Harris County

Harris County, Texas

Harris County, Texas

Image of the historic Harris County Courthouse. Photograph by Jerome H. Farbar.
Harris County, Texas

Harris County, Texas

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

Harris County, originally Harrisburg County, is located on the upper Gulf Coast in Southeast Texas and is bounded by Waller County on the north and west, Montgomery County on the north, Liberty and Chambers counties on the east, Galveston and Brazoria counties on the south, and Fort Bend County on the west. The center point is at 95°27' west longitude and 29°50' north latitude. The county comprises 1,778 square miles (1,729 in land) and is the largest Texas county east of the Nueces River. Its southern half is level coastal prairie, and the northern half touches the rolling East Texas timberlands. Central Harris County is fifty-five feet above sea level. The land rises gradually to more than 200 feet on the northern borders, while the smallish bluffs around upper Galveston Bay descend to sea level. The soil is heavy black coastal clay in the south and sandy loam north of Buffalo Bayou. This stream, better known in its last sixteen miles as the Houston Ship Channel, almost bisects the county from west to east before joining the north-to-south San Jacinto River just above its estuary at Morgan's Point on upper Galveston Bay. The eastern third of the county is drained also by Cedar Bayou on its eastern border and by Clear Creek and Clear Lake on the south. Spring Creek forms its northern boundary and, joined by parallel Cypress Creek, becomes the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. A dam below the East and West forks of the San Jacinto River impounded Lake Houston in 1954. This reservoir for the city of Houston lessened dependence on subsurface water, the use of which has caused up to nine feet of subsidence around the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River. The lake is a popular recreational spot. Addicks and Barker dams provide flood control in western Harris County. The average annual rainfall in Harris County is 48.19 inches, and the mean temperature is 69.1 degrees. The growing season lasts 300 days. Native trees include pine and such hardwoods as oak, ash, and hickory.

Archeological sites in Harris County reveal the presence of human beings 6,000 years ago. The oldest contains a previously undisturbed deposit of bone remains and dart points dating from 4000 to 1000 B.C. A site on Clear Lake features a shell midden and cemetery with early ceramics dating between 1400 B.C. and A.D. 950. Other sites in the western area and along Galveston Bay have yielded pottery, stone tools, and points from 2,000 years ago. Many shell middens along the bayshore and brackish streams were destroyed in the nineteenth century when residents used the convenient shell heaps for construction.

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Margaret S. Henson | © 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

Harris County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

0 ft – 310 ft

Size

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

  • Land Area: 1,703.5 mi²
  • Total Area: 1,777.5 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 43.4°F
July mean maximum: 90.7°F

Rainfall, 2019

56.8 inches

Population Count, 2019

4,713,325

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

2,302,599

Unemployment, 2019

10.3%

Property Values, 2019

$529,092,108,213 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$56,474 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$101,312,297,794 USD

Wages, 2019

$44,027,842,359 USD

Harris County

Highlighted:
  • Harris County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town
Town Yes
Lake Yes
Town
Town 15,887 (2021) Yes
Town Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 84,222 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 2,500 (2009) Yes
Lake Yes
Town 3,668 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 82,480 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 16,983 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 3,761 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 1,555 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 21,250 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 42,394 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 18,399 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 25,576 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 1,823 (2021) Yes
Town 120,000 (2012) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 33,676 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 3,006 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 41,004 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 10,461 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 2,328 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 7,714 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 806 (2021) Yes
Town 400 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 2,288,250 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 15,000 (2009) Yes
Town 500 (2009) Yes
Town 16,396 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 4,314 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 9,378 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 7,731 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 24,005 (2021) Yes
Town Yes
Town
Town
Town 45,000 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 35,964 (2021) Yes
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 115,595 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 2,039 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 38,772 (2021) Yes
Town 74,850 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 271 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 5,213 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 148,626 (2021) Yes
Town 125,990 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 3,072 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 3,500 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 13,560 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 2,176 (2021) Yes
Lake Yes
Town 1,530 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 15,878 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 1,826 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 62,569 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 4,217 (2021) Yes
Town 17,364 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 3,617 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 12,810 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 2,796 (2021) Yes
Town 12,193 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town 14,724 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town

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