Brazoria County
Known for being the birthplace of Texas history as the first capital of the Republic, Brazoria County is the 14th largest county in the State of Texas. Brazoria County is located on the Gulf Coast boasting sandy Gulf Coast beaches, a strong petrochemical and industrial base, Port Freeport, significant agriculture, abundant wildlife refuges, and a blend of suburban growth, rich history, outdoor recreation, a strong sense of community, and diverse lifestyle options.
Brazoria County is within the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area and is among a number of counties that are part of the region known as the Texas Coastal Bend. There are twenty-four incorporated cities located within Brazoria County, with the largest being Pearland. The county seat is Angleton. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 372,031, with a 2024 estimated population of 393,694.
Brazoria County, like nearby Brazos County, takes its name from the Brazos River, which flows through it. The county includes what was once Velasco, Texas, which was the first capital of the Republic of Texas. Anglo-Texas began in Brazoria County when the first of Stephen F. Austin’s authorized 300 American settlers arrived at the mouth of the Brazos River in 1821. Many of the events leading to the Texas Revolution developed in Brazoria County. In 1832, Brazoria was organized as a separate municipal district by the Mexican government and so became one of Texas original counties at independence in 1836. The town of West Columbia served as the first capital of Texas, dating back to pre-revolutionary days.
Stephen F. Austin’s original burial place is located at the Gulf Prairie Church Cemetery in the town of Jones Creek, on what was his brother-in-law’s Peach Point Plantation. Austin’s remains were exhumed in 1910 and brought to the state capital in Austin.
Brazoria County resembles both rural and suburban life, as it is part of the Greater Houston area, boasting a lower cost of living than Houston and an excellent quality of life.