Brazos County, Texas

Brazos County, Texas
The Brazos County Courthouse in Bryan

Seal
Map of Texas highlighting Brazos County
Location in the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded 1843
Named for Brazos River
Seat Bryan
Largest city College Station
Area
 • Total 591 sq mi (1,531 km2)
 • Land 585 sq mi (1,515 km2)
 • Water 5.8 sq mi (15 km2), 1.0%
Population (est.)
 • (2014) 209,152
 • Density 333/sq mi (129/km2)
Congressional district 17th
Time zone Central: UTC−6/−5
Website www.brazoscountytx.gov

Brazos County (/ˈbræzəs/ ( listen) BRAZ-əs) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 194,851.[1] The county seat is Bryan.[2] Along with Brazoria County, the county is named for the Brazos River, which forms its western border. The county was formed in 1841 and organized in 1843.[3][4]

Brazos County is part of the Bryan-College Station, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Bryan, College Station, and smaller cities and towns in Brazos, Burleson, and Robertson counties.

History

In 1837 most of the area of present-day Brazos County was included in Washington County. The Brazos River, which bisected the latter, proved a serious obstacle to county government, and a new county, Navasota, was formed in January 1841. The first court, with Judge R. E. B. Baylor presiding, was held later that year in the home of Joseph Ferguson, fourteen miles west of the site of present Bryan. The county seat, named Boonville for Mordecai Boon, was located on John Austin's league and was surveyed by Hiram Hanover in 1841. In January of the following year Navasota County was renamed Brazos County.[5]

Originally one of the state's poorer counties, the county donated 2,416 acres of land in the 1870s to create Texas A&M University, which has enabled the county to be among the state's most financially successful.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 591 square miles (1,530 km2), of which 585 square miles (1,520 km2) is land and 5.8 square miles (15 km2) (1.0%) is water.[6]

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1850614—
18603,096404.2%
18709,205197.3%
188013,57647.5%
189016,65022.6%
190018,85913.3%
191018,9190.3%
192021,97516.2%
193021,835−0.6%
194026,99723.6%
195038,39042.2%
196044,89516.9%
197057,97829.1%
198094,49263.0%
1990121,86229.0%
2000152,41525.1%
2010194,85127.8%
Est. 2016220,417[7]13.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1850–2010[9] 2010–2014[1]

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 152,415 people, 55,202 households, and 30,416 families residing in the county. The population density was 260 people per square mile (100/km²). There were 59,023 housing units at an average density of 101 per square mile (39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.45% White, 10.72% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 4.01% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 8.42% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. 17.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.3% were of German, 8.4% English, 7.3% Irish and 7.2% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 55,202 households out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.30% were married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.90% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the county, the population was spread out with 21.50% under the age of 18, 32.00% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 13.80% from 45 to 64, and 6.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,104, and the median income for a family was $46,530. Males had a median income of $32,864 versus $24,179 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,212. About 14.00% of families and 26.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Public Transportation

The Brazos Transit District operates a fixed route bus service and paratransit throughout Bryan and College Station.[11][12]

Major highways

Airport

Easterwood Airport, owned by Texas A&M, is the local commercial airport, with flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

Politics

Brazos County is a Republican stronghold, with no Democrat carrying the county since Texas native Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide.

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[13]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 57.6% 38,738 34.4% 23,121 8.0% 5,352
2012 66.5% 37,209 31.2% 17,477 2.3% 1,276
2008 63.9% 37,465 34.9% 20,502 1.2% 706
2004 69.2% 37,594 29.7% 16,128 1.1% 587
2000 70.0% 32,864 26.3% 12,359 3.7% 1,718
1996 57.1% 22,082 36.2% 13,968 6.7% 2,594
1992 48.5% 23,943 30.0% 14,819 21.4% 10,578
1988 65.7% 29,369 33.3% 14,885 1.0% 436
1984 73.6% 34,733 26.2% 12,348 0.3% 140
1980 60.3% 17,798 33.4% 9,856 6.4% 1,885
1976 58.8% 15,685 39.8% 10,628 1.5% 387
1972 71.0% 14,243 28.4% 5,692 0.6% 116
1968 43.9% 6,839 40.4% 6,299 15.7% 2,441
1964 33.3% 4,003 66.5% 7,998 0.2% 18
1960 43.5% 4,553 56.4% 5,907 0.2% 17
1956 58.6% 4,942 41.1% 3,463 0.4% 31
1952 52.6% 4,681 47.4% 4,213 0.0% 2
1948 27.7% 1,533 62.6% 3,459 9.7% 538
1944 10.6% 464 76.8% 3,358 12.6% 553
1940 12.9% 617 86.9% 4,151 0.2% 9
1936 1.7% 45 98.2% 2,610 0.2% 4
1932 7.0% 195 92.4% 2,588 0.6% 18
1928 33.2% 738 66.6% 1,480 0.1% 3
1924 10.4% 255 87.1% 2,128 2.5% 61
1920 12.8% 277 59.0% 1,281 28.3% 614
1916 20.9% 273 78.5% 1,027 0.6% 8
1912 14.9% 142 80.0% 762 5.1% 49

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated community

Ghost Town

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Brazos County". Texas Almanac. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  5. ↑ Brazos County in Handbook of Texas Online
  6. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  10. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  11. ↑ "The District Fixed Routes". Brazos Transit District. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  12. ↑ "The District Paratransit". Brazos Transit District. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  13. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-07-19.

Coordinates: 30°40′N 96°22′W / 30.667°N 96.367°W / 30.667; -96.367

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