Lexington is a town in Lee County, Texas, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 1,178 at the 2000 census. Lexington, a trading town, is about 50 miles (80.5 km) northeast of Austin

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

.

Geography

Lexington is located at 30°24′50"N 97°0′31"W (30.413974, -97.008480).

According to the United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 1,178 people, 460 households, and 311 families residing in the town. The population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 992.4 people per square mile (382.2/km²). There were 540 housing units at an average density of 454.9 per square mile (175.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 79.88% White, 10.87% African American, 1.10% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 7.05% from other races

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.42% of the population.

There were 460 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the town the population was spread out with 32.6% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,023, and the median income for a family was $37,917. Males had a median income of $32,083 versus $19,886 for females. The per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $16,765. About 11.1% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

Calvin Trillin of The New Yorker

The New Yorker

The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...

said that while Lexington is not geographically in the Texas Hill Country

Texas Hill Country

The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...

, as it is located on ranch land, it "ethnically is." A politician from Lee County told Paul Burka of Texas Monthly

Texas Monthly

Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...

that the voting scenario in the area is "the Germans against the Czechs, and the Americans are the swing vote."

Culture

On Saturdays farmers and ranchers come into Lexington from areas around the town. A cattle auction takes place at 12:30 PM each Saturday.

Snow's BBQ, which Texas Monthly

Texas Monthly

Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...

called "the best barbecue in Texas" and The New Yorker

The New Yorker

The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...

called "the best Texas BBQ in the world" is located in Lexington.