Ellis County, Texas

Last updated

Ellis County
Ellis County Courthouse (1 of 1).jpg
The Ellis County Courthouse in Waxahachie
Map of Texas highlighting Ellis County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas in United States.svg
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°21′N96°47′W / 32.35°N 96.79°W / 32.35; -96.79
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Texas.svg  Texas
Founded1850
Named for Richard Ellis
Seat Waxahachie
Largest cityWaxahachie
Area
  Total952 sq mi (2,470 km2)
  Land936 sq mi (2,420 km2)
  Water16 sq mi (40 km2)  1.7%
Population
 (2020)
  Total192,455 Increase2.svg
  Density200/sq mi (80/km2)
Demonym Ellisite
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 6th
Website www.co.ellis.tx.us
Across from the courthouse is the Ellis County Museum. Waxahachie masonic lodge 2013.jpg
Across from the courthouse is the Ellis County Museum.

Ellis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, its population was estimated to be 192,455. [1] The county seat is Waxahachie. [2] The county was founded in 1849 and organized the next year. [3] It is named for Richard Ellis, [4] president of the convention that produced the Texas Declaration of Independence. Ellis County is included in the DallasFort WorthArlington metropolitan statistical area.

Contents

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 952 square miles (2,470 km2), of which 935 square miles (2,420 km2) are land and 16 square miles (41 km2) (1.7%) are covered by water. [5]

Lake Waxahachie is located about five miles south of Waxahachie in Ellis County, Texas. Owned and operated by Ellis County Water Control and Improvement District Number One on behalf of the city of Waxahachie, the lake was formed by impounding the Waxahachie Creek in 1956. The water covers about 650 acres and has a maximum depth around 50. [6] [7] The former community of South Prong was located beside the creek before the lake was created. [8] There has been a country club and a two-acre public park with boat ramp since the lake was completed. [9] The lake is a recreational resource for the entire county.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Communities

Bardwell Dam and Lake in Ellis County near the town of Ennis USACE Bardwell Dam and Lake.jpg
Bardwell Dam and Lake in Ellis County near the town of Ennis
Ellis County Courts building Ellis County, TX Courts building IMG 5610.JPG
Ellis County Courts building

Cities (multiple counties)

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1850 989
1860 5,246430.4%
1870 7,51443.2%
1880 21,294183.4%
1890 31,77449.2%
1900 50,05957.5%
1910 53,6297.1%
1920 55,7003.9%
1930 53,936−3.2%
1940 47,733−11.5%
1950 45,645−4.4%
1960 43,395−4.9%
1970 46,6387.5%
1980 59,74328.1%
1990 85,16742.6%
2000 111,36030.8%
2010 149,61034.3%
2020 192,45528.6%
2022 (est.)212,18210.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [10]
1850–2010 [11] 2020 [12]
Ellis County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / EthnicityPop 2010 [13] Pop 2020 [12] % 2010% 2020
White alone (NH)97,987106,49565.49%55.34%
Black or African American alone (NH)13,16123,7388.80%12.33%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)5657100.38%0.37%
Asian alone (NH)8111,5250.65%0.79%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)872020.06%0.10%
Some Other Race alone (NH)1557900.10%0.41%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)1,6836,9631.12%3.62%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)35,16152,03223.50%27.04%
Total149,610192,455100.00%100.00%

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 can be of any race.

According to the census [14] of 2000, 111,360 people, 37,020 households, and 29,653 families resided in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile (46 people/km2). The 39,071 housing units averaged 42 units per square mile (16/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 80.63% White, 8.64% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 7.92% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. About 18.42% of the population was Hispanic or Latinos of any race. By 2020, its population increased to 192,455. [12] The racial makeup in 2020 was 55.34% non-Hispanic white, 12.33% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.79% Asian American, 0.41% some other race, 3.62% multiracial, and 27.04% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

A Williams Institute analysis of 2010 census data found about 3.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households were in the county. [15]

Politics

Ellis is a staunchly Republican county in presidential elections. The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976, and since 2000, Republican presidential candidates have won with more than 66% of the vote.

United States presidential election results for Ellis County, Texas [16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.%No.%No.%
2020 56,71766.19%27,56532.17%1,4061.64%
2016 44,94170.10%16,25325.35%2,9164.55%
2012 39,57472.94%13,88125.59%7991.47%
2008 38,07870.71%15,33328.47%4420.82%
2004 34,60274.50%11,64025.06%2020.43%
2000 26,09169.94%10,62928.49%5871.57%
1996 16,04653.91%10,83236.39%2,8889.70%
1992 13,56440.50%9,53728.47%10,39431.03%
1988 16,42259.18%11,16940.25%1580.57%
1984 16,87367.56%8,02932.15%720.29%
1980 10,04651.31%9,21947.08%3151.61%
1976 6,99641.02%9,99158.58%680.40%
1972 8,77969.53%3,83930.41%80.06%
1968 3,79431.44%5,43145.01%2,84223.55%
1964 2,77927.62%7,27872.33%50.05%
1960 3,66638.42%5,84161.21%360.38%
1956 3,58540.65%5,21159.08%240.27%
1952 4,18339.91%6,27559.86%240.23%
1948 1,05513.76%5,79275.56%81810.67%
1944 6668.02%7,06585.08%5736.90%
1940 6928.07%7,88191.87%50.06%
1936 3195.34%5,64494.46%120.20%
1932 5276.93%7,03392.49%440.58%
1928 3,56944.72%4,39955.12%130.16%
1924 1,22013.50%7,67884.93%1421.57%
1920 81913.98%4,08169.68%95716.34%
1916 3246.32%4,71892.02%851.66%
1912 2937.42%3,48388.24%1714.33%

Law enforcement

The Ellis County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services to the county. The current sheriff is Brad Norman. The agency also operates the Ellis County Jail in Waxahachie. [17]

Media

Ellis County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth television media market in North Texas. Stations in the market are KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, KFWD-TV, and KDTX-TV.

The county is home to one local radio station KBEC 1390 AM and 99.1 FM. The station has been in continuous operation since 1955 and is the oldest Family owned radio station in Texas. A weekly newspaper, the Ellis County Press, is based in Ferris and published Thursdays. The Waxahachie Daily Light and Waxahachie Sun are published biweekly; other weekly newspapers are The Ennis News and Midlothian Mirror.

Education

School districts include: [18]

It is in the service area of Navarro College. [19]

Notable people

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ennis, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italy, Texas</span> Town in Texas, United States

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Maypearl is a city in Ellis County, Texas, United States. Its population was 939 in 2020.

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Waxahachie is the county seat of Ellis County, Texas, United States. Its population was 41,140 in 2020.

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Ferris is a city in Dallas and Ellis counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is 20 miles (32 km) south of downtown Dallas. The population was 2,788 in 2020.

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References

  1. "Ellis County, Texas". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  117.
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  6. Texas Parks and Wildlife: Lake Waxahachie. Accessed 11 Sep 2022.
  7. Premier Angler: Lake Waxahachie. Accessed 11 Sep 2022.
  8. Forth Worth Genealogical Society: Ghost Towns – South Prong, Ellis County, TX. Accessed 11 Sep 2022.
  9. Waxahachie Parks and Recreation: Waxahachie Lake. Accessed 11 Sep 2022.
  10. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  11. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Ellis County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
  13. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Ellis County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
  14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  15. Leonhardt, David; Quealy, Kevin (June 26, 2015), "Where Same-Sex Couples Live", The New York Times, retrieved July 6, 2015
  16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  17. "Home". www.elliscountysheriff.com. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  18. "2020 census - school district reference map: Ellis County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022. - Text list
  19. Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.189. Navarro College District Service Area.

32°21′N96°47′W / 32.35°N 96.79°W / 32.35; -96.79