George West

George West, the county seat of Live Oak County, is at the intersection of U.S. highways 281 and 59, sixty-three miles northwest of Corpus Christi, in the approximate geographic center of the county. It was named for George Washington West, who began ranching in Live Oak in the early 1880s. He purchased 1.5 leagues of land in June 1884 for $20,000 accumulated 116,000 acres of land in Live Oak County and 40,000 acres in McMullen County by 1889. In 1912 he donated his name, a townsite, $100,000, and thirteen miles of railroad right-of-way through his ranch in order to establish a town on a railroad. The San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad laid the tracks in 1913. George West was recorded in the county clerk's office of Live Oak County on September 22, 1914. In 1856, when Live Oak County was established the county seat was Oakville. George West became county seat in 1919. The town's first public school was opened in 1912 and enlarged in 1921. The first church service was held in an office building in 1914; in 1979 Baptist, Methodist, and Episcopal congregations were thriving in the town.

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.