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Texas is the second most populous and the second most extensive of the 50 states in the United States of America, and the most extensive state of the 48 contiguous United States. Located in the South Central United States, Texas shares an international border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south, and borders the US states of New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east. Texas has an area of 268,820 square miles, and a growing population of 25.7 million residents.
Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, while San Antonio is the second largest in the state and seventh largest in the United States. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest United States metropolitan areas, respectively. Other major cities include El Paso and Austin—the state capital. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify Texas as a former independent republic and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. The "Lone Star" can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texas state seal today.
Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, Texas contains diverse landscapes that resemble both the American South and Southwest. Although Texas is popularly associated with the Southwestern deserts, less than 10% of the land area is desert. Most of the population centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests, and the coastline. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, and finally the desert and mountains of the Big Bend.
The term "six flags over Texas" came from the several nations that had ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas. France held a short-lived colony in Texas. Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845 it joined the United States as the 28th state. The state's annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state, Texas declared its secession from the United States in early 1861, joining the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. After the war and its restoration to the Union, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation.
One Texas industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle. Due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The state's economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated an economic boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy and high tech industry in the mid-20th century. As of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the state leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace, and biomedical sciences. It leads the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product.
Texas Counties
Click on a Texas County link below to go to that county's Texas Genealogy & History Network website.
County Name |
Seat |
Date Formed |
Named for |
Anderson County | Palestine | 1846 | Kenneth Lewis Anderson |
Andrews County | Andrews | 1876 | Richard Andrews |
Angelina County | Lufkin | 1846 | Hainai Native American woman "Little Angel" |
Aransas County | Rockport | 1871 | Aransas Bay |
Archer County | Archer City | 1858 | Branch Tanner Archer |
Armstrong County | Claude | 1876 | Texas pioneer family |
Atascosa County | Jourdanton | 1856 | Spanish word for "boggy" |
Austin County | Bellville | 1836 | Stephen F. Austin |
Bailey County | Muleshoe | 1876 | Peter James Bailey |
Bandera County | Bandera | 1856 | Bandera Pass |
Bastrop County | Bastrop | 1836 | Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop |
Baylor County | Seymour | 1858 | Henry Weidner Baylor |
Bee County | Beeville | 1857 | Barnard Elliott Bee, Sr. |
Bell County | Belton | 1850 | Peter Hansborough Bell |
Bexar County | San Antonio | 1836 | San Antonio de Béxar |
Blanco County | Johnson City | 1858 | The Blanco River |
Borden County | Gail | 1876 | Gail Borden, Jr. |
Bosque County | Meridian | 1854 | The Bosque River |
Bowie County | Boston | 1840 | James Bowie |
Brazoria County | Angleton | 1836 | Brazoria, Texas |
Brazos County | Bryan | 1841 | The Brazos River |
Brewster County | Alpine | 1887 | Henry Percy Brewster |
Briscoe County | Silverton | 1876 | Andrew Briscoe |
Brooks County | Falfurrias | 1911 | John Abijah Brooks |
Brown County | Brownwood | 1856 | Henry Stevenson Brown |
Buchel County (historical) | Marathon | 1887 | Annexed in 1897 to Brewster County. |
Burleson County | Caldwell | 1846 | Edward Burleson |
Burnet County | Burnet | 1852 | David Gouverneur Burnet |
Caldwell County | Lockhart | 1848 | Mathew Caldwell |
Calhoun County | Port Lavaca | 1846 | John C. Calhoun |
Callahan County | Baird | 1858 | James Hughes Callahan |
Cameron County | Brownsville | 1848 | Ewen Cameron |
Camp County | Pittsburg | 1874 | John Lafayette Camp |
Carson County | Panhandle | 1876 | Samuel Price Carson |
Cass County | Linden | 1846 | Lewis Cass |
Castro County | Dimmitt | 1876 | Henri Castro |
Chambers County | Anahuac | 1858 | Thomas Jefferson Chambers |
Cherokee County | Rusk | 1846 | The Cherokee tribe |
Childress County | Childress | 1876 | George Campbell Childress |
Clay County | Henrietta | 1857 | Henry Clay |
Cochran County | Morton | 1876 | Robert E. Cochran |
Coke County | Robert Lee | 1889 | Richard Coke |
Coleman County | Coleman | 1858 | Robert M. Coleman |
Collin County | McKinney | 1846 | Collin McKinney |
Collingsworth County | Wellington | 1876 | James Collinsworth |
Colorado County | Columbus | 1836 | Colorado River of Texas |
Comal County | New Braunfels | 1846 | The Comal River |
Comanche County | Comanche | 1856 | The Comanche tribe |
Concho County | Paint Rock | 1858 | The Concho River |
Cooke County | Gainesville | 1848 | William Gordon Cooke |
Coryell County | Gatesville | 1854 | James Coryell |
Cottle County | Paducah | 1876 | George Washington Cottle |
Crane County | Crane | 1887 | William Carey Crane |
Crockett County | Ozona | 1875 | David Crockett |
Crosby County | Crosbyton | 1876 | Stephen Crosby |
Culberson County | Van Horn | 1911 | David Browning Culberson |
Dallam County | Dalhart | 1876 | James Wilmer Dallam |
Dallas County | Dallas | 1846 | George Mifflin Dallas |
Dawson County | Lamesa | 1846 | Nicholas Mosby Dawson |
Dawson County (historical) | unknown | 1858 | Formed 1858 in present Kinney Co. & Uvalde Co. Abolished 1866. Not to be confused with current Dawson County. |
Deaf Smith County | Hereford | 1876 | Erastus "Deaf" Smith |
Delta County | Cooper | 1870 | Its triangular shape, much like the Greek letter Delta |
Denton County | Denton | 1846 | John Bunyan Denton |
DeWitt County | Cuero | 1846 | Green DeWitt |
Dickens County | Dickens | 1876 | J.A. Dickens |
Dimmit County | Carrizo Springs | 1858 | Philip Dimmitt |
Donley County | Clarendon | 1876 | Stockton P. Donley |
Duval County | San Diego | 1858 | Burr Harrison DuVal |
Eastland County | Eastland | 1858 | William Mosby Eastland |
Ector County | Odessa | 1887 | Mathew Ector |
Edwards County | Rocksprings | 1858 | Haden Edwards |
El Paso County | El Paso | 1848 | El Paso del Norte |
Ellis County | Waxahachie | 1849 | Richard Ellis |
Encinal County (historical) | Encinal | 1856 | Abolished 1899 - annexed to Webb County |
Erath County | Stephenville | 1856 | George Bernard Erath |
Falls County | Marlin | 1850 | The Falls on the Brazos |
Fannin County | Bonham | 1837 | James Walker Fannin |
Fayette County | La Grange | 1837 | Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette |
Fisher County | Roby | 1876 | Samuel Rhoads Fisher |
Floyd County | Floydada | 1876 | Dolphin Ward Floyd |
Foard County | Crowell | 1891 | Robert Levi Foard |
Foley County (historical) | Guovanga Spring | 1887 | Annexed in 1897 to Brewster County |
Fort Bend County | Richmond | 1837 | A blockhouse in a bend of the Brazos River |
Franklin County | Mount Vernon | 1875 | Benjamin Cromwell Franklin |
Freestone County | Fairfield | 1850 | A type of peach grown in the area. |
Frio County | Pearsall | 1858 | The Frio River |
Gaines County | Seminole | 1876 | James Gaines |
Galveston County | Galveston | 1838 | Bernardo de Gálvez |
Garza County | Post | 1876 | José Antonio de la Garza |
Gillespie County | Fredericksburg | 1848 | Robert Addison Gillespie |
Glasscock County | Garden City | 1887 | George Washington Glasscock |
Goliad County | Goliad | 1836 | Its county seat, named in turn as an anagram of Miguel Hidalgo |
Gonzales County | Gonzales | 1836 | Rafael Gonzales |
Gray County | Pampa | 1876 | Peter W. Gray |
Grayson County | Sherman | 1846 | Peter Wagener Grayson |
Greer County (historical) | unknown | 1960 | Separated from Texas in 1896 by U.S. Supreme Court ruling in United States v. State of Texas. |
Gregg County | Longview | 1873 | John Gregg |
Grimes County | Anderson | 1846 | Jesse Grimes |
Guadalupe County | Seguin | 1846 | The Guadalupe River |
Hale County | Plainview | 1876 | John C. Hale |
Hall County | Memphis | 1876 | Warren DeWitt Clinton Hall |
Hamilton County | Hamilton | 1856 | James Hamilton Jr. |
Hansford County | Spearman | 1876 | John M. Hansford |
Hardeman County | Quanah | 1858 | Bailey Hardeman |
Hardin County | Kountze | 1858 | The Hardin family |
Harris County | Houston | 1836 | John Richardson Harris |
Harrison County | Marshall | 1839 | Jonas Harrison |
Hartley County | Channing | 1876 | Oliver C. and Rufus K. Hartley |
Haskell County | Haskell | 1858 | Charles Ready Haskell |
Hays County | San Marcos | 1848 | John Coffee Hays |
Hemphill County | Canadian | 1876 | John Hemphill |
Henderson County | Athens | 1846 | James Pinckney Henderson |
Hidalgo County | Edinburg | 1852 | Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla |
Hill County | Hillsboro | 1853 | George Washington Hill |
Hockley County | Levelland | 1876 | George Washington Hockley |
Hood County | Granbury | 1866 | John Bell Hood |
Hopkins County | Sulphur Springs | 1846 | David Hopkins |
Houston County | Crockett | 1837 | Sam Houston |
Howard County | Big Spring | 1876 | Volney Eskine Howard |
Hudspeth County | Sierra Blanca | 1917 | Claude Benton Hudspeth |
Hunt County | Greenville | 1846 | Memucan Hunt, Jr. |
Hutchinson County | Stinnett | 1876 | Andrew Hutchinson |
Irion County | Mertzon | 1889 | Robert Anderson Irion |
Jack County | Jacksboro | 1856 | Patrick & William Jack |
Jackson County | Edna | 1836 | Andrew Jackson |
Jasper County | Jasper | 1836 | William Jasper |
Jeff Davis County | Fort Davis | 1887 | Jefferson Davis |
Jefferson County | Beaumont | 1836 | Thomas Jefferson |
Jim Hogg County | Hebbronville | 1913 | James Stephen Hogg |
Jim Wells County | Alice | 1911 | James Babbage Wells Jr. |
Johnson County | Cleburne | 1854 | Middleton Tate Johnson |
Jones County | Anson | 1854 | Anson Jones |
Karnes County | Karnes City | 1854 | Henry Karnes |
Kaufman County | Kaufman | 1848 | David Spangler Kaufman |
Kendall County | Boerne | 1862 | George Wilkins Kendall |
Kenedy County | Sarita | 1921 | Mifflin Kenedy |
Kent County | Jayton | 1876 | Andrew Kent |
Kerr County | Kerrville | 1856 | James Kerr |
Kimble County | Junction | 1858 | George C. Kimbell |
King County | Guthrie | 1876 | William Phillip King |
Kinney County | Brackettville | 1850 | Henry Lawrence Kinney |
Kleberg County | Kingsville | 1913 | Robert Justus Kleberg |
Knox County | Benjamin | 1858 | Henry Knox |
La Salle County | Cotulla | 1858 | René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle |
Lamar County | Paris | 1840 | Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar |
Lamb County | Littlefield | 1876 | George A. Lamb |
Lampasas County | Lampasas | 1856 | The Lampasas River |
Lavaca County | Hallettsville | 1842 | The Lavaca River |
Lee County | Giddings | 1874 | Robert Edward Lee |
Leon County | Centerville | 1846 | Disputed: Martín De León or the león, a local variety of yellow wolf |
Liberty County | Liberty | 1836 | Named for Liberty, Mississippi |
Limestone County | Groesbeck | 1846 | Limestone deposits in the region |
Lipscomb County | Lipscomb | 1876 | Abner Smith Lipscomb |
Live Oak County | George West | 1856 | Texas live oak tree |
Llano County | Llano | 1856 | The Llano River |
Loving County | Mentone | 1931 | Oliver Loving |
Lubbock County | Lubbock | 1876 | Thomas Saltus Lubbock |
Lynn County | Tahoka | 1876 | William Lynn |
Madison County | Madisonville | 1853 | James Madison |
Marion County | Jefferson | 1860 | Francis Marion |
Martin County | Stanton | 1876 | Wylie Martin |
Mason County | Mason | 1858 | Lt. George T. Mason or Gen. Richard Barnes Mason |
Matagorda County | Bay City | 1836 | The canebrakes. Matagorda is Spanish for "fat bush") |
Maverick County | Eagle Pass | 1856 | Samuel Augustus Maverick |
McCulloch County | Brady | 1856 | Benjamin McCulloch |
McLennan County | Waco | 1850 | Neil McLennan |
McMullen County | Tilden | 1858 | John McMullen |
Medina County | Hondo | 1848 | Pedro Medina |
Menard County | Menard | 1858 | Michel Branamour Menard |
Midland County | Midland | 1885 | Named for its location halfway between Ft. Worth & El Paso |
Milam County | Cameron | 1836 | Benjamin Rush Milam |
Mills County | Goldthwaite | 1887 | John T. Mills |
Mitchell County | Colorado City | 1876 | Asa and Eli Mitchell |
Montague County | Montague | 1857 | Daniel Montague |
Montgomery County | Conroe | 1837 | Montgomery County, Alabama |
Moore County | Dumas | 1876 | Edwin Ward Moore |
Morris County | Daingerfield | 1875 | William Wright Morris |
Motley County | Matador | 1876 | Junius William Mottley |
Nacogdoches County | Nacogdoches | 1836 | Nacogdoche Native American tribe |
Navarro County | Corsicana | 1846 | José Antonio Navarro |
Newton County | Newton | 1846 | John Newton |
Nolan County | Sweetwater | 1876 | Philip Nolan |
Nueces County | Corpus Christi | 1846 | The Nueces River |
Ochiltree County | Perryton | 1876 | William Beck Ochiltree |
Oldham County | Vega | 1876 | Williamson Simpson Oldham |
Orange County | Orange | 1852 | An orange grove planted by early settlers on the Sabine River |
Palo Pinto County | Palo Pinto | 1856 | Palo Pinto Creek |
Panola County | Carthage | 1846 | Native American word for cotton |
Parker County | Weatherford | 1855 | Isaac Parker |
Parmer County | Farwell | 1876 | Martin Parmer |
Pecos County | Fort Stockton | 1871 | The Pecos River |
Perdido County (historical) | unknown | 1824 | Formed in 1824 & forgotten during the upheavals of the 1840s. Perdido was abolished in 1858 & again in 1871. |
Polk County | Livingston | 1846 | James Knox Polk |
Potter County | Amarillo | 1876 | Robert Potter |
Presidio County | Marfa | 1850 | Presidio del Norte - 18th century fort & settlement on the Rio Grande |
Rains County | Emory | 1870 | Emory Rains |
Randall County | Canyon | 1876 | Horace Randal |
Reagan County | Big Lake | 1903 | John H. Reagan |
Real County | Leakey | 1913 | Julius Rea |
Red River County | Clarksville | 1836 | The Red River of Texas |
Reeves County | Pecos | 1883 | George Robertson Reeves |
Refugio County | Refugio | 1836 | Spanish mission Nuestra Señora del Refugio, |
Roberts County | Miami | 1876 | John S. Roberts |
Robertson County | Franklin | 1837 | Sterling Clack Robertson |
Rockwall County | Rockwall | 1873 | Named for a submerged stone wall found by its initial settlers |
Runnels County | Ballinger | 1858 | Hiram Runnels |
Rusk County | Henderson | 1843 | Thomas Jefferson Rusk |
Sabine County | Hemphill | 1836 | The Sabine River |
San Augustine County | San Augustine | 1836 | Presumably Augustine of Hippo |
San Jacinto County | Coldspring | 1870 | The Battle of San Jacinto |
San Patricio County | Sinton | 1846 | Its former county seat San Patricio de Hibernia |
San Saba County | San Saba | 1856 | The San Saba River |
Santa Fe County (historical) | unknown | 1848 | Formed in 1848 from lands ceded by Mexico. Included area of New Mexico east of the Rio Grande. Abolished under the Compromise of 1850. |
Schleicher County | Eldorado | 1887 | Gustav Schleicher |
Scurry County | Snyder | 1876 | William Read Scurry |
Shackelford County | Albany | 1858 | Jack Shackelford |
Shelby County | Center | 1836 | Isaac Shelby |
Sherman County | Stratford | 1876 | Sidney Sherman |
Smith County | Tyler | 1846 | James Smith |
Somervell County | Glen Rose | 1875 | Alexander Somervell |
Starr County | Rio Grande City | 1848 | James Harper Starr |
Stephens County | Breckenridge | 1858 | Alexander Hamilton Stephens |
Sterling County | Sterling City | 1891 | W. S. Sterling |
Stonewall County | Aspermont | 1876 | Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson |
Sutton County | Sonora | 1887 | John Schuyler Sutton |
Swisher County | Tulia | 1876 | James Gibson Swisher |
Tarrant County | Fort Worth | 1849 | Edward H. Tarrant |
Taylor County | Abilene | 1858 | Edward, George, and James Taylor |
Terrell County | Sanderson | 1905 | Alexander Watkins Terrell |
Terry County | Brownfield | 1876 | Frank Terry |
Throckmorton County | Throckmorton | 1858 | William Edward Throckmorton |
Titus County | Mt. Pleasant | 1846 | Andrew Jackson Titus |
Tom Green County | San Angelo | 1874 | Thomas Green |
Travis County | Austin | 1840 | William Barret Travis |
Trinity County | Groveton | 1850 | The Trinity River |
Tyler County | Woodville | 1846 | John Tyler |
Upshur County | Gilmer | 1846 | Abel Parker Upshur |
Upton County | Rankin | 1887 | John C. & William F. Upton |
Uvalde County | Uvalde | 1850 | The Cañón de Ugalde, a nearby battlefield |
Val Verde County | Del Rio | 1885 | The Mexican-American War Battle of Val Verde |
Van Zandt County | Canton | 1848 | Isaac Van Zandt |
Victoria County | Victoria | 1836 | Guadalupe Victoria |
Walker County | Huntsville | 1846 | Samuel Hamilton Walker |
Waller County | Hempstead | 1873 | Edwin Waller |
Ward County | Monahans | 1887 | Thomas William Ward |
Washington County | Brenham | 1836 | George Washington |
Webb County | Laredo | 1848 | James Webb |
Wegefarth County (historical) | unknown | 1873 | Abolished on August 21, 1876. It was named after C. Wegefarth. |
Wharton County | Wharton | 1846 | William Harris & John Austin Wharton |
Wheeler County | Wheeler | 1876 | Royal Tyler Wheeler |
Wichita County | Wichita Falls | 1858 | Wichita Native American tribe |
Wilbarger County | Vernon | 1858 | Josiah P. & Mathias Wilbarger |
Willacy County | Raymondville | 1911 | John G. Willacy |
Williamson County | Georgetown | 1848 | Robert McAlpin Williamson |
Wilson County | Floresville | 1860 | James Charles Wilson |
Winkler County | Kermit | 1887 | Clinton Winkler |
Wise County | Decatur | 1856 | Henry Alexander Wise |
Wood County | Quitman | 1850 | George Tyler Wood |
Worth County (historical) | unknown | 1850 | Abolished in the Compromise of 1850. |
Yoakum County | Plains | 1876 | Henderson King Yoakum |
Young County | Graham | 1856 | William Cocke Young |
Zapata County | Zapata | 1858 | Antonio Zapata |
Zavala County | Crystal City | 1846 | Lorenzo de Zavala |
Texas Records
Birth Records - The Texas Department of State Health Services has records from 1903 to present. Records for the last 75 years considered private and will only be provided to certain individuals. To obtain current information on who may obtain a record, how to submit a request and an official request form, see the Texas Department of State Health Services website or write to Texas Vital Records, Department of State Health Services, P.O. Box 12040, Austin, TX 78711-2040.
For older birth records you will have to write to the County Clerk of the applicable county. The existence of birth records prior to 1903 will vary widely from county to county. Local historical societies and genealogy collections in local libraries may be able to provide some information.
Death Records - The Texas Department of State Health Services has records from 1903 to present. Records for the last 25 years considered private and will only be provided to certain individuals. To obtain current information on who may obtain a record, how to submit a request and an official request form, see the Texas Department of State Health Services website or write to Texas Vital Records, Department of State Health Services, P.O. Box 12040, Austin, TX 78711-2040.
Marriage Records - The Texas Department of State Health Services can provide a verification letter of marriage for Texas marriages from 1966 to present. This is NOT a marriage license. To obtain a certified copy of a marriage license you must contact the County or District Clerk in the county or district where the marriage took place.
Local historical societies and genealogy collections in local libraries may be able to provide some information.
Divorce Records - The Texas Department of State Health Services can provide a verification letter of divorce for Texas divorces from 1968 to present. This is NOT a copy of the divorce decree. To obtain a certified copy of a copy of the divorce decree you must contact the County or District Clerk in the county or district where the divorce took place.
Local historical societies and genealogy collections in local libraries may be able to provide some information.