VICTORIA, TEXAS

Victoria, Texas had scattered Anglo-American settlers living in the area when Don Martin de Leon founded townsite with 41 Spanish families in 1824. Named for General Guadalupe Victoria, who became Mexico's first president. Historical markers and graves in Evergreen Cemetery (Red River and Vine Streets) cite the de Leon family prominent in early Texas colonization. It was one of the first three towns incorporated by the Republic of Texas. Today, a major industrial and agricultural crossroads of South Texas, home of Victoria College and the University of Houston at Victoria.