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Brazoria County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Its county seat is Angleton, and its largest city is Pearland. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 241,767.
History
Brazoria County, like nearby Brazos County, takes its name from the Brazos River, which flows through it. Anglo-Texas began in Brazoria County when the first of Stephen F. Austin's authorized 300 American settlers arrived at the mouth of the Brazos River in 1821. Many of the events leading to the Texas Revolution developed in Brazoria County. In 1832, Brazoria was organized as a separate municipal district by the Mexican government, and so became one of Texas original counties at independence in 1836. Stephen F. Austin's original burial place was located at a church cemetery in the town of Jones Creek, but was more recently exhumed and brought to the state capital in Austin. Also, the town of West Columbia served as the first capital of Texas, dating back to pre-revolutionary days. Brazoria County constitutes the southern tip of the Cancer Coast, so named by doctors at the Texas Medical Center in Houston and members of the local media. Brazoria County resembles both rural and suburban life as it is part of the Greater Houston area. Brazoria County in recent years is seeing a surge in urban sprawl in the past two decades. Timeline
Population History
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