Anahuac, Texas | |
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 Entrance sign | |
 Interactive map of Anahuac, Texas | |
| Coordinates:29°45′25″N94°40′53″W / 29.75694°N 94.68139°W /29.75694; -94.68139 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Chambers |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.13 sq mi (5.51 km2) |
| • Land | 2.13 sq mi (5.51 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,980 |
| • Density | 1,100.0/sq mi (424.72/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code | 77514 |
| Area code | 409 |
| FIPS code | 48-03144[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2409705[2] |
| Website | www |
Anahuac (/ˈænəwæk/AN-ə-wak)[4] is a city in theU.S. state ofTexas on the coast ofTrinity Bay. The population of the city was 1,980 at the2020 census.[5] Anahuac is thecounty seat ofChambers County[6] and is situated inSoutheast Texas. TheTexas Legislature designated the city as the "Alligator Capital of Texas" in 1989. Anahuac hosts an annualalligator festival.[7]
The Mexican termAnahuac comes fromNahuatl, the language of theAztecs. The name means "place beside the waters." Anáhuac is the pre-Columbian name of theValley of Mexico and its former lake basins aroundMexico City, often including the Lerma and Pánuco river systems. Despite the name, neither the city of Anahuac, Texas, nor the immediate region were ever part of theAztec Empire.
The first dwellers in this area were theAtakapan people as well as theCaddo. The first colonist settlers arrived in 1715, The Burkhalter and Morehead families. They established a small settlement near what is now Lake Anahuac. In 1721, Frenchman Jean Baptiste de La Harpe reached this area. In the 19th century the area became known as "Perry's Point", after Colonel Harry Perry, who erected a military post here in 1816.
Two major events in 1832 and 1835, known as theAnahuac Disturbances (caused mainly by rogue bandits termed "Texians" from theBrazos Valley area), helped to precipitate theTexas Revolution that led to the separation of Texas fromMexico. One of these events was the jailing by Mexican authorities ofWilliam Travis for illegal slave importation,[8] and the other was unfair taxation and duties on river traffic to the settlers by the Mexican authorities.[citation needed]
In October 1830, Mexican ColonelJuan Davis Bradburn established a customs post atop the same 30-foot (9.1 m) bluff where Perry had camped. Bradburn's orders specified that the new post be named Fort Anahuac.[9] The soldiers erected two large kilns to produce bricks to build a more permanent fort. Fort Anahuac would still be intact today had it not been for the locals using the bricks for their own home construction soon after the Texas Revolution; virtually all bricks were taken and none remain to this day. By March 1831, Anahuac comprised 20 houses and seven stores.[10] The town grew quickly. Soldiers were given 25 cents per day to use for food and other supplies, and they spent the money locally. By June 1, the town comprised over 300 civilians and 170 military personnel.[11]
In 1862, a smallConfederate outpost was established nearby.[12]
The 1935 discovery of the Anahuac Oil Field[13][14] and theMonroe City area oil field brought a period of economic development. The Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, later renamed theJocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge in 2025, was established 16 miles (26 km) southeast of the city in 1963 by theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1989, the local chamber of commerce organized the first Gatorfest, which attracted 14,000 people into the Fort Anahuac Park, and it has been held annually since then.[citation needed] The festival has expanded every year since, and in 2010 hosted the largest festival, with more than 30,000 people attending.
In 2019,Atlas Air Flight 3591, a cargo flight operating forAmazon Air, crashed in theTrinity Bay, near Anahuac, while flying from Miami to Houston.[15]
Anahuac is located near the center of Chambers County at the northeastern end ofTrinity Bay and the southern end ofLake Anahuac. The mouth of theTrinity River into Trinity Bay is just west of the city. Lake Anahuac is approximately 33,348 acre-feet it was constructed by the Burkhalter family in 1953.
Texas State Highway 61 follows Washington Avenue and Miller Street in Anahuac and leads east and north 12 miles (19 km) toInterstate 10 at a point 43 miles (69 km) east ofHouston and 40 miles (64 km) southwest ofBeaumont.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city of Anahuac has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.5 km2), all land.[5]
With the City of Houston's annexation of the I-10 corridor through Bayton and Mt Belvieu to the Trinity River in Chambers County and possible further expansion to Wallisville Texas, The City of Anahuac is considering annexing and expanding its City Limits on Highway 563 to Wallisville which would possibly bring the Houston Annex to Anahuac as well.
Anahuac is also initiating a $50M School Expansion Bond due to influx of many homes and families around the area and expectation of 1000 additional school aged individuals over the next five years alone.[16]
| Climate data for Anahuac, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1931–2019) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 92 (33) | 85 (29) | 93 (34) | 93 (34) | 97 (36) | 103 (39) | 106 (41) | 104 (40) | 105 (41) | 100 (38) | 89 (32) | 87 (31) | 106 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 75.7 (24.3) | 77.2 (25.1) | 81.1 (27.3) | 85.5 (29.7) | 91.0 (32.8) | 95.4 (35.2) | 96.6 (35.9) | 97.7 (36.5) | 95.2 (35.1) | 90.4 (32.4) | 83.7 (28.7) | 77.2 (25.1) | 98.7 (37.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 61.6 (16.4) | 65.7 (18.7) | 71.3 (21.8) | 76.7 (24.8) | 83.2 (28.4) | 88.7 (31.5) | 90.7 (32.6) | 91.5 (33.1) | 87.5 (30.8) | 80.9 (27.2) | 71.5 (21.9) | 63.8 (17.7) | 77.8 (25.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 52.4 (11.3) | 56.2 (13.4) | 62.1 (16.7) | 67.8 (19.9) | 74.9 (23.8) | 80.8 (27.1) | 82.9 (28.3) | 82.9 (28.3) | 78.7 (25.9) | 70.5 (21.4) | 61.1 (16.2) | 54.2 (12.3) | 68.7 (20.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 43.2 (6.2) | 46.8 (8.2) | 52.9 (11.6) | 58.9 (14.9) | 66.6 (19.2) | 72.8 (22.7) | 75.1 (23.9) | 74.4 (23.6) | 69.8 (21.0) | 60.1 (15.6) | 50.8 (10.4) | 44.5 (6.9) | 59.7 (15.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 27.5 (−2.5) | 30.3 (−0.9) | 35.0 (1.7) | 43.2 (6.2) | 54.4 (12.4) | 64.7 (18.2) | 68.9 (20.5) | 67.7 (19.8) | 56.6 (13.7) | 44.0 (6.7) | 34.4 (1.3) | 27.6 (−2.4) | 23.4 (−4.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 11 (−12) | 12 (−11) | 23 (−5) | 34 (1) | 43 (6) | 49 (9) | 60 (16) | 60 (16) | 45 (7) | 33 (1) | 23 (−5) | 8 (−13) | 8 (−13) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 4.59 (117) | 3.07 (78) | 3.63 (92) | 4.41 (112) | 5.39 (137) | 5.84 (148) | 5.68 (144) | 7.02 (178) | 7.02 (178) | 4.75 (121) | 3.85 (98) | 4.47 (114) | 59.72 (1,517) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.2 (0.51) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 8.5 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 9.2 | 8.6 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 8.6 | 92.4 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Source:NOAA (mean maxima/minima 1981–2010)[17][18] | |||||||||||||
Southeast of the city of Anahuac is theJocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge (formerly the Anahuac NWR) which is popular amongbirdwatchers because almost 250 species of birds (see external link) have been reported there. Jocelyn Nungaray NWR is home to several species of marsh birds called rails includingyellow rail,clapper rail andblack rail.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1,284 | — | |
| 1960 | 1,985 | 54.6% | |
| 1970 | 1,881 | −5.2% | |
| 1980 | 1,840 | −2.2% | |
| 1990 | 1,993 | 8.3% | |
| 2000 | 2,210 | 10.9% | |
| 2010 | 2,243 | 1.5% | |
| 2020 | 1,980 | −11.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[19] 1850–1900[20] 1910[21] 1920[22] 1930[23] 1940[24] 1950[25] 1960[26] 1970[27] 1980[28] 1990[29] 2000[30] 2010[31] | |||
As of the2020 census, Anahuac had a population of 1,980, 712 households, and 539 families. The median age was 36.7 years, 25.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 17.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.5 males age 18 and over.[32]
There were 712 households in Anahuac, of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.1% were married-couple households, 16.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[32]
There were 790 housing units, of which 9.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.8% were owner-occupied and 27.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.4%.[32]
0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[33]
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 1,071 | 54.09% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 329 | 16.62% |
| Native American orAlaska Native (NH) | 9 | 0.45% |
| Asian (NH) | 16 | 0.81% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 12 | 0.61% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 73 | 3.69% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 470 | 23.74% |
| Total | 1,980 |
| Race | Percent |
|---|---|
| White | 59.1% |
| Black or African American | 16.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Asian | 0.8% |
| Native Hawaiian andOther Pacific Islander | 0% |
| Some other race | 13.7% |
| Two or more races | 9.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 23.7% |
As of thecensus[3] of 2000, there were 2,210 people, 803 households, and 600 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,044.8 inhabitants per square mile (403.4/km2). There were 902 housing units at an average density of 426.4 per square mile (164.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 68.28%White, 20.23%African American, 0.14%Native American, 0.68%Asian, 9.05% fromother races, and 1.63% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 12.99% of the population.
There were 803 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% weremarried couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. Of all households 22.0% were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,924, and the median income for a family was $46,750. Males had a median income of $34,904 versus $24,917 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $17,056. About 11.1% of families and 13.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.
Chambers County Airport, in unincorporated Chambers County east of Anahuac, serves Anahuac.
The Progress is the local newspaper of Anahuac. As of 2012 it is about 100 years old.[7] TheHouston Chronicle servesGreater Houston.
TheAnahuac Independent School District serves the community.[37]Anahuac High School is the local high school.
The Chambers County Library in Anahuac is a branch of the Chambers County Library System.[38] It is located at 202 Cummings Street, Anahuac, Texas 77514.
Residents of Anahuac ISD are zoned toLee College.[39]
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