Bexar County, Texas

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Bexar County, Texas
Bexar county courthouse.jpg
The Bexar County Courthouse in San Antonio.
Map of Texas highlighting Bexar County
Location in the state of Texas
Map of the U.S. highlighting Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded December 20, 1836
Seat San Antonio
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water
1,257 sq mi (3,256 km²)
1,247 sq mi (3,230 km²)
10 sq mi (26 km²), 0.78%
Population
 - (2011)
 - Density
1,756,153
1,408/sq mi (544/km²)
Website www.bexar.org

Bexar County (pron.: /ˈbɛər/ bear)[1] is a county in the US state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population is 1,714,773,[2] making it the 19th most populous county in the nation and the 4th most populated within Texas.[3] Its county seat is San Antonio.[4] In old Spanish, "Béxar" is pronounced [ˈbexar].

Bexar County is the central county of the San Antonio-New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bexar County is a major bellwether in presidential elections.

Contents

History [edit]

Bexar County was created on December 20, 1836, and encompassed almost the entire western portion of the Republic of Texas. This included the disputed areas of western New Mexico northward to Wyoming. After statehood, 128 counties were carved out of its area.

The county was named for San Antonio de Béxar, one of the 23 Mexican municipalities (administrative divisions) of Texas at the time of its independence. San Antonio de Béxar—originally Villa of San Fernando de Béxar—was the first civil government established by the Spanish in the province of Texas. Specifically, the municipality was created in 1731 when 55 Canary Islanders settled near the system of missions that had been established around the source of the San Antonio River. The new settlement was named after the Presidio San Antonio de Béjar, the Spanish military outpost that protected the missions. The presidio, located at the San Pedro Springs, was founded in 1718 and named for Viceroy Balthasar Manuel de Zúñiga y Guzmán Sotomayor y Sarmiento, second son of the Duke of Béxar (a town in Spain).

Geography [edit]

Bexar County is in south-central Texas, about 190 miles (305 km) west of Houston and 140 miles (225 km) inland from the Gulf of Mexico.

The Balcones Escarpment bisects the county from west to northeast; to the north of the escarpment are the rocky hills, springs and canyons of the Texas Hill Country. South of the escarpment are Blackland Prairie and the South Texas plains. The San Antonio River rises from springs north of Downtown San Antonio, and flows southward and southeastward through the county.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,257 square miles (3,255.6 km2), of which 1,247 square miles (3,229.7 km2) is land and 10 square miles (25.9 km2) (0.78%) is covered by water.

Major Highways [edit]

Adjacent counties [edit]

National protected area [edit]

Demographics [edit]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1850 6,052
—
1860 14,454 138.8%
1870 16,043 11.0%
1880 30,470 89.9%
1890 49,266 61.7%
1900 69,422 40.9%
1910 119,676 72.4%
1920 202,096 68.9%
1930 292,533 44.7%
1940 338,176 15.6%
1950 500,460 48.0%
1960 687,151 37.3%
1970 830,460 20.9%
1980 988,800 19.1%
1990 1,185,394 19.9%
2000 1,392,931 17.5%
2010 1,714,773 23.1%
Est. 2012 1,785,704 4.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
Texas Almanac: 1850–2010[6]

As of the census[7] of 2000, 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families were residing in the county. The population density was 1,117 people per square mile (431/km²). There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 418 per square mile (161/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.86% White, 7.18% Black or African American, 0.80% Native American, 1.61% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 17.80% from other races, and 3.64% from two or more races. About 54.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of 488,942 households, 36.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% were married couples living together, 15.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were not families. About 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the county, the population was distributed as 28.50% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.

The median income for a household was $38,328, and for a family was $43,724. Males had a median income of $30,756 versus $24,920 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,363. About 12.70% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.40% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over.

Politics [edit]

Presidential Election Results 1960–2008
Year Democrat Republican
2008 52.23% 275,527 46.69% 246,275
2004 44.39% 210,976 54.85% 260,698
2000 44.86% 185,158 52.24% 215,613
1996 49.74% 180,308 44.59% 161,619
1992 41.54% 172,513 40.65% 168,816
1988 47.07% 174,036 52.25% 193,192
1984 40.18% 136,947 59.65% 203,319
1980 44.65% 137,729 51.73% 159,578
1976 54.00% 146,581 44.64% 121,176
1972 39.82% 91,662 59.76% 137,572
1968 51.56% 95,325 39.46% 72,951
1964 66.86% 108,658 32.90% 53,469
1960 53.74% 75,373 45.59% 63,934

Bexar County is a major bellwether in presidential elections. Since the 1972 presidential election, the winner of Bexar County has gone on to win the general election. In the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama carried Bexar County with 52.23% of the vote. This was very similar to his national figure of 52.92%. Unofficial results for the 2012 presidential election show Barack Obama carrying the county with 51.6% of the vote.

Five congressional districts are located either entirely or partly within Bexar County. One House member is a Republican and four are Democrats.

Representative Party Home Town/City District
  Joaquin Castro D San Antonio 20
  Lamar S. Smith R San Antonio 21
  Pete Gallego D Alpine 23
  Henry Cuellar D Laredo 28
  Lloyd Doggett D Austin 35

Four Texas Senate districts are located either entirely or partly within Bexar County, with three Democrats and one Republican.

Senator Party Home Town/City District
  Carlos I. Uresti D San Antonio 19
  Judith Zaffirini D Laredo 21
  Donna Campbell R San Antonio 25
  Leticia R. Van de Putte D San Antonio 26

Ten Texas House of Representatives districts are located within Bexar County; eight are Democrats and two are Republicans, including the current Speaker of the House Joe Straus.

Representative Party Home Town/City District
  Trey Martinez Fischer D San Antonio 116
  Philip Cortez D San Antonio 117
  Joe Farias D San Antonio 118
  Roland Gutierrez D San Antonio 119
  Ruth McClendon D San Antonio 120
  Joe Straus R San Antonio 121
  Lyle Larson R San Antonio 122
  Mike Villarreal D San Antonio 123
  Jose Menendez D San Antonio 124
  Justin Rodriguez D San Antonio 125

Notable natives and residents [edit]

Further information: Notables of San Antonio, Texas

Cities and towns [edit]

* Only a very small portion of Cibolo is in Bexar County.
** Fair Oaks Ranch has territory in Bexar County, Comal County and Kendall County.
*** Selma and Schertz each have territory in Bexar County, Comal County and Guadalupe County.
**** Lytle has territory in Atascosa County, Bexar County and Medina County.

Military Installations [edit]

Corrections [edit]

The Bexar County jail facilities are at 200 North Comal in downtown San Antonio.[8] In late 2012, press reports noted an increase in the number of suicides at the facility. The issue was a topic of debate in the election for sheriff that year. The jail held an average of about 3,800 prisoners in 2012, making it the third-largest in the state.[9]

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Dominguez Unit, a state jail for men, in an unincorporated section of Bexar County.[10]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ General San Antonio Information
  2. ^ United States Census Bureau. "2010 Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 21, 2011. 
  3. ^ "P1: Total Population – All Counties in the United States". U.S. Census Bureau American Factfinder. Retrieved October 27, 2011. 
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011. 
  5. ^ U.S. Decennial Census
  6. ^ Texas Almanac: County Population History 1850–2010
  7. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008. 
  8. ^ "BCSO Location and Driving Directions." Bexar County. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
  9. ^ Why have jail suicides soared under Sheriff Ortiz's watch?, by Michael Barajas, SA Current, 17 October 2012
  10. ^ "Dominguez (BX)." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
  • Stephens, A. Ray, and William M. Holmes, Historical Atlas of Texas. University of Oklahoma Press, 1989. ISBN 0-8061-2307-9

External links [edit]

 Bandera County Kendall County and Comal County Guadalupe County
Medina County
  Bexar County, Texas  
Atascosa County Wilson County
Municipalities and communities of Bexar County, Texas, United States
Cities
Towns
CDPs
Other
unincorporated
communities
Footnotes

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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Coordinates: 29°27′N 98°31′W / 29.45°N 98.52°W / 29.45; -98.52

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