Victoria County, Texas

Victoria County, Texas
The Victoria County Courthouse of Romanesque revival design in Victoria
Map of Texas highlighting Victoria County
Location in the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded 1836
Named for Guadalupe Victoria
Seat Victoria
Largest city Victoria
Area
 • Total 889 sq mi (2,302 km2)
 • Land 882 sq mi (2,284 km2)
 • Water 6.7 sq mi (17 km2), 0.8%
Population
 • (2010) 86,793
 • Density 98/sq mi (38/km2)
Congressional district 27th
Time zone Central: UTC−6/−5
Website www.victoriacountytx.org

Victoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 86,793.[1] Its county seat is Victoria.[2]

Victoria County is included in the Victoria, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

  • Paleo-Indians Hunter-gatherers, and later Tonkawa, Aranamas, Tamiques, Karankawa. Tawakoni, Lipan Apache and Comanche, first inhabitants.[3]
  • 1685 René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle establishes Fort St. Louis.[4]
  • 1689 Alonso de Leon names the Guadalupe River in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.[5]
  • 1722 Nuestra Señora de Loreto Presidio[6] and Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga become the first Spanish settlement in Victoria County.[7]
  • 1824 Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Jesús Victoria (the future city of Victoria) is established by Martín De León, who starts his colony with 5,000 branded cattle and establishes the county's claim as the "Cradle of the Texas Cattle Industry." The only primarily Mexican colony in Texas.[8]
  • 1835 Victoria's settlers supported the revolution against Antonio López de Santa Anna, but were ostracized by new incoming Americans, many of whom were adventurous soldiers or fortune hunters, who wrongly profiled them as Mexican sympathizers and forced them to flee after the revolution in 1836.[9] Anglo-Americans resettle the area.[10]
  • 1836 Victory County is formed by the Republic of Texas. It is named after Guadalupe Victoria, the first President of Mexico.[3] Three thousand troops of the Texas army encamp near Spring Creek, Victoria County, under the command of Gen. Thomas J. Rusk, as the main defense against a threatened attack by Mexican general José de Urrea.[11]
  • 1842 Rafael Vásquez and Adrián Woll lead Mexican forces in an invasion into the county.[12]
  • 1850 Coletoville is established by German immigrant Carl Steiner.[13]
  • 1851 Victoria County's first toll bridge is erected across the river, built by Richard Owens and Sylvester Sutton.[14]
  • 1860 There are 1,413 slaves in the county.[3]
  • 1861 County votes 318-88 in favor of secession from the Union. Victoria County sends 300 men to fight for the Confederate States Army.[3]
  • 1863 Confederate General John B. Magruder destroys the railroad from Port Lavaca to Victoria to keep it out of Union hands. He also sinks trees and boats into the Guadalupe River.[3]
  • 1867-1869 The county is occupied by federal troops. Mob mentality violence by those same troops results in the axing death and corpse mutilation of local official Benjamin F. Hill, who is at the time incarcerated for an alleged self-defense killing of a discharged Union soldier.[15]
  • 1873 Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific Railway connects Victoria with Cuero and the coast.[3]
  • 1882 New York, Texas and Mexican Railway provides the first cross-country route to Rosenberg Junction in Fort Bend County.[3]
  • 1883 Texas Continental Meat Company is erected in the county and is the largest meat packing plant in Texas.[3]
  • 1886 Bray's Ferry is established at the San Antonio River by G. B. Amery and John Bray.[3]
  • 1906 The Guadalupe River Navigation Company is established.[3]
  • 1930 Oil is discovered at the McFaddin Oil Field. Victoria County holds more cattle than any other county in Texas.[3]
  • 1941 Foster Air Force Base is established as Victoria Army Air Field as a training air field.[16]
  • 1967 The Victoria Barge Canal is completed, connecting Victoria County with the Intracoastal Waterway.[3]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18502,019—
18604,171106.6%
18704,86016.5%
18806,28929.4%
18908,73738.9%
190013,67856.6%
191014,9909.6%
192018,27121.9%
193020,0489.7%
194023,74118.4%
195031,24131.6%
196046,47548.8%
197053,76615.7%
198068,80728.0%
199074,3618.1%
200084,08813.1%
201086,7933.2%
Est. 201692,467[17]6.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[18]
1850–2010[19] 2010–2014[1]

As of the census[20] of 2000, there were 84,088 people, 30,071 households, and 22,192 families residing in the county. The population density was 95 people per square mile (37/km²). There were 32,945 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.22% White, 6.30% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 15.92% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races. 39.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.2% were of German, 6.2% American and 5.6% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 73.3% spoke English and 25.5% Spanish as their first language.

There were 30,071 households out of which 37.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 12.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the county, the population was spread out with 29.10% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,732, and the median income for a family was $44,443. Males had a median income of $35,484 versus $21,231 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,379. About 10.50% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 889 square miles (2,300 km2), of which 882 square miles (2,280 km2) is land and 6.7 square miles (17 km2) (0.8%) is water.[21]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Politics

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[22]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 67.9% 21,275 28.3% 8,866 3.8% 1,183
2012 68.3% 19,692 30.5% 8,802 1.2% 359
2008 66.2% 19,878 32.8% 9,832 1.0% 310
2004 70.5% 20,875 28.9% 8,553 0.6% 174
2000 68.6% 18,787 29.8% 8,176 1.6% 445
1996 59.9% 14,457 34.2% 8,238 5.9% 1,424
1992 50.3% 13,086 29.2% 7,604 20.5% 5,347
1988 62.1% 15,056 36.8% 8,923 1.1% 274
1984 72.4% 18,787 27.1% 7,037 0.5% 121
1980 63.0% 13,392 34.7% 7,382 2.3% 495
1976 56.3% 9,594 43.0% 7,326 0.6% 108
1972 72.6% 11,246 27.3% 4,226 0.2% 26
1968 43.1% 6,352 41.0% 6,042 15.9% 2,336
1964 34.0% 4,201 65.8% 8,141 0.2% 25
1960 44.2% 4,591 55.6% 5,779 0.3% 27
1956 62.9% 5,596 36.8% 3,280 0.3% 28
1952 57.9% 4,306 42.1% 3,128 0.1% 4
1948 31.2% 1,262 60.2% 2,435 8.5% 345
1944 25.4% 936 63.3% 2,331 11.3% 417
1940 27.7% 956 72.2% 2,493 0.1% 2
1936 14.5% 352 85.5% 2,081 0.1% 2
1932 6.4% 190 93.4% 2,777 0.2% 5
1928 27.9% 663 72.1% 1,710
1924 19.0% 459 68.4% 1,653 12.7% 306
1920 41.6% 782 36.5% 686 21.9% 411
1916 33.7% 476 63.4% 897 2.9% 41
1912 9.9% 100 68.0% 687 22.1% 223

Communities

City

Census-designated places

Unincorporated Communities

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Roell, Craig H. "Victoria County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  4. ↑ Harrigan, Stephen (January 1979). "In Search of La Salle". Texas Monthly: 88–90, 138, 141–147.
  5. ↑ Bencke, Arthur C; Cushing, Colbert E (2005). Rivers of North America. Academic Press. pp. 192–194. ISBN 978-0-12-088253-3.
  6. ↑ Heard, J Norman (1987). Handbook of the American Frontier, Volume I: The Southeastern Woodlands. The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-8108-1931-3.
  7. ↑ Walter, Tamra Lynn (2007). Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga: A Frontier Mission in South Texas. University of Texas Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-292-71478-6.
  8. ↑ Craig H. Roell, "DE LEON, MARTIN," Handbook of Texas Online , accessed September 11, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
  9. ↑ Craig H. Roell, "DE LEON'S COLONY," Handbook of Texas Online , accessed September 11, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
  10. ↑ Room, Adrian (2005). Placenames Of The World: Origins and Meanings of the Names for 6,600 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features and Historic Sites. McFarland & Company. p. 395. ISBN 978-0-7864-2248-7.
  11. ↑ De La Teja, Jesus F (2010). Tejano Leadership in Mexican and Revolutionary Texas. TAMU Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-60344-166-7.
  12. ↑ Fowler, Will (2007). Santa Anna of Mexico. University of Nebraska Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-8032-1120-9.
  13. ↑ "Coletoville, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  14. ↑ Blackburn, Edward A (2005). Wanted: Historic County Jails of Texas. TAMU Press. p. 339. ISBN 978-1-58544-308-6.
  15. ↑ Roell, Craig H; Harsdoff-Lee, Linda. "Benjamin F Hill". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  16. ↑ "Victoria, Texas-Air Forces". Life: 56–59 61. June 1942.
  17. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  18. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  20. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  21. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  22. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-08-01.

Coordinates: 28°48′N 96°58′W / 28.80°N 96.97°W / 28.80; -96.97

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