Texas

Formed February 25, 1845 (96^th county)

Texas County (24,495), Houston (2,079), Licking (2,845)

The red brick Art Deco courthouse was constructed in 1932.  There were 1847, 1851, 1860, 1871, and 1882 courthouses earlier all in Houston, the only county seat.  The current courthouse is sited on Grand Avenue at Main Street.  United States Highway 63 is five blocks to the east of the courthouse.  Johnson and Maack were the building designers.  A Justice Center was added in 2008.  The county was organized on February 25, 1845 from parts of Shannon and Wright counties as the 96^th county.  Texas County is named for the Republic of Texas.  The county seat is named for Republic of Texas President Sam Houston. 

The area of the county is 1179 square miles.  It is 1 out of 115 in the state.  It ranks 45 out of 115 in population in the state.  It has a density of 20.8 persons per square mile making it 77 out of 115 in the state.  Texas County has 32.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 60 clips the southwest corner of the county from Wright County, west, to Howell County, south.  United States Highway 63 enters from the north, Phelps County, and joins United States Highway 60 to exit south, Howell County.  Texas County is shaped like the State of Utah.  Houston is located near the center of the county.  Licking is in the northeast quarter of the county.  Houston is the county seat and Licking is the largest city.  Houston is 8.5% of the county population while Licking is 11.6% of the county population. 

Texas County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a collector, a coroner, an assessor and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Two Circuit Court Judges serve Texas, Maries, Phelps, and Pulaski counties and One County Court Judge and a court clerk serve Texas County (judicial.)  Texas County is in southern Missouri.  Springfield, Missouri is west and St. Louis, Missouri is northeast of the county.  The county center is in Houston 1.5 miles South-Southwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Phelps, Dent, Shannon, Howell, Douglas, Wright, Laclede, and Pulaski counties.

Summersville