Chambers County, Texas

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.

Chambers County, Texas
County
The Chambers County Courthouse in Anahuac
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Coordinates: 29°42′N 94°41′W
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

History

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]

Geography

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.

Adjacent counties

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

National protected areas

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

State and local protected areas

• Candy Cain Abshier Wildlife Management Area
• Turtle Bayou Nature Preserve

Communities

Cities

• 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

• Oak Island
• Stowell
• Winnie

Unincorporated communities

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

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	1,508		—
1870	1,503		−0.3%
1880	2,187		45.5%
1890	2,241		2.5%
1900	3,046		35.9%
1910	4,234		39.0%
1920	4,162		−1.7%
1930	5,710		37.2%
1940	7,511		31.5%
1950	7,871		4.8%
1960	10,379		31.9%
1970	12,187		17.4%
1980	18,538		52.1%
1990	20,088		8.4%
2000	26,031		29.6%
2010	35,096		34.8%
2020	46,571		32.7%
2024 (est.)	56,179	[9]	20.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1850–2010[11] 2010[12] 2020[13]

Chambers County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: 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.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[14]	Pop 2010[12]	Pop 2020[13]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	20,210	24,767	29,858	77.64%	70.57%	64.11%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,525	2,817	3,148	9.70%	8.03%	6.76%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	84	134	161	0.32%	0.38%	0.35%
Asian alone (NH)	172	326	622	0.66%	0.93%	1.34%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	13	0	0.00%	0.04%	0.00%
Other Race alone (NH)	25	25	215	0.10%	0.07%	0.46%
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH)	205	379	1,615	0.79%	1.08%	3.47%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2,810	6,635	10,952	10.79%	18.91%	23.52%
Total	26,031	35,096	46,571	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

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/mi² (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, and for a family was $52,986. Males had a median income of $43,351 versus $25,478 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.

Government

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

Office		Name	Political party	First elected	Area(s) represented
	County Judge	Jimmy Sylvia	Republican	1996	Countywide
	Commissioner, Precinct 1	Jimmy E. Gore	Republican	2016	Anahuac, Double Bayou, Hankamer, Oak Island, Seabreeze, Smith Point, Stowell, Wallisville, Winnie
	Commissioner, Precinct 2	Mark Tice	Republican	2018	Beach City, Cove, Turtle Bayou, Wallisville
	Commissioner, Precinct 3	Tommy Hammond	Republican	2006	Mont Belvieu, Old River-Winfree
	Commissioner, Precinct 4	Ryan Dagley	Republican	2018	Baytown, Beach City

Elected Officials

Office		Name	Political party
	County Attorney	Ashley Cain Land	Republican
	County Clerk	Heather H. Hawthorne	Republican
	County Court Judge	Cindy S. Price	Republican
	District Attorney	Cheryl Swope Lieck	Republican
	District Clerk	Patti Henry	Republican
	Sheriff	Brian Hawthorne	Republican
	Tax Assessor-Collector	Laurie G. Payton	Republican
	Treasurer	Nicole Whittington	Republican
	County Surveyor	Michael W. Chandler

Constables

Office		Name	Political party	Area(s) represented
	Constable, Precinct 1	Dennis Dugat	Republican	Stowell, Winnie
	Constable, Precinct 2	John Mulryan	Republican	Anahuac, Turtle Bayou, Wallisville
	Constable, Precinct 3	Donnie Standley	Republican	Double Bayou, Oak Island, Smith Point
	Constable, Precinct 4	Ben L. "Butch" Bean	Republican	Mont Belvieu, Old River-Winfree
	Constable, Precinct 5	Bradley W. Moon	Republican	Hankamer, Wallisville
	Constable, Precinct 6	Kirk W. Ritch	Republican	Baytown, Beach City, Cove

United States Congress

Senators		Name	Political party	First elected	Level
	Senate Class 2	John Cornyn	Republican	2002	Senior Senator
	Senate Class 1	Ted Cruz	Republican	2012	Junior Senator
Representatives		Name	Political Party	First Elected	Area(s) Represented
	Texas's 14th District	Randy Weber	Republican	2012	A small, unpopulated portion of the county that extends to the Gulf of Mexico, across the Intracoastal Waterway.
	Texas's 36th District	Brian Babin	Republican	2014	All populated areas of the county

Texas Legislature

Texas Senate

District		Senator	Political party	First elected	Area(s) represented
	4	Brandon Creighton	Republican	2014	Countywide, district also covers portions of Galveston, Harris, Jefferson, and Montgomery Counties

Texas House of Representatives

District		Representative	Political party	First elected	Area(s) represented
	23	Terri Leo-Wilson	Republican	2022	Chambers County, Galveston County (part)

State Board of Education

District		Member	Political party	First elected	Area(s) represented
	7	Julie Pickren	Republican	2022	Countywide, district also covers all of Brazoria, Galveston, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, and Tyler Counties and most of Fort Bend County

Courts

Justices of the Peace

Office		Name	Political party
	Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1	Celia Devillier	Republican
	Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2	Michael W. Wheat	Republican
	Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4	Blake D. Sylvia	Republican
	Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5	David Hatfield	Republican
	Justice of the Peace, Precinct 6	Larry Ray Cryer	Republican

District Courts

Office		Name	Political party	Area(s) represented
	253rd District Court	Chap B. Cain, III	Republican	Countywide, district also covers Liberty County
	344th District Court	Randy McDonald	Republican	Countywide

1st Court of Appeals

		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

		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)

Politics

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

United States presidential election results for Chambers County, Texas^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	№	%	№	%	№	%
1912	4	1.59%	217	86.45%	30	11.95%
1916	101	26.17%	239	61.92%	46	11.92%
1920	278	49.38%	240	42.63%	45	7.99%
1924	239	42.30%	315	55.75%	11	1.95%
1928	256	51.41%	242	48.59%	0	0.00%
1932	91	9.69%	843	89.78%	5	0.53%
1936	134	11.95%	984	87.78%	3	0.27%
1940	219	14.60%	1,279	85.27%	2	0.13%
1944	179	13.47%	1,038	78.10%	112	8.43%
1948	302	21.70%	787	56.54%	303	21.77%
1952	1,497	57.20%	1,116	42.64%	4	0.15%
1956	1,520	63.52%	860	35.94%	13	0.54%
1960	1,260	44.74%	1,524	54.12%	32	1.14%
1964	1,023	34.61%	1,921	64.99%	12	0.41%
1968	1,061	29.42%	1,217	33.74%	1,329	36.85%
1972	2,390	66.35%	1,206	33.48%	6	0.17%
1976	1,835	37.82%	2,927	60.33%	90	1.85%
1980	3,140	54.08%	2,517	43.35%	149	2.57%
1984	4,322	61.84%	2,632	37.66%	35	0.50%
1988	3,694	54.48%	3,035	44.76%	52	0.77%
1992	3,398	40.62%	2,832	33.85%	2,136	25.53%
1996	4,101	52.37%	2,876	36.73%	854	10.91%
2000	6,769	69.03%	2,888	29.45%	149	1.52%
2004	8,618	73.98%	2,953	25.35%	78	0.67%
2008	9,988	75.14%	3,188	23.98%	116	0.87%
2012	11,787	79.99%	2,790	18.93%	158	1.07%
2016	13,339	79.23%	2,948	17.51%	549	3.26%
2020	17,353	80.15%	3,997	18.46%	302	1.39%
2024	20,567	82.36%	4,192	16.79%	214	0.86%

United States Senate election results for Chambers County, Texas1^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	№	%	№	%	№	%
2024	19,746	79.37%	4,617	18.56%	514	2.07%

Education

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

Transportation

Major highways

• Interstate 10
• State Highway 61
• State Highway 65
• State Highway 73
• State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway)
• State Highway 124
• State Highway 146

Airports

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]

See also

• Texas portal

• 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