Parts of this article (those related to politics, government, and the economy) need to be updated.(March 2019) |
Cameron County | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 26°09′N97°27′W / 26.15°N 97.45°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Texas |
Founded | 1848 |
Named for | Ewen Cameron |
Seat | Brownsville |
Largest city | Brownsville |
Area | |
• Total | 1,276 sq mi (3,300 km2) |
• Land | 891 sq mi (2,310 km2) |
• Water | 386 sq mi (1,000 km2) 30% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 421,017 |
• Density | 330/sq mi (130/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
Congressional district | 34th |
Website | www |
Cameron County, officially the County of Cameron, is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 421,017. [1] [2] Its county seat is Brownsville. [3]
The county was founded in 1848 and is named for Captain Ewen Cameron, [4] a soldier during the Texas Revolution and in the ill-fated Mier Expedition. During the later 19th century and through World War II, Fort Brown was a US Army outpost here, stimulating the development of the city of Brownsville.
Cameron County comprises the Brownsville–Harlingen, TX metropolitan statistical area, as well as the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville combined statistical area, which itself is part of the larger Rio Grande Valley region.
The second-largest city in the county is Harlingen.
The county is home to the SpaceX Starbase spaceport, situated in Boca Chica; it is also the residence of Elon Musk, the richest person in the world. [5]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,276 square miles (3,300 km2), of which 891 square miles (2,310 km2) are land and 386 square miles (1,000 km2) (30%) are covered by water. [6] To the east, the county borders the Gulf of Mexico.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 8,541 | — | |
1860 | 6,028 | −29.4% | |
1870 | 10,999 | 82.5% | |
1880 | 14,959 | 36.0% | |
1890 | 14,424 | −3.6% | |
1900 | 16,095 | 11.6% | |
1910 | 27,158 | 68.7% | |
1920 | 36,662 | 35.0% | |
1930 | 77,540 | 111.5% | |
1940 | 83,202 | 7.3% | |
1950 | 125,170 | 50.4% | |
1960 | 151,098 | 20.7% | |
1970 | 140,368 | −7.1% | |
1980 | 209,680 | 49.4% | |
1990 | 260,120 | 24.1% | |
2000 | 335,227 | 28.9% | |
2010 | 406,220 | 21.2% | |
2020 | 421,017 | 3.6% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [7] 1850–2010 [8] 2010 [9] 2020 [10] |
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 [11] | Pop 2010 [9] | Pop 2020 [10] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 48,679 | 43,427 | 37,107 | 14.52% | 10.69% | 8.81% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 909 | 1,192 | 1,405 | 0.27% | 0.29% | 0.33% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 334 | 385 | 365 | 0.10% | 0.09% | 0.09% |
Asian alone (NH) | 1,522 | 2,486 | 2,596 | 0.45% | 0.61% | 0.62% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 41 | 76 | 80 | 0.01% | 0.02% | 0.02% |
Other Race alone (NH) | 118 | 191 | 846 | 0.04% | 0.05% | 0.20% |
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH) | 888 | 716 | 1,938 | 0.26% | 0.18% | 0.46% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 282,736 | 357,747 | 376,680 | 84.34% | 88.07% | 89.47% |
Total | 335,227 | 406,220 | 421,017 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the census [12] of 2010, 406,220 people, 119,631 households, and 96,579 families were residing in the county. The population density was 370 people per square mile (140 people/km2). The 141,924 housing units averaged 132 per square mile (51/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% White, 0.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 9.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. About 88.1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 119,631 households, 50.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were not families. About 16.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.36, and the average family size was 3.80.
In the county, the age distribution was 33.0% under the age of18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 or older. The median age was 30.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 86.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,264, and for a family was $33,770. Males had a median income of $21,410 versus $15,597 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,695. About 30.0% of families and 34.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.8% of those under age 18 and 24.8% of those age 65 or over.
A 2000 Texas A&M study stated that of the residents of Cameron County, 43% do not have basic literacy skills. [13]
Within the 2010s decade, a noticeable trend in the county population showed that growth among the county's northern cities (defined as major towns whose city limits lie entirely north or east of U.S. Highway 83 in the county) on average has been greater than those cities on U.S. Highway 83 in the county, suggesting a possible desire among both locals and new residents from outside the Rio Grande Valley to move away from the population centers of the county. This trend has also been shared by nearby Hidalgo County. Los Fresnos, for example, grew by 42.2% from 2010 to 2018. Other major cities, such as Indian Lake, Primera, and Rio Hondo, all grew by more than 15% in the same period. In contrast, the cities of Harlingen, La Feria, and San Benito, all cities along U.S. Highway 83, have seen growths less than 1% in the same period. The city that grew the most among the Highway 83 cities in the county was Brownsville, which grew by 4.4% from 2010 to 2019.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates the Port Isabel Service Processing Center, located in an unincorporated area adjacent to the Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport, [14] which is itself owned and operated by the county. [15] The airport has four runways and offers fuel and other general aviation services. [16]
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen stated in 2013 that the corruption in the county judiciary and legal system was so pervasive that most people would not believe it "unless they heard it themselves." [17]
Cameron County historically leaned toward the Democratic Party in presidential elections. George W. Bush received the highest votes in the county in the 2004 United States presidential election. The first Republican to win the county in a presidential election in the following 20 years was Donald Trump, in the 2024 United States presidential election. Multiple voters supported Trump while voting for lower-level down-ballot Democratic Party politicians. Trump outperformed Ted Cruz in the area in the 2024 election. [18] Donald Trump's 2016 showing of 32.0% was the lowest received by a Republican candidate in the county since Alf Landon in 1936. However, in 2020, Trump's performance of 43% was the best for a Republican in the county since 2004, while in 2024, Trump won the county with a majority of 52.51% as part of the continued Republican trend of the Rio Grande Valley.[ citation needed ] In the 2020 United States presidential election, the Democratic Party had little organizing presence in the Rio Grande Valley. Still, the party put more campaign operatives in place to attempt to arrest the party's decline there. Jazmin Ulloa of The New York Times stated that Elon Musk placed significant economic development in the county, opposed illegal immigration, and did considerable campaigning for Trump in Cameron County, so "Mr. Trump didn’t have to campaign very hard in Cameron County." [18]
In the Texas House of Representatives, Cameron County is covered by Districts 35, 37, and 38.
As of 2006, officeholders tended to be Democrats, and Democrats were guaranteed to win elections, partly due to straight-ticket voting. It was common for voters to be influenced by members of their own extended families and by prominent families in their towns, so politicians often tried to make friends with family groups to increase their chances of getting elected. As of 2006, about 20,000 to 30,000 people habitually voted in primary elections, and presidential elections had higher turnouts. Politiqueras, women hired to help the elderly vote, were crucial in South Texas elections. Cecilia Ballí of Texas Monthly wrote that voters expected to get favors from politicians they vote for, and if they do not get these favors, they become resentful of politicians. [19]
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2024 | 60,991 | 52.44% | 54,258 | 46.65% | 1,060 | 0.91% |
2020 | 49,032 | 42.89% | 64,063 | 56.04% | 1,231 | 1.08% |
2016 | 29,472 | 31.80% | 59,402 | 64.10% | 3,791 | 4.09% |
2012 | 26,099 | 33.94% | 49,975 | 64.99% | 821 | 1.07% |
2008 | 26,671 | 35.06% | 48,480 | 63.72% | 926 | 1.22% |
2004 | 34,801 | 50.32% | 33,998 | 49.16% | 357 | 0.52% |
2000 | 27,800 | 44.80% | 33,214 | 53.52% | 1,043 | 1.68% |
1996 | 18,434 | 32.63% | 34,891 | 61.76% | 3,168 | 5.61% |
1992 | 20,123 | 34.07% | 29,435 | 49.84% | 9,499 | 16.08% |
1988 | 24,263 | 43.68% | 30,972 | 55.75% | 317 | 0.57% |
1984 | 29,545 | 52.64% | 26,394 | 47.03% | 187 | 0.33% |
1980 | 22,041 | 47.62% | 23,200 | 50.12% | 1,044 | 2.26% |
1976 | 16,448 | 39.06% | 25,310 | 60.10% | 353 | 0.84% |
1972 | 20,816 | 60.69% | 13,340 | 38.89% | 144 | 0.42% |
1968 | 11,759 | 39.82% | 15,726 | 53.26% | 2,042 | 6.92% |
1964 | 9,531 | 37.14% | 16,056 | 62.57% | 72 | 0.28% |
1960 | 10,190 | 45.01% | 12,416 | 54.84% | 34 | 0.15% |
1956 | 11,952 | 56.85% | 8,829 | 42.00% | 241 | 1.15% |
1952 | 14,018 | 64.89% | 7,559 | 34.99% | 25 | 0.12% |
1948 | 4,689 | 39.54% | 6,778 | 57.15% | 392 | 3.31% |
1944 | 5,309 | 44.82% | 5,998 | 50.63% | 539 | 4.55% |
1940 | 3,370 | 35.73% | 6,035 | 63.98% | 28 | 0.30% |
1936 | 2,160 | 26.32% | 5,887 | 71.74% | 159 | 1.94% |
1932 | 1,785 | 19.87% | 7,146 | 79.53% | 54 | 0.60% |
1928 | 3,544 | 52.45% | 3,202 | 47.39% | 11 | 0.16% |
1924 | 1,266 | 34.52% | 2,225 | 60.68% | 176 | 4.80% |
1920 | 909 | 49.24% | 920 | 49.84% | 17 | 0.92% |
1916 | 420 | 24.48% | 1,260 | 73.43% | 36 | 2.10% |
1912 | 149 | 6.13% | 2,146 | 88.35% | 134 | 5.52% |
Cameron County is served by several school districts. They include: [21]
In addition, residents are eligible to apply to South Texas Independent School District's magnet schools. [22]
All of the county is in the service area of Texas Southmost College. [23]
Cameron County has been considered one of the poorest urban counties in the US. [24] [25]
The FAA approved a SpaceX private spaceport east of Brownsville on the Gulf Coast. [26]
The SpaceX South Texas Launch Site is projected to employ 75–100 full-time workers in the early years with up to 150 full-time employees/contractors by 2019. [27] In 2014, SpaceX acquired additional land near Boca Chica, which they consolidated into a subdivision called "Mars Crossing", possibly named after the novel by science-fiction writer Geoffrey A. Landis. [28]
The southern cattle tick ( Rhipicephalus microplus ) is invasive here. [29] Populations here have also become highly permethrin resistant. [29] In 2014 the problem had become so severe that spread to neighboring counties was feared, and a Temporary Preventative Quarantine Area was established to preserve efficacy in those counties. [29] All quarantine efforts have been somewhat unsuccessful, due at least in part to the ticks' infestation of wildlife including whitetail ( Odocoileus virginianus ). [29]
Harlingen is a city in Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about 30 miles (48 km) from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than 40 square miles (104 km2) and is the second-largest city in Cameron County, as well as the fourth-largest in the Rio Grande Valley. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 71,892.
Willacy County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 20,164. Its county seat is Raymondville. The county was created in 1911 and organized the next year.
Hidalgo County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 870,781, making it the ninth-most populous county in Texas, and the most populous county outside of the counties in the Texas Triangle. The county seat is Edinburg and the largest city is McAllen. The county is named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the priest who raised the call for Mexico's independence from Spain. It is located in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas and is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. Hidalgo County is designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission metropolitan statistical area, which itself is part of the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission-Rio Grande City, Texas combined statistical area with neighboring Starr County.
Arroyo Colorado Estates is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cameron County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 997 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Brownsville is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The city covers 145.2 sq mi (376.066 km2), and had a population of 186,738 at the 2020 census. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, it is the 135th-largest city in the United States and 18th-largest in Texas. It is part of the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan area. The city is known for its year-round subtropical climate, deep-water seaport, and Hispanic culture.
Combes is a town in northern Cameron County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,999 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas.
Laguna Heights is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 962 at the 2020 census, significantly down from 3,488 at the 2010 census.
Los Fresnos is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,114 at the 2020 census, up from 5,542 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas.
Palm Valley is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,413 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas.
Port Isabel is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas. The population was 5,028 at the 2020 census.
Reid Hope King is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 667 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Rio Hondo is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,021 at the 2010 census. It may be included as part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas.
South Padre Island is a resort town in Cameron County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,066 at the 2020 census. The town is located on South Padre Island, a barrier island with the Laguna Madre situated to the leeward of the island and the Gulf of Mexico on the windward flank, along the Texas Gulf Coast. South Padre Island is accessible via the Queen Isabella Causeway from the town of Port Isabel. South Padre Island is named after José Nicolás Ballí, a Catholic priest and settler.
Edinburg is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 100,243 at the 2020 census, and in 2022, its estimated population was 104,294, making it the second-largest city in Hidalgo County, and the third-largest city in the larger Rio Grande Valley region.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley, commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. The region includes the southernmost tip of South Texas and a portion of northern Tamaulipas, Mexico. It consists of the Brownsville, Harlingen, Weslaco, Donna, Pharr, McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, San Juan, and Rio Grande City metropolitan areas in the United States and the Matamoros, Río Bravo, and Reynosa metropolitan areas in Mexico. The area is generally bilingual in English and Spanish, with a fair amount of Spanglish due to the region's diverse history and transborder agglomerations. It is home to some of the poorest cities in the nation, as well as many unincorporated, persistent poverty communities called colonias. A large seasonal influx occurs of "winter Texans" — people who come down from the north for the winter and then return north before summer arrives.
State Highway 48 runs from Brownsville to Port Isabel in Deep South Texas.
The Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville combined statistical area is made up of two counties in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. The CSA consists of the Brownsville–Harlingen metropolitan statistical area and the Raymondville micropolitan statistical area. A 2013 census estimate puts its population at 439,197.
Arroyo City is an unincorporated community in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The community had a population of 510 in 2017. It is located within the Rio Grande Valley and the Brownsville-Harlingen metropolitan area.
Arroyo Gardens is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cameron County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 456 at the 2010 census. Prior to the 2010 census, the community was part of the Arroyo Gardens-La Tina Ranch CDP. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area.
La Tina Ranch is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cameron County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 618 at the 2010 census. Prior to the 2010 census, the community was part of the Arroyo Gardens-La Tina Ranch CDP. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The district stretches over three counties, Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy,[...]
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