankawa tribal area, Tonkawas in the area later. Anglo-Americans arrived in 1822. Mexican immigration increased after 1920. An original county, created in 1836 from a Spanish municipality, named for canebrake; organized in 1837; settled by Austin colonists.

Race/Ethnicity: (In percent) Anglo, 43.7; Black, 11.3; Hispanic, 42.9; Asian, 1.9; Other, 1.5; Two or more races, 1.7.

Vital Statistics, annual: Births, 533; deaths, 407; marriages, 266; divorces, 114.

Recreation: Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge, San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, Mad Island Wildlife Management Area, hunting and viewing, fishing (fresh and salt water), beaches, sailing, historic sites, museums; Bay City rice festival in October.

Minerals: Oil and gas.

Agriculture: Corn, cotton, grain sorgrum, rice, soybeans; some 26,000 acres  of crops irrigated; cattle, turf, aquaculture (first in sales). Market value $124.2 million.

BAY CITY (17,624) county seat; government/services, education, nuclear power plant; petrochemicals; agribusiness; hospital, junior college branch.

Palacios (4,567) tourism, seafood industry; hospital; Marine Education Center; public fishing piers; Bay Festival on Labor Day.

Other towns include: Blessing (1,000) historic sites; Cedar Lane (300); Collegeport (80); Elmaton (160); Markham (1,061); Matagorda (455); Midfield (305); Pledger (265); Sargent (900) retirement community, fishing, birding, commercial fishing, barbecue cookoff in April; Van Vleck (2,170); Wadsworth (160).

The South Texas Nuclear Power Plant east of Collegeport. Photo by Robert Plocheck.