| Walker County, Texas | |
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Walker County Courthouse
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Location in the state of Texas |
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Texas's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1846 |
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| Seat | Huntsville |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
801 sq mi (2,075 km²) 787 sq mi (2,038 km²) 14 sq mi (36 km²), 1.75% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
67,861 86/sq mi (33.3/km²) |
| Website | www.co.walker.tx.us |
Walker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 67,861.[1] Its county seat is Huntsville[2].
Initially, Walker County was named for Robert J. Walker, a legislator from Mississippi who introduced into the United States Congress the resolution to annex Texas. However, Walker later supported the Union during the Civil War; thus, in order to keep the county's name from being changed, it was renamed for Samuel H. Walker, a Texas Ranger and soldier in the American Army.
Walker County is part of the Huntsville Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Houston–Baytown–Huntsville Combined Statistical Area.
James Mitchell (1795–1870) and his wife, the former Calpernia Franklin (1805–1865), came to the future Walker County under a Mexican land grant in 1833. Mitchell, who became one of the first county commissioneers, established the Mitchell House and Inn on the Old San Antonio Road, also known as El Camino Real. During the 1840s, the house was a stop for weary stagecoach travelers.[3]
The premier historian of Texas, Eugene C. Barker, for whom the Barker History Center on the University of Texas campus in Austin is named, was born in Walker County in 1874. Another historian born in Walker County was Marilyn McAdams Sibley, professor at Houston Baptist University and the mother of former State Senator David McAdams Sibley, Sr.[4]
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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 801 square miles (2,070 km2), of which 787 square miles (2,040 km2) is land and 14 square miles (36 km2) (1.75%) is water.
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 3,964 |
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| 1860 | 8,191 | 106.6% | |
| 1870 | 9,766 | 19.2% | |
| 1880 | 12,024 | 23.1% | |
| 1890 | 12,874 | 7.1% | |
| 1900 | 15,813 | 22.8% | |
| 1910 | 16,061 | 1.6% | |
| 1920 | 18,556 | 15.5% | |
| 1930 | 18,528 | −0.2% | |
| 1940 | 19,868 | 7.2% | |
| 1950 | 20,163 | 1.5% | |
| 1960 | 21,475 | 6.5% | |
| 1970 | 27,680 | 28.9% | |
| 1980 | 41,789 | 51.0% | |
| 1990 | 50,917 | 21.8% | |
| 2000 | 61,758 | 21.3% | |
| 2010 | 67,861 | 9.9% | |
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Texas Almanac: 1850-2010[6] |
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As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 61,758 people, 18,303 households, and 11,384 families residing in the county. The population density was 78 people per square mile (30/km²). There were 21,099 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 69.12% White, 23.88% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.42% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. 14.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 18,303 households out of which 28.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.80% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.80% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county, the population was spread out with 18.00% under the age of 18, 23.00% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 18.90% from 45 to 64, and 8.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 151.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 161.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,468, and the median income for a family was $42,589. Males had a median income of $27,634 versus $22,579 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,508. About 10.60% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.10% of those under age 18 and 13.40% of those age 65 or over.
Sam Houston State University is located in Huntsville.
School districts serving portions of the county include:[8]
The Gulf Coast Trades Center, a charter school, is in an unincorporated area of the county.[8][9]
The headquarters of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), the Texas agency that operates adult state correctional facilities, are in Huntsville.[10][11]
Walker County has the highest number of state prisons and jails of all of the counties in Texas.[12] Several TDCJ prisons for men, including the Byrd Unit,[13] the Goree Unit,[14] the Huntsville Unit,[15] and the Wynne Unit, are in the Huntsville city limits.[16] The Holliday Unit, a transfer unit, is in Huntsville.[17] In addition the Ellis Unit and the Estelle Unit are in unincorporated areas of Walker County.[18][19] The Huntsville Unit houses the State of Texas execution chamber.[20]
The TTC-69 component (recommended preferred) of the planned Trans-Texas Corridor goes through Walker County.[21]
| Madison County | Houston County | Trinity County | ||
| Grimes County | San Jacinto County | |||
| Walker County, Texas | ||||
| Montgomery County |
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