Victoria is a city and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Victoria County, Texas Victoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 91,319. Its county seat is also named Victoria. Victoria County is included in the Victoria metropolitan statistical area, and compri ...

, United States. The population was 65,534 as of the 2020 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 as of the 2000 census. Its elevation is . Victoria is located 30 miles inland from the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. It is a two-hour drive from Corpus Christi,

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 ...

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, and Austin. The city is named for

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Guadalupe Victoria, who became the first president of independent

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. It is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria in Texas.

History

The city of Guadalupe Victoria was founded in 1824 by Martín De León, a Mexican empresario, in honor of Guadalupe Victoria, the first President of the Republic of Mexico. Victoria was initially part of De León's Colony, which had been founded that same year. By 1834, the town had a population of approximately 300. During the

Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...

, Guadalupe Victoria contributed soldiers and supplies to pro-revolutionary forces. However, after James Fannin was defeated by the Mexican army at the Battle of Coleto, the town was occupied by Mexican forces. After Santa Anna was defeated at the Battle of San Jacinto, the town's Mexican residents were driven out by Anglo settlers, who renamed it Victoria. In 1840, a Comanche raid on nearby Linnville killed many residents of the town. A

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

outbreak occurred in 1846. During the mid-19th century, the city developed a large population of European immigrants, particularly Germans. By the turn of the 20th century, Victoria was experiencing rapid population growth thanks to its position as a regional trade center. The city's advantageous proximity to Gulf Coast ports, the larger cities of Austin, Corpus Christi,

, and

, and prosperous industries in agriculture and

petrochemical Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable s ...

s solidified its prominence. The University of Houston–Victoria was founded in 1971 and remains there today. In 2017, the Victoria Islamic Center mosque was destroyed by an arson attack. A 25-year-old Victoria man was convicted of the crime and sentenced to prison. A documentary film, ''A Town Called Victoria'', was produced about the incident.

Geography

Victoria is located on the coastal plains of Texas about from the Gulf of Mexico and from the nearest bay waters. It lies along and just to the east of the Guadalupe River. The topography is mostly flat to slightly rolling with an average elevation of . Most of the city is underlain by

smectite A smectite (; ; ) is a mineral mixture of various swelling sheet silicates (phyllosilicates), which have a three-layer 2:1 (TOT) structure and belong to the clay minerals. Smectites mainly consist of montmorillonite, but can often contain secon ...

-rich clay which is locally capped by silt or fine sand; the high shrink-swell potential associated with smectite creates major challenges to urban infrastructure. Vegetation in better-drained areas consists primarily of short grasses with post oaks and other small timber and brush. Moist sites can grow tall forests dominated by elm and pecan.

Climate

Victoria is classified as having 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 ...

. June through August are very hot and humid, with high temperatures regularly exceeding . The record high temperature of was recorded in September 2000. Victoria also holds the Texas record high for October at 109 °F (42.8 °C) recorded in 1926. Spring and autumn are generally mild to warm with lower humidity. Winters are mild, with occasional cold spells. The record low temperature was recorded in December 1989, when the temperature dropped to . Snow is very infrequent, occurring on average once every 11 years. On December 24–25, 2004, Victoria recorded its first White Christmas ever when of snow fell. Average monthly precipitation is lowest in winter and has a secondary minimum in August, with intense heat and humidity prevailing. On average, the wettest months are May, June, September and October (the last two of these due to significant threat from tropical weather systems, including

hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

, which can produce torrential rainfalls some years). Victoria has occasional severe weather, mostly from flooding. Hurricanes have the potential to bring severe damage to the area. Hurricane Claudette in July 2003 was the last hurricane to score a direct hit on the city. During this event, winds gusted to at the Victoria Regional Airport and 90% of the city lost power. The most intense hurricane to affect Victoria remains Hurricane Carla in September 1961. In May 2013, a rare tornado hit Victoria on a Saturday afternoon with tornado warnings everywhere from Corpus Christi to the southeast Houston/Sugarland Metro area. A short-lived tornado took a swipe at an open field northeast of Victoria, dodging all structures and causing no injuries but kicking up dirt and debris visible for miles. Tornadoes striking the area are commonly associated with hurricanes and are otherwise rare.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 65,534 people, 23,724 households, and 15,560 families residing in the city. As of

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, 60,603 people, 22,129 households, and 15,755 families resided in the city. The population density was . There were 24,192 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 55.2% White, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 42.4% of the population, 7.59% African American, 0.51% Native American, 1.01% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 17.31% from other races, and 2.35% from two or more races. Of the 22,129 households, 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% 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, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were not families. About 24.5% of all households were made up of an individual, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.21. In the city, the population was distributed as 28.8% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,829, and for a family was $42,866. Males had a median income of $34,184 versus $21,161 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 $19,009. About 12.2% of families and 14.7% 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 20.4% of those under the age of 18 and 12.2% ages 65 or older.

Economy

Victoria's economy is a mix of education, health, retail, agriculture, and industry. Its access to major highways, the Victoria Regional Airport, railway terminals, the shallow draft Port of Victoria, and the deep water Port of Port Lavaca-Point Comfort help to sustain a healthy environment for business. Major industrial employers in the region include Formosa Plastics Corp, Inteplast Group, Dow, Invista,

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

and Alcoa.

Arts and culture

Theatre Victoria offers six productions in a season, including the Victoria Symphony Orchestra and Victoria Ballet. The Victoria Bach Festival occurs each June. Museams include McNamara House (a social history museum), the Nave (art), the Children's Discovery Museum, and the Museum of the Coastal Bend. The Victoria Art League is a location for local artists, and is located in a Texas Registered Historical Landmark building. DeLeon Plaza and Bandstand was one of four public squares set aside by colony founder Martin de Leon. It contains monuments and memorials, and a bandstand built in 1890. The Victoria County Courthouse, built in 1892, is made of Texas granite and Indiana limestone. Fossati's Delicatessen in downtown Victoria opened in 1882. Downtown Victoria has the second-oldest

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Church in Texas and first to be canonically established in the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

, St. Mary's Church.

Parks and recreation

Victoria's 562-acre (2.27-km²) Riverside Park is home to the Texas Zoo, which houses more than 200 species of animals and plants indigenous to Texas, exhibiting them in their natural habitats. The park is also home to more than 15

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

fields which are occupied during the spring and summer by teams from the Victoria Metro region. Also in Riverside Park on the Guadalupe River is the Victoria Paddling trail. This 4.2-mile stretch of the Guadalupe River is bordered by soft banks rather than the limestone bluffs of the Hill Country. Boating and freshwater fishing are available at two area reservoirs, Lake Texana and Coleto Lake. Many residents also take advantage of the nearby Gulf of Mexico. Port O'Connor, 50 miles to the southeast, is renowned for bay, off-shore and wade fishing. Three

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

s are located in Victoria: the Victoria Country Club, Riverside Golf Course, and Colony Creek Country Club. The major shopping center is Victoria Mall.

Sports

The UHV Jaguars compete in baseball, softball, soccer, and golf as a member of the Red River Athletic Conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I. The Victoria Generals compete in the Texas Collegiate League, a summer baseball league. The Generals won the 2010 TCL championship.

Government

Victoria is administered by a

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

of seven members. The council is composed of six council members and an elected

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

, accompanied by a hired

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...

under the manager-council system of municipal governance. The council is elected under four single-member districts (numbered 1 through 4), two "super districts" (numbered 5 and 6; Super District 5 overlays Districts 1 and 2 while Super District 6 overlays Districts 3 and 4); the mayor is elected at-large. Victoria also serves as the county seat of Victoria County.

Education

The Victoria Independent School District serves the city. Victoria has several private education options including Trinity Episcopal School, Faith Academy, Northside Baptist School, Our Lady of Victory School, Nazareth Academy, and St. Joseph High School. Victoria College, a two-year

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

, and the University of Houston–Victoria, a separate independent four-year campus of the University of Houston System, provide post-secondary educational opportunities.

Media

Newspapers

The daily newspaper is '' The Victoria Advocate''. Additionally, the University of Houston–Victoria publishes ''The Flame''.

Radio

Television

KMOL-LD (channel 17) is Victoria's NBC affiliate, carrying Movies! on 17.2; it is owned and operated by Morgan Murphy Media.

KVCT KVCT (channel 19) is a television station in Victoria, Texas, United States, affiliated with Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox and The CW Plus. It is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Morgan ...

(channel 19) is Victoria's Fox affiliate, simulcasting Telemundo on 19.2; carrying The CW Plus on 19.3 and Heroes & Icons on 19.4; it is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting and operated by Morgan Murphy Media. KUNU-LD (channel 21) is Victoria's Univision affiliate, carrying

Dabl Dabl () is an American digital multicast television network owned by the CBS Media Ventures subsidiary of Paramount Global and operated by Weigel Broadcasting. Dabl launched in September 2019 with a female-targeted lifestyle format. It aired r ...

on 21.2; it is owned and operated by Morgan Murphy Media.

KAVU-TV KAVU-TV (channel 25) is a television station in Victoria, Texas, United States, affiliated with American Broadcasting Company, ABC. Owned by Morgan Murphy Media, it is the largest station in the Victoria Television Group, which also includes the ...

(channel 25) is Victoria's ABC affiliate, simulcasting NBC on 25.2 and CBS on 25.3; carrying AccuWeather on 25.4 and Ion Television on 25.5; it is owned and operated by Morgan Murphy Media. KQZY-LD (channel 33) is Victoria's Cozi TV; it is owned and operated by Morgan Murphy Media. KXTS-LD (channel 41) is Victoria's CBS affiliate, carrying Antenna TV on 41.2 and HSN on 41.3; it is owned and operated by Morgan Murphy Media. KVTX-LD (channel 45) is Victoria's Telemundo affiliate; it is owned and operated by Morgan Murphy Media. PBS programming is provided by

KUHT KUHT (channel 8) is a PBS member television station in Houston, Texas, United States. Owned by the University of Houston System, it is sister station, sister to NPR member station KUHF (88.7 FM). The two stations share studios and offices in th ...

(channel 8) in

and KLRN (channel 9) in

, which share the Victoria market.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Victoria is located at the intersection of three major U.S. highways: * US Highway 59 (

I-69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of eight unconnected segments. The longest segment runs from Evansville, Indiana, northeast to the Canada–United States border, Canadian border in Po ...

and I-69W) is a four-lane divided, interstate-quality highway extending southwest to Laredo and northeast to Houston, where it meets

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

and

Interstate 45 Interstate 45 (I-45) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. While most primary Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, ...

. It is also known as the Lloyd M. Bentsen Highway. US 59 is planned to be included within the future Interstate 69 from Victoria to Tenaha (once fully completed the mainline of Interstate 69 will travel from Brownsville, Texas to Port Huron, Michigan). US 59 is planned to be included within the future Interstate 69W from Victoria to Laredo. * US Highway 77 ( I-69E) travels north from Victoria to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, intersecting Interstate 10, Interstate 35 and Interstate 37. US 77 travels south via a four-lane divided highway to the Rio Grande Valley. US 77 is planned to be included within the future Interstate 69E from Victoria to Brownsville. * US Highway 87 travels northwest connecting Victoria to San Antonio, providing access to Interstate 35. US 87 also connects with Port Lavaca to the southeast. * ** * ** * * Victoria is a regional transportation hub for the surrounding counties, with local access to major large and small freight carriers, Victoria Regional Airport, railway terminals, the shallow draft Port of Victoria and the deep water Port of Port Lavaca – Point Comfort. In 2002, Victoria Transit began operation of a citywide transportation system. It currently offers bus service on four fixed routes consisting of 70 stops.

Notable people

* Joe Beaver 8 Time Rodeo World Champion ProRodeo Hall of Fame *

Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...

(born 1964), wrestler, actor * Cowboy Troy (Troy Lee Coleman III), singer * Doug Drabek, former MLB pitcher, winner of 1990

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball ( ...

* Kyle Drabek, former MLB pitcher * Harvey Fite, sculptor, creator of Opus 40 * Ron Gant, former MLB outfielder * Doug Hazlewood, comic book creator"Victoria Artist Due at Fair,"
'' The Victoria Advocate'' (June 15, 1989). * Bruce Herron, former NFL linebacker * Michale Kyser (born 1991), basketball player for Hapoel Holon in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

* Edward F. Knipling,

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

* Kevin Kolb, former NFL quarterback * Leo N. Levi (1856–1904), lawyer * Doug Mellard, stand-up comedian * Frankie Miller (born 1931), country musician * Royston Nave (1886–1931), artist * Ben Price, videographer, sound technician, and drummer * Matt Prokop (born 1990), actor * Joseph Rojas, lead singer of Seventh Day Slumber * Jerheme Urban, former NFL wide receiver * Noël Wells (born 1986), actress * Bailey Zappe, NFL quarterback for the Cleveland Browns

Notes

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Texas County seats in Texas Populated places on the Guadalupe River (Texas) Victoria, Texas metropolitan area Capitals of former nations Cities in Victoria County, Texas