Wharton is a city in and the county seat of Wharton County, Texas, set on the lower Colorado River of Texas about 60 miles southwest of Houston. Founded in 1846 on land near the river, it was named for brothers William H. and John A. Wharton, prominent early Texas settlers. Wharton County was carved the same year from parts of Matagorda, Jackson, and Colorado counties, taking some of the region's most fertile river-bottom land. Agriculture has long anchored the economy. Rice became a defining crop as irrigation spread across the coastal prairie, and the surrounding fields still produce rice, corn, grain sorghum, and cotton, alongside cattle ranching. Oil and natural gas, discovered in the area in the mid-1930s, added energy production and related jobs, and sulfur mining has also contributed to the local economy. Wharton suits people who want an affordable small-city setting on a real commute corridor to Houston. U.S. Highway 59 — part of the future Interstate 69 route — links the city to Houston to the northeast and Victoria to the southwest. The historic downtown, built around the restored county courthouse, holds shops, restaurants, and antiques, while the Wharton County Historical Museum and the 20th Century Technology Museum preserve the region's layered past, including the legacy of playwright Horton Foote, a Wharton native. The Colorado River frames recreation and daily life, with Riverfront Park and a string of city parks offering green space along the water. For buyers, Wharton offers historic homes near downtown, established neighborhoods, and open acreage in the surrounding countryside.