Brazoria ( ) is a city in
Brazoria County, Texas
Brazoria County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 372,031. The county seat is Angleton.
Brazoria County is included in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan stat ...
, United States, and is part of the metropolitan area. As of the
2020 census, the city population was 2,866.
Geography
Brazoria is located southwest of the center of Brazoria County. The northeastern edge of the community, known as Old Brazoria, is located along the
Brazos River
The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...
.
Texas State Highway 36 runs through the center of the city, leading southeast to
Freeport and northwest to
Rosenberg.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, Brazoria has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 2,866 people, 1,171 households, and 869 families residing in the city.
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 2,787 people, 1,063 households, and 736 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,166 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.95%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 10.30%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.57%
Native American, 0.68%
Asian, 5.38% from
other races, and 1.11% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 11.37% of the population.
There were 1,063 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,058, and the median income for a family was $41,563. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $21,543 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $16,666. About 10.8% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 19.3% of those age 65 or over.
History

Brazoria was founded in 1828 on land granted by
Stephen F. Austin to
John Austin, who laid out the town. The town's name was selected by John Austin, "for the single reason that I know of none like it in the world". Supposedly, the first
Masonic lodge
A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry.
It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...
in Texas was founded in 1835 when six men met under the Masonic Oak in Brazoria. The following year, the town was nearly deserted during the
Runaway Scrape. H. M. Shaw opened a school in Brazoria in 1838 and a post office opened in 1846. The community's 1884 population was served by 12 general stores, five churches, three hotels, good schools, cotton gins, and sugar mills. By 1890 the town had become the county seat. Two years later the ''Velasco World'' weekly newspaper began publishing in the town.
However, the railroad bypassed Brazoria and it lost the county seat to
Angleton in 1897. The town went into decline. The Brazoria school boasted three teachers and 142 students in 1906. The ''Banner'' weekly news started publishing in 1914. The local discovery of oil and sulphur in 1939 and the construction of a bridge across the
Brazos River
The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...
helped restore the town's fortunes. By 1987 Brazoria counted 50 businesses. Brazoria celebrates Frontier Days in March, the No Name Festival in June, and the Santa Ana Ball in July.
[
]
Education
The city is served by the Columbia-Brazoria Independent School District.
Two public elementary schools serve Brazoria—Barrow Elementary, which is located in the city limits, and Wild Peach Elementary, which is located outside the city limits. West Brazos Junior High School is also located in Brazoria and serves all junior high school students in the Columbia-Brazoria Independent School District.
Students continue on to Columbia High School Columbia High School may refer to:
*Columbia High School (Huntsville, Alabama)
*Columbia High School (Georgia)
*Columbia High School (Florida)
*Columbia High School (Idaho)
*Columbia High School (Illinois)
*Columbia High School (Mississippi), a Mis ...
. Columbia High School is located the city of West Columbia.
The Texas Legislature
The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...
assigned the area in Columbia-Brazoria ISD (including Brazosport) to the Brazosport College
Brazosport College (BC) is a public community college in Lake Jackson, Texas. The college opened in 1968 and offers primarily associate degrees and some bachelor's degrees. The campus features The Clarion, a regional musical performance venue, ...
district.
File:CBISD Barrow Elementary.jpg, Barrow Elementary School on Gaines Street
File:CBISD Wild Peach Elementary.jpg, Wild Peach Elementary School on County Rd 353
File:CBISD West Brazos Jr High.jpg, West Brazos Junior High School on Hwy 36
Government and infrastructure
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Clemens Unit in an unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
near Brazoria.[
The Brazoria Library is a part of the Brazoria County Library System.
File:Brazoria TX Post Office.jpg, US Post Office in Brazoria
File:Brazoria TX Municipal Court.jpg, Brazoria Municipal Court Building
File:Brazoria TX Library.jpg, Brazoria Community Library
]
Medical services
Brazoria is served by West Brazos EMS which is operated by Sweeny Community Hospital. Although there is not a hospital within the city limits, Sweeny Community, Brazosport Regional, Matagorda Regional, and UTMB Angleton-Danbury are all within a driving distance.
Transportation
Eagle Air Park (IATA code BZT) is the city airport.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Brazoria has a humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Brazoria, Texas
/ref>
Notable person
* Sofie Herzog, doctor
See also
* List of municipalities in Texas
Texas is a U.S. state, state located in the Southern United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, 29,145,505 (93.14%) of the 31,290,831 residents of Texas lived in a Municipal corporation, municipality in the 2024 estimate.
...
Notes
References
External links
Brazoria Chamber of Commerce
Brazoria Heritage Foundation
Brazos Valley Railroad Society
Handbook of Texas online
{{authority control
Cities in Brazoria County, Texas
Cities in Texas
Greater Houston
Former county seats in Texas