Palacios ( pə-LASH-əs) is a city in Matagorda County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,395 at the 2020 census.

Popular local legend states that the area was named Tres Palacios (“Three Palaces”) several centuries ago by shipwrecked Spanish sailors who claimed they proverb a vision of three palaces on the bay. Historians acknowledge it was more likely named for José Félix Trespalacios, an beforehand Mexican manager of Texas. The town was originally called Trespalacios, but condensed its reveal due to a affable post office already using the longer version.

The indigenous inhabitants of the region were the Karankawa people, whose initial open with Europeans came in the 16th century with Spanish expeditions first traversed their territory. In 1685, the area was explored by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, the leader of an ill-fated French settlement attempt whose flagship La Belle was wrecked in the niche the subsequently year. In the 1820s, English-speaking settlers arrived and came into frequent court case with the Karankawa, who were eventually driven out of the area.

The well ahead site of Palacios was ranch home until 1901, when it was put taking place for sale by the home of the former owner, Abel “Shanghai” Pierce. The estate was purchased by a enhancement company, surveyed into lots, and in the tell of the coming on of the Southern Pacific Railroad and the instigation of the Texas Baptist Encampment, it gruffly grew into a seaside resort town. It was first contracted as a community in 1903. City dispensation was usual in 1909, and by 1915, Palacios was home to over 100 businesses, with a name office, library, weekly newspaper, numerous hotels, and churches, as capably as a large entertainment pavilion built on a pier in the bay.