[3] The county was founded in 1848 and is named for Captain Ewen Cameron,[4] a soldier during the Texas Revolution and in the ill-fated Mier Expedition.

During the later 19th century and through World War II, Fort Brown was a US Army outpost here, stimulating the development of the city of Brownsville.

The county is home to the SpaceX Starbase spaceport, situated in Boca Chica; it is also the residence of Elon Musk.

A 2000 Texas A&M study stated that of the residents of Cameron County, 43% do not have basic literacy skills.

Other major cities, such as Indian Lake, Primera, and Rio Hondo, all grew by more than 15% in the same period.

[16] U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen stated in 2013 that the corruption in the county judiciary and legal system was so pervasive that most people would not believe it "unless they heard it themselves.

[18] Trump's 2016 showing of 32.0% was the lowest received by a Republican candidate in the county since Alf Landon in 1936.

[citation needed] The New York Times stated that Elon Musk placed significant economic development in the county, opposed illegal immigration, and did considerable campaigning for Trump in Cameron County, so "Mr. Trump didn’t have to campaign very hard in Cameron.

[23][24] The FAA approved a SpaceX private spaceport east of Brownsville on the Gulf Coast.

[26] In 2014, SpaceX acquired additional land near Boca Chica, which they consolidated into a subdivision called "Mars Crossing", possibly named after the novel by science-fiction writer Geoffrey A.

[28] All quarantine efforts have been somewhat unsuccessful, due at least in part to the ticks' infestation of wildlife including whitetail (Odocoileus virginianus).