Calhoun

Calhoun County

Updated on: November 16, 2021
Coordinates
28 26' 24" N, 96 36' 36" W (28.44, -96.61))
State
Texas
Region
South
County Seat:
Port Lavaca
Year Organized:
1846
Total Square Miles:
1032.676
507 square miles (1,310 km2) land
526 square miles (1,360 km2) water
Population:
21744 (2017)
Population: 21,965 est. (2016) 21,381 (2010)
Persons/Square Mile:
21
Calhoun County Website
http://www.calhouncotx.org/

Contiguous Counties

Jackson (N)
Matagorda (E)
Aransas (SW)
Refugio (W)
Victoria (NW)

County structure

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

Demographics

2018 Population:
21744
25 to 64 Years of Age:
49.25%
65 Years of Age and Older:
17.95%

Economy, 2018

Gross Domestic Product (GDP):
$1.9 B
Labor Force:
11,213
Unemployment Rate:
4.10%

County Contact

211 S Ann St
County Courthouse
Port Lavaca, TX, 77979-4203

http://www.calhouncotx.org

Calhoun County, Texas, is named after John Caldwell Calhoun, a vice president of the US. He had been elected to the office on March 4, 1825, and served until his death on January 13, 1850. His term ended with that of William Henry Harrison.   

The county seat is Port Lavaca. It is located by two rivers: the Colorado River and the Laguna Madre, which flows from the Gulf Coast.  

This area has many natural resources, including oil fields, salt beds, limestone caves, dunes, marshes, swamps, forests, grasslands, prairies, and beaches. There are also several small lakes, such as Lake Livingston, Lake Corpus Christi, and Lake Palacios. 

The Attractions in Calhoun County, Texas 

Calhoun County is home to some exciting attractions such as; 

Fort Bend State Park offers camping sites for visitors along with hiking trails, swimming pools, playgrounds, picnic areas, fishing ponds, nature walks, and more.  

Padre Island National Seashore – Located near South Padre Island, this national seashore features over 100 miles of beachfront property. Visitors can enjoy surfing, boating, bird watching, and other activities.  

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park – This historical site comprises five missions built between 1731 and 1743. Each mission contains an impressive church, Convento, or chapel.  

Mission Concepcion de la Purisima – Founded in 1691, is one of the oldest churches in North America. Its architecture includes Spanish Baroque-style elements. 

Lighthouse beach-It’s a popular place where people go swimming, fishing, surfing, kayaking, canoeing, boat riding, sailboating, snorkeling, scuba diving, hunting, and fishing.  

Sea Rim Drive – This scenic drive runs through the coastal region of south-central Texas. You will find beautiful views of bays, islands, lagoons, creeks, estuaries, and wetlands along its route. 

Calhoun county museum- This museum houses an exhibit about local history, culture, art, science, technology, education, agriculture, industry, commerce, and transportation 

The Economy in Calhoun County 

In the past, Agriculture dominated the economy of Calhoun county, but now tourism, manufacturing, services, government, finance, construction, and real estate contribute primarily to the county’s employment.  

However, modern agriculture is practiced here because there are fertile lands suitable for farming. Farmers grow crops like cotton, corn, cashew nuts, and wheat. Others rear animals like beef cattle, chickens, geese, and ducks. 

Manufacturing industries include food processing plants, chemical manufacturers, textile mills, furniture factories, metal fabrication shops, plastics companies, glassmakers, and printing presses.   

Others are paper products, machinery, electronics, auto parts, clothing, shoes, toys, sporting goods, textiles, woodworking, and lumber yards. All these industries employ half of the working population. 

Additionally, the county government supports small businesses by providing tax incentives, grants, loans, and low-interest rates on commercial bank accounts. The county also offers financial assistance to farmers who want to start a new farm enterprise. 

The county’s largest employer is Fort Bend ISD which has approximately 50,000 employees. Other major employers include: 

Baylor College of Medicine – BCM employs around 4500 faculty members and staff at their main campus located in Houston. It was founded as Baylor University Medical Center in 1876. In addition to medical care, it provides research facilities, graduate programs, undergraduate courses, and community outreach. 

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital System – THeHHS operates two hospitals: Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Campus and St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. Both have been ranked among the best hospital systems in the country. 

Education 

Fort Bend Independent School District serves most of the county. FBISD consists of five high schools, four middle schools, ten elementary schools, one alternative school, three charter schools, and several special needs centers. There are over 30,000 students enrolled in this district. 

Other educational institutions include: 

University of Saint Thomas Aquinas – USTA offers associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, doctorate programs, and certificate programs. 

Texas Southern University – TSU is an urban university that prepares graduates for careers in health sciences, social work, law, teaching, engineering, architecture, arts, humanities, and other fields.  

Southwest Academy – SWA is a private Christian college preparatory academy offering grades 6–12. Students attend classes from 8 am until 3 pm Monday through Friday.  

St. John Vianney Catholic High School – This is a Roman Catholic institution that teaches grades 9–12th. Its mission statement says, “We believe that every student should receive a quality education that prepares them for life after graduation.” 

County Offices 

County offices help citizens with various administrative tasks such as registering births, deaths, marriages, divorces, changing names, obtaining driver licenses or vehicle registrations, paying taxes, applying for public benefits, filing lawsuits, serving civil papers, getting permits, renewals, etc. 

They can be found throughout the city. Here are some of the vital county offices and officers in charge. You’ll also get contacts on how to access them. 

The County Judge’s office is under Honorable Richard Meyer. The office is reachable at (361) 553-4600 / (361) 553-4444. 

Anna Goodman manages the County Clerk’s office. She can be reached at (361) 553-4411 / (361) 553-4420. 

The County Treasurer’s office will help you access financial records in the county. The office is under Rhonda S. Kokena. Contact her at (361) 553-4619 / (361) 553-4614. 

Tax Assessor-Collector is under Kerri Jean Boyd. Contact her at (361) 553-4433 / (361) 553-4442. 

The sheriff’s office is under Bobbie John Vickery. If you have questions about your security, call him at (361) 553-4646 / (361) 553-4668. 

Cynthia Mueller manages the County Auditor office. Contact her at (361) 553-4611 / (361) 553-4614. 

Towns in Calhoun County 

Port Lacava– This town was named after James A. Lacava, who founded it in 1884. He later sold his land holdings to Henry W. Miller, who established the first post office there. It is the county seat. 

Port O’Connor- Port O’Connor was initially called “Canyon City” because of its location near Canyon Creek. In 1890, J.W. Hays built a store and hotel, which is currently known as Haysville. Later, he moved the business to what is now known as Port O’Connor. 

Point Comfort– Point Comfort was once part of Galveston Island but was separated when Hurricane Ike hit in 2008. It has been annexed into League City since then. 

Seadrift town- Seadrift is located along the Gulf Coast between Baytown and Friendswood. Its name comes from the Spanish word Segura meaning safe harbor.