County History

Victoria County was founded as the only primarily Mexican colony in Texas

Empresario Martín De León founded the Victoria colony in 1824. It was the only primarily Mexican colony in Texas.

Victoria County was created on March 17, 1836, by the First Congress of the Republic of Texas. It was one of the original 23 counties. The area had a Spanish presidio and mission as far back as 1722.

The big wave of settlement came in 1824. That year, Martín De León founded a colony called Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Jesús Victoria. The Handbook of Texas calls it the only primarily Mexican colony in Texas. De León brought Mexican ranching traditions to the region. Those traditions laid the base for a major cattle industry.

The county seat, Victoria, was named after De León. It sits roughly 120 miles southwest of Houston and about 75 miles northeast of Corpus Christi.

Source to confirm: Handbook of Texas — Victoria County

More Victoria County notes

Property Tax Basics

Two offices handle your property taxes

In Victoria County, one office sets your property value and a separate office collects your tax bill.

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Homestead Exemption

Apply for the homestead exemption to lower your school tax

Texas homeowners who live in their home can apply for a $140,000 school district exemption that lowers their taxable value.

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Age & Disability Exemptions

Extra tax break for residents 65 and older or disabled

Homeowners who are 65 or older, or who receive Social Security disability benefits, can get an additional $60,000 school tax exemption.

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Agricultural Valuation

Farm or ranch land is taxed on what it produces, not what it sells for

Texas lets qualifying farm, ranch, and timber land be taxed on what it earns, not what it would sell for, which can sharply cut the tax bill.

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