Altair is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Colorado County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, United States. It is located at the four-way stop sign junction of U.S. Route 90 Alternate and State Highway 71. The community had an estimated population of 30 in 2000.

Geography

Altair is located at (29.5713505, -96.4541355). It is situated along U.S. Highway 90A in south central Colorado County, about nine miles south of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

and 28 miles north of El Campo. File:Altair TX Sign.JPG, Beyond the Altair sign on US 90A is the Highway 71 junction and the rice dryer, Kallina Dryer Inc. The view is east. File:Altair TX Rice Mill.JPG, The rice dryer, Kallina Dryer Inc., is a prominent landmark in Altair. File:Altair TX Rice Junior High.JPG, Rice CISD Junior High School is located on US 90A between Altair and Rock Island.

History

The community dates from the late 1880s. Located on the R.E. and John Stafford ranch property, the community developed into a cattle loading station that was initially called Stafford's Ranch. A post office at Stafford's Ranch was established on October 4, 1888, with John Stafford as postmaster. To avoid confusion with the nearby town of Stafford in

Fort Bend County Fort Bend County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The county was founded in 1837 and organized the next year. It is named for a blockhouse at a bend of the Brazos River. The community developed around the fort in early days. Th ...

, the post office name was changed to Altair on September 19, 1890. That same year, a town site was laid out and a branch of the

Texas and New Orleans Railroad The Texas and New Orleans Railroad was a railroad in Texas and Louisiana. It operated of railroad in 1934; by 1961, remained when it merged with parent company Southern Pacific. Location The Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad was a partl ...

arrived. By 1897, Altair had a population around 100 with two stores, a gin, lumberyard, blacksmith shop, and hotel. A school house was also constructed in 1897 and a telephone line was laid from Columbus to Altair. The community's relatively close proximity to the larger city of Columbus played a role in keeping Altair small. The population peaked around 200 in 1960 and had fallen to 80 by the mid-1970s. By the 1990s, the few businesses in Altair included a rice-drying facility, Kallina Dryer Inc., and the Blue Goose Hunting Club and Restaurant. The number of inhabitants had fallen to 30 in 2000. Altair has a post office with the ZIP code 77412.

Education

Public education in the community of Altair is provided by the

Rice Consolidated Independent School District Rice Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Altair, Texas ( USA). In addition to Altair, the district serves the city of Eagle Lake, the communities of Garwood and Sheridan, as well as ru ...

. The district, which serves southern Colorado County, is headquartered in Altair and home to the Rice High School Raiders. The designated community college for Rice CISD is

Wharton County Junior College Wharton County Junior College (WCJC) is a public community college with its main campus in Wharton, Texas. The college also has campuses in Richmond, Sugar Land, and Bay City. WCJC is accredited by the Southern Association of Colle ...

.Texas Education Code Sec. 130.211. WHARTON COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
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References

External links

* * {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Colorado County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas