Houston County, the youngest county in Alabama, was formed on February 9, 1903 from portions of Henry, Dale and Geneva Counties. The County was named in honor of Alabama Governor George Smith Houston. It is Alabama's twelfth most populated county. The county seat is Dothan, which was known as Poplar Head prior to 1871. The County, located in the southeastern corner of Alabama, is bordered on the east by the state of Georgia at the Chattahoochee River and on the south by the state of Florida and covers 578 square miles. The little Choctawhatchee River forms the boundary in the northwestern part of the county with Dale County. Houston County lies on the Coastal Plain with an Elevation that ranges from 120 feet above sea level in the southeastern corner to about 345 feet above sea level at a point near Webb in the north central part of the County. The topography is mainly level to gently sloping, with scattered hilly sections found in the northeastern part of the County.

Houston County is primarily agricultural with peanuts, cotton and corn being the principal crops. Small grains, melons and vegetables are also abundantly grown in the County. Beef cattle, hogs and dairy cattle are the main livestock enterprises in the County. Rainfall averages 53 inches annually.