The city was named for Herman and Augustus Kountze, financial backers of the Sabine and East Texas Railroad.

[6] The seat of Hardin County, Kountze boasts an area of more than 89% forested lush green terrain.

The local area produces over 3.5 million board feet (8,300 m³) of lumber annually.

Texas State Highway 326 (W. Monroe Street) leads southwest from Kountze 18 miles (29 km) to Sour Lake.

[5] The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

The ethnic and racial makeup of the population was 70.1% non-Hispanic White, 23.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian Indian, 0.4% Filipino, 0.1% other Asian, 1.3% some other race, and 2.2% reporting two or more races, including 5.0% Hispanic.

The Kountze Lions' varsity basketball team has won state titles in 1970, 2004, 2005, and 2007 in both 2A and 3A of UIL standings.

The Kountze Lionette's varsity basketball team has also made four appearances at the Frank Erwin Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

The Kountze volleyball team has also brought home several state championship titles, as well as advanced to the final four several times.