Walker County, Texas
Encyclopedia
Walker County is a county located in the U.S. state
of Texas
. In 2010, its population was 67,861.http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml Its county seat
is Huntsville
.
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.
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.
, the county has a total area of 801 square miles (2,074.6 km²), of which 787 square miles (2,038.3 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36.3 km²) (1.75%) is water.
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.
(TDCJ), the Texas agency that operates adult state correctional facilities, are in Huntsville
.
Walker County has the highest number of state prisons and jails of all of the counties in Texas. Several TDCJ prisons for men, including the Byrd Unit, the Goree Unit
, the Huntsville Unit, and the Wynne Unit
, are in the Huntsville city limits. The Holliday Unit, a transfer unit, is in Huntsville. In addition the Ellis Unit
and the Estelle Unit are in unincorporated area
s of Walker County. The Huntsville Unit houses the State of Texas execution chamber.
goes through Walker County.
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 2010, its population was 67,861.http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml 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 Huntsville
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
.
Initially, Walker County was named for Robert J. Walker
Robert J. Walker
Robert John Walker was an American economist and statesman.- Early life and education :Born in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, the son of a judge. He lived in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania from 1806 to 1814, where his father was presiding judge of the judicial district. Walker was educated at the...
, a legislator from Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
who introduced into the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
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
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
and soldier in the American Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
Walker County is part of the Huntsville Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
–Baytown
Baytown, Texas
Baytown is a city within Harris County and partially in Chambers County in the Gulf Coast region of the U.S. state of Texas. Located within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, it lies along both State Highway 146 and Interstate 10. As of 2010, Baytown had an population of 71,802...
–Huntsville Combined Statistical Area
Combined Statistical Area
The United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
.
James Mitchell (1795–1870) and his wife, the former Calpernia Franklin (1805–1865), came to the future Walker County under a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
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
Old San Antonio Road
The Old San Antonio Road was a historic roadway located in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana. Parts of it were based on traditional Native American trails. Its Texas terminus was about southeast of Eagle Pass at the Rio Grande in Maverick County, and its northern terminus was at...
, also known as El Camino Real. During the 1840s, the house was a stop for weary stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
travelers.
The premier historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of Texas, Eugene C. Barker
Eugene C. Barker
Eugene Campbell Barker was a distinguished professor of Texas history at the University of Texas at Austin. He was the first living person to have a UT campus building, the Eugene C. Barker Texas History Center, named in his honor. The structure is part of the Center for American History and was...
, for whom the Barker History Center on the University of Texas campus in 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...
is named, was born in Walker County in 1874. Another historian born in Walker County was Marilyn McAdams Sibley
Marilyn McAdams Sibley
Marilyn McAdams Sibley was an historian and author who was the president of the Texas State Historical Association from 1981-1982....
, professor at Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University is a private Baptist institution founded in 1960. It is located in Greater Sharpstown in Houston, Texas near the Southwest Freeway.- History :...
and the mother of former State Senator David McAdams Sibley, Sr.
David Sibley (politician)
David McAdams Sibley, Sr. , is a lobbyist and attorney in Austin and Waco, Texas, who served from 1991 to 2002 as a Republican member of the Texas State Senate...
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 801 square miles (2,074.6 km²), of which 787 square miles (2,038.3 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36.3 km²) (1.75%) is water.
Major Highways
Interstate 45
U.S. Highway 190
State Highway 19State Highway 19 (Texas)State Highway 19, or SH 19, runs from Huntsville to Paris in east Texas. It is a two-lane freeway near Huntsville.-History:SH 19 was one of the original 26 Texas state highways proposed in 1917. The original proposal was for it to run from the Texas/Oklahoma border north of Paris to Houston. By...
State Highway 30State Highway 30 (Texas)State Highway 30, or SH 30, runs from Business SH 6-R in College Station via Roans Prairie to SH 19 in Huntsville. This route was designated in 1961, replacing SH 45...
State Highway 75State Highway 75 (Texas)State Highway 75 is a Texas state route remnant of the old U.S. Highway 75. State Highway 75 retained the number as a state highway when Interstate 45 supplanted U.S. Highway 75 south of Dallas except in Dallas, where old U.S. Highway 75 is now State Highway 310, and through Ferris, Palmer, Ennis,...
Adjacent counties
- Houston CountyHouston County, TexasHouston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 23,185. Its county seat is Crockett. Houston County is named for Samuel Houston, a president of the Republic of Texas and Governor of Texas...
(north) - Trinity County (northeast)
- San Jacinto County (east)
- Montgomery CountyMontgomery County, TexasMontgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The county was created by an act of the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 14, 1837. The county was named for the town of Montgomery, Texas. In 2000, its...
(south) - Grimes County (west)
- Madison County (northwest)
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 61,758 people, 18,303 households, and 11,384 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 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
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...
, 23.88% 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...
, 0.35% 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...
, 0.05% 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...
, 4.42% 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 1.41% from two or more races. 14.11% 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.
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
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, 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
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 $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.
Cities and towns
- DodgeDodge, TexasDodge is an unincorporated community in eastern Walker County, Texas, United States, on the northern edge of the Sam Houston National Forest. It lies along FM 405 east of the city of Huntsville, the county seat of Walker County. Its elevation is 400 feet...
(unincorporated) - HuntsvilleHuntsville, TexasHuntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
- New WaverlyNew Waverly, TexasNew Waverly is a city in Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 950 at the 2000 census.-Geography:New Waverly is located at ....
- RiversideRiverside, TexasRiverside is a small city in Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 425 at the 2000 census. Two famous natives of Riverside are singer-actress Jennifer Holliday , best known for her creation of the role of Effie in the successful Tony-award winning Broadway musical...
Education
- Sam Houston State UniversitySam Houston State UniversitySam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
- Huntsville Independent School District
- New Waverly Independent School District
Government and infrastructure
The headquarters of the Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
(TDCJ), the Texas agency that operates adult state correctional facilities, are in Huntsville
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
.
Walker County has the highest number of state prisons and jails of all of the counties in Texas. Several TDCJ prisons for men, including the Byrd Unit, the Goree Unit
Goree Unit
The Thomas Goree Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice men's prison, located in Huntsville, Texas, miles south of downtown Huntsville on Texas State Highway 75 South. The Goree Unit is located within Region I.-History:...
, the Huntsville Unit, and the Wynne Unit
Wynne Unit
The John M. Wynne Unit is a men's prison of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, located in northern Huntsville, Texas, at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 2821 West and Texas State Highway 75 North. The Windham School District has its headquarters in the unit...
, are in the Huntsville city limits. The Holliday Unit, a transfer unit, is in Huntsville. In addition the Ellis Unit
Ellis Unit
O. B. Ellis Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison located in unincorporated Walker County, Texas, north of Huntsville. The unit, with about of space, now houses up to 2,400 male prisoners. Ellis is situated in a wooded area shared with the Estelle Unit, which is located away...
and the Estelle Unit are in unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
s of Walker County. The Huntsville Unit houses the State of Texas execution chamber.
Transportation
The TTC-69 component (recommended preferred) of the planned Trans-Texas CorridorTrans-Texas Corridor
The Trans-Texas Corridor was a transportation network that was discontinued in the planning and early construction stages in the U.S. State of Texas. The network, as originally envisioned, would have been composed of a network of supercorridors up to wide to carry parallel links of tollways,...
goes through Walker County.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Walker County, Texas
External links
- Walker County government's website
- Walker County Democratic Party http://www.walkercountydemocrats.org
- Walker County Young Democrats http://www.walkercountyyoungdemocrats.org
- Bearkat Democrats of Sam Houston State University http://www.bearkatdemocrats.com