Williamson County, Texas

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Williamson County, Texas
Seal of Williamson County, Texas
Map
Map of Texas highlighting Williamson County
Location in the state of Texas
Map of the U.S. highlighting Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded March 13, 1848
Seat Georgetown
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water
1,135 sq mi (2,940 km²)
1,123 sq mi (2,909 km²)
12 sq mi (31 km²), 1.05%
Population
 - (2000)
 - Density
249,964
80/sq mi (31/km²)
Website: wilco.org

Williamson County (known colloquially as "Willco") is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. As of 2000, the population was 249,967. Its county seat is Georgetown[1]. The county is named for Robert McAlpin Williamson, a leader and veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto[2]. The Williamson County Sheriffs Office and the Williamson County District/County Attorney's offices are some of the most feared and criticized agencies of their kind in the State of Texas[citation needed].

Contents

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,135 square miles (2,939 km²), of which, 1,123 square miles (2,908 km²) of it is land and 12 square miles (31 km²) of it (1.05%) is water.

[edit] Major Highways

[edit] Adjacent counties

[edit] Demographics

The Williamson County courthouse after its 2006-2007 renovation. The courthouse, built in 1911, is an example of Beaux-Arts architecture.
The Williamson County courthouse after its 2006-2007 renovation. The courthouse, built in 1911, is an example of Beaux-Arts architecture.

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 249,967 people, 86,766 households, and 66,983 families residing in the county. The population density was 223 people per square mile (86/km²). There were 90,325 housing units at an average density of 80 per square mile (31/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.41% White, 5.12% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 2.64% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 7.19% from other races, and 2.11% from two or more races. 17.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.9% were of German, 9.8% English, 8.8% American and 8.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 86,766 households out of which 43.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.00% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.80% were non-families. 17.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.60% 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 3.21.

In the county, the population was spread out with 30.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 35.60% from 25 to 44, 19.10% from 45 to 64, and 7.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $60,642, and the median income for a family was $66,208. Males had a median income of $43,471 versus $30,558 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,547. About 3.40% of families and 4.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.40% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Williamson County Flag

The stars on the flag surrounding the state of Texas represent the thirty-three viable communities identified by Clara Stearns Scarbrough in her 1973 book, Land of Good Water. In 1970, these communities ranged in population from twenty people in Norman's Crossing to more than 10,000 residents in Taylor. It is difficult to establish how many communities exist in Williamson County today, because the determination of "community" is subjective and without set criteria. However, in Williamson County in 2004, there were 11 towns with populations of over 1,000 people and seven towns with populations above 5,000.

Courtesy of the Williamson County Commissioner's Court

[edit] Communities

*unincorporated community

Austin is primarily in Travis County and Thorndale is primarily in Milam County. Bartlett lies on the line between Williamson and Bell counties. Cedar Park, Leander, and Round Rock extend into Travis County. Jollyville, Brushy Creek and Serenada are not communities as such but were census-designated places in 2000.

[edit] Newspapers

The newspapers that serve Williamson County include the Round Rock Leader, Williamson County Sun, Taylor Daily Press, Hutto News, Hill Country News, Liberty Hill Independent, Tribune-Progress and Community Impact Newspaper.[4]

[edit] Education

The following school districts serve Williamson County:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ Robert McAlpin Williamson Handbook of Texas entry
  3. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ Ben Trollinger. (2006) Cox to purchase Round Rock Leader, The Williamson County Sun, October 18, 2006

[edit] External links

Government & Non-Profit Sites

Blogs and other sites

v • d • e
Municipalities and communities of
Williamson County, Texas
County seat: Georgetown
Cities
Williamson County map
CDPs and other
unincorporated areas
Footnotes

‡This city also has portions in adjacent county or counties
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