Austin County, Texas

{{Infobox U.S. county

| county = Austin County

| state = Texas

| image_flag = Flag of Austin County, Texas.svg

| seal =

| founded year = 1837

| founded date =

| seat wl = Bellville

| largest city wl = Sealy

| area_total_sq_mi = 656

| area_land_sq_mi = 647

| area_water_sq_mi = 9.9

| area percentage = 1.5

| census yr = 2020

| pop = 30167

| density_sq_mi = auto

| time zone = Central

| footnotes =

| web = www.austincounty.com

| named for = Stephen F. Austin

| ex image = Austin County Courthouse Bellville Wiki (1 of 1).jpg

| ex image size = 250

| ex image cap = The Austin County Courthouse in Bellville

| district = 10th

}}

Austin County is a rural, agricultural dominated county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,167.{{cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Austin County, Texas|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/austincountytexas/PST120221|access-date=January 31, 2022|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}{{Cite web|title=Austin County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US48015|website=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=January 30, 2022}} Its seat is Bellville.{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }} The county and region was settled primarily by German emigrants in the 1800s.{{cite web | url=https://www.austincounty.com/page/austin.History | title=Austin County, Texas }}

Austin County is included in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Austin County and the state capital Austin were both named after Stephen F. Austin; the city Austin is in Travis County, approximately 110 miles to the northwest.

History

In 1836, the Texas Legislature established Austin County, naming it for Stephen F. Austin, who facilitated Texas' Anglo-American colonization.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|656|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|647|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|9.9|sqmi}} (1.5%) is covered by water.{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_48.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 18, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}

=Adjacent counties=

Washington County (north)
Waller County (east)
Fort Bend County (southeast)
Wharton County (south)
Colorado County (southwest)
Fayette County (west)

Communities

= Cities =

=Town=

= Census-designated place =

New Ulm

=Unincorporated communities=

=Ghost town=

Rexville

Demographics

{{US Census population

|1850= 3841

|1860= 10139

|1870= 15087

|1880= 14429

|1890= 17859

|1900= 20676

|1910= 17699

|1920= 18874

|1930= 18860

|1940= 17384

|1950= 14663

|1960= 13777

|1970= 13831

|1980= 17726

|1990= 19832

|2000= 23590

|2010= 28417

|2020= 30167

|align-fn=center

|estyear=2023

|estimate=31677

|estref=

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=January 24, 2022}}
1850–2010{{cite web|url=http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010|publisher=Texas Almanac|access-date=April 18, 2015}} 2010 2020

}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Austin County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
{{nobold|Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.}}

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Austin County, Texas |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=0500000US48015&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}

!Pop 2010{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Austin County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48015&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}

!{{partial|Pop 2020}}{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Austin County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48015&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}

!% 2000

!% 2010

!{{partial|% 2020}}

|White alone (NH)

|16,964

|18,657

|style='background: #ffffe6; |18,480

|71.91%

|65.65%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |61.26%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|2,475

|2,622

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,352

|10.49%

|9.23%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.80%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|47

|79

|style='background: #ffffe6; |78

|0.20%

|0.28%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.26%

|Asian alone (NH)

|68

|110

|style='background: #ffffe6; |201

|0.29%

|0.39%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.67%

|Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%

|Other race alone (NH)

|34

|36

|style='background: #ffffe6; |107

|0.14%

|0.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.35%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|196

|271

|style='background: #ffffe6; |889

|0.83%

|0.95%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.95%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|3,805

|6,641

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,052

|16.13%

|23.37%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |26.69%

|Total

|23,590

|28,417

|style='background: #ffffe6; |30,167

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

As of the census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 14, 2011 |title=U.S. Census website }} of 2000, 23,590 people, 8,747 households, and 6,481 families resided in the county. The population density was {{convert|36|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people|}}. The 10,205 housing units averaged {{convert|16|/mi2|/km2|adj=pre|units }}. The racial makeup of the county was 80.22% White, 10.64% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 6.99% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. About 16.13% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 26.9% were of German, 8.0% Czech, 6.4% English, and 5.0% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

Of the 8,747 households, 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.60% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.90% were not families; 22.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was distributed as 27.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,615, and for a family was $46,342. Males had a median income of $32,455 versus $22,142 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,140. About 8.80% of families and 12.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.70% of those under age 18 and 14.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

{{PresHead|place=Austin County, Texas|source={{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=July 19, 2018}}}}

Austin County was one of the earliest counties in Texas to turn Republican. After 1944, the only time a Democrat has carried this county is in 1964. Every Republican presidential candidate since 2000 has carried more than 70% of the county vote.

= United States Congress =

Austin County is part of Texas's 10th congressional district, which as of 2019 is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Michael McCaul.

= Texas Legislature =

== Texas Senate ==

District 18: Lois Kolkhorst (R) – first elected in 2014

== Texas House of Representatives ==

District 13: Ben Leman (R) – first elected in 2018

= Austin County Courthouse =

County Judge: Tim Lapham (R)

Tax Assessor-Collector: Marcus A. Peña (R) – first elected in 2012

Education

The following school districts serve Austin County:

Bellville Independent School District
Brazos Independent School District (partial) (Formerly Wallis-Orchard ISD)
Brenham Independent School District (partial)
Columbus Independent School District (partial)
Sealy Independent School District
Burton Independent School District

(partial)

Blinn Junior College District is the designated community college for most of the county. Areas in Brazos ISD are in Wharton County Junior College District.[https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.168. BLINN JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Sec. 130.211. WHARTON COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.].

Transportation

=Major highways=

The TTC-69 component (recommended preferred) of the once-planned Trans-Texas Corridor went through Austin County.[http://ttc.keeptexasmoving.com/projects/i69/detailed_maps_cs.aspx TxDoT, TTC Section C & S, Detailed Map 2, 2007-12-17] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080202071316/http://ttc.keeptexasmoving.com/projects/i69/detailed_maps_cs.aspx |date=February 2, 2008 }}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20200118051343/https://www.austincounty.com/ Austin County website]
{{Handbook of Texas|id=hca08|name=}}
[http://texasalmanac.com/topics/government/austin-county Austin County] from the Texas Almanac
[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txaustin/ Austin County] from the TXGenWeb Project
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070913092623/http://texashistory.unt.edu/search.tkl?type=coverage_place&q=United%20States%20-%20Texas%20-%20Austin%20County Historic Austin County materials], hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History.]

{{Geographic Location

|Centre = Austin County, Texas

|North = Washington County

|Northeast =

|East = Waller County

|Southeast = Fort Bend County

|South = Wharton County

|Southwest =

|West = Colorado County

|Northwest = Fayette County

}}

{{Coord|29.88|-96.28|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990}}