Blood & Biohazard Cleanup Near Downtown Canton Canton, TX

Canton is the county seat of Van Zandt County in East Texas; the town was laid out in 1850 and named by settlers who had moved from Old Canton in Smith County.

Canton's first district courthouse opened in 1850, and a post office — only the fourth in Van Zandt County — was established that same year.

When the Texas and Pacific Railway bypassed Canton by ten miles in 1872, the county seat was moved to Wills Point, but in 1877 armed Canton residents rode to Wills Point to recover the county records, and the Texas Supreme Court finally decided the dispute in Canton's favor.

Canton was not incorporated until 1919, when it elected its first mayor and aldermen.

Canton is famous for First Monday Trade Days, a tradition traced to the district court sessions held on the first Monday of each month, when neighbors gathered to swap surplus livestock by barter.

First Monday Trade Days — now held on the Thursday through Sunday before the first Monday of each month — is billed as the world's largest flea market, with thousands of vendors spread across hundreds of acres of grounds.

The market draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Canton each year, briefly transforming a city of a few thousand into one of the busiest shopping spots in Texas.

As of the 2020 census, Canton had a population of 4,229, living in 1,593 households.

On April 29, 2017, four tornadoes struck the Canton area, including an EF4, just before a First Monday weekend, and another tornado tore through downtown on May 29, 2019.

Canton also hosts the Van Zandt County Fair and Rodeo and an Annual Bluegrass Festival, both held in August.