Port Alto is an unincorporated community in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, the community had a population of 45 in 2000. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Before its subdivision in 1939, Port Alto was referred to as Persimmon Point. In the community's early records, there was one store and roughly 10 permanent people. In 1961, the summer population grew to 205 due to retirees and vacationers, but Hurricane Carla destroyed the village in September of that year. By 1966, the town had been rebuilt, and 185 people were living there during the summer. There were 170 listings on the Port Alto phone exchange in 1970, suggesting a likely growth in the overall population, both year-round and seasonal. There was a row of homes along the shore in Port Alto in the 1970s. In 1990, Port Alto was still recognized as a community. The population was 45 in 2000.

Geography

Port Alto is located at the intersection of

Texas State Highway Spur 159 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 ...

and Farm to Market Road 307 on the western shore of

Carancahua Bay Carancahua Bay is a northern extension of Matagorda Bay located in Jackson County, Texas, Jackson and Calhoun County, Texas, Calhoun counties in Texas, United States. It is oriented from the southeast to the northwest but meanders as it reaches t ...

, east of Olivia, southwest of Palacios, and northwest of

Port Lavaca Port Lavaca () is a city in Calhoun County, located in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 12,248 at the 2010 census and 11,557 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Calhoun County and part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statis ...

in northeastern Calhoun County.

Education

Port Alto is served by the

Calhoun County Independent School District Calhoun County Independent School District is a public school district based in Port Lavaca, Texas (USA). The district was formed in July 1948 with the consolidation of the Seadrift, Olivia, Six Mile, Long Mott, Magnolia Beach, Kamey, Port O'Con ...

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Calhoun County, Texas Victoria, Texas metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in Texas