Palacios ( ) is a city in Matagorda County,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. The population was 4,395 at the 2020 census.

History

The native inhabitants of the region were the Karankawa people, whose initial contact with Europeans came in the 16th century when Spanish expeditions first traversed their territory, but they didn't speak Spanish, so it really has nothing to do with Palacios, Texas. In 1685, the area was explored by

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (; November 22, 1643 – March 19, 1687), was a 17th-century French explorer and North American fur trade, fur trader in North America. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada ...

, the leader of an ill-fated French settlement attempt whose flagship '' La Belle'' was wrecked in the bay the following year. In the 1820s, English-speaking settlers arrived and came into frequent conflict with the Karankawa, who were eventually driven out of the area.. Still nothing to do with Palacios, Texas. Popular local legend states that the area was named Tres Palacios ("Three Palaces") several centuries ago by shipwrecked Spanish sailors who claimed they saw a vision of three palaces on the bay. Historians believe it was more likely named for José Félix Trespalacios, an early Mexican governor of Texas. The town was originally called Trespalacios, but shortened its name due to a nearby post office already using the longer version. The future site of Palacios was ranch land until 1901, when it was put up for sale by the estate of the former owner, Abel "Shanghai" Pierce. The land was purchased by a development company, surveyed into lots, and with the arrival of the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

and the establishment of the Texas Baptist Encampment, it rapidly grew into a seaside resort town. It was first settled as a community in 1903. City government was established in 1909, and by 1915, Palacios was home to more than 100 businesses, with a post office, library, weekly newspaper, numerous hotels, including the imposing 1903 Luther Hotel along the waterfront, and churches, as well as a large entertainment pavilion built on a pier in the bay. In 1926, Camp Hulen (originally "Camp Palacios") was opened as a training center for the 36th Infantry of the Texas National Guard. The camp was leased by the War Department during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when it was developed into a major antiaircraft training facility with a peak troop capacity of 14,560, and also served as a detention center for German prisoners of war. The population of Palacios boomed during this period, and the city hosted visiting stars such as

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and Pin-up model, pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of ...

and

Glenn Miller Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombonist, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces ...

. After the war, Camp Hulen was closed and the local population declined. The town was hit by

Hurricane Carla Hurricane Carla was the most intense tropical cyclone landfall in Texas in the 20th century. The third named storm of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season, Carla developed from an area of squall, squally weather in the southwestern Caribbean Sea ...

in 1961, causing major damage. Since then, the population has grown again, with the settlement of Vietnamese immigrants and other newcomers from all over the United States. In 1973, acknowledging the rash of UFO sightings in the area and the state, then Mayor W.C. "Bill" Jackson declared October 24 Palacios' "First Annual UFO Fly-In Day" and called on President Richard Nixon to declare the community the "Interplanetary Capital of the Universe." In 1991, a pavilion was rebuilt on the waterfront, and in 1995 the French shipwreck '' La Belle'' was discovered at the bottom of the bay, becoming the focus of a major archeological excavation which was staged out of Palacios in 1996-1997. In 2009, the city marked its centennial with celebrations and other events.

Geography

Palacios is located on the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...

about halfway between

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

and Corpus Christi. It is connected to both cities by State Highway 35. 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 ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (4.36%) is covered by water. It is located on the shores of Tres Palacios Bay, an arm of

Matagorda Bay Matagorda Bay () is a large Gulf of Mexico bay on the Texas coast, lying in Calhoun and Matagorda counties and located approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, east-southeast of San Antonio, south-southwest of Houston, and south-southea ...

. The Palacios area is known among birders for its wide diversity of bird life. Since 1997, as part of the 15-mile-diameter Matagorda County-Mad Island Marsh count circle of the

National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...

Christmas Bird Count The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern-hemisphere winter by volunteer birdwatchers and administered by the National Audubon Society. The purpose is to provide popula ...

, it has consistently reported more bird species than anywhere else in the United States. On December 19, 2005, a record 250 species were observed.

Climate

Palacios experiences 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 ...

. Average daytime high temperatures range from in January to in August. Average nighttime lows range from in winter to in summer.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,395 people, 1,524 households, and 1,038 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, 5,153 people, 1,661 households, and 1,244 families resided in the city. The population density was . There were 1,976 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 57% White, 5% African American, 1% Native American, 12% Asian, 22% from other races, and 33% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 51% of the population. Palacios has a high percentage of Asian-Americans, as it is home to a large community of Vietnamese immigrants and their families. Of the 1,661 households, 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% 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, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were not families. About 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.64. In the city, the population was distributed as 35.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,623, and for a family was $35,518. Males had a median income of $27,483 versus $21,875 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 $13,107. About 19.8% of families and 24.2% 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 28.9% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Home to about 400 vessels, Palacios is the third-largest shrimping port on the Texas Gulf Coast, and has proclaimed itself to be the "Shrimp Capital of Texas". The most common industries are educational services, agriculture/fishing, and construction. The area has also long been a major center for energy production, and the county is positioning itself as an "energy cluster" for both conventional and alternative "green" power generation, with over $3 billion in new construction undergoing permitting as of 2011. The local tourism industry is based on fishing, boating, birding and eco-tourism opportunities.

Government

The City of Palacios has a council-manager government. As of November, 2022, the mayor is Jim Gardner. The former mayor was Linh Chau, the first Vietnamese mayor in Texas. As of 2025, the mayor is Rick Cink.

Education

Palacios and neighboring areas are served by the Palacios Independent School District. The school district includes Central Elementary, East Side Elementary, Palacios Junior High School, and Palacios High School (the junior high school and high school reside on the same campus grounds). The designated community college for Palacios ISD 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 offers a range of postsecondary educational prog ...

. The City by the Sea Museum offers educational programming.

Media

Palacios is home to the ''Palacios Beacon'', a weekly newspaper established in 1907.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The city is accessed by

Texas State Highway 35 State Highway 35 (SH 35) is a state highway near the southeastern edge of Texas, United States, that is maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). It runs primarily south–north, paralleling the Gulf of Mexico for much o ...

and served by the Palacios Municipal Airport. The Palacios Channel connects the Port of Palacios to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

offers direct bus service from Palacios to

, Corpus Christi, and the Rio Grande Valley.

Notable people

* Daniel E. Flores, Bishop of Brownsville, youngest Catholic bishop in the U.S. at the time of his episcopal appointment * William L. Jungers, anthropologist, best known for his work on the biomechanics of bipedal locomotion in hominids such as the 3.4 million-year-old ''

Lucy Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...

'' * Priscilla Owen, judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit * Monty Stratton, Major League Baseball pitcher from the 1930s

References

External links

City of Palacios

Palacios Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Matagorda County, Texas Populated places established in 1903 1903 establishments in Texas