Brazoria County, Texas

Brazoria County (/brəˈzɔːriə/ brə-ZOR-ee-ə) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population of the county was 313,166.[1] The county seat is Angleton.[2]

Brazoria County
U.S. county
The Brazoria County Courthouse in Angleton
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 29°10′N 95°26′W
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1836
Named forBrazos River
SeatAngleton
Largest cityPearland
Area
 • Total1,609 sq mi (4,170 km2)
 • Land1,358 sq mi (3,520 km2)
 • Water251 sq mi (650 km2)  16%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2019)
374,264
 • Density267/sq mi (103/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts14th, 22nd
Websitebrazoriacountytx.gov

Brazoria County is included in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area. It is located in the Gulf Coast region of Texas.

Regionally, parts of the county are within the extreme southernmost fringe of the regions locally known as Southeast Texas. Brazoria County is among a number of counties that are part of the region known as the Texas Coastal Bend. Its county seat is Angleton, and its largest city is Pearland. Brazoria County, like nearby Brazos County, takes its name from the Brazos River. It served as the first settlement area for Anglo-Texas, when the Old Three Hundred emigrated from the United States in 1821. The county also includes what was once Columbia and Velasco, Texas, early capital cities of the Republic of Texas.

History

Brazoria County takes its name from the Brazos River, which flows through it. Anglo-Texas began in Brazoria County when the first of Stephen F. Austin's authorized 300 American settlers arrived at the mouth of the Brazos in 1821. Many of the events leading to the Texas Revolution developed in Brazoria County. In 1832, Brazoria was organized as a separate municipal district by the Mexican government, so became one of Texas original counties at independence in 1836.

An early resident of Brazoria County, Joel Walter Robison, fought in the Texas Revolution and later represented Fayette County in the Texas House of Representatives.[3]

Stephen F. Austin's original burial place is located at a church cemetery, Gulf Prairie Cemetery, in the town of Jones Creek, on what was his brother-in-law's Peach Point Plantation. His remains were exhumed in 1910 and brought to be reinterred at the state capital in Austin. The town of West Columbia served as the first capital of Texas, dating back to prerevolutionary days.

Group of men at work in Brazoria County, 1939

Temple Lea Houston, youngest son of Sam Houston, around 1880 was the county attorney of Brazoria County. His life story is reflected in the 1963 film The Man from Galveston and the 26-episode 1963-1964 NBC Western television series, Temple Houston.[4]

The Hastings Oil Field was discovered by the Stanolind Oil and Gas Company in 1934. Production was from a depth of 5,990 feet (1,830 m), associated with a salt dome structure. Total production by 1954 was about 242 million barrels.[5][6]

Lake Jackson is a community developed beginning in the early 1940s to provide housing to workers at a new Dow Chemical Company plant in nearby Freeport. The county has elements of both rural and suburban communities, as it is part of greater Houston.

Back view of agricultural trucks, 1939

On June 2, 2016, the flooding of the Brazos River required evacuations for portions of Brazoria County.[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,609 square miles (4,170 km2), of which 1,358 square miles (3,520 km2) are land and 251 square miles (650 km2) (16%) are covered by water.[8]

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18504,841—
18607,14347.6%
18707,5275.4%
18809,77429.9%
189011,50617.7%
190014,86129.2%
191013,299−10.5%
192020,61455.0%
193023,05411.8%
194027,06917.4%
195046,54972.0%
196076,20463.7%
1970108,31242.1%
1980169,58756.6%
1990191,70713.0%
2000241,76726.1%
2010313,16629.5%
2019 (est.)374,264[9]19.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1850–2010[11] 2010–2019[1]

As of the census[12] of 2000, 241,767 people, 81,954 households, and 63,104 families resided in the county. The population density was 174 people per square mile (67/km2). The 90,628 housing units averaged 65 per mi2 (25/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 77.09% White, 8.50% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 2.00% Asian, 9.66% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races. About 22.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. About 12.1% were of German, 11.2% American, and 7.2% English ancestry according to Census 2000. About 79.0% spoke only English at home, while 18.1% spoke Spanish.

Of the 81,955 households, 40.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.00% were not families. About 19.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82, and the average family size was 3.23.

In the county, the age distribution as 28.60% under 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 32.40% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 8.80% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 107 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,632, and for a family was $55,282. Males had a median income of $42,193 versus $27,728 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,021. About 8.1% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

As of the 2010 United States Census, 313,166 people were living in the county; 70.1% were White, 12.1% African American, 5.5% Asian, 0.6% Native American, 9.2% of some other race, and 2.6% of more than one race. About 27.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

Government and politics

County representation

The Brazoria County Jail is located at 3602 County Road 45 in unincorporated central Brazoria County, north of Angleton.[13]

State representation
Clemens Unit, one of several prisons in Brazoria County

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates six state prisons for men and its Region III office in unincorporated Brazoria County.[14] As of 2007,1,495 full-time correctional job positions were in the county.[15] In 1995, of the counties in Texas, Brazoria had the second-highest number of state prisons and jails, after Walker County.[16] In 2003, a total of 2,572 employees were employed at the six TDCJ facilities.[17] The TDCJ units are:

(The following 3 are co-located in Otey,[22] near Rosharon.[19])

  • Ramsey Unit - The unit is co-located with Stringfellow and Terrell. The TDCJ Region III Maintenance Headquarters is within this unit.[23]
  • Stringfellow Unit, near Rosharon - The unit is co-located with Ramsey and Terrell.[24] The unit was originally named Ramsey II Prison Unit.[25]
  • C. T. Terrell Unit - The unit is co-located with Ramsey and Stringfellow.[26] It was originally known as the Ramsey III Unit.[27]

In 2007, TDCJ officials said discussions to move the Central Unit from Sugar Land to Brazoria County were preliminary.[15]

United States Congress
Senators Name Party First Elected Level
  Senate Class 1 John Cornyn Republican 2002 Senior Senator
  Senate Class 2 Ted Cruz Republican 2012 Junior Senator
Representatives Name Party First Elected Area(s) of Brazoria County Represented
  District 14 Randy Weber Republican 2012 Central and southern areas (Alvin), Lake Jackson, Angleton, Freeport), also part of (Galveston County)
  District 22 Pete Olson Republican 2008 Northern areas (Pearland), Northwest areas (Manvel), also parts of Harris and Galveston counties

Texas Senate
District Name Party First Elected Area(s) of Brazoria County Represented
  11 Larry Taylor Republican 1999 Northern and central areas
  17 Joan Huffman Republican 2008 Southern areas, Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula (Galveston County)

Texas House of Representatives
District Name Party First Elected Area(s) of Brazoria County Represented
  25 Dennis Bonnen Republican 1996 Lake Jackson, Angleton, Freeport
  29 Ed Thompson Republican 2008 Pearland, Alvin, Manvel

Pearland native Kyle Kacal, a Republican from College Station, holds the District 12 state House seat based in Brazos and four neighboring counties.[28]

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[29]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 58.4% 90,433 40.2% 62,228 1.5% 2,323
2016 60.1% 72,791 35.7% 43,200 4.3% 5,190
2012 66.4% 70,862 32.3% 34,421 1.4% 1,456
2008 64.3% 67,515 34.8% 36,480 0.9% 945
2004 68.3% 63,662 31.0% 28,904 0.7% 682
2000 66.8% 53,445 31.1% 24,883 2.1% 1,691
1996 55.4% 36,392 35.0% 22,959 9.6% 6,287
1992 42.5% 30,384 30.6% 21,861 26.9% 19,222
1988 57.6% 34,028 39.7% 23,436 2.7% 1,617
1984 67.5% 39,166 32.1% 18,609 0.4% 234
1980 58.1% 27,614 38.4% 18,253 3.5% 1,677
1976 46.7% 19,475 52.0% 21,711 1.3% 558
1972 64.9% 21,045 35.0% 11,350 0.1% 37
1968 35.3% 10,631 38.0% 11,439 26.7% 8,033
1964 34.6% 8,477 65.0% 15,917 0.4% 103
1960 50.1% 10,880 48.7% 10,561 1.2% 264
1956 56.5% 9,536 42.3% 7,137 1.2% 208
1952 49.9% 8,360 50.0% 8,386 0.1% 15
1948 25.5% 2,133 57.2% 4,783 17.3% 1,447
1944 11.1% 850 72.1% 5,543 16.9% 1,298
1940 17.4% 799 82.5% 3,781 0.1% 5
1936 16.6% 462 82.0% 2,284 1.4% 39
1932 17.3% 617 82.4% 2,948 0.3% 11
1928 59.4% 1,588 40.6% 1,086
1924 37.2% 1,114 58.8% 1,761 4.0% 119
1920 47.4% 1,235 45.5% 1,184 7.1% 186
1916 33.6% 581 59.8% 1,033 6.6% 114
1912 19.0% 263 53.9% 746 27.0% 374

Education

A variety of school districts serve Brazoria County students. They include:

Alvin Community College and Brazosport College serve as higher education facilities.

The Brazoria County Library System has branches in Alvin, Angleton, Brazoria, Clute, Danbury, Freeport, Lake Jackson, Manvel, Pearland, Sweeny and West Columbia, and runs the Brazoria County Historical Museum.

Transportation

Major highways

Airports

The Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport, in central unincorporated Brazoria County, is the county's sole publicly owned airport.

The following airports, located in the county, are privately owned and for public use:

The closest airport with regularly scheduled commercial service is Houston's William P. Hobby Airport, located in southern Houston in adjacent Harris County. The Houston Airport System has stated that Brazoria County is within the primary service area of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, an international airport in Houston in Harris County.[30]

Toll roads
Brazoria County Toll Road Authority
Authority overview
FormedDecember 2003 (2003-12)[31]
JurisdictionBrazoria County, Texas
HeadquartersBrazoria Commissioners Court

The Brazoria County Toll Road Authority does not currently operate any roads, but will operate the new toll lanes on TX 288 inside Brazoria County after completion.

History

BCTRA came into existence in December, 2003 [31] when it saw that the Houston area needed more roadways and wanted to have a say so about any roads that come into Brazoria County

Roadway system

The only toll road BCTRA has in operation at this time is the Brazoria County Expressway. Located within the media of SH 288, the expressway begins at County Road 58 in Manvel and is maintained by BCTRA for five miles up to the Harris County line at Clear Creek. The 288 Toll Lanes continue into Harris County (maintained by TxDOT) for ten miles up to I-69/US 59 in Houston. Construction began on the Brazoria County Expressway in late 2016 and was completed on November 16, 2020. Currently, the Brazoria County Expressway is free to use until November 30. Tolls will be collected electronically and an EZ Tag, TxTag or TollTag will be required for passage.[32][33]

Communities

Cities

Towns

Villages

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

See also

References
    1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
    2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
    3. "Robison, Joel Walter". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
    4. Billy Hathorn, "Roy Bean, Temple Houston, Bill Longley, Ranald Mackenzie, Buffalo Bill, Jr., and the Texas Rangers: Depictions of West Texans in Series Television, 1955 to 1967", West Texas Historical Review, Vol. 89 (2013), pp. 106-109
    5. Olien, Diana; Olien, Roger (2002). Oil in Texas, The Gusher Age, 1895-1945. Austin: University of Texas Press. p. 214. ISBN 0292760566.
    6. Weingartner, R. (1949). Nettleton, L.L. (ed.). Geophysical Case History of the Hastings Oil Field, Brazoria and Galveston Counties, Texas, in Geophysical Case Histories, Volume 1=1948. Society of Exploration Geophysicists. pp. 156–165.
    7. "Mandatory evacuations ordered in Brazoria County". Houston Chronicle. 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
    8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
    9. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
    10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
    11. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
    12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
    13. "Sheriff's Office Archived September 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine." Brazoria County. Accessed September 13, 2008.
    14. "Region III Director's Office Archived January 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on January 8, 2010.
    15. Lowman, John. "Talk of prison move preliminary." Brazosport Facts. Wednesday June 6, 2007. Retrieved on May 9, 2010.
    16. Horswell, Cindy. "For hard-hit economy of Liberty County, crime officially pays." Houston Chronicle. Thursday June 29, 1995. A30. Retrieved on July 23, 2010.
    17. Isensee, Bridie. "TDCJ makes overtime changes", Brazosport Facts, 13 August 2003, Retrieved 2010-05-09.
    18. "CLEMENS (CN) Archived 2010-07-25 at the Wayback Machine." TDCJ. Accessed September 12, 2008.
    19. Staff and Wire Reports. "Parts of Houston join evacuation," Houston Chronicle, 21 September 2005, Retrieved on May 10, 2010.
    20. "DARRINGTON (DA) Archived 2010-07-25 at the Wayback Machine." TDCJ. Accessed September 12, 2008.
    21. "SCOTT (RV) Archived 2008-09-24 at the Wayback Machine." TDCJ. Accessed September 12, 2008.
    22. "Table of Contents and Excerpt, Trulson and Marquart, First Available Cell." University of Texas Press. Retrieved on July 16, 2010.
    23. "RAMSEY (R1) Archived August 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine." TDCJ. Accessed September 12, 2008.
    24. "STRINGFELLOW (R2) Archived 2008-08-21 at the Wayback Machine." TDCJ. Accessed September 12, 2008.
    25. Tompkins, John. "Ramsey unit renamed." Brazosport Facts. November 10, 2006. Retrieved on December 7, 2009.
    26. "C. T. TERRELL (R3) Archived 2010-07-25 at the Wayback Machine." TDCJ. Accessed September 12, 2008.
    27. Timms, Ed. "Uneasy about death row, Terrell wants name off unit Prison expected to be renamed." The Dallas Morning News. July 14, 2001. Retrieved on May 9, 2010. "Another prison the Ramsey III unit in Brazoria County probably will be renamed for Mr Terrell".
    28. "Kyle Kacal's Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
    29. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
    30. "Master Plan Executive Summary Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." George Bush Intercontinental Airport Master Plan. Houston Airport System. December 2006. 2-1 (23/130). Retrieved on December 14, 2010.
    31. http://countyprogress.zacpubs.com/brazoria-county-creates-toll-authority/
    32. "Brazoria County Expressway". Retrieved May 28, 2017.
    33. Fresh drive: This is what the new 288 toll road looks like for one of the first drivers Click2Houston.com (KPRC-TV) Published on November 12, 2020, and updated on November 16, 2020 (Retrieved 22 November 2020)

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