Overview
Harris County is on the upper Gulf Coast in Southeast Texas. Its county seat is Houston. The 2020 Census counted 4,731,145 residents. The Census Bureau lists its land area as 1,706.96 square miles. The Handbook of Texas describes Houston as the largest city in Texas.
Government
Harris County is governed by a Commissioners Court of five elected members. The county judge is elected countywide. Each of the four commissioners represents one precinct. The court sets the county budget and oversees roads, bridges and other county infrastructure. It is also the governing body of the Harris County Flood Control District.
History
John R. Harris laid out the town of Harrisburg in 1826, where Brays Bayou meets Buffalo Bayou. Mexican forces under Santa Anna burned Harrisburg in April 1836. The First Congress of the Republic of Texas formed Harrisburg County on December 22, 1836. Houston was its first county seat. In December 1839, Congress renamed it Harris County in honor of John R. Harris.
Voters approved the Harris County Ship Channel Navigation District in 1911. In 1914, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finished deepening the 50-mile channel to 25 feet. In the 1960s, NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center opened on land east of Webster. It was renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in 1973.
Cities and communities
Thirty-four cities are located in Harris County. Houston is the largest. Other cities include Pasadena and Baytown. Communities include Spring and Channelview. More than 2.5 million people live in unincorporated parts of the county, according to the county’s Intergovernmental and Global Affairs office.
Property and flooding
The Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) appraises property for property tax purposes. It was created in 1980. It serves more than 600 taxing units. It appraises about 1.9 million parcels each year.
The Texas Legislature established the Harris County Flood Control District in 1937, after floods in 1929 and 1935. The district plans, builds and maintains systems that reduce flood risk. It works across 23 primary watersheds in the county.