Matagorda () is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

Matagorda County Matagorda County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,255. Its county seat is Bay City, not to be confused with the larger Baytown in Harris and Chambers Counties. Matagorda County is ...

, Texas. It is located near the mouth of the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

on the upper

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

coast in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. In 2020, its population was 313. Matagorda is primarily a tourist town, with commercial and recreational fishing being the top industries. About of the beach are accessible by vehicle and 35 additional miles are accessible only by boat. Matagorda is at the end of State Highway 60 and the beginning of Farm to Market Road 2031, which runs over the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...

and south to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

History

Matagorda is the third-oldest Anglo-American town in Texas. It was established in 1827 when

Stephen F. Austin Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...

obtained permission from the Mexican government to build a town to protect incoming settlers. Elias R. Wightman, who was one of Stephen F. Austin's early surveyors, traveled to Matagorda in 1829 with 60 immigrant settlers. Twenty-four historical markers are in the township of Matagorda.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 313 people, 242 households, and 167 families residing in the CDP.

Activities

Tourist activities in Matagorda include visiting the beach. The area is a common fishing spot on the Texas coast. It provides access to both East and West Matagorda Bays, Matagorda Beach, and the

. Other activities include kayaking and

kayak fishing Kayak fishing is fishing from a kayak. The kayak has long been a means of transportation and a means of accessing fishing grounds. Kayak fishing has gained popularity in recent times. History Kayaks (Inuktitut: ''qajaq'', Inuktitut syllabics: ' ...

, due to miles of shallow marsh area only accessible by kayak. Miles of designated paddling trails are in the Matagorda area. Matagorda County has been number-one in the nation since 1997 in the North American Audubon Christmas Bird Count with 234 different species spotted. Among the species reported are the

prairie warbler The prairie warbler (''Setophaga discolor'') is a small songbird of the New World warbler family. Description These birds have yellow underparts with dark streaks on the flanks, and olive overparts with rusty streaks on the back; they have a ye ...

common poorwill The common poorwill (''Phalaenoptilus nuttallii'') is a nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae, the nightjars. It is found from British Columbia and southeastern Alberta, through the western United States to northern Mexico. The bird's habi ...

broad-winged hawk The broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'') is a medium-sized hawk of the genus ''Buteo''. During the summer, some subspecies are distributed over eastern North America, as far west as British Columbia and Texas; they then migrate south to wi ...

MacGillivray's warbler MacGillivray's warbler (''Geothlypis tolmiei'') is a species of New World warbler. These birds are sluggish and heavy warblers, preferring to spend most of their time on, or near the ground, except when singing. left, A MacGillivray's warbler p ...

, and

Swainson's warbler Swainson's warbler (''Limnothlypis swainsonii'') is a small species of New World warbler. It is monotypic, the only member of the genus ''Limnothlypis''. Swainson's warbler was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist. Descriptio ...

Education

Matagorda Independent School District Matagorda Independent School District () is a public school district based in the community of Matagorda, Texas (USA). The district has one school - that serves students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12. In 2009, the school district was ra ...

is the local

K-8 school K8 or K-8 may refer to: * K-8 (Kansas highway), two highways in Kansas, one in northern Kansas, one in southern Kansas * K-8 school, a type of school that includes kindergarten and grades one through eight * AMD K8, the internal designation for the ...

district. The designated community college for Matagorda Independent School District 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 College ...

.Texas Education Code Sec. 130.211. WHARTON COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
/ref>

References

External links

* *
Matagorda Beach information

Matagorda Beach Cam

Matagorda Chamber of Commerce
Census-designated places in Matagorda County, Texas Populated coastal places in Texas 1827 establishments in Texas {{MatagordaCountyTX-geo-stub