Anderson County

Anderson County is located in East Texas between the Trinity and the Neches rivers. Palestine, the county's largest town and its county seat, is 108 miles southeast of Dallas and 153 miles north of Houston. U.S. highways 287, 79, and 84 provide the major transportation routes through the county. The county's center lies at 95°36' west longitude and 31°47' north latitude. Anderson County has a total area of 1,077 square miles or 689,280 acres. The county is partly in the Texas Claypan area and partly in the East Texas Timberlands of the Southern Coastal Plains. Almost half of the soil is Fuquay-Kirvin-Darco, deep, sandy, and loamy. The terrain is nearly level to moderately steep in the uplands. The 66,000 acres in the western Claypan area are used mainly for pasture. The Timberlands are used mostly for pasture and woodland. Many varieties of timber grow abundantly, including red oak, post oak, white oak, pecan, walnut, hickory, elm, ash, and pine (see LUMBER INDUSTRY). The soil also supports a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

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