Houston / Upper Gulf Coast
Colorado County, Texas
A local guide to the county: the stories that give it a shape, practical checks, and a few things worth knowing before they surprise you. Every note points to its source.
8 stories · 4 practical · 2 good to know
The practical part
Colorado County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Colorado County: who sets your value and who sends the bill.
Homestead exemption →
File Form 50-114 with the appraisal district. It is free. The regular deadline is April 30, and late filing is allowed for up to two years.
Protest your appraisal →
The usual deadline is May 15, or 30 days after your notice arrives, whichever is later.
Estimate a tax bill →
Model a bill from local rates, the homestead exemption, and the appraisal cap.
Start here
A little of what makes this place itself
Eagle Lake · Town Origins
An Eagle, a Stage Line, and a Railroad Shaped Eagle Lake
Eagle Lake's town marker links an 1821 eagle story to a lakeside stage headquarters, an 1856 townsite, and the railroad's arrival three years later.
Alleyton · River & Rail
At Alleyton, Rail Cars Became Cotton Wagons
During the Civil War, Alleyton became the railhead where cotton shifted to wagons and carts for the long route to Mexico, then received supplies on the return trip.
Eagle Lake · Rice Country
Forty Acres of Rice Changed Colorado County's Economy
William Dunovant's 40-acre rice experiment at Eagle Lake grew into pumping plants, canals, mills, new rail construction, and a countywide change in cash crops.
All 14 local notes
The full county shelf is mixed so stories and useful checks travel together. Use the filters when you need one kind.
Showing all 14 notes.
- Stories & local character History & Culture An Eagle, a Stage Line, and a Railroad Shaped Eagle Lake Eagle Lake's town marker links an 1821 eagle story to a lakeside stage headquarters, an 1856 townsite, and the railroad's arrival three years later. Eagle Lake
- Practical Outdoors A 4.2-Mile Gravel Loop Opens the Prairie Near Eagle Lake The Attwater refuge pairs a 4.2-mile gravel auto tour with two short mowed trails, giving visitors a public route into Colorado County's native coastal prairie. Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge
- Stories & local character History & Culture At Alleyton, Rail Cars Became Cotton Wagons During the Civil War, Alleyton became the railhead where cotton shifted to wagons and carts for the long route to Mexico, then received supplies on the return trip. Alleyton
- Practical Outdoors Hunting in Colorado County: What Seasons Apply IH-10 splits Colorado County dove rules: north of the highway is Central Zone, south is South Zone, while deer and turkey have their own county listings.
- Good to know History & Culture The 1891 Courthouse Is Columbus's Most Visible Landmark The Colorado County Courthouse in Columbus was built in 1891, lost its tower in a hurricane, and was fully restored in 2014.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Forty Acres of Rice Changed Colorado County's Economy William Dunovant's 40-acre rice experiment at Eagle Lake grew into pumping plants, canals, mills, new rail construction, and a countywide change in cash crops. Eagle Lake
- Practical Money & Taxes Who Sets Your Property Value in Colorado County In Colorado County, the appraisal district in Columbus sets property values and may also be the office to call about property-tax collection.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Garwood Was Named for a Judge Who Never Lived There Three investors built rice canals and a townsite on older colony land, then named Garwood for a judge who never lived in the town or Colorado County. Garwood
- Practical Home & Property Colorado County Has Its Own Groundwater District The Colorado County Groundwater Conservation District sets rules for water wells in the county. If you use a private well or plan to drill one, these rules apply to you.
- Good to know Home & Property The Colorado River Runs Through the County — Flooding Is Real The Colorado River cuts through Colorado County. Low-lying land near it and other waterways can flood.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Special Trains Once Ran to Columbus for Show Nights The 1886 Stafford Opera House seated 1,000 beneath gas chandeliers and a painted curtain, while special trains carried audiences into Columbus for performances. Old Stafford Opera House
- Stories & local character History & Culture Weimar Began With a Railroad and Half the Town Land D. W. Jackson donated half the land for an 1873 railroad townsite that took the name Weimar and soon supported cotton trade, two newspapers, and an opera house. Weimar
- Stories & local character Outdoors A Prairie-Chicken's Boom Can Carry Half a Mile The Attwater's prairie-chicken once numbered about a million; today its low spring boom survives in just two Texas populations, including one in Colorado County.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Colorado County: One of Texas's Original Counties Colorado County was created in 1836 as one of the Republic of Texas's first counties, with Columbus as its seat since the beginning.
Nearby counties