Vanderbilt, Texas: A Historical Overview of the Town


By: Stephen L. Hardin

Published: 1952

Updated: June 1, 1995

Vanderbilt is on Farm Road 616 in southeastern Jackson County. In 1904 the town grew up around the new railroad station on acreage of the old Mitchell spread in the George Ewing league. A post office was built in 1907 and continued to serve in 1988. Vanderbilt is on the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway, and has served as a shipping and retail center for local farmers and ranchers. In 1945 the community had a population of 300 and a business section of ten stores. The population reached its zenith in 1962 at 900, then dropped by 1971 to 667, where it remained through 1990. In 1988 Vanderbilt had five businesses. In 2000 the population was 411 with thirteen businesses.

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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.

Stephen L. Hardin, “Vanderbilt, TX,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/vanderbilt-tx.

Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

TID: HLV04

1952
June 1, 1995

Find out more about this place from our Texas Almanac.

Place
Vanderbilt
Currently Exists
Yes
Place Type
Town
USGS ID
1370583
Town Fields
  • Has post office: Yes
  • Is Incorporated: No
Belongs to
  • Jackson County
Coordinates
  • Latitude: 28.82304520°
  • Longitude: -96.61747660°
Population Counts
People Year
411 2000
395 2010
461 2019
409 2020
492 2021

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