Jefferson County | |
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![]() The Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont. The Art Deco-style building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 17, 1982. The top five floors once served as the County Jail. | |
![]() Location within the U.S. state of Texas | |
![]() Texas's location within the U.S. | |
Coordinates: 29°52′N94°08′W / 29.86°N 94.14°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
Founded | 1837 |
Named for | Thomas Jefferson |
Seat | Beaumont |
Largest city | Beaumont |
Area | |
• Total | 1,113 sq mi (2,880 km2) |
• Land | 876 sq mi (2,270 km2) |
• Water | 236 sq mi (610 km2) 21% |
Population | |
• Estimate (2020) | 256,526 |
• Density | 292.8/sq mi (113.1/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
Congressional districts | 14th, 36th |
Website | www |
Jefferson County is a county in the Coastal Plain or Gulf Prairie region of Southeast Texas. The Neches River forms its northeastern boundary. As of the 2020 census, the population was 256,526. [1] The county seat is Beaumont. [2] Jefferson County has the highest percentage of African Americans in the state of Texas. [3]
The county was established in 1835 as a municipality of Mexico, which had gained independence from Spain. Because the area was lightly settled, the Mexican government allowed European Americans from the United States to settle here if they pledged loyalty to Mexico. This was organized as a county in 1837 after Texas achieved independence as a republic. [4] [5] It was named by European-American settlers for U.S. president Thomas Jefferson. [5] Texas later became part of the US.
Jefferson County is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area and has the highest population of the four-county MSA. It has three state correctional facilities and a federal high-security prison in unincorporated areas of the county. Together they have a maximum capacity of nearly 9,000 prisoners.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,113 square miles (2,880 km2), of which 876 square miles (2,270 km2) is land and 236 square miles (610 km2) (21%) is water. [6]
Jefferson County is on the plains of the Texas Gulf Coast in the southeastern part of the state. It is bounded on the north by Pine Island Bayou, on the northeast by the Neches River, and on the east by Sabine Lake and the mouth of the Sabine River, a natural outlet called Sabine Pass. The southern part of the county is largely marshland, much of which is within Sea Rim State Park, reaching the storm-battered beach at the Gulf of Mexico.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 1,836 | — | |
1860 | 1,995 | 8.7% | |
1870 | 1,906 | −4.5% | |
1880 | 3,489 | 83.1% | |
1890 | 5,857 | 67.9% | |
1900 | 14,239 | 143.1% | |
1910 | 38,182 | 168.2% | |
1920 | 73,120 | 91.5% | |
1930 | 133,391 | 82.4% | |
1940 | 145,329 | 8.9% | |
1950 | 195,083 | 34.2% | |
1960 | 245,659 | 25.9% | |
1970 | 244,773 | −0.4% | |
1980 | 250,938 | 2.5% | |
1990 | 239,397 | −4.6% | |
2000 | 252,051 | 5.3% | |
2010 | 252,273 | 0.1% | |
2020 | 256,526 | 1.7% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [7] 1850–2010 [8] 2010–2020 [9] |
Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 [10] | Pop 2020 [9] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 112,503 | 96,047 | 44.60% | 37.44% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 84,500 | 83,856 | 33.50% | 32.69% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 747 | 622 | 0.30% | 0.24% |
Asian alone (NH) | 8,525 | 9,943 | 3.38% | 3.88% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 64 | 66 | 0.03% | 0.03% |
Some Other Race alone (NH) | 255 | 867 | 0.10% | 0.34% |
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 2,780 | 6,210 | 1.10% | 2.42% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 42,899 | 58,915 | 17.00% | 22.97% |
Total | 252,273 | 256,526 | 100.00% | 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 [11] of 2000, there were 252,051 people, 92,880 households, and 63,808 families residing in the county. The population density was 279 people per square mile (108 people/km2). There were 102,080 housing units at an average density of 113 units per square mile (44/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 57.24% White, 33.74% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.89% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.26% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. 10.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 8.3% were of American, 7.2% French, 6.2% German, 5.8% English and 5.3% Irish ancestry according to census 2000.
There were 92,880 households, out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.40% were married couples living together, 16.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.90% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,706, and the median income for a family was $42,290. Males had a median income of $36,719 versus $23,924 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,571. About 14.60% of families and 17.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.60% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.
The County Commissioners Court, considered the administrative arm of the state government, is made up of a county judge and four commissioners. The four commissioners are elected to staggered terms from single-member districts or precincts, two in years of presidential elections and two in off-years. The County Commissioners Court carries out the "budgetary and policy making functions of county government. In addition, in many counties, commissioners have extensive responsibilities related to the building and maintenance of county roads." [12]
The elected county judge in Texas may also be the judge of the County Criminal Court, County Civil Court, Probate Court and Juvenile Court. [13]
Jefferson County was represented in Texas State House District 21 from 1999 to 2015 in the Texas House of Representatives by the Republican Allan Ritter, a businessman from Nederland. [14] On January 13, 2015, Republican Dade Phelan of Beaumont succeeded Ritter, who did not seek reelection in 2014.
It is also represented in Texas State House District 22, which takes in much of Beaumont and Port Arthur, by Democrat Joe D. Deshotel, who has served in this seat since 1999. In the 81st Legislative Session, Deshotel was appointed to serve as chairman of the House Business and Industry Committee, a post he continues to hold today. [15]
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates three facilities in the county: the Gist Unit, a state jail; [16] the Stiles Unit, a prison; [17] and the Leblanc Unit, a pre-release facility, in an unincorporated area of Jefferson County. [18]
In addition, the Texas Youth Commission operated the Al Price State Juvenile Correctional Facility in an unincorporated area [19] within the Mid County region. [20] The facility was among three selected for closure on August 31, 2011, because of agency budget shortfalls. [21] In 2015 the county commissioners announced that it would lease the facility to a Beaumont charter school, Evolution Academy, at a minimal cost for 35 years. This was reported as an attempt to prevent the state from housing sex offenders here who had completed their sentences. [22]
Jefferson County is part of Texas's 14th congressional district, represented in the US House of Representatives by Randy Weber (Republican). The Texas US Senators are John Cornyn (Republican) and Ted Cruz (Republican).
The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates the Beaumont Federal Correctional Complex in an unincorporated area in Jefferson County. It is a high-security prison with a capacity of nearly 1400 inmates. [23]
Membership in political parties in Texas has undergone realignment since the late 20th century, following passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and renewed participation by minorities in the political system. Jefferson County has been dominated by Democratic voters in presidential elections: prior to 1965 they were majority white and the party has since attracted many minorities. In many parts of Texas, Republican voters have predominated in presidential elections, especially since the turn of the 21st century.
In 2004, Jefferson was one of only 18 counties in Texas that gave Senator John Kerry a majority of the popular vote. Kerry received 47,050 votes while George W. Bush received 44,412. [24] In 2008, Barack Obama won 51.25% of the vote. John McCain won 48.38% of the vote. Other candidates received 1% of the vote. [25] The Democratic trend continued in 2012 when Barack Obama won Jefferson County with 50.34% of the vote, while 48.73% went to Mitt Romney.
In 2016, Donald Trump won the county by a very narrow margin over Hillary Clinton, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to win in Jefferson County since Richard Nixon in 1972. Trump carried the county again in 2020, this time with a majority.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 47,570 | 50.20% | 46,073 | 48.62% | 1,116 | 1.18% |
2016 | 42,862 | 48.92% | 42,443 | 48.44% | 2,313 | 2.64% |
2012 | 43,242 | 48.73% | 44,668 | 50.34% | 825 | 0.93% |
2008 | 42,905 | 48.52% | 44,888 | 50.76% | 637 | 0.72% |
2004 | 44,423 | 48.36% | 47,066 | 51.23% | 377 | 0.41% |
2000 | 40,320 | 46.39% | 45,409 | 52.25% | 1,180 | 1.36% |
1996 | 32,821 | 38.88% | 45,854 | 54.31% | 5,751 | 6.81% |
1992 | 29,622 | 31.00% | 48,405 | 50.66% | 17,516 | 18.33% |
1988 | 35,754 | 38.99% | 55,649 | 60.69% | 290 | 0.32% |
1984 | 45,124 | 45.03% | 54,846 | 54.73% | 245 | 0.24% |
1980 | 36,763 | 43.45% | 45,642 | 53.95% | 2,197 | 2.60% |
1976 | 32,451 | 40.29% | 47,581 | 59.07% | 514 | 0.64% |
1972 | 45,819 | 60.42% | 29,909 | 39.44% | 109 | 0.14% |
1968 | 26,007 | 33.40% | 30,032 | 38.57% | 21,829 | 28.03% |
1964 | 28,771 | 39.09% | 44,584 | 60.58% | 239 | 0.32% |
1960 | 29,395 | 41.80% | 40,533 | 57.63% | 403 | 0.57% |
1956 | 30,102 | 54.31% | 25,057 | 45.21% | 270 | 0.49% |
1952 | 25,363 | 46.29% | 29,384 | 53.63% | 48 | 0.09% |
1948 | 5,749 | 17.15% | 22,475 | 67.06% | 5,290 | 15.78% |
1944 | 4,525 | 15.56% | 22,066 | 75.88% | 2,489 | 8.56% |
1940 | 4,860 | 19.76% | 19,694 | 80.09% | 37 | 0.15% |
1936 | 2,544 | 12.23% | 18,187 | 87.40% | 77 | 0.37% |
1932 | 3,584 | 17.18% | 17,129 | 82.09% | 152 | 0.73% |
1928 | 9,209 | 56.74% | 7,006 | 43.16% | 16 | 0.10% |
1924 | 4,348 | 40.42% | 5,925 | 55.09% | 483 | 4.49% |
1920 | 1,110 | 17.21% | 4,246 | 65.83% | 1,094 | 16.96% |
1916 | 488 | 12.99% | 3,082 | 82.06% | 186 | 4.95% |
1912 | 187 | 7.81% | 1,703 | 71.17% | 503 | 21.02% |
The area is served by deep-water ports located at Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange, and Sabine Pass. The Sabine Neches Waterway provides deep-water access to ocean-going vessels, which are served by public ports within the county. The waterway is the 8th largest port in the US by tonnage. [27]
The county is traversed by Interstate Highway 10, US Highways 90 and 69-96-287, State Highways 73, 87, and 105 and three farm-to-market roads. Rail and motor freight carriers also provide freight service to the county. The Jack Brooks Regional Airport located between Beaumont and Port Arthur provides passenger and freight service and is currently serviced by one commuter passenger air carrier.
The economy of the county is based primarily on petroleum refining; the production and processing of petrochemicals, bio-fuels and other chemicals; the fabrication of steel and steel products; shipping activity; the manufacture of wood, pulp, food and feed products; agriculture; and health care services. The county continues to diversify its economic base as evidenced by the increase of jobs in the services and government sectors. The county is also home to the largest military off-load port in the world.
Several large projects are in construction, permitting, and development for the area and the county continues to work with other taxing entities to create a business environment conducive to this growth. These include such notables as Lucite, Air Products, Vitol, Golden Pass Products, OCI, Exxon Mobil, Golden Pass LNG, and Sempra Energy.
Petrochemical expansions at the Motiva, Total, and Valero facilities located in Jefferson County represent approximately $15 billion in project improvements.[ citation needed ] In addition, hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on terminal and pipeline facilities to support these projects. Construction of the Trans-Canada Keystone XL pipeline which would deliver Canadian tar sands crude to Jefferson County and proponents say would help in relieving US dependence on oil from more politically volatile regions is awaiting federal permit approval. In addition, recent rail terminal facility expansions and new construction has significantly increased the transportation of Canadian tar sands oil and bitumen to the area for processing by area refineries.
Cheniere, one of two companies with Liquefied Natural Gas Terminals on the border of the Texas/Louisiana Coast, is completing construction of a $10 billion liquefaction facility. Golden Pass LNG opened their terminal in mid-2011. With their opening, the ship channel is now home to over 40% of the nation's LNG capacity. Golden Pass LNG has filed with federal authorities for permits allowing it to build a $10 billion gas liquefaction facility in Jefferson County, as has Sempra Energy. It is anticipated that these permits should move through the approval process more expeditiously now that former Texas governor Rick Perry has been confirmed as the new Secretary of Energy.
The county has participated in a study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers into the feasibility of deepening the Sabine-Neches waterway. This will allow ports in Southeast Texas, the third largest in the nation, to accommodate newer deep draft vessels and thus remain competitive with other ports on the Gulf Coast. Recently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued their "Chief's Report" which paves the way for federal funding of this project. The U S House and Senate recently passed legislation which was signed by the President authorizing the construction of the waterway improvements at a cost in excess of $1 billion. Congressional appropriations for the project are expected shortly.
The county continues to work with industry leaders, the Texas Workforce Commission, Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar University and non-profit groups to supply a workforce able to handle the growing labor needs of the county. This is especially critical given the interest of the international community in locating facilities to the county.
The resurgence in U. S. oil and gas exploration and production has made the county the place of choice for those industrial sectors seeking to exploit opportunities to profit from historically low priced energy commodities.
School districts:
Hamshire-Fannett and Sabine Pass ISDs are assigned to Galveston College in Galveston. [28] Legislation does not specify a community college for the remainder of the county.
Beaumont is home to Lamar University, a public research university with an enrollment of 14,889 students as of the fall 2014 semester; it offers 96 undergraduate, 50 master's, and eight doctoral degree programs. [29] Port Arthur is home to Lamar State College–Port Arthur, offering two-year degrees and one-year certifications, including 34 associate degrees and 24 technical programs. Fall 2014 enrollment totaled 2,075 students. [30]
Orange County is a county located in the very southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Texas, sharing a boundary with Louisiana, within the Golden Triangle of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 84,808. The county seat is the city of Orange, and it falls within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area.
The Neches River begins in Van Zandt County west of Rhine Lake and flows for 416 miles (669 km) through the piney woods of east Texas, defining the boundaries of 14 counties on its way to its mouth on Sabine Lake near the Rainbow Bridge. Two major reservoirs, Lake Palestine and B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir are located on the Neches. The Angelina River is a major tributary with its confluence at the north of Lake B. A. Steinhagen. Tributaries to the south include Village Creek and Pine Island Bayou, draining much of the Big Thicket region, both joining the Neches a few miles north of Beaumont. Towns and cities located along the river including Tyler, Lufkin, and Silsbee, although significant portions of the Neches River are undeveloped and flow through protected natural lands. In contrast, the lower 40 miles of the river are a major shipping channel, highly industrialized, with a number of cities and towns concentrated in the area including Beaumont, Vidor, Port Neches, Nederland, Groves, and Port Arthur.
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.
Lamar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas, in the Northeast Texas region. As of the 2020 census, its population was 50,088. Its county seat is Paris. The county was formed by the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 17, 1840, and organized the next year. It is named for Mirabeau B. Lamar, the second president of the Republic of Texas. Lamar County comprises the Paris, TX micropolitan statistical area.
Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 56,231. The county seat is Kountze. The county is named for the family of William Hardin from Liberty County, Texas.
Kountze is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,981 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the seat of government of Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about 85 miles (137 km) east of Houston. With a population of 115,282 at the 2020 census, Beaumont is the largest municipality by population near the Louisiana border. Its metropolitan area was the 10th largest in Texas in 2020, and 130th in the United States.
Groves is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,335 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Nederland is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,856 at the 2020 census.
Port Neches is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,692 at the 2020 census, an increase over the figure of 13,040 tabulated in 2010. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area.
Orange is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. The population was 19,324 at the 2020 census. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is 113 miles (182 km) from Houston. Orange is part of the Beaumont−Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. Founded in 1836, it is a deep-water port to the Gulf of Mexico.
Port Arthur is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, 90 mi (140 km) east of Houston. Part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, Port Arthur lies primarily in Jefferson County, with a small, uninhabited extension in Orange County. The largest oil refinery in the United States, the Motiva Refinery, is located there.
Fannett is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,363 at the 2020 census. It is about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Beaumont and is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area.
The Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area is defined by the United States Census Bureau as a three-county region in Southeast Texas. The metropolitan area shares borders with the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area to the west and the Lake Charles metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Louisiana to the east. The area is also known as the Golden Triangle. The "golden" refers to the wealth that came from the Spindletop oil strike near Beaumont in 1901, and "triangle" refers to the area among the cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange.
Area code 409 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the U.S. state of Texas. The numbering plan area comprises the Beaumont and Galveston areas. It was created on March 19, 1983, in an area code split of area code 713, the first since 619 split from 714 four months earlier. Initially, it consisted of a horseshoe-shaped area that almost completely surrounded Houston, but in 2000 it was divided into three sections. Area code 409 was retained by the eastern segment, while the central portion, centered on Nacogdoches, received area code 936 and the western portion centered on Bryan–College Station, was assigned area code 979.
Hamshire is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) in western Jefferson County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area and located on State Highway 124 twenty miles southwest of Beaumont. It was probably named for Lovan Hamshire, who developed the land as early as the 1870s. Hamshire was on the Gulf and Interstate Railway with a post office being established there in 1897. A townsite plat was filed in 1911 by Theodore F. Koch. Another major land dealer, Herbert Roedenbeck, subdivided additional land south of the railroad later that year, giving the subdivision the name Hamshire Gardens. Although there was interest shown by local rice farmers, Hamshire had only fifty inhabitants in 1928. The Fannett (1927) and Stowell (1941) oil fields discovery initiated new development in western Jefferson County. By 1940, the population in Hamshire had grown to 200. Natural gas production at the Hamshire field also continued to be of major importance to the community's economy through the 1980s. By 1985 the community had an estimated 350 residents and twenty-two businesses. In 1990 the population remained an estimated 350.
State Highway 124 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The highway begins along the Gulf Coast near the northeast end of the Bolivar Peninsula at SH 87 and extends to the northeast ending at US 69 and US 96. In between, the highway has major intersections with SH 65 and SH 73. The highway is located in Galveston, Chambers, and Jefferson counties and also serves the communities of Hamshire, Fannett, and Cheek. A portion of SH 124 is part of a longer coastal hurricane evacuation route.
La Belle, also known as LaBelle, is an unincorporated community on Taylor Bayou and FM 365, approximately twelve miles south of Beaumont, in central Jefferson County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Taylor Landing is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 278 at the 2020 census.