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County · code 48321

Matagorda CountyTexas

Matagorda County is a county in Texas, with its seat in Bay City. The county was created in 1834 from Brazoria.

  • Founded1834
  • County seatBay City
  • Named forcanebrakes
  • Land area1,093 sq mi + 520 sq mi water
  • Population36,255 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped37,247 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Matagorda County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

WhartonJacksonBrazoriaCalhoun Bay City Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Matagorda on the map of Texas

Texas has 254 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Anderson CountyAndrews CountyAngelina CountyAransas CountyArcher CountyArmstrong CountyAtascosa CountyAustin CountyBailey CountyBandera CountyBastrop CountyBaylor CountyBee CountyBell CountyBexar CountyBlanco CountyBorden CountyBosque CountyBowie CountyBrazoria CountyBrazos CountyBrewster CountyBriscoe CountyBrooks CountyBrown CountyBurleson CountyBurnet CountyCaldwell CountyCalhoun CountyCallahan CountyCameron CountyCamp CountyCarson CountyCass CountyCastro CountyChambers CountyCherokee CountyChildress CountyClay CountyCochran CountyCoke CountyColeman CountyCollin CountyCollingsworth CountyColorado CountyComal CountyComanche CountyConcho CountyCooke CountyCoryell CountyCottle CountyCrane CountyCrockett CountyCrosby CountyCulberson CountyDallam CountyDallas CountyDawson CountyDeaf Smith CountyDelta CountyDenton CountyDeWitt CountyDickens CountyDimmit CountyDonley CountyDuval CountyEastland CountyEctor CountyEdwards CountyEllis CountyEl Paso CountyErath CountyFalls CountyFannin CountyFayette CountyFisher CountyFloyd CountyFoard CountyFort Bend CountyFranklin CountyFreestone CountyFrio CountyGaines CountyGalveston CountyGarza CountyGillespie CountyGlasscock CountyGoliad CountyGonzales CountyGray CountyGrayson CountyGregg CountyGrimes CountyGuadalupe CountyHale CountyHall CountyHamilton CountyHansford CountyHardeman CountyHardin CountyHarris CountyHarrison CountyHartley CountyHaskell CountyHays CountyHemphill CountyHenderson CountyHidalgo CountyHill CountyHockley CountyHood CountyHopkins CountyHouston CountyHoward CountyHudspeth CountyHunt CountyHutchinson CountyIrion CountyJack CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJeff Davis CountyJefferson CountyJim Hogg CountyJim Wells CountyJohnson CountyJones CountyKarnes CountyKaufman CountyKendall CountyKenedy CountyKent CountyKerr CountyKimble CountyKing CountyKinney CountyKleberg CountyKnox CountyLamar CountyLamb CountyLampasas CountyLa Salle CountyLavaca CountyLee CountyLeon CountyLiberty CountyLimestone CountyLipscomb CountyLive Oak CountyLlano CountyLoving CountyLubbock CountyLynn CountyMcCulloch CountyMcLennan CountyMcMullen CountyMadison CountyMarion CountyMartin CountyMason CountyMaverick CountyMedina CountyMenard CountyMidland CountyMilam CountyMills CountyMitchell CountyMontague CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyMorris CountyMotley CountyNacogdoches CountyNavarro CountyNewton CountyNolan CountyNueces CountyOchiltree CountyOldham CountyOrange CountyPalo Pinto CountyPanola CountyParker CountyParmer CountyPecos CountyPolk CountyPotter CountyPresidio CountyRains CountyRandall CountyReagan CountyReal CountyRed River CountyReeves CountyRefugio CountyRoberts CountyRobertson CountyRockwall CountyRunnels CountyRusk CountySabine CountySan Augustine CountySan Jacinto CountySan Patricio CountySan Saba CountySchleicher CountyScurry CountyShackelford CountyShelby CountySherman CountySmith CountySomervell CountyStarr CountyStephens CountySterling CountyStonewall CountySutton CountySwisher CountyTarrant CountyTaylor CountyTerrell CountyTerry CountyThrockmorton CountyTitus CountyTom Green CountyTravis CountyTrinity CountyTyler CountyUpshur CountyUpton CountyUvalde CountyVal Verde CountyVan Zandt CountyVictoria CountyWalker CountyWaller CountyWard CountyWashington CountyWebb CountyWharton CountyWheeler CountyWichita CountyWilbarger CountyWillacy CountyWilliamson CountyWilson CountyWinkler CountyWise CountyWood CountyYoakum CountyYoung CountyZapata CountyZavala CountyMatagorda County Matagorda
Counties of Texas · Matagorda highlighted

History

Formed in 1834 from Brazoria County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Matagorda was established as a municipality by Mexico in 1834 and created from Brazoria. It became a county in the Republic of Texas in 1836, gained and lost territory through boundary adjustments with Jackson, Ward, and Brazoria, and became a county in the state of Texas in 1845. The county was named after canebrakes.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

  1. 1834
    Matagorda County created Matagorda (original county) created from Brazoria; established as a municipality by Mexico.
    from Brazoria
    · Gammel, 1:Laws and Decrees of Coahuila and Texas, decree no. 265/p. 352
  2. 1835
    Lost territory Matagorda lost to creation of Jackson.
    to Jackson
    · Gammel, 1:Ordinances and Decrees, Provisional Govt. Texas, 45
  3. 1835
    Gained territory Matagorda gained from Brazoria.
    from Brazoria
    · Gammel, 1:Ordinances and Decrees, Provisional Govt. Texas, 114
  4. 1836
    Became part of Texas Matagorda became a county in the Republic of Texas. · Connor, 170-171; Swindler, 9:254-255
  5. 1845
    Became part of Texas Matagorda became a county in the newly-established state of Texas. · Texas Repub. Laws 1845, 9th cong., spec. sess./pp. 4-6; U.S. Stat., vol. 9, res. 1 [1845]/p. 108; Van Zandt, 122
Show all 14 changes (9 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1834
    Matagorda County created Matagorda (original county) created from Brazoria; established as a municipality by Mexico.
    from Brazoria
    · Gammel, 1:Laws and Decrees of Coahuila and Texas, decree no. 265/p. 352
  2. 1835
    Lost territory Matagorda lost to creation of Jackson.
    to Jackson
    · Gammel, 1:Ordinances and Decrees, Provisional Govt. Texas, 45
  3. 1835
    Gained territory Matagorda gained from Brazoria.
    from Brazoria
    · Gammel, 1:Ordinances and Decrees, Provisional Govt. Texas, 114
  4. 1836
    Became part of Texas Matagorda became a county in the Republic of Texas. · Connor, 170-171; Swindler, 9:254-255
  5. 1837
    Lost territory Matagorda lost to Jackson.
    to Jackson
    · Texas Repub. Laws 1837, 2d cong., 1st sess./p. 121
  6. 1841
    Lost territory Matagorda lost to creation of Ward (Judicial County).
    to Ward
    · Texas Repub. Laws 1840, 5th cong./p. 65
  7. 1841
    Boundary clarified Boundary between Matagorda and Victoria clarified along the Gulf Shore (no change).
    with Victoriano change
    · Texas Repub. Laws 1840, 5th cong./p. 102
  8. c. 1842
    Gained territory Matagorda gained from Ward (Judicial County) when Republic of Texas Supreme Court ruled judicial counties unconstitutional.
    from Ward
    · "Stockton v. Montgomery" in Dallam, 473-486
  9. 1844
    Gained territory Matagorda gained from Jackson.
    from Jackson
    · Texas Repub. Laws 1844, 9th cong., 1st sess./p. 5
  10. 1845
    Became part of Texas Matagorda became a county in the newly-established state of Texas. · Texas Repub. Laws 1845, 9th cong., spec. sess./pp. 4-6; U.S. Stat., vol. 9, res. 1 [1845]/p. 108; Van Zandt, 122
  11. 1846
    Exchanged territory Matagorda exchanged small areas with Brazoria.
    with Brazoria
    · Texas Laws 1846, 1st leg./pp. 18-20
  12. 1846
    Changed Part of Matagorda reverted to Non-County Area 5; anticipated creation of Wharton on 3 April 1846.
    Wharton
    · Texas Laws 1846, 1st leg./p. 34
  13. 1848
    Boundary clarified Matagorda boundaries redefined (no change).
    no change
    · Texas Laws 1847, 2d leg., ch. 41/p. 31
  14. 1947
    Changed Boundaries of Matagorda extended to the continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. · Texas Laws 1947, 50th leg., reg. sess., ch. 287/p. 490

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Matagorda

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Matagorda by the Census

Population
36,255 2020 Census count
Housing units
18,476 2020 Census count
Land area
1,093 square miles
Water area
520 square miles · 32% of the county, including large bodies of water
People per sq mi
33 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Who to ask before you build, dig or sell

Official county pages only. We link to them; we do not copy them, because they change.

Records

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Matagorda County

When was Matagorda County founded?
Matagorda County was founded in 1834, formed from Brazoria County, and named after canebrakes.
What is the county seat of Matagorda County?
The county seat of Matagorda County is Bay City.
Is there an online parcel map for Matagorda County?
Yes. Matagorda County publishes a parcel map of 37,247 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Matagorda County's boundary or name changed?
Matagorda County was created in 1834 from Brazoria County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 11 later changes, chiefly involving Jackson County, Brazoria County and Ward County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Matagorda County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door