Texas County Map

History of the Texas Counties

Texas has more counties than any other U.S. state — 254 of them. The story of how the Lone Star State arrived at that number stretches from Spanish colonial municipios through the Republic of Texas, statehood, the Civil War, and the late-19th-century frontier era.

From Spanish municipios to American counties

Before independence, the territory that would become Texas was administered through Spanish (and later Mexican) municipios — large local jurisdictions centered on a town. When Texas declared independence in 1836, the new Republic converted 23 of these municipios into the first Texas counties, including Austin, Bexar, Brazoria, Colorado, Goliad, Gonzales, Harris (then "Harrisburg"), Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Milam, Mina, Nacogdoches, Red River, Refugio, Sabine, San Augustine, San Patricio, Shelby, Victoria, and Washington.

Annexation and the great wave of creation

After Texas joined the United States in 1845, settlement pushed west and the Legislature carved new counties out of vast existing ones at a rapid clip. By 1860 the count had nearly tripled. The Reconstruction era and the railroad boom of the 1870s–1880s sparked another wave; counties like Hartley, Oldham, Sherman, and Moore were laid out across the Panhandle largely on paper, awaiting settlers.

The final county: 1931

Texas's 254th and final county was Kenedy County, created in 1921 from a portion of Cameron County, with Loving County reorganized in 1931. No new Texas county has been formed since — the Texas Constitution makes county creation cumbersome, requiring legislative action and local voter approval.

Why so many?

When the Republic and early state legislatures drew county boundaries, they aimed for residents to be able to ride to the county seat and back in a single day on horseback. With 268,597 square miles of territory and a horse-and-buggy standard, that math produces a lot of counties. Other large states (California, Montana, Nevada) drew their boundaries decades later in the railroad era, when residents could travel much farther in a day — so they ended up with far fewer.

Counties created by decade

1830s
31
1840s
50
1850s
69
1860s
4
1870s
69
1880s
18
1890s
2
1900s
2
1910s
8
1920s
1

Oldest Texas counties

  1. Austin County
    1836 · named for Stephen F. Austin (1793–1836), known as the Father of Texas
  2. Bastrop County
    1836 · named for Baron Felipe Enrique Neri de Bastrop, the Dutch settler who provided essential help to Stephen F. Austin in obtaining his original land grants
  3. Bexar County
    1836 · named for San Antonio de Béxar, the major presidio in Mexican Texas, named in turn for the San Antonio River and the Spanish viceroy's family, who were Dukes of Béjar in Spain
  4. Brazoria County
    1836 · named for Brazoria, Texas, an early port on the Brazos River
  5. Colorado County
    1836 · named for The Colorado River of Texas (Colorado is Spanish for "colored")
  6. Goliad County
    1836 · named for Its county seat, named in turn as an anagram of Miguel Hidalgo, the inspirational figure behind the Mexican War of Independence
  7. Gonzales County
    1836 · named for Its county seat, named in turn for Coahuila y Tejas governor Rafael Gonzales
  8. Harris County
    1836 · named for John Richardson Harris, early settler and founder of Harrisburg, Texas, which eventually became known as Houston

Newest Texas counties

  1. Kenedy County
    1921 · named for Mifflin Kenedy, an early rancher and land speculator
  2. Hudspeth County
    1917 · named for Claude Benton Hudspeth, a U.S. Congressman (1919–1931), rancher, and newspaper publisher
  3. Jim Hogg County
    1913 · named for James Stephen Hogg, the twentieth (and first native-born) governor of Texas (1891–1895)
  4. Kleberg County
    1913 · named for Robert Justus Kleberg (1803–1888), an early German settler and soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto
  5. Real County
    1913 · named for Julius Real, a rancher and state senator
  6. Brooks County
    1911 · named for James Abijah Brooks, a Texas Ranger and state legislator
  7. Culberson County
    1911 · named for David Browning Culberson, a lawyer, U.S. Congressman, and soldier in the Civil War
  8. Jim Wells County
    1911 · named for James Babbage Wells Jr., judge and Democratic party boss in southern Texas

Frequently asked questions

When was the first Texas county created?+

When the Republic of Texas was formed in 1836, the existing Spanish/Mexican municipios were reorganized into the first 23 Texas counties — among them Austin, Bexar, Harris, and Nacogdoches counties.

Which is the oldest county in Texas?+

Most of the original 23 counties were created by the Republic of Texas on the same day in 1836. Nacogdoches, Austin, and Bexar are commonly cited as Texas's oldest counties by virtue of their pre-existing Spanish municipios.

Which is the newest county in Texas?+

Loving County, in its current form, was reorganized in 1931 — the most recent county reorganization in Texas. Kenedy County was the last entirely new county, formed in 1921.

Why does Texas have 254 counties?+

When most Texas counties were drawn (1836–1900s), the design goal was for residents to be able to travel to and from the county seat in a single day on horseback. Combined with Texas's massive land area (268,597 sq mi), that produced 254 counties.

Can new Texas counties still be created?+

Technically yes, but the process is difficult. The Texas Constitution requires legislative action plus approval of the affected counties' voters. No new county has been created since 1931.