Henderson County
County
The Henderson County Courthouse in Athens
The Henderson County Courthouse in Athens
Map of Texas highlighting Henderson County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°13′N 95°51′W / 32.21°N 95.85°W / 32.21; -95.85
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1846
Named forJames Pinckney Henderson
SeatAthens
Largest cityAthens
Area
 • Total948 sq mi (2,460 km2)
 • Land874 sq mi (2,260 km2)
 • Water75 sq mi (190 km2)  7.9%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total82,150 Increase
 • Density87/sq mi (34/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district5th
Websitewww.co.henderson.tx.us
"Courts Under the Oaks" in Athens
Henderson County Peace Officers Association monument

Henderson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 82,150.[1] The county seat is Athens.[2] The county is named in honor of James Pinckney Henderson, the first attorney general of the Republic of Texas, and secretary of state for the republic.[3] He later served as the first governor of Texas. Henderson County was established in 1846, the year after Texas gained statehood. Its first town was Buffalo, laid out in 1847.[4] Henderson County comprises the Athens micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Dallas-Fort Worth combined statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 948 sq mi (2,460 km2), of which 75 sq mi (190 km2) (7.9%) are covered by water.[5]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18501,237—
18604,595271.5%
18706,78647.7%
18809,73543.5%
189012,28526.2%
190019,97062.6%
191020,1310.8%
192028,32740.7%
193030,5838.0%
194031,8224.1%
195023,405−26.5%
196021,786−6.9%
197026,46621.5%
198042,60661.0%
199058,54337.4%
200073,27725.2%
201078,5327.2%
202082,1504.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1850–2010[7] 2010–2020[8]
Demographic Profile of Henderson County, Texas
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[9] Pop 2020[8] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 63,494 61,854 80.85% 75.29%
Black or African American alone (NH) 4,813 4,705 6.13% 5.73%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 349 414 0.44% 0.50%
Asian alone (NH) 318 510 0.40% 0.62%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 27 31 0.03% 0.04%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 76 211 0.10% 0.26%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 965 3,183 1.23% 3.87%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 8,490 11,242 10.81% 13.68%
Total 78,532 82,150 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the census[10] of 2000, 73,277 people, 28,804 households, and 20,969 families were residing in the county. Its population density was 84 people/sq mi (32 people/km2). The 35,935 housing units averaged 41 units per square mile (16/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.50% White, 6.61% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 2.75% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. About 6.92% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. At the 2020 census, its population increased to 82,150 with a predominantly non-Hispanic white population; the Hispanic or Latino population of any race increased to 13.68% reflecting nationwide demographic trends.[11]

Government


Politics

United States presidential election results for Henderson County, Texas[12]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 28,911 79.61% 7,060 19.44% 346 0.95%
2016 23,650 78.72% 5,669 18.87% 726 2.42%
2012 21,231 76.85% 6,106 22.10% 290 1.05%
2008 20,857 71.94% 7,913 27.29% 223 0.77%
2004 20,210 70.05% 8,505 29.48% 134 0.46%
2000 16,607 64.80% 8,704 33.96% 316 1.23%
1996 10,345 45.43% 10,085 44.29% 2,342 10.28%
1992 8,368 34.49% 9,105 37.53% 6,788 27.98%
1988 11,005 52.61% 9,819 46.94% 94 0.45%
1984 12,725 63.38% 7,302 36.37% 49 0.24%
1980 7,903 48.47% 8,199 50.29% 203 1.25%
1976 4,658 36.01% 8,245 63.73% 34 0.26%
1972 6,263 69.49% 2,741 30.41% 9 0.10%
1968 2,315 29.19% 3,119 39.32% 2,498 31.49%
1964 1,988 29.61% 4,697 69.96% 29 0.43%
1960 2,521 42.23% 3,411 57.14% 38 0.64%
1956 2,479 44.51% 3,065 55.04% 25 0.45%
1952 2,534 36.33% 4,439 63.65% 1 0.01%
1948 540 12.24% 3,669 83.14% 204 4.62%
1944 427 10.12% 3,219 76.28% 574 13.60%
1940 803 16.34% 4,111 83.66% 0 0.00%
1936 260 7.38% 3,259 92.45% 6 0.17%
1932 219 5.82% 3,522 93.67% 19 0.51%
1928 1,128 39.52% 1,726 60.48% 0 0.00%
1924 405 9.41% 3,819 88.73% 80 1.86%
1920 538 18.62% 1,684 58.29% 667 23.09%
1916 268 11.11% 1,790 74.18% 355 14.71%
1912 137 6.84% 1,370 68.36% 497 24.80%

Media

Henderson County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth DMA. Local media outlets are: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV. Other nearby stations that provide coverage for Henderson County come from the Tyler/Longview/Jacksonville market and they include: KLTV, KTRE-TV, KYTX-TV, KFXK-TV, KCEB-TV, and KETK-TV.

Newspaper coverage of the area can be found in the Athens Daily Review, based in Athens; The Monitor is published in Mabank, which is primarily in Kaufman County, but also covers news in parts of Henderson County, as well.

Crime

Paul Knight of the Houston Press said in a 2009 article that some people blamed the development of the artificial Cedar Creek Lake, which opened in 1965, and development of the area surrounding the lake for the initial influx of crime and recreational drugs into the county and the East Texas region. Carroll Dyson, a retired pilot and Henderson County resident interviewed by the Houston Press, said in 2009 that the lake attracted "white flight" from metropolitan areas.[13] Dyson added, "When all your rich people from Dallas and Houston move out here, the thieves are just drawn to them. Thieves are just wired that way. You used to not have to lock your door in Henderson County." Ray Nutt, the sheriff of Henderson County, said in the same article that when the lake first opened, it had no zoning and "a lot of elderly people bought a mobile home and moved in; it was nice. Then, they passed away and family members sold them off or just let them go down." Nutt added that the area around the lake has "a lot of good people," yet it also where "a lot of criminals tend to flow."[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Henderson County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 154.
  4. ^ A Memorial and Biographical History of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon Counties, Texas. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company. 1893. p. 199. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  6. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  7. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Henderson County, Texass". United States Census Bureau.
  9. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Henderson County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  10. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  11. ^ Passel, Jeffrey S.; Lopez, Mark Hugo; Cohn, D'Vera. "U.S. Hispanic population continued its geographic spread in the 2010s". Pew Research Center. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  12. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  13. ^ Knight, Paul. "Superthief." September 22, 2009. 1. Retrieved on September 28, 2009.
  14. ^ Knight, Paul. "Superthief." September 22, 2009. 2. Retrieved on September 28, 2009.

External links

32°13′N 95°51′W / 32.21°N 95.85°W / 32.21; -95.85

Places adjacent to Henderson County, Texas
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
Municipalities and communities of Henderson County, Texas, United States
Counties of Texas
State of Texas
Authority control databases
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