ALTAIR, TEXAS

Colorado County, Central Texas S

29°34'17"N 96°27'15"W (29.5713505, -96.4541355)
Highway 90 (Alternate) and Hwy 71
9 miles S of Columbus the county seat
28 miles N of El Campo
30 miles E of Hallettsville
Population: 30 (Est)

Altair, Texas Area Hotels › Columbus Hotels

Entering Altair
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, June 2014

History in a Pecan Shell

Altair had its beginnings in the 1880s and was granted a post office in 1888. The town had originally been named Stafford's Ranch after the prosperous and influential Stafford family of Columbus. But to avoid postal confusion with Stafford, Texas (in nearby Fort Bend County), it was renamed Altair in 1890.

The Texas and New Orleans Railroad arrived in 1890 but Altair never fully developed due to the proximity to the county seat of Columbus - just 9 miles north. Altair had a mere 200 people in the 1960s which declined to only 80 in the 1980s.

In the 1990s a rice-drying facility and some short-lived businesses occupied the site, but the population has been estimated at 30 since 1990.

"Andy Griffith, Marvin Tyler, and Sam Snead (professional golfer), goose hunting near Altair, 1970. The hunt was filmed and broadcast as an episode of the television series 'American Sportsman.'"
Photo Courtesy Nesbitt Memorial Library #01952

Altair's most noticable structures.
TE Photos, July 2004

Colorado County bridge over Colorado River near Altair Texas

Bridge crossing the Colorado near Altair
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, July 2005

Take a road trip

Altair, Texas Nearby Towns:
Columbus the county seat
El Campo
Hallettsville
See Colorado County, Central Texas S

Book Hotel Here:
Columbus Hotels | More Hotels

Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact us.