Texas became a state of the United States of America on December 29, 1845.
Texas is divided into 254 counties. The evolution of these counties spans from Spanish and Mexican colonial municipios and the Republic of Texas to the modern grid system. The first 23 formal constitutional counties were established on March 17, 1836, following the declaration of independence. Following statehood in 1846, annexation and expansion drove the creation of numerous new frontier counties, culminating with Kenedy County on April 2, 1921.
Former counties and history
Texas has also seen the creation and subsequent dissolution of several former or defunct counties:
Buchel County: Created in 1887 from Presidio County and absorbed into Brewster County in 1897 without ever being officially organized.
Encinal County: Formed in 1856, it failed to establish a local civil government and was annexed into Webb County in 1899.
Foley County: Established in 1887 alongside Buchel County and merged into Brewster County in 1897.
Greer County: Created in 1860, this territory was transferred to Oklahoma in 1896 following a U.S. Supreme Court border ruling.
Wegefarth County: Formed in the Panhandle in 1873 and dissolved in 1876 during the reorganization of the county grid.
Worth County: Established in 1850 in present-day New Mexico and abolished later that year under the Compromise of 1850.