Jackson County

Jackson County, on U.S. Highway 59 in the Coastal Prairies region southwest of Houston, borders both Lavaca Bay and Carancahua Bay and is bounded by Calhoun, Victoria, Lavaca, Colorado, Wharton, and Matagorda counties. Edna, the county's largest town, is the county seat. The county's center lies at 28°57' north latitude and 96°35' west longitude. Elevation ranges from sea level to 150 feet. Jackson County, one of the original counties of Texas, was formed in 1836 from the old Mexican municipality of Jackson. Both the municipality and the county were named after President Andrew Jackson and were settled predominantly by American colonists. Jackson County comprises 844 square miles. Most of the county has loamy surfaces with clayey subsoils or gray to black, cracking, clayey soils. In the northwestern third, the prairie is surfaced by light-colored and loamy soils with deep reddish subsoils. Marsh millet, salt grass, and cordgrass thrive in the marsh areas; mesquite covers much of the prairie. Between 41 and 50 percent of Jackson County land is deemed prime farmland. With an average annual temperature of 70°, the county has a subtropical, humid climate. Tropical storms and hurricanes are possible from June through October. Temperatures in January vary from an average low of 43° F to an average high of 63° and in July range from 75° to 94°. The average annual rainfall is forty inches. The growing season averages 285 days; the first freeze normally occurs in early December and the last in late February.

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.