Goliad County, Texas

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Goliad County, Texas
Map
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	March 2, 1836
Seat	Goliad
Largest city	Goliad
Area - Total - Land - Water	859 sq mi (2,226 km²) 854 sq mi (2,211 km²) 6 sq mi (15 km²), 0.68%
Population - (2000) - Density	6,928 8.1/sq mi (3.1/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website: www.co.goliad.tx.us
Named for: Father Miguel Hidalgo

Goliad County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 6,928. Its county seat is Goliad^[1]. Goliad is named for the Mexican Municipality of Goliad, which in turn is named for Father Miguel Hidalgo; "Goliad" is an anagram of Hidalgo, minus the silent H. It is a part of the Victoria, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

1 Geography
- 1.1 Major Highways
- 1.2 Adjacent counties
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Localities
- 4.1 Cities
- 4.2 Other places
5 Education
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 859 square miles (2,226 km²), of which, 854 square miles (2,211 km²) of it is land and 6 square miles (15 km²) of it (0.68%) is water.

[edit] Major Highways

U.S. Highway 59
U.S. Highway 77 Alternate/U.S. Highway 183
State Highway 119
State Highway 239

[edit] Adjacent counties

DeWitt County (north)
Victoria County (northeast)
Refugio County (southeast)
Bee County (southwest)
Karnes County (northwest)

[edit] Demographics

Historical Populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	648		—
1860	3,384		422.2%
1870	3,628		7.2%
1880	5,832		60.7%
1890	5,910		1.3%
1900	8,310		40.6%
1910	9,909		19.2%
1920	9,348		-5.7%
1930	10,093		8.0%
1940	8,798		-12.8%
1950	6,219		-29.3%
1960	5,429		-12.7%
1970	4,869		-10.3%
1980	5,193		6.7%
1990	5,980		15.2%
2000	6,928		15.9%
Est. 2006	7,192	^[2]	3.8%

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 6,928 people, 2,644 households, and 1,975 families residing in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 3,426 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.62% White, 4.82% Black or African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 10.05% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. 35.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,644 households out of which 33.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.10% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.30% were non-families. 22.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.90% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,201, and the median income for a family was $40,446. Males had a median income of $30,954 versus $20,028 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,126. About 11.90% of families and 16.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.70% of those under age 18 and 11.10% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

The first declaration of independence for the Republic of Texas was signed in Goliad on December 20, 1835, although the formal declaration was made by the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos. Goliad County was the site of two battles in the Texas Revolution. The Battle of Goliad was a minor skirmish early in the war, but on March 27, 1836, Col. James Fannin and his Texan soldiers were executed by the Mexican army, under orders from Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna, in what became known as the Goliad Massacre. This event led to the Texas Revolutionary battle cry "Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!" Although many remember the Alamo today, fewer remember Goliad. The site of the massacre is located in Goliad State Park, just south of the town of Goliad.

Goliad County is also the birthplace of General Ignacio Zaragoza, who led the Mexican army against the invading forces of Napoleon III in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 ("Cinco de Mayo").