History
On December 8, 1857, the Texas Legislature formed Bee County from sections of Refugio, Live Oak, San Patricio, Goliad, and Karnes Counties, naming it for Colonel Barnard Elliot Bee, who served the Republic of Texas as Sam Houston's secretary of war and Mirabeau B. Lamar's secretary of state. [4]
During the Anglo-American land speculation of the 1830s, the area's earliest settlers were mainly Irish immigrants, but by the late 1840s and early 1850s, the rise of Jacksonian expansionism inspired Southern whites from the North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Mississippi to occupy and build settlements in the area. [5]
As the constitution of the Republic of Texas no longer recognized the Catholic Church (or any church) as the state religion and slave-holding settlers came to dominate the area in the 1840s, small Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist congregations began forming with sustained missionary support from these denominations. Research suggests that Baptists and Methodists comprised 65% of all Texas congregations by 1870. [6]
Demographics
Historical population| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|
| 1860 | 910 | | — |
|---|
| 1870 | 1,082 | | 18.9% |
|---|
| 1880 | 2,298 | | 112.4% |
|---|
| 1890 | 3,720 | | 61.9% |
|---|
| 1900 | 7,720 | | 107.5% |
|---|
| 1910 | 12,090 | | 56.6% |
|---|
| 1920 | 12,137 | | 0.4% |
|---|
| 1930 | 15,721 | | 29.5% |
|---|
| 1940 | 16,481 | | 4.8% |
|---|
| 1950 | 18,174 | | 10.3% |
|---|
| 1960 | 23,755 | | 30.7% |
|---|
| 1970 | 22,737 | | −4.3% |
|---|
| 1980 | 26,030 | | 14.5% |
|---|
| 1990 | 25,135 | | −3.4% |
|---|
| 2000 | 32,359 | | 28.7% |
|---|
| 2010 | 31,861 | | −1.5% |
|---|
| 2020 | 31,047 | | −2.6% |
|---|
| 2024 (est.) | 31,226 | [8] | 0.6% |
|---|
|
Bee County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
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 [11] | Pop 2010 [12] | Pop 2020 [13] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|
| White alone (NH) | 11,352 | 10,967 | 8,600 | 35.08% | 34.42% | 27.70% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,145 | 2,525 | 2,316 | 9.72% | 7.93% | 7.46% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 62 | 70 | 54 | 0.19% | 0.22% | 0.17% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 148 | 162 | 211 | 0.46% | 0.51% | 0.68% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 8 | 10 | 2 | 0.02% | 0.03% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 9 | 38 | 65 | 0.03% | 0.12% | 0.21% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 185 | 183 | 407 | 0.57% | 0.57% | 1.31% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 17,450 | 17,906 | 19,392 | 53.93% | 56.2% | 62.46% |
| Total | 32,359 | 31,861 | 31,047 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, 31,047 people, 8,499 households, and 5,693 families resided in the county. As of the 2010 United States census, 31,861 people were living in the county; 78.8% were White, 8.1% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 9.7% of some other race, and 2.3% of two or more races. About 56.2% were Hispanics or Latinos (of any race).
As of the Census [14] of 2000, 32,359 people, 9,061 households, and 6,578 families lived in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile (14 people/km2). The 10,939 housing units had an average density of 12 units per square mile (4.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 67.85% White, 9.90% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 19.15% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. About 53.93% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
Of the 9,061 households, 37.8% had children under 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were not families. About 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.74, and the average family size was 3.25.
In the county, the population was distributed as 23.4% under 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 148.40 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 164.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,392, and for a family was $32,967. Males had a median income of $26,473 versus $20,666 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,625. About 19.70% of families and 24.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.80% of those under age 18 and 18.30% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Correctional Institutions Division Region IV Office on the grounds of Chase Field Naval Air Station in unincorporated Bee County. [15] In addition, Garza East Unit and Garza West Unit, transfer facilities, are co-located on the grounds of the naval air station, [16] [17] and the McConnell Unit is also in an unincorporated area in Bee County. [18] The Beeville Distribution Center is on the grounds of the air station. [19]
In 1981 the county government provided firefighting services in unincorporated areas, and there was a proposal to move that competency to four rural firefighting districts made largely on school district boundaries, each with taxing powers. [20]
Politics
Bee County is somewhat moderate in comparison to surrounding counties in its support of Republicans in presidential elections. In 2016, Donald Trump won less than 56% of the vote. As recently as 1996, it gave a majority of its votes to the Democratic candidate.
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