Raccoon Bend is an
unincorporated community in
Austin County, in the
U.S. state of
Texas.
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 400 in 2000. It is located within the
Greater Houston metropolitan area.
History
The area of Austin County west of 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 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater Dr ...
was first settled in the early 1900s and the community of Raccoon Bend grew when the
Humble Oil and Refining Company drilled
oil and gas wells and opened the Raccoon Bend oilfield in 1927. The community had numerous houses, businesses relating to oil, and a church in the 1930s. A cemetery named Pleasant Grove Cemetery was also in the community. Its population was 400 in 2000.
Geography
Raccoon Bend is located south of
Texas State Highway 159
State Highway 159 (SH 159) is a Texas state highway that runs from La Grange, TX, La Grange to Fayetteville, Texas, Fayetteville in Fayette County, Texas, Fayette County, through Industry, Texas, Industry and Bellville, Texas, Bellville in Austin ...
, about northeast of
Bellville in northeastern Austin County.
Education
Raccoon Bend had its own school in the 1930s, which closed by the second half of the 20th century.
Today, the community is served by the
Bellville Independent School District.
References
Unincorporated communities in Austin County, Texas
Unincorporated communities in Texas
{{AustinCountyTX-geo-stub