Goliad County is a county located in the U.S. state of
Texas. As of 2000, the population is 6,928. Its county seat is
Goliad[1]. Goliad is named for the Mexican Municipality of Goliad,
which in turn is named for Father Miguel Hidalgo; "Goliad" is an
anagram of Hidalgo, minus the silent H. It is a part of the
Victoria, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Goliad County is on the Coastal Plain twenty-five miles inland from
Copano Bay in Southeast Texas. It is bounded by Bee, DeWitt,
Karnes, Refugio, and Victoria counties. Goliad, one of the oldest
settlements in Texas, is the county seat and largest town. The
county's center point is at 28°40' north latitude and 97°23' west
longitude. Goliad County, one of the original counties of Texas,
was established in 1836, organized in 1837, and named for the vast
Mexican Municipality of Goliad. It embraces 859 square miles, most
of which is nearly level to gently rolling Rio Grande Plain,
surfaced primarily by dark calcareous clays and sandy and clay
loams, though land surfaces in the northeastern part of the county
are primarily sandy loams and sands. The Coastal Prairie in the
southeastern corner supports bluestem grassland, but most of the
county lies within the post oak savannah belt and is dotted with
blackjack, post, and live oak forests, intermixed with mesquite,
huisache, red cedar, cacti, brush, and other vegetation; in the San
Antonio River basin grow pecan and elm forests. The elevation
ranges from 100 to 250 feet, and the climate is humid-subtropical.
Temperatures range from an average high of 94° F in July to an
average low of 46° in January, though records of 112° and 7° are
recorded. The average growing season lasts 285 days, from late
February to early December. The average annual precipitation is of
33.79 inches. The northeastern half of the county is drained
primarily by the San Antonio River and Coleto, Manahuilla, and
Perdido creeks; the southwestern area by Blanco, Mucorrera, and
Sarco creeks. Coleto Creek Reservoir, an industrial reservoir on
the Goliad-Victoria county line, is under the Guadalupe-Blanco
River Authority. Typical mammals in Goliad County include
white-tailed deer, bobcats, opossums, squirrels, foxes, armadillos,
skunks, bats, cottontail rabbits, Plains pocket gophers, and mice;
the county provides habitat for numerous reptile, fish, and bird
species, such as the horned lizard and wild turkey. |
 |