Chambers County was created by an act of the Texas Legislature in 1858, some three years before the civil war began. Formed out of Liberty County and a small parcel of Jefferson County, the county was named for resident, politician Thomas Jefferson Chambers. Wallisville was designated as the county sear. In 1907, a petition was presented to the county fathers requesting that the county seat be moved from Wallisville to Anahuac after a controversial “hog law” was enacted.
Land in the county is used for recreation and agriculture. The recreation areas are hunting, fishing, wildlife and bird watching. The agricultural use is in rice, soybeans, forage, cattle and aquaculture enterprises. Some of the attractions are Texas Rice Festival, Texas Gatorfest, Houston Raceway Park, U.S. Wildlife Refugee and many more. These activities help to increase the economic development of the county.
Chambers County like other Texas counties is concentrating on growing a strong educational system and developing a strong economy that will prepare its citizens and its children for the 21st century. Texas AgriLife Extension in Chambers County serves a population of 26, 031. Our goal is to provide quality, reliable education programs that address the issues of importance to local citizens.
In 1999 the Texas Communities Future Forum was conducted in all 254 counties in Texas. From this process, the top issues of importance to the citizens of each county were identified. In Chambers County the top five issues included:
- Improved economic development through tourism and agriculture diversification
- Improved job skill education in order to increase employment opportunities
- Better utilization of natural resources
- Parent education classes to promote stronger families
Texas AgriLife Extension has addressed these issues in a variety of ways. Major programming in Chambers County includes:
- Agriculture Finance Seminars and Producers Meetings
- Worksite Wellness for county employees
- Better Living for Texans: Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program
- Natural resource conservation classes
