Polk

Polk County

Updated on: January 11, 2022
Coordinates
30 48' 0" N, 94 49' 48" W (30.8, -94.83)
State
Texas
Region
Central East
County Seat:
Livingston
Year Organized:
1846
Total Square Miles:
1109.66
1,057 square miles (2,740 km2) land
53 square miles (140 km2) water
Population:
49162 (2017)
Population: 47,916 est. (2016) 45,413 (2010)
Persons/Square Mile:
44
Polk County Website
http://www.co.polk.tx.us/

Contiguous Counties

Angelina (N)
Tyler (E)
Hardin (SE)
Liberty (S)
San Jacinto (SW)
Trinity (NW)

County structure

Government Type:
County
Authority:
Dillon's Rule
Legislative Body:
Commisioners Court
Size of Legislative Body:
5

Demographics

2018 Population:
49162
25 to 64 Years of Age:
53.49%
65 Years of Age and Older:
18.83%

Economy, 2018

Gross Domestic Product (GDP):
$1.2 B
Labor Force:
17,894
Unemployment Rate:
5.00%

County Contact

100 W Church St
County Courthouse
Livingston, TX

http://www.co.polk.tx.us

Polk County is located in the East Texas Timberlands, on the eastern bank of Trinity River. The center lies 94°50′ north latitude and 30°49′ west longitude. Livingston, the county seat, is partly on the U.S. highways 59 and 190, approximately 76 miles northeast Houston.  

Polk County Topography and Climate 

Polk County is 100 to 300 feet above sea level lying on 1,061 square miles. In the north, the land rolls and has a light loam surface soil atop, reddish clay subsoils. Polk County’s topography is relatively level in the southern region. The region’s topsoils are acidic, sandy, and loamy covering a reddish clay or loam subsoil. Down the Trinity River, soil surfaces are dark and loamy which cover cracking clay subsoils.  

The marine deposits found in the county indicate that it was once under the sea. A forest cover consisting of hardwood and pine covers the area. 40% of the county is regarded as prime farmland. Trinity and Neches Rivers border Polk County. Seven main streams drain it: Kickapoo, Long King, Menard, Piney, Sally, Tombigbee, and Bid Sandy creeks. Along the Trinity River is Lake Livingstone covering 82,600 acres.  

The temperature averages 67°F, with precipitation averaging 48 inches annually. The growing season lasts 250 days.   

Polk County History 

Early inhabitants of Polk County were Hasinai Indians before European settlers. The Coushatta Indians and Alabama passed across the Big Thicket from Louisiana in the late 18th century. The Indians remained in the land Texas state had offered them in 1854. This land reserved for the Alabama-Coushatta Indian was enlarged in 1928. It is east of Livingston along the U.S highway.   

The administration named three Polk County streams after Coushatta chiefs, Long Tom, Long King, and Tempe. The Pakana Muskogees settled in the region in 1834. In 1899, many Pakana Muskogees moved to Oklahoma, while the remaining group joined the Alabama Coushatta chiefs. European settlement was discouraged by the big thicket.  

The Spanish neglected the area though it was part of a grant offered to Panfilo de Narvaez. The district administration completed a couple of roads, but still, settlers didn’t come. Empresarios offered around 100 Hispanic and American families land grants between 1831 and 1834, but only a small number settled in these lands.  

Polk County was named under President James K. Polk. It was among the 23 counties formed by the first legislative government in 1846. In 1870, part of Polk county became San Jacinto County. Polk County got its final boundaries in 1875 after annexing part of Trinity County.  

Springfield, now Livingston, became the county seat in 1846. In September of the same year, it hosted the first commissioner’s court meeting. Between 1835 and 1860, the county’s population multiplied.  

Polk County Offices 

Polk County Judge is Sydney Murphy. Her office contacts are 936-327-6813(phone), 936-327-6891(fax) and email:[email protected]. The county auditor is Louis Ploth Jr. His office contact is 936-327-6811(phone) or 936-327-6898(fax). Polk County clerk is Schelana Hock, assisted by Crystal Harris. The clerk’s office contacts are (936) 327-6805(phone) or (936) 327-6855(fax).  

The county court at law is governed by Judge Tom Brown, assisted by Joanna Brown, Andrea Simmons, and Jeremy Thompsons. You can contact them using the office email:[email protected]. The justice of the peace is Judge Darrell G. Longino. He is assisted by Judge Sarah Rasberry, Judge Robert Johnson, and Judge Jamie Richardson.   

The county treasurer is Terri Williams whose office contacts are 936-327-6816(phone) or 936-327-6853(fax). The county tax assessor/collector is Leslie Jones Burks. The office contacts are 936-327-6801(phone) or 936-327-6885(fax).  

Polk County Attractions 

The first attraction is the Polk County Memorial Museum. The museum contains exhibits that take you back in time. A walk in the museum highlights East Texas’s history, not forgetting the local culture. The museum features outstanding aspects of Polk County with numerous exhibits, including civil war life, the social and development life of the region, and native Americans. The museum is open Tuesday to Fridays, from 9 am to 5 pm.  

There are a couple of good hotels in Polk County like Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suite, Americas Best Value Inn & Suites, La Quinta Inn & Suites, and Motel 6.  

Another attraction is Lake Livingston State Park. You can swim, fish, hike, bird, camp, mountain bike, and study nature in the park. It is an all-inclusive park. The park offers a lot of camping options. There are also ten screened shelters and group sites. The park contains fishing supplies, snacks, drinks, and souvenirs. The area also has alligators 

Other area attractions include Big Thicket National Reserve, Sam Houston National Forest, ball fields in Livingston, a golf course, and a bowling alley. Among the attractions is the annual powwow held each June by Alabama-Coushatta Tribe.  

Living in Polk County, Texas 

The cost of living in Polk County is 84.4, factoring in health, grocery, housing, utilities, median home cost, and transportation. The job market indices comprise income per capita $23,023, household income $43,267, unemployment rate 9.8, recent job growth -2.39%, and future job growth 29.67%.  

Polk County’s violent crime is 26.3 and property crime 41.8. Click this link to get more information about the crime rate in Polk County. Polk has 0 schools. It costs $10,746 per student. The teacher-student ratio is 1:13, librarian-student ratio 1:340, and counselor-student ratio 1:391.   

Polk County has a 9.8% unemployment rate. In the last year, the job market has increased by 1.2%. In 10 years, the job growth is estimated at 29.7%; the U.S. average is 33.5%. The sales tax rate for Polk is 6.8%. The income average for a resident in Polk County is $20,225 a year, while the median household income is $39,412 a year.  

Polk County has 96 physicians for every 100,000 people. The health cost index is 110.5/100, water quality index 60/100, air quality index 64/100, and superfund index 97/100. The religion in Polk county is distributed as follows 32.7% are religious, 13.7% Baptist, 4.6% Pentecostal, 4.5% Methodist, 4.0% Catholic, 0.7% Presbyterian, 0.5% Lutheran, 0.2 Espicopalian and 3.1% of other Christian faith.