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Texas Counties
Texas is divided into two hundred and fifty-four counties, more than any other state. Texas was originally divided into municipalities, a unit of local government under Spanish and Mexican rule. When the Republic of Texas gained its independence in 1836, there were 23 municipalities, which became the original Texas counties. Many of these would later be divided into new counties. The most recent county to be created was Kenedy County in 1921. The most recent county to be organized was Loving County in 1931Brazos County, Texas
Brazos County Education, Geography, and History
Brazos County is a county located in the state of Texas. Based on the 2010 census, its population was 194,851. The county seat is Bryan.
Along with Brazoria County, the county is named for the Brazos River, which forms its western border. The county was formed in 1841 and
organized in 1843.
Brazos County is part of the College Station-Bryan, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Etymology - Origin of Brazos County Name
the Brazos River (along with Brazoria County)
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Brazos County History
In 1837 most of the area of present-day Brazos County was included in Washington County. The Brazos River, which bisected the latter, proved a serious obstacle to county government, and a new county, Navasota, was formed in January 1841. The first court, with Judge R. E. B. Baylor presiding, was held later that year in the home of Joseph Ferguson, fourteen miles west of the site of present Bryan. The county seat, named Boonville for Mordecai Boon, was located on John Austin's league and was surveyed by Hiram Hanover in 1841. In January of the following year Navasota County was renamed Brazos County. Brazos is named for the Brazos River, along with Brazoria County. The county seat is Bryan.
Navasoto County, established in 1841, was renamed Brazos County in 1842. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Hans Peter Nielsen Gammel, comp., Laws of Texas, 1822-1897 (10 vols., Austin: Gammel, 1898).
Handbook of Texas Online
The territory that is now Brazos County was included in Stephen F. Austin's
second colony and became part of Washington Municipality under the Mexican government. Colonists who sought
plantation sites on the Brazos between 1821 and 1831 included Elliot McNeil Millican, Richard Carter,
James H. Evetts, Melvan Lanham, Lee C. Smith, and Mordecai Boon. In 1837 most of the area of present-day Brazos
County was included in Washington County. The Brazos River, which bisected the latter, proved a serious obstacle to
county government, and a new county, Navasota, was formed in January 1841. The first court, with Judge R. E. B.
Baylor presiding, was held later that year in the home of Joseph Ferguson,
fourteen miles west of the site of present Bryan. The county seat, named Boonville for Mordecai Boon, was located on
John Austin's league and was surveyed by Hiram Hanover
in 1841. In January of the following year Navasota County was renamed Brazos County. The 1850 census showed 466
whites and 148 black slaves in the county. Of the approximately 176,000 acres in farms at that time, less than 2,000
acres was cleared for crops. Farmers concentrated on growing corn and a bit of cotton. The county remained
overwhelmingly rural in the 1850s; only two families lived in the county seat in 1852, and only two post offices,
Boonville and Millican, operated in the county in 1856. More at
Mark Odintz, "BRAZOS COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcb13),
accessed January 23, 2016. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. .
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 590 square miles (1,529 km2), of which, 586
square miles (1,517 km2) is land and 5 square miles (12 km2) (0.76%) is water.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Burleson County (southwest)
- Grimes County (east)
- Madison County (northeast)
- Robertson County (northwest)
- Washington County (south)
Education
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