Unattended Death and Biohazard Cleanup in George West, TX

George West is the county seat of Live Oak County, Texas, named for cattle rancher George Washington West, who founded the town on his own ranch.

West laid out the town in 1913-14 after donating his name, a townsite, $100,000 and thirteen miles of railroad right-of-way to bring a rail line through, and the townsite was officially recorded on September 22, 1914.

George West became the county seat in 1919 after West offered $75,000 toward a new courthouse if voters moved the seat from Oakville; the courthouse was built to his specifications for $120,000.

The 2020 census counted 2,171 residents and 757 households in George West, and about 62 percent of its residents are Hispanic or Latino.

The Texas Senate designated George West the Storytelling Capital of Texas in 2005, honoring its George West Storyfest, which brought storytellers, cowboy poets and musicians to town from 1989 onward.

George West sits at the junction of U.S. Highway 281 and U.S. Highway 59 on the west bank of the Nueces River, roughly 65 miles northwest of Corpus Christi, and bills itself as a birthplace of the future Interstate 69 corridor.

Folklorist J. Frank Dobie, who chronicled Texas ranch life, was born in Live Oak County near George West in 1888.

Choke Canyon State Park, a popular fishing and camping destination on Choke Canyon Reservoir, lies about fifteen miles north of George West.

The Grace Armantrout Museum, opened in 1995, preserves Live Oak County history, and the surrounding ranch country makes George West a headquarters for deer, turkey, dove and quail hunting.

George West was incorporated in 1946 and adopted home-rule government in 1980, and its students attend George West Independent School District schools.