Chambers County, Texas (original) (raw)

County in Texas, United States

County in Texas

Chambers County
County
The Chambers County Courthouse in Anahuac
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 29°42′N 94°41′W / 29.7°N 94.68°W / 29.7; -94.68
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1858
Named after	Thomas Jefferson Chambers
Seat	Anahuac
Largest city	Baytown
Area
• Total	871 sq mi (2,260 km2)
• Land	597 sq mi (1,550 km2)
• Water	274 sq mi (710 km2) 31%
Population (2020)[1]
• Total	46,571
• Estimate (2024)	56,179
• Density	78.0/sq mi (30.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	14th, 36th
Website	www.co.chambers.tx.us

Chambers County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 46,571.[2][3] The county seat is Anahuac.[4] Chambers County is one of the nine counties that comprise Greater Houston, the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area.

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Luz, a Spanish mission in Texas, was established in 1756 near what is now Wallisville.[5]

Chambers County was founded in 1858. It is named for Thomas Jefferson Chambers,[6] a major general in the Texas Revolution.

In 2019, Atlas Air Flight 3591, a cargo flight operating for Amazon Air, crashed in the Trinity Bay, in Chambers County and near Anahuac, while flying from Miami to Houston. All three people on board were killed.[7]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 871 square miles (2,260 km2), of which 597 square miles (1,550 km2) are land and 274 square miles (710 km2) (31%) are covered by water.[8]

The south and southwestern parts of the county lie in the Galveston Bay Area on the shores of Trinity Bay and East Bay. A small portion of the southeastern area lies on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

• Liberty County (north)
• Jefferson County (east)
• Galveston County (southwest)
• Harris County (west)

National protected areas

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• Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge (formerly Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge)
• Moody National Wildlife Refuge

State and local protected areas

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• Candy Cain Abshier Wildlife Management Area

• Turtle Bayou Nature Preserve

• Anahuac (county seat)

• Baytown (mostly in Harris County)

• Beach City

• Cove

• Mont Belvieu (small part in Liberty County)

• Old River-Winfree (small part in Liberty County)

Census-designated places

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• Oak Island
• Stowell
• Winnie

Unincorporated communities

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• Double Bayou
• Hankamer
• Monroe City
• Seabreeze
• Smith Point
• Turtle Bayou
• Wallisville

Historical population

Chambers County, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionNote: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

As of the census of 2000,[15] 26,031 people, 9,139 households, and 7,219 families were residing in the county. The population density was 43 people/sq mi (17 people/km2). The 10,336 housing units averaged 17 units per square mile (6.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 81.88% White, 9.77% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 6.02% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. About 10.79% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 9,139 households, 40.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.70% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.00% were not families. About 17.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82, and the average family size was 3.20.

In the county, the age distribution was 28.90% under 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.00% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was 47,964,andforafamilywas47,964, and for a family was 47,964,andforafamilywas52,986. Males had a median income of 43,351versus43,351 versus 43,351versus25,478 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,863. About 8.30% of families and 11.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

Chambers County is governed by a five-member commissioners' court, consisting of the county judge and four county commissioners. The county judge is elected to four-year terms in a countywide election. Commissioners are elected to four-year terms from single-member districts.

Chambers County Commissioners' Court

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United States Congress

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Texas House of Representatives

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State Board of Education

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Justices of the Peace

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1st Court of Appeals

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| | Name | Political party | First elected | | | ---------------- | --------------------- | ------------- | ---------------- | | | Chief Justice | Terry Adams | Republican | 2022 | | | Place 2 | Jennifer Caughey | Republican | 2024 | | | Place 3 | Veronica Rivas-Molloy | Democrat | 2020 | | | Place 4 | David Gunn | Republican | 2024 (appointed) | | | Place 5 | Amparo Guerra | Democrat | 2020 | | | Place 6 | Andrew Johnson | Republican | 2024 | | | Place 7 | Clint Morgan | Republican | 2024 | | | Place 8 | Kristin Guiney | Republican | 2024 | | | Place 9 | Susanna Dokupil | Republican | 2024 |

14th Court of Appeals

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| | Name | Political party | First elected | | | ---------------- | -------------------- | ------------- | ----------------------- | | | Chief Justice | Tracy E. Christopher | Republican | 2020 | | | Place 2 | Kevin Jewell | Republican | 2016 | | | Place 3 | Chad Bridges | Republican | 2024 | | | Place 4 | Tonya McLaughlin | Republican | 2024 | | | Place 5 | Maritza Antu | Republican | 2024 | | | Place 6 | Katy Boatman | Republican | 2024 | | | Place 7 | Ken Wise | Republican | 2014, Appointed in 2013 | | | Place 8 | Brad Hart | Republican | 2024 | | | Place 9 | Randy Wilson | Republican | 2020 (appointed) |

As with much of the Southern United States, Democrats won locally up into the 21st century, with many local politicians switching party allegiances in the mid-2000s

Public School Districts[18]

Local Primary and Secondary School Jurisdictions. Each are governed by their own respective school board.

• Goose Creek CISD
• Barbers Hill ISD
• Anahuac ISD
• East Chambers ISD
• La Porte ISD (parts of uninhabited Galveston Bay)

Higher Education

Community Colleges

• Lee College (Anahuac, Barbers Hill, East Chambers, and Goose Creek ISDs: in other words, for all land areas of Chambers County)[19]
• San Jacinto College (La Porte ISD, which here means parts of uninhabited Galveston Bay)[20]

Public libraries

The Chambers County Library System operates three libraries in the county.[21]

• Chambers County Library (main branch) in Anahuac
• Juanita Hargraves Memorial Branch in Winnie
• Sam and Carmena Goss Memorial Branch in Mont Belvieu

The county operates two airports in unincorporated areas:

• Chambers County Airport is east of Anahuac.
  • It was developed in the 1940s, and the county collaborated with the federal government to have it built.[22] In August 1947, the federal government was to pay $23,322.[23]
• Chambers County-Winnie Stowell Airport serves Stowell and Winnie.

In addition, RWJ Airpark, a privately owned airport for public use, is located in Beach City.

In the 1970s there had been a proposal to establish another airport in the county, but the Baytown city council objected to the proposal, arguing it was too close to another airport under private ownership.[24]

The Houston Airport System stated that Chambers County is within the primary service area of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, an international airport in Houston in Harris County.[25]

• List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Chambers County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Chambers County

1. ^ "US Census 2020 Population Dataset Tables for all Texas counties".
2. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Chambers County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
3. ^ "Chambers County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. ^ Alvarez, Elizabeth Cruce (November 8, 2011). Texas Almanac 2012–2013. Texas A&M University Press. pp. Contents. ISBN 9780876112571. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
6. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 74.
7. ^ "Human remains found after Atlas Air cargo plane crashes in Chambers Co". KTRK-TV. February 23, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
8. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
9. ^ "QuickFacts: Chambers County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
10. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
11. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
12. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Chambers County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
13. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Chambers County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
14. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Chambers County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
15. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
16. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
17. ^ "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Texas by county. November 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
18. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Chambers County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022. - Text list
19. ^ Texas Education Code, Section 130.186, "Lee College District Service Area". Its service area includes Goose Creek, Barbers Hill, Anahuac, and East Chambers school districts.
20. ^ Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.197. SAN JACINTO COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA..
21. ^ "Locations & Hours". Chambers County Library System. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
22. ^ Hankamer, Delia (October 30, 1947). "Chambers County News". The Liberty Vindicator. Liberty, Texas. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
23. ^ Hankamer, Delia (August 14, 1947). "Chambers County News". The Liberty Vindicator. Liberty, Texas. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
24. ^ "No Decision Made Yet on Chambers Airport". The Baytown Sun. Baytown, Texas. November 21, 1973. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
25. ^ "Master Plan Executive Summary Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." George Bush Intercontinental Airport Master Plan. Houston Airport System. December 2006. 2-1 (23/130). Retrieved on December 14, 2010.

• Chambers County government's website
• Chambers County in Handbook of Texas Online from The University of Texas at Austin
• Chambers County, TXGenWeb Focuses on genealogical research in Chambers County.

29°42′N 94°41′W / 29.70°N 94.68°W / 29.70; -94.68