HaRRIS county texas real estate
hARRIS county website
HARRIS COUNTY. Harris
County (G-11), originally Harrisburg County, is located on the upper
Gulf Coast in Southeast Texas and is bounded by Waller County on the
north and west, Montgomery County on the north, Liberty and Chambers
counties on the east, Galveston and Brazoria counties on the south,
and Fort Bend County on the west. The center point is at 95°27' west
longitude and 29°50' north latitude. Almost three-quarters of the
county in 1990 was covered by the city of Houston and thirty smaller
communities; only 27 percent (310,000 acres or 485 square miles) of
the county was rural. The county comprises 1,778 square miles (1,729
in land) and is the largest Texas county east of the Nueces River.
Its southern half is level coastal prairie, and the northern half
touches the rolling East Texasqv
timberlands. Central Harris County is fifty-five feet above sea
level. The land rises gradually to more than 200 feet on the
northern borders, while the smallish bluffs around upper Galveston
Bayqv
descend to sea level. The soil is heavy black coastal clay in the
south and sandy loam north of Buffalo Bayou. This stream, better
known in its last sixteen miles as the Houston Ship Channel,qv
almost bisects the county from west to east before joining the
north-to-south San Jacinto River just above its estuary at Morgan's
Pointqv on
upper Galveston Bay. The eastern third of the county is drained also
by Cedar Bayou on its eastern border and by Clear Creek and Clear
Lake on the south. Spring Creek forms its northern boundary and,
joined by parallel Cypress Creek, becomes the West Fork of the San
Jacinto River. A dam below the East and West forks of the San
Jacinto River impounded Lake Houstonqv
in 1954. This reservoir for the city of Houston lessened dependence
on subsurface water, the use of which has caused up to nine feet of
subsidence around the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and the San
Jacinto River. The lake is a popular recreational spot. Addicks and
Barker dams provide flood control in western Harris County. The
average annual rainfall in Harris County is 48.19 inches, and the
mean temperature is 69.1 degrees. The growing season lasts 300 days.
Native trees include pine and such hardwoods as oak, ash, and
hickory. County agriculture embraces 50,000 irrigated acres planted
in rice, soybeans, grains, hay, corn, and vegetables. Cattle,
horses, hogs, and poultry are raised.
Harris County is the third largest
county in the United States with a population of over three million
people and is 1788 square miles in area. This Harris County
Government Home Page provides links to the 84 offices, courts,
organizations, and agencies that provide services and perform duties
for our citizens and visitors. We are continually working to improve
our delivery of services and on-line access to information related
to Harris County government.
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