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City of Livingston
The City of Livingston, the county seat of Polk County, is located at the junction of U.S. highways 59 and 190, State Highway 146, and FM 1316, 75 miles north of Houston in the southern part of the county. The area was acquired in 1835 by Moses L. Choate, who surveyed a townsite called Springfield in 1839.
In 1846, when Polk County was delineated from northern Liberty County, the seat of government was established near the geographic center of the new county near Springfield. Choate donated more than 100 acres to the project on the condition that it be named the county seat. Growth to this largely agricultural area was slow until the introduction of railroads in 1880 which brought rapid change. The area then became known as a trading center for area farmers and numerous timber-related businesses. In recent years, timber, agriculture, and oil remain important to the local economy as does recreational activities related to nearby Lake Livingston, an 83,000 acre man-made reservoir completed in 1968.
The 2010 federal census reported the population at 5,335.
For more information on the City of Livingston, visit their website at www.cityoflivingston-tx.org.
Livingston Municipal Complex
City of Jasper
The City of Jasper, the county seat of Jasper County, is on U.S. highways 96 and 190, State Highway 63, and Sandy Creek in north central Jasper County. The site was settled around 1824 by John Bevil. Thirty families occupied the settlement as early as 1830, when it was known as Snow River or Bevil's Settlement. In 1835 it was renamed for William Jasper, a hero of the American Revolution. The only known soldier of the American Revolution to be buried in Texas was Jasper resident Stephen Williams, in whose honor a marker has been placed on the courthouse lawn.
Today, Jasper and its surrounding area is a center for the manufacture of wood products, and has been for many years. The area is also known for its recreational facilities on and near the Sam Rayburn Reservoir and serves as a commercial hub to central portions of eastern Texas and western Louisiana.
The 2010 federal census reported the population at 7,590.
For more information on the City of Jasper, visit their website at www.jaspertx.org.
Sandy Creek Park
City of Liberty
The City of Liberty dates back to 1831 when Mexican Land Commissioner Jose Francisco Madero arrived there to validate land titles and establish the new municipality named Villa de la Santisima Trinidad de la Libertad. The new town was located three miles south of the Atascosito Road and an early Spanish outpost of the same name. William Barret Travis, the commander of the Alamo, practiced law there.
After the Texas Revolution, the residents changed the city's name to Liberty. General Sam Houston also practiced law there during the 1830s and 1840s and maintained homes nearby.
Today, Liberty is the county seat of Liberty County and located at the juncture of US Highway 90 and State Highway 146 approximately 30 miles east of Houston. The 2010 federal census reported the city to have a population of 8,397.
For more information about the City of Liberty, visit their website at www.cityofliberty.org.
Liberty Bell Tower