Nacogdoches County /

Nacogdoches County ( /ˌnækəˈdoʊtʃɨs/) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 59,203. Its county seat is Nacogdoches. The Nacogdoches Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Nacogdoches County. Nacogdoches hosts the Blueberry Festival the second Saturday in June. The county is the top blueberry producer in Texas and is headquarters for the Texas Blueberry Marketing Association. It recently tagged itself as the "Capital of the Texas Forest Country". The county is one of the first Texas Certified Retirement Communities. The Nacogdoches merchant and civic leader Carl Edwin Monk, Sr., was known as "Mr. Highways". The scenic area off State Highway 7 east of Nacogdoches bears his name. Other notable residents include: Clint Dempsey, professional soccer star Ron Raines, soap-opera star J. Patrick Capps, prisoner activist, best known for his work on the appellate case of convicted murderess Marcia Kelly According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 981 square miles (2,542 km²), of which 947 square miles (2,452 km²) is land and 35 square miles (90 km²) (3.52%) is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 59,203 people, 22,006