Calhoun County

Calhoun County is located on the Gulf Coast between Houston and Corpus Christi. Approximately one-fourth of the county's 540-square-mile area is under water. Calhoun County is bordered by Victoria and Jackson counties on the north, Matagorda Island and the Gulf on the south, Refugio County on the west, and Matagorda County on the east. The approximate center of the county is at 33°40' north latitude and 95°06' west longitude, five miles southwest of Port Lavaca, the county seat. The altitude of this Coastal Prairie county ranges from sea level to fifty feet. The terrain is flat, poorly to moderately well drained, and surfaced with loams underlain by cracking, clayey subsoils, including deep black soils and sandy clay. Matagorda Island, on the southern fringe of the county, is chiefly deep shell sand. The climate is mild, the rainfall averages about forty inches annually, and the growing season lasts 305 days a year. The flora includes tall grasses and live oaks with cordgrasses and sedges along the coast, and the animal life includes quail, deer, doves, cottontail rabbits, jackrabbits, armadillos, skunks, opossums, raccoons, and a few coyotes. Between 21 and 30 percent of the land is considered prime farmland. The county is drained by the Guadalupe River, Chocolate Bayou, and several creeks. Green Lake, a large natural lake, is in Calhoun County. Major incorporated communities include Point Comfort, Port Lavaca, and Seadrift. The county is served by the Union Pacific railroad, as well as by U.S. Highway 87 and State highways 35 and 185.

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.