Jim Wells County, Texas

Jim Wells County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 40,838.[1] Its county seat is Alice.[2] The county was founded in 1911[3] and is named for James B. Wells, Jr. (1850-1923), for three decades a judge and Democratic Party political boss in South Texas.

Jim Wells County
U.S. county
The Jim Wells County Courthouse in Alice
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 27°44′N 98°05′W
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1911
Named forJames Babbage Wells Jr.
SeatAlice
Largest cityAlice
Area
 • Total868 sq mi (2,250 km2)
 • Land865 sq mi (2,240 km2)
 • Water3.4 sq mi (9 km2)  0.4%%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total40,838
 • Density47/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district34th
Websitewww.co.jim-wells.tx.us

Jim Wells County comprises the Alice, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 868 square miles (2,250 km2), of which 865 square miles (2,240 km2) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) (0.4%) is water.[4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
19206,587—
193013,456104.3%
194020,23950.4%
195027,99138.3%
196034,54823.4%
197033,032−4.4%
198036,49810.5%
199037,6793.2%
200039,3264.4%
201040,8383.8%
2019 (est.)40,482[5]−0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1850–2010[7] 2010–2014[1]

At the 2000 census,[8] there were 39,326 people, 12,961 households and 10,096 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 per square mile (18/km2). There were 14,819 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 77.90% White, 0.60% Black or African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 17.93% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. 75.71% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,961 households, of which 40.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 15.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.10% were non-families. 19.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.45.

Age distribution was 31.40% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median household income was $28,843, and the median family income was $32,616. Males had a median income of $30,266 versus $17,190 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,252. About 20.10% of families and 24.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.80% of those under age 18 and 21.30% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Located in South Texas, Jim Wells County is part of the oldest Democratic stronghold in the entire United States – a region that has consistently voted for Democrats since the days of Woodrow Wilson. The Jim Wells County Democratic Party has maintained control of the county despite massive demographic changes due to Civil Rights, the collapse of Jim Crow and poll taxes, and mass immigration from Mexico.[9] The only Republicans to win the county since its creation are Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, Richard Nixon in his 1972 landslide and Donald Trump in 2020. Since 2004 Jim Wells County has become slightly less Democratic than it was during the late twentieth century. Despite this shift, the Democratic candidate won at least 53.77 percent of the county's vote in every election from 1976 to 2020. In 2020 the county ended its streak of Democratic victories when it was won by Donald Trump with a 10 percent margin.[10]

In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Republican Greg Abbott won 52.04% of the vote in Jim Wells County, becoming the first member of his party to win the county in a statewide race.[11] During the same election, Democrat Beto O'Rourke won the county in the Senate contest with 53.85% of the vote.[12]

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[13]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 54.7% 7,389 44.6% 6,025 0.7% 93
2016 43.8% 5,420 54.1% 6,694 2.1% 265
2012 41.2% 4,598 58.1% 6,492 0.7% 76
2008 41.7% 4,841 57.8% 6,706 0.6% 65
2004 45.8% 5,817 53.8% 6,824 0.4% 50
2000 37.4% 4,498 61.7% 7,418 0.9% 107
1996 28.3% 2,989 67.3% 7,116 4.4% 467
1992 26.4% 3,311 62.2% 7,812 11.5% 1,438
1988 33.6% 4,335 65.9% 8,495 0.4% 56
1984 43.0% 5,896 56.8% 7,795 0.2% 24
1980 38.3% 4,606 60.5% 7,267 1.2% 140
1976 30.7% 3,547 68.9% 7,961 0.4% 42
1972 54.5% 5,283 45.4% 4,404 0.1% 11
1968 28.1% 2,827 62.7% 6,304 9.1% 919
1964 22.5% 1,988 77.5% 6,849
1960 34.2% 2,773 65.7% 5,330 0.1% 9
1956 54.7% 3,348 45.0% 2,752 0.4% 22
1952 48.9% 3,592 51.0% 3,745 0.0% 2
1948 26.5% 1,402 71.4% 3,781 2.2% 116
1944 34.9% 1,113 59.8% 1,908 5.3% 170
1940 30.2% 914 69.6% 2,105 0.2% 7
1936 16.6% 338 83.0% 1,691 0.4% 9
1932 10.0% 162 89.4% 1,449 0.6% 10
1928 36.1% 423 63.7% 747 0.3% 3
1924 21.5% 213 65.9% 654 12.6% 125
1920 32.3% 169 58.0% 304 9.7% 51
1916 21.1% 100 70.7% 335 8.2% 39
1912 6.8% 24 68.5% 241 24.7% 87

1948 U.S. Senate election
Main article: 1948 United States Senate election in Texas

Jim Wells County is known as the home of “Box 13”, the infamous ballot box which gave Lyndon Baines Johnson an 86-vote edge over popular former governor Coke Stevenson in the Democratic primary election. It was later demonstrated that these 200 votes were "stuffed" into the ballot box after the polls closed.[14] Johnson went on to win the election.

Communities

Cities

Village

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  5. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  7. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  8. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  9. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  10. Leip, David. "2020 Presidential General Election Results – Texas: Jim Wells County". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  11. Leip, David. "2018 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Jim Wells County, TX". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
  12. Leip, David. "2018 Senatorial General Election Results - Jim Wells County, TX". Deve Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
  13. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  14. Caro, Robert (1991). The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Means of Ascent. ISBN 067973371X.

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