Montgomery County Was Created by the Republic of Texas in 1837

The Congress of the Republic of Texas created Montgomery County on December 14, 1837. That was just a year after Texas declared independence from Mexico. The county got its name from the town of Montgomery, which was itself named after either the settler Andrew Montgomery or Montgomery County, Alabama — the origin is disputed. The area had already been part of land grants in Stephen F. Austin's colony earlier in the century.

When it was founded, the county was mostly forested and thinly settled. By the 2020 census, it had over 620,000 people. That growth came from timber, oil, and Houston spreading northward over more than a century. The county covers about 1,047 square miles.