Richwood is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, located on the upper Gulf Coast within the Brazosport area, a cluster of interconnected communities that also includes Lake Jackson, Clute, and Freeport. With a population of roughly 4,800, Richwood functions primarily as a residential community within a region defined by its port and petrochemical industries. The Brazosport area grew substantially after the arrival of the Dow Chemical Company, which established operations in Freeport beginning in the late 1930s and early 1940s to extract magnesium from seawater. That industrial foundation transformed the region into one of Texas's most significant chemical and port centers, and Richwood developed alongside neighboring cities as a place for the area's workforce to live. Today the Port of Freeport and the surrounding plants remain the economic backbone of the county, with Dow among the largest regional employers. Richwood's civic life is integrated into the Brazosport system. The city is served by the Brazosport Independent School District and falls within the Brazosport College service area, as designated by the Texas Legislature. It also participates in the Brazoria County Library System, giving residents access to county-wide resources. These connections reflect the cooperative, regionally oriented nature of the Brazosport communities. For residents, Richwood offers a practical, family-oriented home base within a major industrial corridor. Its location provides access to the employment, shopping, and services of the larger Brazosport area, as well as the recreational opportunities of the Texas Gulf Coast, while maintaining its own identity as a small city within that larger whole.