Shelby County is a county in Texas, United States, on the Louisiana state line in the deep-east-Texas Piney Woods. It had a population of 24,022 at the 2020 census and covers 835 square miles (2,160 km2) centred near 31°47′N 94°08′W.
Center is the county seat, and its postal code is 75935. The county has four incorporated cities, one town, and more than three dozen unincorporated communities. Shelby County observes Central time and has no civil townships.
Towns & Villages in Shelby County
Shelby County’s population centers range from the county seat of Center to dozens of rural crossroads communities scattered across the Piney Woods. The list below separates incorporated cities and the one incorporated town from unincorporated (Unincorp.) places, which have no city government of their own.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center | City · seat | — | 75935 |
| Timpson | City | — | 75975 |
| Joaquin | City | — | 75954 |
| Huxley | City | — | — |
| Tenaha | Town | — | 75974 |
| Shelbyville | Unincorp. | — | 75973 |
| Arcadia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Aiken | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Alexanders Store | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Antioch | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bobo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brady | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Campti | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Choice | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dreka | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Duff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| East Hamilton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| East Liberty | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fellowship | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flat Fork | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Folsom | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Goober Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grigsby | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Haslam | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hawthorne | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Huber | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hurstown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jackson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| James | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jericho | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jordans Store | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lamar | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McClelland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Meldrum | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mount Herman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Neuville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Harmony | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Jericho | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Patroon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Paxton | Unincorp. | — | 75954 |
| Ragtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sardis | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Saxet | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Short | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Silas | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stockman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tennessee Colony | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Waterman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Webb | Unincorp. | — | — |
The old list’s two “East Liberty” and two “New Harmony” duplicate rows are merged to one each above. “Lamar” is kept once; the old post’s second Lamar entry was a duplicate. “Jericho” and “North Jericho” are two distinct communities in the same rural precinct and both are kept. The old post’s bare “Tennessee” entry is Tennessee Colony, a small crossroads community, not the state.
ZIP Codes
- 75935 — Center (also serves the surrounding rural county)
- 75975 — Timpson
- 75974 — Tenaha
- 75954 — Joaquin (also serves Paxton)
- 75973 — Shelbyville
Most of the county’s smaller unincorporated communities have no post office of their own and share a ZIP code with the nearest town listed above.
Geography
Shelby County sits in the East Texas Piney Woods, a hilly, densely wooded region of pine and hardwood forest cut by small creeks draining toward the Sabine and Attoyac rivers. Roughly 4.7 percent of the county’s area is water, held mainly in small lakes and stock ponds rather than one large reservoir.
Shelby County borders Panola County to the north, Rusk County to the northwest, Nacogdoches County to the southwest, San Augustine County and Sabine County to the south, and the Louisiana line — De Soto Parish to the northeast and Sabine Parish to the east — along the Sabine River.
Demographics
Shelby County had 24,022 residents at the 2020 census. Center and Timpson are its two largest communities. Median household income in the county runs well below the Texas median of $75,780, reflecting the county’s rural, timber- and agriculture-based economy. Population density is roughly 30 people per square mile, typical for a rural East Texas county.
Economy & Local Life
Timber and forest products have anchored Shelby County’s economy since the 19th century, alongside poultry farming, cattle ranching, and oil and gas production. Center is the county’s commercial and government hub, home to the Shelby County Courthouse on the historic town square. The county also has a modest tourism draw around East Texas hunting and fishing.
History
The area that became Shelby County was organized as the Mexican municipality of Tenehaw in 1835, before Texas independence. It was established as a county of the Republic of Texas in 1837 and named for Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War soldier who later became Kentucky’s first governor. Shelby County was the epicenter of the Regulator–Moderator War of the 1840s, one of the bloodiest feuds in Texas history, fought over land titles and vigilante justice in the years after independence.
Getting There
- Nacogdoches — 30 miles southwest
- Lufkin — 45 miles southwest
- Shreveport, Louisiana — 55 miles northeast
- Tyler — 75 miles northwest
U.S. Highway 96 and State Highway 7 cross at Center, and U.S. Highway 84 runs east–west through Timpson and Tenaha. The nearest commercial airport is Shreveport Regional Airport in Louisiana; Nacogdoches has a smaller regional airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Shelby County, Texas?
It is in deep East Texas, on the Louisiana state line, roughly 150 miles east of Dallas and 55 miles northeast of Lufkin.
What is the population of Shelby County?
Shelby County had 24,022 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Shelby County?
The county covers 835 square miles (2,160 km2), of which 796 square miles is land and 39 square miles is water.
What is the county seat of Shelby County?
Center is the county seat.
How many towns are in Shelby County?
The county has four incorporated cities (Center, Timpson, Joaquin, and Huxley), one incorporated town (Tenaha), and more than 40 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Shelby County?
Main ZIP codes include 75935 (Center), 75975 (Timpson), 75974 (Tenaha), 75954 (Joaquin), and 75973 (Shelbyville).
What is Shelby County known for?
It is known as the site of the Regulator–Moderator War of the 1840s and for its Piney Woods timber economy.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.