Brazos River
The Brazos River (/ˈbræzəs/ ⓘ BRAZ-əs, Spanish: [ˈbɾasos]), called the Río de los Brazos de Dios (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at 1,280 miles (2,060 km) from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Roosevelt County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a 45,000-square-mile (116,000 km2) drainage basin. Being one of Texas' largest rivers, it is sometimes used to mark the boundary between East Texas and West Texas.
| Brazos River Río de los Brazos de Dios | |
|---|---|
Brazos River downstream of Possum Kingdom Lake, Palo Pinto County, Texas | |
Brazos River watershed | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Llano Estacado |
| Source confluence | Stonewall County, Texas |
| • coordinates | 33°16′07″N 100°0′37″W |
| • elevation | 453 m (1,486 ft) |
| Mouth | Gulf of Mexico |
• location | Brazosport, Brazoria County, Texas |
• coordinates | 28°52′33″N 95°22′42″W |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 1,352 km (840 mi) |
| Basin size | 116,000 km2 (45,000 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Freeport,TX |
| • average | 237.5 m3/s (8,390 cu ft/s) |
| • minimum | 0.76 m3/s (27 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 2,390 m3/s (84,000 cu ft/s) |
The river is closely associated with Texas history, particularly the Austin settlement and Texas Revolution eras. Today major Texas institutions such as Texas Tech University, Baylor University, and Texas A&M University are located close to the river's basin, as are parts of metropolitan Houston.