Victoria County, Texas
Encyclopedia
Victoria County is a county located in the U.S. state
of Texas
. In 2000, its population was 84,088. Its county seat
is Victoria
. It is included in the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
, the county has a total area of 889 square miles (2,302 km²), of which 882 square miles (2,286 km²) is land and 7 square miles (16 km²) (0.70%) is water.
of 2000, there were 84,088 people, 30,071 households, and 22,192 families residing in the county. The population density
was 95 people per square mile (37/km²). There were 32,945 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.22% White
, 6.30% Black
or African American
, 0.53% Native American
, 0.77% Asian
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
, 15.92% from other races
, and 2.22% from two or more races. 39.20% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race. 16.2% were of German
, 6.2% American
and 5.6% English
ancestry according to Census 2000. 73.3% spoke English
and 25.5% Spanish
as their first language.
There were 30,071 households out of which 37.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples
living together, 12.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the county, the population was spread out with 29.10% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,732, and the median income for a family was $44,443. Males had a median income of $35,484 versus $21,231 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $18,379. About 10.50% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In 2000, its population was 84,088. Its county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is Victoria
Victoria, Texas
Victoria is a city in and the seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,...
. It is included in the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area
Victoria metropolitan area
The Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in the Coastal Bend region of Texas, anchored by the city of Victoria. The area is sometimes referred to as the Golden Crescent Region, though this term is sometimes...
.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census BureauUnited 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 county has a total area of 889 square miles (2,302 km²), of which 882 square miles (2,286 km²) is land and 7 square miles (16 km²) (0.70%) is water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 59
U.S. Highway 77
U.S. Highway 87
Adjacent counties
- Lavaca County (north)
- Jackson County (northeast)
- Calhoun CountyCalhoun County, TexasCalhoun County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, the population was 20,647. Its county seat is Port Lavaca. It is a part of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area...
(southeast) - Refugio County (south)
- Goliad County (southwest)
- DeWitt CountyDeWitt County, TexasDeWitt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 20,013. DeWitt County is named for Green DeWitt, who founded an early colony in Texas. The seat of the county is Cuero. It was founded in 1846.-Geography:...
(northwest)
History Timeline
- Paleo-Indians Hunter-gatherers, and later TonkawaTonkawaThe Tickanwa•tic Tribe , better known as the Tonkawa , are a Native American people indigenous to present-day Oklahoma and Texas. They once spoke the now-extinct Tonkawa language believed to have been a language isolate not related to any other indigenous tongues...
, Aranamas, Tamiques, KarankawaKarankawaKarankawa were a group of Native American peoples, now extinct as a tribal group, who played a pivotal part in early Texas history....
. Tawakoni, Lipan Apache and ComancheComancheThe Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
, first inhabitants. - 1685 René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La SalleRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La SalleRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, or Robert de LaSalle was a French explorer. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico...
establishes Fort St. Louis. - 1689 Alonso de LeonAlonso De LeónAlonso de León wasexplorer and governor, who led several expeditions into the area that is now northeastern Mexico and southern Texas.-Early life:...
names the Guadalupe RiverGuadalupe River (Texas)The Guadalupe River runs from Kerr County, Texas to San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. The river is a popular destination for rafters and canoers. Larger cities along the river include New Braunfels, Kerrville, Seguin, Gonzales, Cuero, and Victoria...
in honor of Our Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
. - 1722 Nuestra Señora de Loreto PresidioPresidio La BahíaThe Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la Bahía, known more commonly as Presidio La Bahia, or simply La Bahia is a fort constructed by the Spanish Army that became the nucleus of the city of Goliad, Texas, United States. Originally founded in 1721 on the ruins of the failed French Fort Saint...
and Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de ZúñigaMission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de ZúñigaMission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñigaalso known as Aranama Mission orMission La Bahiawas a Roman Catholic mission established by Spain in Victoria County, Texas in northern New Spain in 1722 to convert local Native Karankawa Indians to Christianity...
become the first Spanish settlement in Victoria County. - 1824 Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Jesús Victoria (the future city of VictoriaVictoria, TexasVictoria is a city in and the seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,...
) is established by Martín De LeónMartín De LeónMartín De León was a rancher and wealthy Mexican empresario descended from Spanish aristocracy. He was the patriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. De León and his wife Patricia de la Garza established De León's Colony, the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas...
, who starts his colony with 5,000 branded cattle and establishes the county's claim as the "Cradle of the Texas Cattle Industry." The only primarily Mexican colony in Texas.
- 1835 Victoria's settlers supported the revolution against Antonio López de Santa AnnaAntonio López de Santa AnnaAntonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
, but were ostracized by new incoming Americans, many of whom were adventurous soldiers or fortune hunters, who wrongly profiled them as Mexican sympathizers and forced them to flee after the revolution in 1836. Anglo-Americans resettle the area. - 1836 Victory County is formed by the Republic of Texas. It is named after Guadalupe VictoriaGuadalupe VictoriaGuadalupe Victoria born José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix, was a Mexican politician and military man who fought for independence against the Spanish Empire in the Mexican War of Independence. He was a deputy for Durango and a member of the Supreme Executive Power...
, the first President of MexicoPresident of MexicoThe President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
. Three thousand troops of the Texas army encamp near Spring Creek, Victoria County, under the command of Gen. Thomas J. RuskThomas Jefferson RuskThomas Jefferson Rusk was an early political and military leader of the Republic of Texas, serving as its first Secretary of War as well as a general at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was later a U.S. politician and served as a Senator from Texas from 1846 until his suicide...
, as the main defense against a threatened attack by Mexican general José de UrreaJosé de UrreaJosé de Urrea was a noted general for Mexico. He fought under General Antonio López de Santa Anna during the Texas Revolution. Urrea's forces were never defeated in battle during the Texas Revolution...
. - 1842 Rafael Vásquez and Adrián WollAdrián WollAdrián Woll was a French soldier of fortune and mercenary who served as a general in the army of Mexico during the Texas Revolution and the Mexican-American War.-Biography:...
lead Mexican forces in an invasion into the county. - 1850 Coletoville is established by German immigrant Carl Steiner.
- 1851 Victoria County’s first toll bridge is erected across the river, built by Richard Owens and Sylvester Sutton.
- 1860 There are 1,413 slaves in the county.
- 1861 County votes 318-88 in favor of secession from the Union. Victoria County sends 300 men to fight for the Confederate States ArmyConfederate States ArmyThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
. - 1863 Confederate General John B. MagruderJohn B. MagruderJohn Bankhead Magruder was a career military officer who served in the armies of three nations. He was a U.S. Army officer in the Mexican-American War, a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and a postbellum general in the Imperial Mexican Army...
destroys the railroad from Port Lavaca to Victoria to keep it out of Union hands. He also sinks trees and boats into the Guadalupe RiverGuadalupe River (Texas)The Guadalupe River runs from Kerr County, Texas to San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. The river is a popular destination for rafters and canoers. Larger cities along the river include New Braunfels, Kerrville, Seguin, Gonzales, Cuero, and Victoria...
. - 1867-1869 The county is occupied by federal troops. Mob mentality violence by those same troops results in the axing death and corpse mutilation of local official Benjamin F. Hill, who is at the time incarcerated for an alleged self-defense killing of a discharged Union soldier.
- 1873 Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific Railway connects Victoria with CueroCuero, TexasCuero is a city in DeWitt County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,571 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of DeWitt County. It is also unofficially known as the "turkey capital of the world"...
and the coast. - 1882 New York, Texas and Mexican Railway provides the first cross-country route to Rosenberg Junction in Fort Bend CountyFort Bend County, TexasFort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
. - 1883 Texas Continental Meat Company is erected in the county and is the largest meat packing plant in Texas.
- 1886 Bray's Ferry is established at the San Antonio River by G. B. Amery and John Bray.
- 1906 The Guadalupe River Navigation Company is established.
- 1930 Oil is discovered at the McFaddin Oil Field. Victoria County holds more cattle than any other county in Texas.
- 1941 Foster Air Force BaseFoster Air Force BaseFoster Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base, located approximately east-northeast of Victoria, Texas. A flying training airfield during World War II, it was part of Tactical Air Command during the Cold War as a tactical fighter and command base.-History:Named in memory of Lt....
is established as Victoria Army Air Field as a training air field. - 1967 The Victoria Barge Canal is completed, connecting Victoria County with the Intercoastal Canal.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 84,088 people, 30,071 households, and 22,192 families residing in the county. 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 95 people per square mile (37/km²). There were 32,945 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.22% White
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...
, 6.30% Black
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...
or African American
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...
, 0.53% Native American
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...
, 0.77% Asian
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...
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
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...
, 15.92% 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 2.22% from two or more races. 39.20% of the population were Hispanic
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...
or Latino
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...
of any race. 16.2% were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, 6.2% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 5.6% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
ancestry according to Census 2000. 73.3% spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and 25.5% Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
as their first language.
There were 30,071 households out of which 37.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% 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, 12.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the county, the population was spread out with 29.10% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,732, and the median income for a family was $44,443. Males had a median income of $35,484 versus $21,231 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 county was $18,379. About 10.50% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.
Unincorporated areas
- BloomingtonBloomington, TexasBloomington is a census-designated place in Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,562 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
- InezInez, TexasInez is a census-designated place , on U.S. Highway 59 fifteen miles northeast of Victoria, Texas, near the Jackson County, Texas line in Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,787 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Victoria, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
- McFaddinMcFaddin, TexasMcFaddin is an unincorporated community in Victoria County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area....
- Mission Valley
- NurseryNursery, TexasNursery is an unincorporated community in Victoria County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area....
- PlacedoPlacedo, TexasPlacedo is an unincorporated community in Victoria County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 760 in 2000. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
- TelfernerTelferner, TexasTelferner is an unincorporated community in Victoria County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 700 in 2000. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...