Hays County Annex Building across from the courthouse in San MarcosHays County Veterans Monument in San Marcos
Hays County is a county in the central portion of the U.S. state of Texas.[1] It is part of the Austin-Round Rockmetropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its official population had reached 241,067.[2] The county seat is San Marcos.[3] Hays, along with Comal and Kendall Counties, was listed in 2017 as one of the nation's fastest-growing counties with a population of at least 10,000. From 2015 to 2016, Hays County, third on the national list, had nearly 10,000 new residents during the year.[4]
Hays County has been inhabited for thousands of years. Evidence of Paleo-Indians found in the region goes as far back as 6000 BC.[5] Archeological evidence of native agriculture goes back to 1200 AD.
More permanent European influence was established in 1755, when the Mission San Francisco Xavier de los Dolores was established among the Apache tribe.[8][self-published source?] In 1831, Coahuila y Tejas[9] issued a land grant to Juan Martín de Veramendi,[10] to Juan Vicente Campos in 1832,[5] and to Thomas Jefferson Chambers in 1834.[5] The Mexican government issued a land grant to the first Anglo-American settler in the county, Thomas G. McGhee of Tennessee, in 1835.[5]
On March 1, 1848, the legislature formed Hays County from Travis County. The county is named for Tennessee native Captain John Coffee Hays[11] of the Texas Rangers. San Marcos was named as the county seat.[12] The legislature established Blanco from part of Hays in 1858, but incorporated part of Comal into Hays. Risher and Hall Stage Lines controlled 16 of 31 passenger and mail lines in Texas.[5]
In 1861, voters in the county favored secession from the Union.[5] The next year, the state legislature transferred more of Comal County to Hays County.[5] In 1867, the first cattle drive from Hays County to Kansas occurred.[5]
Wonder Cave opened to the public in 1900.[15] The current Hays County Courthouse in San Marcos was erected in 1908 in Beaux-Arts style by architect C.H. Page and Bros.[16] The Aquarena Springs tourist site opened in 1928 in San Marcos.[17]
Lyndon Baines Johnson graduated from Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1930.[18] In 1942, construction of San Marcos Army Air Field began.[19] San Marcos Army Air Field was renamed Gary Air Force Base in 1953 to honor Second Lieutenant Arthur Edward Gary, the first San Marcos resident killed in World War II.[19]
The state legislature resurveyed the Hays and Travis County lines, adding 16,000 acres (65km2) to Hays County, in 1955.[5] In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson announced the establishment of a Job Corps center based at the deactivated Gary Air Force Base.[20]
As of 2020, the county has six high schools, 10 middle schools, and 24 elementary schools.[citation needed]
Higher education in Hays County includes one four-year institution, Texas State University, in San Marcos.
Austin Community College is the designated community college for the whole county.[25] It operates three distance-learning centers that offer basic and early college start classes, along with testing centers for online classes.
Hays 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.
As of the 2015 Texas population estimate program, the county's population was 193,963: non-Hispanic Whites, 106,919 (55.1%); non-Hispanic Blacks, 5,860 (3.0%); other non-Hispanics, 6,624 (3.4%); and Hispanics and Latinos (of any race), 74,560 (38.4%).[31]
As of the census[32] of 2000, 97,589 people, 51,265 households, and 22,150 families resided in the county. The population density was 144 peopleper square mile (56 people/km2). The 55,643 housing units averaged 53 unitsper square mile (20/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 78.92% White, 3.68% Black or African American, 0.69%Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 13.36% from other races, and 2.49% from two or more races. About 29.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 33,410 households, 34.0% had children under 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were not families; 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.69, and the average family size was 3.21.
The county's population was distributed as 24.5% under 18, 20.5% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 99.50 males.
The county's median household income was $45,006 and the median family income was $56,287. Males had a median income of $35,209 versus $27,334 for females. The county's per capita income was $19,931. About 6.40% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.30% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Hays County currently leans towards the Democratic Party in federal elections. The county was strongly Democratic-leaning before the 1970s, then (like some other suburban counties in the state) began trending towards the Republican Party in the 1970s.
The county began trending Democratic again in the late 2010s and early 2020s. It has backed Democrats in most statewide races since 2018, including for President (in 2020 and 2024), despite Democrats losing all statewide races in Texas.[34][35] In 2024, Kamala Harris became the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry Hays County despite losing the presidential election since 1968.
Until 2020, when Joe Biden won the county with 54.4% of the vote, the last Democrat to carry Hays County in a presidential election was Bill Clinton, with a plurality of 39.8% of the vote in 1992. The last Democrat to win a majority of the vote in the county before 2020 was Jimmy Carter, with 54.4% in 1976. Lloyd Bentsen had been the last Democratic Senate candidate to carry the county, winning 69.2% of the vote in 1988, until 2018, when Beto O'Rourke carried the county with 57.1% of the vote.[36]
United States presidential election results for Hays County, Texas[37]
Ann Richards in 1990 was the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to win the county, when she took 56.6% of the vote that year, until 2018, when Lupe Valdez won with a 49.6% plurality.[36]
In the 2022 elections, Democrats won all but one race in Hays County; They flipped several countywide seats previously held by Republicans.[38]
Democratic voters mostly reside along the I-35 Corridor and communities East. Communities West of the I-35 Corridor lean Republican. San Marcos, home of Texas State University, and the city of Kyle generally vote Democratic. Driftwood, Dripping Springs, Wimberley, and Woodcreek generally vote Republican. Elections within the county are often decided by margins in Bear Creek, Belterra, Buda, and the county's northcentral border along Travis County.[citation needed]
Zapata County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 13,889. Its county seat is Zapata. The county is east of the Mexico–United States border and is named for Colonel José Antonio de Zapata, a rancher in the area who rebelled against Mexico.
Wilson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 49,753. Its county seat is Floresville. The county is named after James Charles Wilson. Wilson County is part of the San Antonio–New Braunfels, Texas, metropolitan statistical area.
Washington County is a county in Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,805. Its county seat is Brenham, which is located along U.S. Highway 290, 72 miles northwest of Houston. The county was created in 1835 as a municipality of Mexico and organized as a county in 1837. It is named for George Washington, the first president of the United States.
Travis County is located in Central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat and most populous city is Austin, the state's capital. The county was established in 1840 and is named in honor of William Barret Travis, the commander of the Republic of Texas forces at the Battle of the Alamo. Travis County is part of the Austin–Round Rock–Georgetown Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located along the Balcones Fault, the boundary between the Edwards Plateau to the west and the Blackland Prairie to the east.
Sutton County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,372. Its county seat is Sonora. The county was created in 1887 and organized in 1890. Sutton County is named for John S. Sutton, an officer in the Confederate Army.
Starr County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 65,920. Its county seat is Rio Grande City. The county was created in 1848. It is named for James Harper Starr, who served as secretary of the treasury of the Republic of Texas.
San Augustine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,918. Its county seat is San Augustine.
Newton County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,217. Its county seat is Newton. The county is named for John Newton, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War.
Jim Wells County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 38,891. The county was founded in 1911 and is named for James B. Wells Jr. (1850–1923), for three decades a judge and Democratic Party political boss in South Texas.
Guadalupe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 172,706. The county seat is Seguin. The county was founded in 1846 and is named after the Guadalupe River.
Glasscock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,169. Its county seat is Garden City. The county was created in 1827 and later organized in 1869. It is named for George Washington Glasscock, an early settler of the Austin, Texas area and the namesake of Georgetown, Texas.
Comal County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 161,501. Comal County is known for its rich German-Texan and European history. Its county seat is New Braunfels.
Caldwell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 45,883. Its county seat is Lockhart. The county was founded in 1848 and named after Mathew Caldwell, a ranger captain who fought in the Battle of Plum Creek against the Comanches and against Santa Anna's armies during the Texas Revolution. Caldwell was also a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Blanco County is a United States county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located in Central Texas and its county seat is Johnson City.
Bastrop County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in Central Texas and its county seat is Bastrop.
Austin County is a rural, agricultural dominated county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,167. Its seat is Bellville. The county and region was settled primarily by German emigrants in the 1800s.
Kyle is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. Its population grew from 28,016 in 2010 to 45,697 in 2020, making it one of Texas' fastest-growing cities. It is part of the Greater Austin area.
Wimberley is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. It is still predominantly a ranching area. The population was 2,839 at the 2020 census.
San Marcos is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city is a part of the Greater Austin Metropolitan Area. San Marcos's limits extend into Caldwell and Guadalupe counties, as well. San Marcos is on the Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio. Its population was 44,894 at the 2010 census and 67,553 at the 2020 census. Founded on the banks of the San Marcos River, the area is thought to be among the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the Americas. San Marcos is home to Texas State University and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.
The Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos metropolitan statistical area, or Greater Austin, is a five-county metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Texas, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. The metropolitan area is situated in Central Texas on the western edge of the American South and on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, and borders Greater San Antonio to the south.
↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
↑ Zeke MacCormack, "Folks flocking to area counties: Kendall, Comal, and Hays are on the top 10 list", San Antonio Express-News, March 24, 2017, pp. 1, A11.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Cecil, Paul F; Greene, Daniel P. "Hays County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
↑ Foster, William C (1995). Spanish Expeditions into Texas, 1689-1768. University of Texas Press. p.117. ISBN978-0-292-72489-1.
↑ Weddle, Robert S (1991). The French Thorn: Rival Explorers in the Spanish Sea, 1682-1762. TAMU Press. p.200. ISBN978-0-89096-480-4.
↑ Pietrusza, David (2008). 1960--LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies. Union Square Press. p.20. ISBN978-1-4027-6114-0.
1 2 Ratisseau, Shirley. "Gary Air Force Base". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
↑ "Gary Job Corps Center". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
DeCook, K. James (1963). Geology and Ground-water Resources of Hays County, Texas. Texas Board of Water Engineers. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of the Interior, Geological Survey. OCLC961366150.
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