Матагорда округі: Техас штатының сипаттамасы

County in Texas, United States

Matagorda County is a county located in the U. S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,255. Its county seat is Bay City, not to be confused with the larger Baytown in Harris and Chambers Counties. Matagorda County is named for the canebrakes that once grew along the coast (matagorda is a Spanish word meaning "thick bush"). Matagorda County comprises the Bay City, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Houston The Woodlands, TX combined statistical area.

According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1613 square miles (4,178 km2), of which 1100 square miles (2,849 km2) are land and 512 square miles (1,326 km2) (32%) are covered by water. The water area includes Matagorda Bay. It borders the Gulf of Mexico.

Rice is grown extensively in Matagorda County, as are St. Augustine and other turf grasses. In addition to a wealth of offshore oil rigs and natural gas extraction facilities all over the county, two petrochemical processing plants (Celanese and Equistar) and the South Texas Project nuclear power plant operate within the county. Matagorda County has secluded, extensive forests, wetlands, prairie, and coastal regions. The Gulf Coast floodplain has several conditions conducive to a variety of ecosystems and recreational activities evident by the highest count of migrating birds in the United States. Fishing (on and offshore), hunting, and scuba diving are large parts of the recreation industry due to the Colorado River, the forests and Matagorda Bay. The Rio Colorado Golf Course and a birdwatching park are on the Colorado River near the State Highway 35 bridge, and a significant number of wildlife preserves are located around the county, a portion of which is land bought for that purpose by the two major petrochemical refineries and nuclear plant in the county.