Fayette County, Texas

Fayette County, Texas
The current Fayette County Courthouse in La Grange was finished in 1891. The Romanesque Revival style building uses four types of native Texas stone to detail the exterior.
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 14, 1837
Named for	Marquis de la Fayette
Seat	La Grange
Largest city	La Grange
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	960 sq mi (2,486 km²) 950 sq mi (2,461 km²) 10 sq mi (25 km²), 1.02%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	24,554 23/sq mi (9/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.fayette.tx.us

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 24,554. Its county seat is La Grange. Fayette is named for the Marquis de la Fayette, a French nobleman who became an American Revolutionary War hero. Fayette County is the location of the real Chicken Ranch, which was the basis of the movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 960 square miles (2,486.4 km²), of which 950 square miles (2,460.5 km²) is land and 10 square miles (25.9 km²) (1.02%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 10
• U.S. Highway 77
• U.S. Highway 90
• U.S. Highway 290
• State Highway 71
• State Highway 95
• State Highway 159
• State Highway 237

Adjacent counties

• Lee County (north)
• Washington County (northeast)
• Austin County (east)
• Colorado County (southeast)
• Lavaca County (south)
• Gonzales County (southwest)
• Caldwell County (west)
• Bastrop County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	3,756		—
1860	11,604		208.9%
1870	16,863		45.3%
1880	27,996		66.0%
1890	31,481		12.4%
1900	36,542		16.1%
1910	29,796		−18.5%
1920	29,965		0.6%
1930	30,708		2.5%
1940	29,246		−4.8%
1950	24,176		−17.3%
1960	20,384		−15.7%
1970	17,650		−13.4%
1980	18,832		6.7%
1990	20,095		6.7%
2000	21,804		8.5%
2010	24,554		12.6%
U.S. Decennial Census Texas Almanac: 1850-2010

As of the census of 2000, there were 21,804 people, 8,722 households, and 6,044 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 11,113 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.58% White, 7.01% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 6.66% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. 12.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.9% were of German, 16.4% Czech, 7.6% American and 5.3% English ancestry according to census 2000.

There were 8,722 households out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.40% 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 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.20% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 22.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,526, and the median income for a family was $43,156. Males had a median income of $29,008 versus $20,859 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,888. About 8.10% of families and 11.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.70% of those under age 18 and 13.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Carmine
• Fayetteville
• Flatonia
• La Grange
• Muldoon
• Round Top
• Schulenburg

Unincorporated areas

Abbott's Grove Ammannsville Armstrong Bethany Biegel Black Jack Springs Bluff Blum Hill Bridge Valley Buckner's Creek Burnham's Crossing Cedar Center Grove Cockrill's Hill Cistern Colony Colorado City Cozy Corner Dubina Ellinger

Elm Grove Engle Floy Ford's Prairie Franke Freyburg Gay Hill Halsted Haw Creek High Hill Holman Hostyn Hostyn Hill Hottentot Indian Creek Ingram's Prairie Joiner Kirtley Kocicina Kruegerville

Ledbetter Lena Leevan Lewis Settlement Live Oak Hill Lyons Manton Spring Marly Mecklenburg Middle Creek Miller's Station Moravan Mulberry Mullins Prairie Nassau Navidad Nechanitz O'Quinn Oldenburg Orizaba

Oso Park Pecan Pin Oak Pine Springs Pisek Plum Praha Prairie Valley Primm Rabbs Prairie Rek Hill Rocky Ridge Ross Prairie Roznov Rutersville St. John Scott Sedan Stella

Stellar Swiss Alp Tamberg Toledo Waldeck Walhalla Warda Warrenton Wendt West Point Whiteside's Prairie Willow Springs Winchester Winedale Wood's Fort Wursten Zapalac Zapp

Transportation

The county owns Fayette Regional Air Center, in an unincorporated area west of LaGrange.

See also

• Adelsverein
• Museums in Central Texas
• Nassau Plantation
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Fayette County, Texas
• The Chicken Ranch, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

External links

• Fayette County government's website
• Fayette County, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Historic materials from Fayette County, hosted by the Portal to Texas History