| County: | Chambers County |
| State: | Texas |
| Founded: | 1858 |
| Seat Wl: | Anahuac |
| Largest City Wl: | Mont Belvieu |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 871 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 597 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 274 |
| Area Percentage: | 31% |
| Pop: | 46571[1] |
| Density Sq Mi: | 78.0 |
| Ex Image: | Chambers county tx courthouse 2014.jpg |
| Ex Image Size: | 250 |
| Ex Image Cap: | The Chambers County Courthouse in Anahuac |
| Web: | www.co.chambers.tx.us |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| District: | 14th |
| District2: | 36th |
| Census Yr: | 2020 |
Chambers County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 46,571.[2] [3] The county seat is Anahuac.[4]
Chambers County is one of the nine counties that comprise Greater Houston, the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area.
Mission Nuestra Señora de la Luz, a Spanish mission in Texas, was established in 1756 near what is now Wallisville.[5]
Chambers County was founded in 1858. It is named for Thomas Jefferson Chambers,[6] a major general in the Texas Revolution.
In 2019, Atlas Air Flight 3591, a cargo flight operating for Amazon Air, crashed in the Trinity Bay, in Chambers County and near Anahuac, while flying from Miami to Houston. All three people on board were killed.[7]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are land and (31%) are covered by water.[8]
The south and southwestern parts of the county lie in the Galveston Bay Area on the shores of Trinity Bay and East Bay. A small portion of the southeastern area lies on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
| White alone (NH) | 24,767 | 29,858 | 70.57% | 64.11% | |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 2,817 | 3,148 | 8.03% | 6.76% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 134 | 161 | 0.38% | 0.35% | |
| Asian alone (NH) | 326 | 622 | 0.93% | 1.34% | |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 13 | 0 | 0.04% | 0.00% | |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 25 | 215 | 0.07% | 0.46% | |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 379 | 1,615 | 1.08% | 3.47% | |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 6,635 | 10,952 | 18.91% | 23.52% | |
| Total | 35,096 | 46,571 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the census of 2000,[11] 26,031 people, 9,139 households, and 7,219 families were residing in the county. The population density was 43/mi2. The 10,336 housing units averaged 17adj=preNaNadj=pre. The racial makeup of the county was 81.88% White, 9.77% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 6.02% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. About 10.79% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
Of the 9,139 households, 40.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.70% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.00% were not families. About 17.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82, and the average family size was 3.20.
In the county, the age distribution was 28.90% under 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.00% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,964, and for a family was $52,986. Males had a median income of $43,351 versus $25,478 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,863. About 8.30% of families and 11.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.
Chambers County is governed by a five-member commissioners' court, consisting of the county judge and four county commissioners. The county judge is elected to four-year terms in a countywide election. Commissioners are elected to four-year terms from single-member districts.
| Office | Name | Political party | First elected | Area(s) represented | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Judge | Jimmy Sylvia | Republican | 1996 | Countywide | ||
| Commissioner, Precinct 1 | Jimmy E. Gore | Republican | 2016 | Anahuac, Double Bayou, Hankamer, Oak Island, Seabreeze, Smith Point, Stowell, Wallisville, Winnie | ||
| Commissioner, Precinct 2 | Mark Tice | Republican | 2018 | Beach City, Cove, Turtle Bayou, Wallisville | ||
| Commissioner, Precinct 3 | Tommy Hammond | Republican | 2006 | Mont Belvieu, Old River-Winfree | ||
| Commissioner, Precinct 4 | Ryan Dagley | Republican | 2018 | Baytown, Beach City | ||
| Office | Name | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Attorney | Ashley Cain Land | Republican | ||
| County Clerk | Heather H. Hawthorne | Republican | ||
| County Court Judge | Cindy S. Price | Republican | ||
| District Attorney | Cheryl Swope Lieck | Republican | ||
| District Clerk | Patti Henry | Republican | ||
| Sheriff | Brian Hawthorne | Republican | ||
| Tax Assessor-Collector | Laurie G. Payton | Republican | ||
| Treasurer | Nicole Whittington | Republican | ||
| County Surveyor | Michael W. Chandler | |||
| Office | Name | Political party | Area(s) represented | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constable, Precinct 1 | Dennis Dugat | Republican | Stowell, Winnie | ||
| Constable, Precinct 2 | John Mulryan | Republican | Anahuac, Turtle Bayou, Wallisville | ||
| Constable, Precinct 3 | Donnie Standley | Republican | Double Bayou, Oak Island, Smith Point | ||
| Constable, Precinct 4 | Ben L. "Butch" Bean | Republican | Mont Belvieu, Old River-Winfree | ||
| Constable, Precinct 5 | Bradley W. Moon | Republican | Hankamer, Wallisville | ||
| Constable, Precinct 6 | Kirk W. Ritch | Republican | Baytown, Beach City, Cove | ||
| Senators | Name | Political party | First elected | Level | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate Class 2 | John Cornyn | Republican | 2002 | Senior Senator | ||
| Senate Class 1 | Ted Cruz | Republican | 2012 | Junior Senator | ||
| Representatives | Name | Political Party | First Elected | Area(s) Represented | ||
| Texas's 14th District | Randy Weber | Republican | 2012 | A small, unpopulated portion of the county that extends to the Gulf of Mexico, across the Intracoastal Waterway. | ||
| Texas's 36th District | Brian Babin | Republican | 2014 | All populated areas of the county | ||
| Office | Name | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1 | Celia Devillier | Republican | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2 | Michael W. Wheat | Republican | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4 | Blake D. Sylvia | Republican | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5 | David Hatfield | Republican | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 6 | Larry Ray Cryer | Republican | ||
| Office | Name | Political party | Area(s) represented | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 253rd District Court | Chap B. Cain, III | Republican | Countywide, district also covers Liberty County | ||
| 344th District Court | Randy McDonald | Republican | Countywide | ||
| Name | Political party | First elected | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice | Sherry Radack | Republican | 2004, appointed in 2002 | ||
| Place 2 | Gordon Goodman | Democrat | 2018 | ||
| Place 3 | Veronica Rivas-Molloy | Democrat | 2020 | ||
| Place 4 | April Farris | Republican | 2020 (appointed) | ||
| Place 5 | Amparo Guerra | Democrat | 2020 | ||
| Place 6 | Sarah Beth Landau | Democrat | 2018 | ||
| Place 7 | Julie Countiss | Democrat | 2018 | ||
| Place 8 | Richard Hightower | Democrat | 2018 | ||
| Place 9 | Peter Kelly | Democrat | 2018 | ||
| Name | Political party | First elected | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice | Tracy E. Christopher | Republican | 2020 | ||
| Place 2 | Kevin Jewell | Republican | 2016 | ||
| Place 3 | Jerry Zimmerer | Democrat | 2018 | ||
| Place 4 | Charles A. Spain | Democrat | 2018 | ||
| Place 5 | Frances Bourliot | Democrat | 2018 | ||
| Place 6 | Meagan Hassan | Democrat | 2018 | ||
| Place 7 | Ken Wise | Republican | 2014, Appointed in 2013 | ||
| Place 8 | Margaret "Meg" Poissant | Democrat | 2018 | ||
| Place 9 | Randy Wilson | Republican | 2020 (appointed) | ||
As with much of the Southern United States, Democrats won locally up into the 21st century, with many local politicians switching party allegiances in the mid-2000s. As of 2020 all elected county offices are represented by Republicans with the retirement of the Precinct 5 Constable Cecil. R. "Popeye" Oldham, a Democrat, who was last elected in 2016.
The county operates two airports in unincorporated areas:
In addition, RWJ Airpark, a privately owned airport for public use, is located in Beach City.
The Houston Airport System stated that Chambers County is within the primary service area of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, an international airport in Houston in Harris County.[15]