Harris County, Texas

Harris County is named for John Richardson Harris, who first arrived in the area in 1824. He first settled on land located at the junction of Bray's and Buffalo bayous. In 1825, he laid out the city of Harrisburg. Harrisburg Muncipal was created by the General Council on December 30, 1835 and designated the town as the seat of it's government. On April 21, 1836, the Battle of San Jacinto was fought in what is now known as Harris County. This was the deciding battle of the war known as the Republic of Texas and Mexico. The name of the area was changed to Harrisburg County in 1836. The county's name was later changed to Harris County in December 1839.

As of the 2004 U.S. Census, Harris County was the third largest county in the United States. Houston, is the largest city in the area and is the fourth largest city in the US. It has a population of more than 1.6 million and it's the county seat. Houston's port is the second busiest in the US. There are fifty eight foreign governments who maintain consular offices in Houston, the fifth largest consular corps in the US. Harris County is also the home of NASA and the Johnson Space Center.