County History
George West Built a Town by Donating Land and a Railroad
The town of George West was literally built by its namesake, a rancher who donated land, cash, and railroad right-of-way to move the county seat there in the early 1900s.
Live Oak County was created in 1856 with Oakville as the county seat. That changed in 1919 when George Washington West, a rancher in the area since the 1880s, donated land, $100,000, and 13 miles of railroad right-of-way through his ranch. The San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad laid tracks through the new townsite in 1913. The county seat moved to George West six years later.
The town grew fast — from 200 residents in 1925 to 1,000 by 1929 — then shrank again during the 1930s economic downturn. The local economy shifted from ranching to oil and gas production starting in the 1920s. Uranium was discovered in the 1950s, though that mining faded by the 1980s. George West sits at the junction of U.S. Highways 281 and 59, about 63 miles northwest of Corpus Christi.
Source to confirm: Texas State Historical Association — Handbook of Texas: George West