Colorado County, Texas

Colorado County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 20,874.[1] Its county seat is Columbus.[2] It is named for the Colorado River of Texas. The county was founded in 1836 and organized the next year.[3][4]

Not to be confused with Colorado City, Texas.
Colorado County
U.S. county
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 29°37′N 96°31′W
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1837
Named forColorado River
SeatColumbus
Largest cityEagle Lake
Area
 • Total974 sq mi (2,520 km2)
 • Land960 sq mi (2,500 km2)
 • Water13 sq mi (30 km2)  1.4%%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total20,874
 • Density22/sq mi (8/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district10th
Websitewww.co.colorado.tx.us

History

The territory that is now Colorado County has been continually inhabited by humans for about 12,000 years. The Coco branch of the Karaknawa are said to have hunted in the area, while Tonkawa crossed the area from the south.

Colorado County Courthouse, built 1890-1891: this 2014 photo shows restoration to original color scheme made in 2013
Confederate Memorial Museum -- Colorado County, Texas

The first record of an Anglo settler coming through the area that is now Colorado County was January 20, 1687, when René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle camped along Skull Creek. The party located an Indigenous village and named it Hebemes. The fourth expedition of Alonso De León may have crossed in to the county while looking for Fort St. Louis in 1689.[5]

The area was settled by Anglo colonists who were part of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred starting in 1821. Some families settled near Beeson's Ford, a few miles south of Columbus' present day location. The area was active during the days of the Texas Revolution.[5] Dilue Rose Harris wrote her memoir of the Runaway Scrape from within the boundaries of Colorado County.[6]

The county was one of the original Republic of Texas Counties when it formed in 1836.[5] Following the American Civil War, the county had one of the larger populations of African American freedmen in the state, and was granted a Freedmen's Bureau office in Columbus.[7]

Many European settlers, particularly Germans as well as Moravians and Bohemians from what became Czechoslovakia, began to settle in the county after the civil war, although Germans had settled in the area as early as 1830.[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 974 square miles (2,520 km2), of which 960 square miles (2,500 km2) is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) (1.4%) is water.[8]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18502,257—
18607,885249.4%
18708,3265.6%
188016,673100.3%
189019,51217.0%
190022,20313.8%
191018,897−14.9%
192019,0130.6%
193019,1290.6%
194017,812−6.9%
195017,576−1.3%
196018,4635.0%
197017,638−4.5%
198018,8236.7%
199018,383−2.3%
200020,39010.9%
201020,8742.4%
2019 (est.)21,493[9]3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1850–2010[11] 2010–2014[1]

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 20,390 people, 7,641 households, and 5,402 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile (8/km2). There were 9,431 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 72.79% White, 14.80% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 10.04% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. 19.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,641 households, out of which 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.60% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 23.80% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 18.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,425, and the median income for a family was $41,388. Males had a median income of $30,063 versus $20,014 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,910. About 12.30% of families and 16.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 15.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Politics

Like many southern counties, Colorado County was predominantly Democratic prior to the 1960s and predominantly Republican since then. The last Democrat to carry the state was Jimmy Carter in 1976; George W. Bush, Mitt Romney and Donald Trump all received more than 70 percent of the vote in the county.

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[13]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 74.9% 7,472 24.3% 2,420 0.8% 83
2016 74.3% 6,325 23.3% 1,987 2.4% 201
2012 74.2% 6,026 25.0% 2,029 0.8% 62
2008 69.4% 5,795 30.0% 2,508 0.6% 50
2004 71.4% 5,488 28.1% 2,161 0.5% 41
2000 67.8% 4,913 30.8% 2,229 1.5% 107
1996 49.9% 3,381 41.3% 2,795 8.8% 599
1992 45.9% 3,286 34.1% 2,442 20.0% 1,434
1988 56.4% 3,723 43.1% 2,847 0.5% 30
1984 65.0% 4,528 34.8% 2,428 0.2% 15
1980 58.8% 3,520 39.7% 2,377 1.6% 94
1976 49.2% 2,991 49.8% 3,028 0.9% 56
1972 69.7% 3,495 29.9% 1,502 0.4% 20
1968 42.2% 2,296 36.3% 1,976 21.5% 1,166
1964 34.4% 1,918 65.5% 3,650 0.1% 6
1960 45.0% 1,909 54.1% 2,299 0.9% 39
1956 61.6% 2,691 37.7% 1,648 0.6% 28
1952 61.2% 3,237 38.6% 2,043 0.2% 10
1948 28.5% 900 41.7% 1,316 29.8% 939
1944 20.6% 638 49.0% 1,517 30.4% 943
1940 41.0% 1,166 58.9% 1,674 0.1% 4
1936 20.5% 372 79.1% 1,435 0.4% 8
1932 10.8% 331 88.5% 2,715 0.8% 23
1928 33.2% 891 66.6% 1,787 0.2% 4
1924 21.5% 681 66.6% 2,105 11.9% 376
1920 19.3% 477 30.9% 765 49.8% 1,233
1916 24.2% 358 70.3% 1,041 5.5% 82
1912 7.2% 106 82.2% 1,204 10.6% 155

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. Mark Odintz (June 12, 2010). "Colorado County". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  4. "Colorado County". Texas Almanac. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  5. ODINTZ, MARK (2010-06-12). "COLORADO COUNTY". tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  6. LANG, HERBERT H. (2010-06-15). "HARRIS, DILUE ROSE". tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  7. Crouch, Barry A., 1941- (1992). The Freedmen's Bureau and Black Texans (1st ed.). Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292724756. OCLC 24320568.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 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 21, 2015.
  11. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  13. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-07-20.

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