Port O'Connor, Texas

Port O'Connor is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Calhoun County, Texas, United States, near the Gulf coastline between Galveston and Corpus Christi. The CDP had a population of 1,253 at the 2010 census.[1] It is part of the Victoria, Texas metropolitan statistical area.

Port O'Connor, Texas
Census-designated place
Port O'Connor
Port O'Connor
Coordinates: 28°26′51″N 96°24′19″W
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountyCalhoun
Area
 • Total6.3 sq mi (16.4 km2)
 • Land4.0 sq mi (10.3 km2)
 • Water2.3 sq mi (6.0 km2)
Elevation
7 ft (2 m)
Population
 • Total1,253
 • Density314/sq mi (121.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
77982
Area code(s)361
FIPS code48-58952[1]
GNIS feature ID1344371[2]

History

Port O'Connor was laid out in the late 19th century as a fishing settlement called "Alligator Head". As it grew in popularity with both permanent residents and tourists, the community took on more municipal characteristics, earning the formal designation finally in 1909 as the town site of Port O'Connor. It was named after its main landowner at the time, Thomas M. O'Connor, who owned 70,000 acres (280 km2). Aside from local cattle raising and fishing, the town was also a producer of figs and citrus fruit.

Its initial population growth spanned the years 1909 to 1919. Excursion trains ran on weekends to Port O'Connor, and an estimated 10,000 tourists came every summer.

Port O'Connor has been struck by four hurricanes since it was initially settled. The 1919 Florida Keys hurricane brought the "good old days" to a halt, destroying the town. It rebuilt slowly, but the 1942 and 1945 hurricanes so close in time were hard to overcome. In 1961, Port O'Connor was in the midst of another growth boom due to the increase of military personnel on nearby Matagorda Island Air Force Base.[3] That same year, Hurricane Carla destroyed the town again, but times reflect its will to survive, fueled by tourism, commercial fisheries, and the petrochemical industry.

Education

Port O'Connor is served by the Calhoun County Independent School District.

Due to its small population, the town has only one school, Port O'Connor Elementary School, which has the dolphin as its mascot. Port O'Connor Elementary School covers prekindergarten through grade five.[4] Children are then bused to the nearby town of Seadrift or to Port Lavaca to finish their sixth- through 12th-grade educations. The secondary schools that serve Port O'Connor are Seadrift Middle School, Travis Middle School, and Calhoun High School.

References
  1. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Port O'Connor CDP, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Port O'Connor, Texas
  3. History of Matagorda Island
  4. "About Us". poc.calcoisd.org. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
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