Port Lavaca, Texas
Port Lavaca is a coastal city and the seat of Calhoun County, sitting on the west side of Lavaca Bay within the greater Matagorda Bay system about 72 miles northeast of Corpus Christi. The bays that surround the town make it a well-known base for saltwater fishing, with redfish, speckled trout, and flounder drawing anglers to the flats and piers. The setting is one of shallow bay water, coastal prairie, and low shoreline, and the town has long served as a shipping and commercial hub for the surrounding coastal county.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 11,060
- Change from 2020 base
- -4.2%
- Land area
- 10.2 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Calhoun County
Place type, county footprint, and land area use the Census Bureau's January 1, 2025 geography. Population uses Vintage 2025 estimates through July 1, 2025; change compares that estimate with the April 1, 2020 estimates base. Geography file | Population file
Property here runs through the appraisal district and tax office for Calhoun County. The homestead exemption, appraisal cap, protests, and any MUD, PID, or special districts all sit at the parcel level.
Official routes
Use the office for the parcel address; a mailing city is not always the governing city.
Local character
Start with Port Lavaca itself
A few landmarks, stories, and everyday places that help give Port Lavaca its shape.
Then zoom out to Calhoun County
Coastal geography
Calhoun County Is Bay Country Before It Is Road Country
Lavaca Bay, Matagorda Bay, Espiritu Santo Bay, and San Antonio Bay make Calhoun feel more like a chain of water edges than a simple county map.
Property tax
Homestead Exemption Cuts Your School Tax Bill
Texas law requires school districts to subtract $140,000 from the appraised value of your primary home before calculating school taxes, but you have to apply at the Calhoun County Appraisal District to claim it.
Birding trail
The Calhoun Birding Loop Turns Bay Stops Into a County Tour
The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail links Calhoun County stops from Port Lavaca and Magnolia Beach to Seadrift and Port O'Connor.
Nearby
Places near Port Lavaca
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
Next steps for Port Lavaca
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