Baylor County, Texas

Baylor County, Texas
Map of Texas highlighting Baylor County
Location in the state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded 1858
Named for Henry Weidner Baylor
Seat Seymour
Largest city Seymour
Area
 • Total 901 sq mi (2,334 km2)
 • Land 867 sq mi (2,246 km2)
 • Water 34 sq mi (88 km2), 3.7%
Population
 • (2010) 3,726
 • Density 4.3/sq mi (2/km²)
Congressional district 13th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5

Baylor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,726.[1] Its county seat is Seymour.[2] The county is named for Henry Weidner Baylor, a surgeon in the Texas Rangers during the Mexican-American War.

Baylor County is not to be confused with Baylor University, which is located approximately 230 miles southeast in McLennan County. Nor should its namesake be confused with Confederate Colonel George W. Baylor, who fought in Louisiana during the American Civil War.[3]

Baylor County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by the Republican James Frank, a businessman from Wichita Falls.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 901 square miles (2,330 km2), of which 867 square miles (2,250 km2) is land and 34 square miles (88 km2) (3.7%) is water.[4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880715—
18902,595262.9%
19108,411—
19207,027−16.5%
19307,4185.6%
19407,7554.5%
19506,875−11.3%
19605,893−14.3%
19705,221−11.4%
19804,919−5.8%
19904,385−10.9%
20004,093−6.7%
20103,726−9.0%
Est. 20143,592−3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1850–2010[6] 2010–2014[1]

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 4,093 people, 1,791 households, and 1,156 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 2,820 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.96% White, 3.35% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 3.32% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races; 9.33% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,791 households, of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 residing in them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were classified as non-families by the U.S. Census Bureau. There were 26 unmarried heterosexual couples and no reported same-sex couples.

In addition, 33.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 89.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,627, and the median income for a family was $34,583. Males had a median income of $21,607 versus $19,571 for females, demonstrating a relatively low level of income inequality based on gender. The per capita income for the county was $16,384. 16.1% of the population and 12.9% of families were below the poverty line. 26.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Educational attainment

According to the 2000 census, 21.2% of those aged over 25 did not have a high school diploma, while 32.7% had a high school diploma. Roughly 8.7% of the population had a bachelor’s degree, 2.3% had a master’s degree, and 0.2% had a doctoral degree. No males had doctoral degrees, while 0.4% of females had a doctoral degree.

Education

Almost all of Baylor County is served by the Seymour Independent School District, which also serves portions of adjacent counties. A small portion is served by the Olney Independent School District.

The OISD portion was served by the Megargel Independent School District until MISD closed after May 2006.

Ranching industry

The Seymour Division of La Escalera Ranch is located north of Seymour, Texas in Baylor County. The Seymour Division consists of 34,000 contiguous acres (120 km²) which was formerly known as the Circle Bar Ranch. The ranch was purchased from the Claude Cowan Sr. Trust in January, 2005 by La Escalera Limited Partnership and is managed by partner Jo Lyda Granberg and her husband K. G. Granberg of Seymour. The ranch is known for its reputation herd of Black Angus cattle and its abundant wildlife, such as white-tailed deer, white-winged dove, mourning dove, Northern bobwhite quail, Rio Grande wild turkey and feral pig.

Communities

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ John D. Winters, The Civil War in Louisiana, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1963, ISBN 0-8071-0834-0, pp. 287–288. 364–365, 370–371
  4. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  5. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  7. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baylor County, Texas.
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Coordinates: 33°38′N 99°13′W / 33.63°N 99.22°W