Cities in Texas That Start With J

City	Population	Schools	Crime Rate	Cost of Living	Median Income
Jacksonville	14,074	C+	22.10	A	22,731
Jacinto City	9.378	B-	28.90	A-	24,723
Jasper	7,285	C	40.08	A-	20,098
Joshua	8,098	C-	11.73	B	31,526

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Cities in Texas that start with J may not be large in population but they were crucial to our history and our state. As we continue our cities in Texas series we will take you from the Texas Panhandle to the tip of Texas near Brownsville which is a mere 801 miles. From East Texas near Tyler to El Paso is 733 miles, just a short 10-hour drive.

Everything’s Bigger in Texas.

Cities in Texas That Start With J

Texas has accepted many challenges and worked hard to overcome them. In doing so we have mastered our diverse terrain and built cities that challenge even the most sophisticated parts of the US. As Texans, we encompass what makes Texas great from top to bottom. Hardy, industrious, with large personalities and even larger spirits Texans, settled in the second largest state in the nation. This gives us bragging rights to the saying “Everything’s bigger in Texas.”

In the 1800s, Texas was a rough place full of hardships and challenges. Day-to-day life was not always easy, especially compared to modern times. Fortunately, our ancestors that came here were tried and true, tested and ready for all that Texas had to throw at them.

Many Europeans that ended up in the Americas were not here for vacation or safari. They faced hardships of their own and were looking for a place to call home, free from persecution. With these settlers came many advancements such as the railroad and rifles.

Along with these advancements also came a far different way of life than was practiced by the indigenous peoples. The territory became private property and tribal elders became the government. This was not an easy transition and many hostilities were inspired because of it.

But, right or wrong, it is now the system that we enjoy today. A system that has made this country into a world power and a system whereby we call ourselves proud Americans and Texans.

Top Cities in Texas that Start with J

There are many Texas cities that start with a J,  so we’ve put together a short list of our favorite ’J’ Texas cities.

• Jacksonville
• Jacinto City
• Jasper
• Joshua

Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Texas, like many Texas cities, started as a modest agricultural and ranching community. It is located on U.s Highway 69 in northeastern Cherokee County. Today, Jacksonville has a Council-Manager style of government and an estimated population of 14,074.

The beginning of what is now Jacksonville started on the east bank of Gum Creek in 1847. A blacksmith named Jackson Smith built a house and a shop there. By 1848, a post office was established, named for Gum Creek, and Smith was appointed postmaster.

Two years later, Smith had a townsite and square surveyed near his home. Dr. William Jackson was among the first to build inside the previously surveyed townsite. Others joined the men, and their families, and chose the name Jacksonville for the new town located on the east bank of Gum Creek.

The post office there officially changed its name from Gum Creek to Jacksonville. In 1849 and the 1850s, Baptist and Methodist churches were built and a Masonic lodge was formed. Like many small towns of the time, change came with the arrival of the railroad.

The International-Great Northern Railroad was built through Cherokee County, in 1872, and missed the little community by a few miles. That same year, officials from the railroad and the citizens of Jacksonville worked out an agreement to relocate the town two miles to the east to a new site near the tracks.

Livestock was, and remains, an important aspect of the community, however, agriculture has been the driving force and main focus of the local economy. First peaches, and then tomatoes have provided many local residents with their primary form of income.

Not to be behind the times, Jacksonville saw the creation of several plastic manufacturing and fabrication production facilities in the mid-1980s. 

Don’t Miss Near Jacksonville

If you’re in or near the Jacksonville area, be sure to check out Cherokee Trace Drive-Thru Safari, Love’s Lookout, and the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge. Check out the link for Jacksonville above to find out more about Jacksonville’s past and present. Also check out the Vanishing Texana Museum, and their website, for information on historical markers, and more.

Jacinto City

Jacinto City, Texas may not have the long and storied traditions as many other cities on our list, but the battle from which it derives its name is as important to the history of Texas as the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of Gonzales.

The city lies at the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 and Interstate Highways 10 and 610, in San Jacinto County. It also sits on the Missouri Pacific Railroad line near the San Jacinto battleground in central Harris County. The city once had a population of 10,553 in 2010, but it has since decreased with now only 9,613 residents calling the city home.

The foundations of the city are not complex. Developer Frank Sharp built a small subdivision in 1941 which quickly filled with nearby shipyard workers and others employed at local steel mills and war plants. In 1947, the first mayor, Inch Chandler, opened a grocery store. In this same year, the city incorporated and, already, had a population of 3,800.

The battle of San Jacinto was a quick and decisive victory for the Republic of Texas. In only eighteen minutes, 600 Mexican soldiers were killed and seven hundred surrendered. Only nine Texans died in the battle. The battle secured independence for Texas and later led to annexation into the United States.

The battle was a major blow for Mexico which later suffered under an assault from the state of Texas and the rest of the U.S. during the Mexican-American War. Afterward, the United States had not only gained Texas but also nearly a million square miles of territory from Mexico. New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, California, Utah, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming now belonged to the United States.

Don’t Miss Near Jacinto City

If you’re in or near Jacinto City, be sure to visit the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Space Center Houston, Minute Maid Park, and other fine museums and natural attractions. Click the link here for Jacinto City to find out more about Jacinto City’s past and present.

Jasper

Jasper is the county seat of Jasper County. It is located on U.S Highways 96 and 190, State Highway 63, and Sandy Creek in north central Jasper County. In 1830, it was known as Snow River or Bevil’s Settlement and thirty families lived in the area. 

It was renamed Jasper in 1835 for William Jasper,  a hero of the American Revolution. In a ten-year span, from 1848 to 1858, the town grew from forty to four hundred. The post office was established in 1846. It was home to a Confederate quartermaster depot and antebellum educational institutions.

Those schools changed names and operated until they were absorbed by the public school system. The community saw a slight dip during the Civil War but quickly regained its numbers in subsequent years. Change, once again, came with the railroad. Located in the Cross Timbers area of Texas, lumber from two sawmills was shipped out with a daily capacity of 125,000 board feet per day.

Jasper served as the headquarters for the Lower Neches Valley Authority’s construction program which built a dam at Town Bluff and engineered and surveyed a dam at Magee Bend on the Angelina River. 

Jasper was a farming and cattle-raising community where local farmers raised broiler chickens and beef. In the 1950s they switched to dairy production. Jasper was also the headquarters for Morgan and Lindsey, Incorporated, a variety of chain stores. The company, at one time, operated eighty-five stores in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Even with some controversy, cities in Texas that start with “J” wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Jasper. The only known soldier of the American Revolution to be buried in Texas was Jasper resident Stephen Williams. He moved to Texas in 1830 and, at the age of seventy-five, he and four of his grandsons participated in the Siege of Bexar during the Texas Revolution.

Don’t Miss Near Jasper 

If you’re in or near the Jasper area, be sure to check out Sandy Creek Park, Jasper County Historical Museum, and Martin Dies, Jr. State Park. Visit the link for Jasper, above, to find out more about Jasper’s past and present.

Joshua

The city of Joshua, Texas was named after the biblical figure. It is located at the intersection of State Highway 174 and Farm Road 917, on the Atchison, Topeka, and Sante Fe Railroad in north central Johnson County, also in the Cross Timbers region.

Two miles west of the city was the first community in the area, known as Caddo Grove. The land on which Joshua was built was originally patented by W.W. Bryers in 1867. It was a thriving town with its own post office until the Gulf, Colorado, and Sante Fe Railway was built from Cleburne to Fort Worth in 1881.

The site of the future Joshua had a station built on the tracks that missed Caddo Grove by several miles. The site was originally called Caddo Peak, but the post office rejected the name because there was already a Caddo Peak in Texas.

The name was changed and the community received a post office in 1882. The plat for the town was surveyed in 1880. By 1882 the town was organized and the first store opened. The store was owned by W.L. West and also contained the post office. The city was surrounded by orchards, corn and cotton farms, and truck gardens.

The electric railway called the South Traction Line, which provided service from Cleburne to Dallas, had a stop in Joshua until 1932. The city was incorporated in the 1950s and because of its proximity to Fort Worth, the population has increased steadily. Today the city has a population of over 8,000.

Don’t miss Near Joshua

If you’re in or near the Joshua area, be sure to check out the Lost Oak Winery, Pirates’ Cove Fun Zone, Caddo Peak Pasture, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, and many other natural attractions and museums. Check out the link for Joshua, above, to find out more about Joshua’s past and present. Also check out the Dinosaur Science Museum and Research Center in nearby Keene, TX.

Cities in Texas That Start With J

List of Cities in Texas that start with J:

In Conclusion, Cities in Texas that Start with J

Cities in Texas that start with J is a continuance of our cities in Texas series. As we continue the list of cities in Texas alphabetically, we are sure to uncover some interesting history and fun facts about Texas. From the largest metropolis to the smallest rural town Texas has much to offer. Being a tried and true Texan is remembering the battles that were fought as well as our victories with a “Howdy” and a smile. “Welcome to Texas” is as real as it gets and we hope you enjoy learning more about The Lone Star State.

Read more about Texas cities here.

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