Calhoun County is a county in Texas, United States, on the central Gulf Coast where Matagorda Bay and San Antonio Bay meet the Gulf of Mexico. It had a population of 20,106 at the 2020 census and covers 1,033 square miles (2,680 km2), of which 507 square miles (1,310 km2) is land and 526 square miles (1,360 km2) is water — more than half the county is bay and open Gulf — centred near 28°26′N 96°37′W.
Port Lavaca is the county seat, and its postal code is 77979. The county has three incorporated cities, three census-designated places, and several unincorporated communities and historic townsites. It sits in the Central time zone, and its FIPS code is 48057.
Towns & Villages in Calhoun County
Calhoun County has nine named places on the map today plus a handful of 19th-century townsites now abandoned or absorbed. CDP = census-designated place (unincorporated but tracked by the Census Bureau); Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no defined census boundary.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Lavaca | City · seat | — | 77979 |
| Point Comfort | City | — | 77978 |
| Seadrift | City | — | 77983 |
| Port O’Connor | CDP | — | 77982 |
| Alamo Beach | CDP | — | 77979 |
| Magnolia Beach | CDP | — | 77979 |
| Long Mott | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Olivia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Port Alto | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Schicke Point | Unincorp. | — | — |
Three more names on older maps — Indianola, Kamey, and Sixmile — are historic townsites rather than active communities. Indianola was a major 19th-century Gulf port and, briefly, the county seat before it was destroyed by hurricanes in 1875 and 1886 and never rebuilt; a small historical marker and boat ramp mark the site today. Kamey and Sixmile were rail-era sidings that never grew into towns. Two names carried on an older version of this page — Clark Station and El Campo Club Community — could not be independently confirmed as current or historic Calhoun County places and are omitted here; see notes.
ZIP Codes
- 77979 — Port Lavaca (also serves Alamo Beach and Magnolia Beach)
- 77978 — Point Comfort
- 77982 — Port O’Connor
- 77983 — Seadrift
The county’s smaller unincorporated communities — Long Mott, Olivia, and Port Alto — use the Port Lavaca ZIP for mail.
Geography
Calhoun County occupies a low, marshy peninsula and barrier-island system on the Texas coastal plain. Water covers more of the county than land: Matagorda Bay forms the northeastern shoreline, San Antonio Bay and Espiritu Santo Bay lie to the south, and Matagorda Island separates the bays from the open Gulf of Mexico. The Guadalupe and San Antonio rivers empty into San Antonio Bay along the county’s western edge, and Lavaca Bay reaches inland to Port Lavaca and Point Comfort.
Calhoun County borders Victoria County to the northwest, Jackson County to the north, Matagorda County to the east across Matagorda Bay, Aransas County to the southwest across the bay system, and Refugio County to the west.
Demographics
Calhoun County had 20,106 residents at the 2020 census, spread over 507 square miles of land for a density of about 40 people per square mile. Port Lavaca is by far the largest community, followed by Seadrift and Point Comfort. Median household income in the county runs below the Texas median of $75,780, reflecting an economy weighted toward industrial and fishing wages rather than the state’s larger metro job markets.
Economy & Local Life
Heavy industry anchors the local economy: Alcoa opened an aluminum smelter at Point Comfort in 1947, and a chemical plant later run by Union Carbide and then Formosa Plastics has operated there since 1952, together remaining among the county’s largest employers. Commercial and recreational fishing, shrimping, and oystering out of Port Lavaca and Seadrift are longstanding industries on Matagorda and San Antonio bays, and Port O’Connor is a well-known sport-fishing destination. Oil and natural gas production, discovered in the county in the mid-1930s, also contributes to the tax base.
History
Calhoun County was created in 1846, shortly after Texas statehood, and named for John C. Calhoun, the seventh vice president of the United States. Its first county seat was Lavaca (present-day Port Lavaca); the seat later moved to the booming port town of Indianola, then returned to Port Lavaca after hurricanes destroyed Indianola in 1875 and again in 1886. Hurricane Carla made landfall between Port Lavaca and Port O’Connor as a Category 4 storm in 1961, one of the most powerful hurricanes recorded on the Texas coast.
Getting There
State Highway 35 runs the length of the county along the coast, connecting Port Lavaca to Victoria to the north and to Rockport and Corpus Christi to the south by way of Aransas County. State Highway 316 links Port Lavaca to Point Comfort.
- Victoria — 25 miles north
- Corpus Christi — 65 miles southwest
- Rockport — 35 miles southwest
- Houston — 140 miles northeast
The nearest commercial airport is Victoria Regional Airport, about 30 miles north of Port Lavaca.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Calhoun County, Texas?
It is on the central Texas Gulf Coast, southeast of Victoria, where Matagorda Bay and San Antonio Bay meet the Gulf of Mexico.
What is the population of Calhoun County?
20,106 at the 2020 census.
How big is Calhoun County?
1,033 square miles (2,680 km2) in total, of which 507 square miles is land and 526 square miles is water.
What is the county seat of Calhoun County?
Port Lavaca is the county seat.
How many towns are in Calhoun County?
Three incorporated cities — Port Lavaca, Point Comfort, and Seadrift — plus three census-designated places and several unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Calhoun County?
77979 (Port Lavaca), 77978 (Point Comfort), 77982 (Port O’Connor), and 77983 (Seadrift).
What happened to Indianola?
It was Calhoun County’s major 19th-century Gulf port and briefly the county seat, destroyed by hurricanes in 1875 and 1886 and never rebuilt; the site is now a historical marker and boat ramp near Port Lavaca.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.