Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 56,231. The county seat is Kountze. The county is named for the family of William Hardin from Liberty County, Texas.
Hardin County is part of the Beaumont-Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area.
History
The county is named for the family of William Hardin, a settler, judge, and postmaster. The Hardin family cemetery is located north of Liberty.
The current Hardin County Courthouse was built in 1959. It is at least the third courthouse to serve Hardin County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (0.8%) are covered by water.
Hardin County is located on the flat coastal plains of Southeast Texas, roughly north of the Gulf of Mexico. The county is largely covered by the dense forest of the Big Thicket. It is crossed by numerous small streams and creeks that drain the county into the Neches River, which forms the eastern boundary of the county.
Major highways
- 20px 25px U.S. Highway 69/U.S. Highway 287
- 20px U.S. Highway 96
- 20px State Highway 105
- 20px State Highway 326
- 20px State Highway 327
Adjacent counties
- Tyler County (northern)
- Jasper County (east)
- Orange County (southeast)
- Jefferson County (south)
- Liberty County (southwest)
- Polk County (northwest)
Its eastern boundaries with Jasper County and Orange County are formed by the Neches River. The southern boundary with Jefferson County is formed by Pine Island Bayou
National protected area
- Big Thicket National Preserve (part)
Communities
Cities
- Kountze (county seat)
- Lumberton
- Rose Hill Acres
- Silsbee
- Sour Lake
Census-designated places
- Pinewood Estates
- Wildwood (partly in Tyler County)
Unincorporated communities
- Batson
- Honey Island
- Saratoga
- Thicket
- Village Mills
- Votaw
Ghost town
- Bragg