Fayette County, Texas

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Fayette County
Fayette County La Grange Wiki (1 of 1).jpg
The current Fayette County Courthouse in La Grange was finished in 1891. The Romanesque Revival style building uses four types of native Texas stone to detail the exterior.
Map of Texas highlighting Fayette County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas in United States.svg
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 29°52′N96°56′W / 29.86°N 96.93°W / 29.86; -96.93
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Texas.svg  Texas
Founded1837
Named for Marquis de la Fayette
Seat La Grange
Largest cityLa Grange
Area
  Total960 sq mi (2,500 km2)
  Land950 sq mi (2,500 km2)
  Water9.8 sq mi (25 km2)  1.0%
Population
 (2020)
  Total24,435
  Density25/sq mi (9.8/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 10th
Website www.co.fayette.tx.us

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,435. [1] Its county seat is La Grange. [2] The county was created in 1837 and organized the next year. [3]

Contents

History

Fayette County was established in 1837 from land given by Bastrop and Colorado Counties. It is named for the Marquis de Lafayette, a French nobleman who became an American Revolutionary War hero. [4] [5]

An early resident of Brazoria County and then Fayette County, Joel Walter Robison, fought in the Texas Revolution and served in the Texas House of Representatives. [6]

More than a dozen historic properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Fayette County.

Fayette County is the location of the real Chicken Ranch, which was the basis of the musical play and feature film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas .

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 960 square miles (2,500 km2), of which 950 square miles (2,500 km2) are land and 9.8 square miles (25 km2) (1.0%) are covered by water. [7]

Adjacent counties

Atrium in Courthouse Fayette County Courthouse Atrium.jpg
Atrium in Courthouse
Back of Courthouse Fayette County Texas Courthouse.jpg
Back of Courthouse
Old County Jail Old Fayette County Texas Jail.jpg
Old County Jail

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.
1850 3,756
1860 11,604208.9%
1870 16,86345.3%
1880 27,99666.0%
1890 31,48112.4%
1900 36,54216.1%
1910 29,796−18.5%
1920 29,9650.6%
1930 30,7082.5%
1940 29,246−4.8%
1950 24,176−17.3%
1960 20,384−15.7%
1970 17,650−13.4%
1980 18,8326.7%
1990 20,0956.7%
2000 21,8048.5%
2010 24,55412.6%
2020 24,435−0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [8]
1850–2010 [9] 2010 [10] 2020 [11]
Fayette County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / EthnicityPop 2010 [10] Pop 2020 [11] % 2010% 2020
White alone (NH)18,03817,04173.46%69.74%
Black or African American alone (NH)1,5991,3836.51%5.66%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)69500.28%0.20%
Asian alone (NH)61670.25%0.27%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)660.02%0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH)25720.10%0.29%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)1716000.70%2.46%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)4,5855,21618.67%21.35%
Total24,55424,435100.00%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.

As of the census [12] of 2000, 21,804 people, 8,722 households, and 6,044 families resided in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (9/km2). The 11,113 housing units averaged 12 per square mile (5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.58% White, 7.01% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 6.72% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. About 12.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race; 34.9% were of German, 16.4% Czech, 7.6% American, and 5.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

Christianity is the number-one religion and Judaism is the second. [13]

Of the 8,722 households, 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were not families. About 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was distributed as 23.20% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 22.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,526, and for a family was $43,156. Males had a median income of $29,008 versus $20,859 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,888. About 8.10% of families and 11.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.70% of those under age 18 and 13.50% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Airport

The county owns Fayette Regional Air Center, in an unincorporated area west of LaGrange.

Major highways

Media

Fayette County is home to three newspapers and two radio stations.

Newspapers

Radio

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Politics

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results [14]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 78.6%10,17120.6% 2,6610.8% 109
2016 78.2%8,74319.2% 2,1442.6% 287'
2012 76.6%8,10621.9% 2,3151.5% 160
2008 70.4%7,58228.0% 3,0141.6% 169
2004 72.4%7,52727.0% 2,8030.6% 67
2000 70.9%6,65827.1% 2,5422.0% 187
1996 52.0%4,19538.7% 3,1199.4% 754
1992 42.9%3,78933.1% 2,92323.9% 2,111
1988 57.1%4,55142.5% 3,3900.4% 30
1984 70.4%5,71129.3% 2,3790.3% 22
1980 60.3%4,10438.1% 2,5901.6% 110
1976 46.7% 3,03052.8%3,4280.5% 35
1972 73.4%3,88226.5% 1,4000.2% 9
1968 41.2%2,38031.7% 1,83327.1% 1,562
1964 35.9% 2,03663.9%3,6300.2% 11
1960 38.8% 2,21360.8%3,4620.4% 24
1956 60.5%3,57438.7% 2,2820.8% 48
1952 62.4%4,24037.6% 2,5570.0% 3
1948 32.8% 1,73758.6%3,1068.6% 455
1944 26.7% 1,61152.3%3,15621.0% 1,263
1940 48.3% 2,44151.6%2,6060.1% 5
1936 17.4% 59582.5%2,8200.2% 5
1932 4.7% 24595.3%4,9850.1% 3
1928 15.9% 68984.0%3,6470.1% 5
1924 22.5% 1,45059.7%3,85117.9% 1,154
1920 24.3% 1,10120.6% 93255.1%2,494
1916 38.4% 1,21260.2%1,9021.5% 46
1912 17.2% 46174.8%2,0118.0% 215

Education

School districts: [15]

Most of Fayette County is assigned to Blinn Junior College District. Austin Community College is the designated community college for portions of Fayette County in Smithville ISD. [16]

See also

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La Grange is a city in Fayette County, Texas, United States, near the Colorado River. La Grange is in the center of the Texas-German belt. The population was 4,391 at the 2020 census, and in 2018 the estimated population was 4,632. La Grange is the county seat of Fayette County.

References

  1. "Fayette County, Texas". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. 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. p. 124.
  5. Alvarez, Elizabeth Cruce (November 8, 2011). Texas Almanac 2012–2013. Texas A&M University Press. pp. Contents. ISBN   9780876112571 . Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  6. "Robison, Joel Walter". Texas State Historical Association. June 15, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  8. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  9. "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.
  10. 1 2 "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Fayette County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
  11. 1 2 "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Fayette County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
  12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  13. Wilson, Reid. The second-largest religion in each state, The Washington Post , June 4, 2014.
  14. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  15. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Fayette County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022. - List
  16. Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.166. AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA..

Coordinates: 29°52′N96°56′W / 29.86°N 96.93°W / 29.86; -96.93