San Jacinto County

San Jacinto County, Texas

San Jacinto County, Texas

The San Jancinto County Courthouse is located in the county seat, the city of Coldspring, Texas. Photograph by Jim Evans..
San Jacinto County, Texas

San Jacinto County, Texas

Map of San Jacinto County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

San Jacinto County is in southeastern Texas on the Trinity River. Shepherd, the largest town, is fifty miles north of Houston on U.S. Highway 59. The county's center is at 30°41' north latitude and 95°00' west longitude. San Jacinto County comprises 628 square miles of the East Texas Timberlands and is heavily wooded with longleaf and loblolly pine, cedar, oak, walnut, hickory, gum, ash, and pecan. Sixty percent of the county is in the Sam Houston National Forest. Gently rolling hills characterize the area, and the soils are reddish with a loamy surface and mostly clayey subsoils that are high in iron. Along the Trinity River, there are dark loamy to cracking clayey subsoils. Between 20 and 30 percent of the land is considered prime farmland. The Trinity River serves as the eastern boundary of the county. The San Jacinto River, Big Creek, Winter Bayou, and Stephen Creek also flow through the county, and Peach Creek flows along the southwestern boundary. The elevation ranges from 374 to 386 feet. Average annual precipitation is forty-eight inches, and the temperature ranges from an average low of 36° F in January to an average high of 94° in July. The average growing season extends 261 days.

The original inhabitants of San Jacinto County probably belonged to either the Atakapa or the Patiri Indian tribes. Little is known about the latter group except the name. The Atakapans sparsely populated the area and hunted game such as deer and bear. Anglo-American settlement began in the lower Trinity River region during the 1820s. Numerous Mexican land grants were made in the area in the early 1830s. Among the largest grantees were José María de la Garza, J. Fernández de Rumayor, Vital Flores, Ralph McGee, and the Martínez family. The first post office in the area was established in 1847 in Coonskin, then in Polk County. The name was changed to Coldspring in 1850. The land on which Coldspring is located was originally granted by the Mexican government to Robert Rankin. The Texas legislature established San Jacinto County with Coldspring as the county seat on August 13, 1870, out of parts of Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, and Walker counties. The county was named in honor of the battle of San Jacinto, which ended the Texas Revolution. On March 12, 1877, the Commissioners' Court met to consider plans for building a courthouse and agreed to pay Thomas and Werner, builder and architects of Fort Worth, $8,000 to build the structure. A brick jail was also built for $1,500 by Thomas Ireland. The first census taken after the county was organized shows 6,186 residents by 1880. The county's first weekly newspaper began publication in 1897 in Coldspring under the name the San Jacinto Times.

Continue Reading

Kelly A. Woestman | © 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

San Jacinto County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

62 ft – 430 ft

Size

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

  • Land Area: 569.2 mi²
  • Total Area: 627.9 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 38.2°F
July mean maximum: 92.4°F

Rainfall, 2019

50.7 inches

Population Count, 2019

28,859

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

11,358

Unemployment, 2019

8.9%

Property Values, 2019

$2,865,524,642 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$34,514 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$58,029,230 USD

Wages, 2019

$20,876,817 USD

San Jacinto County

Highlighted:
  • San Jacinto County
Loading...
Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 200 (2009) Yes
Town 416 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 777 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 25 (2014) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 100 (2014) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 150 (2014) Yes
Town 90 (2014) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 21 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 663 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 100 (2014) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 30 (2014) Yes
Town
Town 2,045 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 38 (2014) Yes
Town 30 (2014) Yes
Town 385 (2014) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 15 (2014) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 200 (2014) Yes
Town 55 (2014) Yes
Town
Town

Proud to call Texas home?

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


Search Places »