Why visit Alto
Townapedia lists 6 museums and landmarks and 1 park or trail in and around town.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 92°F; January lows average 37°F.
Weather in Alto
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Alto
Alto is a town in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. With a population of 1,027 at the 2020 U.S. census, Alto is the closest municipality to the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, an archaeological site dating back to 800 BC, featuring a prehistoric village and ceremonial center.
From the Wikipedia article Alto, Texas (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks6
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Churches and places of worship1
Shopping1
History
An early settler in the region was Martin Lacy, who built Lacy's Fort just to the west to the current site of Alto around 1838. In 1838 and 1839, during the campaign to suppress the Córdova Rebellion, the fort served as an operations and supply base for the Third Militia brigade commanded by Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Rusk.
The town of Alto was laid out in 1849 and named for the Spanish word meaning "high" on account of the site's elevation on a drainage divide between the Neches and Angelina Rivers.
From the History section of Alto, Texas on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries6
Healthcare1
Map of Alto
17 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°F | 37°F | 4.4 in | 0.1 in |
| Feb | 60°F | 40°F | 4.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 67°F | 47°F | 4.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 74°F | 54°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 81°F | 63°F | 4.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 87°F | 70°F | 4.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 91°F | 72°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 92°F | 72°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 86°F | 67°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 76°F | 57°F | 4.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 65°F | 47°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 58°F | 40°F | 4.9 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Rusk (12 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Cherokee County has had 21 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2024-07-09: Hurricane Beryl (Hurricane)
- 2024-05-17: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Flood)
- 2021-02-19: Severe Winter Storms (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2021-02-14: Severe Winter Storm (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2020-08-24: Tropical Storms Marco And Laura (Hurricane)
- 2020-03-25: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Cherokee County Airport (JKV) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 17 miles away.
- Rusk 11 mi northwest, about 18 min by car
- Wells 13 mi southeast, about 21 min by car
- Cushing 17 mi northeast, about 28 min by car
- Jacksonville 24 mi northwest, about 39 min by car
- Nacogdoches 25 mi east, about 40 min by car
- Lufkin 30 mi southeast, about 49 min by car
- Palestine 35 mi west, about 56 min by car
- Henderson 39 mi northeast, about 1 h by car
- Tyler 48 mi north, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Kilgore 53 mi north, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.