 The Texas and New Orleans Railroad in 1905, and the Texas State Railroad in 1910, each gave rise to new county towns along their tracks.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is covered by water.As of the census of 2000, 46,659 people, 16,651 households, and 12,105 families resided in the county.