Port Alto, Texas

28°39′36″N 96°24′48″W / 28.66000°N 96.41333°W / 28.66000; -96.41333CountryUnited StatesStateTexasCountyCalhounElevation10 ft (3 m)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)Area code361GNIS feature ID1365594^[1]

Port Alto is an unincorporated community in Calhoun County, Texas, United States.^[1] According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 45 in 2000. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Before its subdivision in 1939, Port Alto was referred to as Persimmon Point. In the community's early records, there was one store and roughly 10 permanent people. In 1961, the summer population grew to 205 due to retirees and vacationers, but Hurricane Carla destroyed the village in September of that year. By 1966, the town had been rebuilt, and 185 people were living there during the summer. There were 170 listings on the Port Alto phone exchange in 1970, suggesting a likely growth in the overall population, both year-round and seasonal. There was a row of homes along the shore in Port Alto in the 1970s. In 1990, Port Alto was still recognized as a community. The population was 45 in 2000.^[2]

Geography

Port Alto is located at the intersection of Texas State Highway Spur 159 and Farm to Market Road 307 on the western shore of Carancahua Bay, 4 mi (6.4 km) east of Olivia, 22 mi (35 km) southwest of Palacios, and 21 mi (34 km) northwest of Port Lavaca in northeastern Calhoun County.^[3]

Education

Port Alto is served by the Calhoun County Independent School District.

References