Nacogdoches County

Nacogdoches County, Texas

Nacogdoches County, Texas

The Nacogdoches County Courhouse is located in the city of Nacogdoches, the county seat. Photograph by Larry D. Moore.
Nacogdoches County, Texas

Nacogdoches County, Texas

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

Nacogdoches County (nak-uh-DO-chis), in the center of the pine belt of East Texas , is bounded on the west and south by the Angelina River and on the east by Attoyac Bayou. It borders on five counties, Shelby and San Augustine on the east, Angelina on the south and west, Cherokee on the west, and Rusk on the north. The county seat and largest town is Nacogdoches, which is 140 miles northeast of Houston and fifty-eight miles southeast of Tyler. Two major highways serve the county, U.S. Highway 59, which traverses the center of the county from the south through Nacogdoches to the northeastern corner, and U.S. Highway 259, which extends from Nacogdoches north toward Longview. Transportation needs are also served by the Southern Pacific Railroad, which follows a roughly crescent-shaped route from the northwestern corner through Nacogdoches and then parallels U.S. 59 to the south. Nacogdoches County comprises 939 square miles of the East Texas timberlands, an area heavily forested with a great variety of softwoods and hardwoods, especially pine, cypress, and oak. The terrain varies from undulating to rolling with elevation ranging from 150 to 600 feet above mean sea level. The contour is generally broken, a wooded area with plateaus and valleys. The soil varies from gray sandy loams to very deep, reddish clayey subsoils. Between 21 and 30 percent of the land in the county is considered prime farmland. A fertile redland belt from four to six miles wide extends across the county from east to west. Most of the county is drained by the Angelina River, but one-third of the eastern portion is drained by Attoyac Bayou. The climate is moist and mild with temperatures that range from an average high of 94° F in July to an average low of 36° in January and an average annual rainfall of forty-five inches. The growing season extends for an annual average of 245 days. Crops include hay and other feeds, vegetables, and fruits. Beef and dairy cattle, poultry, and hogs are raised. The chief natural resource is pine, and lumbering is among the main industries. The first commercial oilfield in the state was located in the county, and shallow wells continue to have small production.

Nacogdoches County is located in an area that has been the site of human habitation for several thousand years. Archeological artifacts, which date from the Archaic Period (ca. 5000 B.C.-A.D. 500), have been recovered from the area around Sam Rayburn Reservoir to the south. During historic times the area was occupied by the Hasinai Indians of the Caddo confederacy, an agricultural people with a highly developed culture. Flat-topped earthen temple and burial mounds built by the Caddos dot the countryside (see CADDOAN MOUNDS STATE HISTORIC SITE). Four major Hasinai tribes lived in the region that became Nacogdoches County. The Hasinai tribe occupied the area that is the western portion of the county along the Angelina River; the Nacogdoche Indians lived near the site of the present city of Nacogdoches; the Nasonis were in the area of the northern part of the county; and the Nacao Indians lived in what is the northeastern corner. During the 1820s and 1830s Caddo Indians from Louisiana and displaced Cherokees joined the remnants of the four tribes. A few years later many of the Hasinais moved to the region west of the Brazos River, and in 1859 the remaining native peoples moved to Indian Territory. The last Indian settlement in the county, located near Old Jacob's Chapel, was abandoned in 1840.

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Christopher Long | © 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

Nacogdoches County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

164 ft – 725 ft

Size

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

  • Land Area: 946.5 mi²
  • Total Area: 981.2 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 35.8°F
July mean maximum: 93.2°F

Rainfall, 2019

49.3 inches

Population Count, 2019

65,204

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

26,657

Unemployment, 2019

7.9%

Property Values, 2019

$5,406,282,290 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$37,755 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$834,632,129 USD

Wages, 2019

$240,130,589 USD

Nacogdoches County

Highlighted:
  • Nacogdoches County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town 100 (2009) Yes
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Town 548 (2021) Yes
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Town 300 (2009) Yes
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Town 369 (2021) Yes
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Town 558 (2021) Yes
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Town 380 (2009) Yes
Town 100 (2009) Yes
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Town 700 (2009) Yes
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Town 793 (2021) Yes
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Town 50 (2009) Yes
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Town 300 (2009) Yes
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Lake Yes
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Town 100 (2009) Yes
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Town 60 (2009) Yes
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Town 50 (2009) Yes
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Town 150 (2009) Yes
Town 350 (2009) Yes
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Town 400 (2009) Yes
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Town 32,118 (2021) Yes
Town 50 (2009) Yes
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Town 225 (2009) Yes
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Town 250 (2009) Yes
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Town 117 (2021) Yes
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Town 150 (2009) Yes
Lake Yes
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Town 210 (2009) Yes
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Town 375 (2009) Yes
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Town 400 (2009) Yes
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Town 400 (2009) Yes
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