Map of Texas Counties (Galveston, West: versus, shopper, design)

[tumamoc]

I was looking at a map of Texas counties and noticed that while most of the counties are neatly oriented with east-west and north-south orientation, the counties in the southeastern portion of the state seem to have no rhyme or reason to theirs. For example, many of the boundaries don't seem to be tied to rivers or other obvious geographic markers. Are the southeastern counties older? Were they surveyed differently? I have attached a link to a map with the counties, if it helps to look at one.

https://www.county.org/TAC/media/TAC.../CountyMap.pdf

[War Beagle]

The west typically has more symmetrical political boundaries than the older east does. Look at the way eastern states are shaped versus the western pnes.

[jackalope48]

None of them are their original size. They've all been subdivided substantially into multiple counties. Their origin is as Mexican municipalities which is a system inherited from the Spanish. Basically when a city got big enough it got designated as one and received administrative control over the area immediately around it. In colonial Texas "immediate area" could be a really long distance. Since they've been cut up since the lines have typically been to separate out a city big enough for a county seat. Lots of boundaries do follow where rivers or creeks used to be though.

[wxf848]

Most of the lines in the southeast either follow a stream or are at least mostly straight segments, although some of those segments seem to be somewhat randomly drawn. The strangest county line I've found is between Travis and Williamson. If you look on a topographic map, much of it appears to be a very poor attempt to follow ridge lines. It crosses some topographic saddles, hits some hill tops, drastically misses others, and goes through one or two deep valleys. The USGS 7.5 minute map shows the east end having several strange curves that appear to have been drawn by someone with an unsteady hand.

[Trainwreck20]

Travis/Williamson county apparently follows the divide that marks the edge of the colorado river basin

[High_Plains_Retired]

I'm reminded of a story about a USDA aircraft pilot from Georgia who upon flying out to the USDA's National Grasshopper Control Program that was ongoing in the Texas Panhandle radioed in to the USDA guys at Silverton, Texas and asked for directions as he approached the area. He was told to turn at the river and come straight on in. Several hours later, the pilot finally landed and was very frustrated. When asked why he took hours to only fly what should have only taken him minutes, he replied, "Where the devil is that river you guys told me I was supposed to turn at?" It was then explained to him the difference between a dry river bed in west Texas and a typical river in Georgia.

West Texas does have "rivers" but most are not something a fisherman could wet a hook in. Most of the counties out here on the Texas South Plains and the Panhandle were drawn on latitude and longitudinal lines and based on the requirements of the Constitution of 1876 which intended that county seats be accessible to every county resident.

[RJ312]

Originally, I felt that Texas has too many counties. When Texas has 254 counties, and Arizona has 15 counties, it's a reasonable thought to have. There's a rationale behind it. The idea was to have people really close to their local governments. It's a decent idea.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by RJ312

Originally, I felt that Texas has too many counties. When Texas has 254 counties, and Arizona has 15 counties, it's a reasonable thought to have. There's a rationale behind it. The idea was to have people really close to their local governments. It's a decent idea.

Georgia has the 2nd highest number of counties, I forget the exact number. 150 or 160ish, something like that. THAT is a top-heavy government....

[JJG]

From 1880:

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by JJG

From 1880:

It's cool that Galveston is the only city map inserted. Texas used to be proud of Galveston now it seems most of the state has only contempt for it...