What county is Wharton, Texas in?

Wharton is the county seat of Wharton County, in the Texas Gulf Coast region about 60 miles southwest of Houston. The county was formed in 1846 from parts of Matagorda, Jackson, and Colorado counties, and the city, founded the same year, was named for brothers William H. and John A. Wharton.

How far is Wharton from Houston?

Wharton is about 60 miles southwest of downtown Houston, roughly an hour's drive along U.S. Highway 59, which is part of the future Interstate 69 corridor. The route also connects Wharton to Victoria and points south, making the city a commuter-friendly base in the Houston metro's outer orbit.

What is Wharton known for?

Wharton is known for its rice and row-crop agriculture, its role as a Wharton County seat, and its historic downtown and restored courthouse. Playwright and screenwriter Horton Foote was born in Wharton, and the Wharton County Historical Museum and the 20th Century Technology Museum highlight the area's layered history and vintage technology.

What school district serves Wharton?

Wharton is served by Wharton Independent School District, which enrolls roughly 1,800 students across four campuses from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, including Wharton High School, a junior high, and elementary schools.

What is there to do in Wharton?

Wharton offers the Wharton County Historical Museum and the 20th Century Technology Museum, a historic downtown around the restored courthouse, and 11 city parks, including Riverfront Park along the Colorado River. The river supports fishing, kayaking, and canoeing, and the Santa Fe Trail provides walking and biking space.

Townhouses in Wharton, TX | The Legacy Realty

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Colorado River County Seat

Townhouses & Duplexes in Wharton, TX

Welcome to Wharton, the Wharton County seat set along the lower Colorado River about 60 miles southwest of Houston, where rice-country agriculture, oil and gas, and a restored courthouse square meet.

Wharton is a city in and the county seat of Wharton County, Texas, set on the lower Colorado River of Texas about 60 miles southwest of Houston. Founded in 1846 on land near the river, it was named for brothers William H. and John A. Wharton, prominent early Texas settlers. Wharton County was carved the same year from parts of Matagorda, Jackson, and Colorado counties, taking some of the region's most fertile river-bottom land. Agriculture has long anchored the economy. Rice became a defining crop as irrigation spread across the coastal prairie, and the surrounding fields still produce rice, corn, grain sorghum, and cotton, alongside cattle ranching. Oil and natural gas, discovered in the area in the mid-1930s, added energy production and related jobs, and sulfur mining has also contributed to the local economy. Wharton suits people who want an affordable small-city setting on a real commute corridor to Houston. U.S. Highway 59 — part of the future Interstate 69 route — links the city to Houston to the northeast and Victoria to the southwest. The historic downtown, built around the restored county courthouse, holds shops, restaurants, and antiques, while the Wharton County Historical Museum and the 20th Century Technology Museum preserve the region's layered past, including the legacy of playwright Horton Foote, a Wharton native. The Colorado River frames recreation and daily life, with Riverfront Park and a string of city parks offering green space along the water. For buyers, Wharton offers historic homes near downtown, established neighborhoods, and open acreage in the surrounding countryside.