Cooke County, Texas

For the similarly named Texan county, see Coke County, Texas.

Cooke County, Texas
Cooke County Courthouse
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1848
Seat	Gainesville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	899 sq mi (2,328 km²) 874 sq mi (2,264 km²) 25 sq mi (65 km²), 2.80%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	38,437 41/sq mi (16/km²)
Website	www.co.cooke.tx.us

Cooke County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 38,437. It is named for William Gordon Cooke, a soldier during the Texas Revolution. Cooke County was founded in 1848. The county seat is Gainesville.

Cooke County is part of the Gainesville Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Dallas–Fort Worth Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 899 square miles (2,328.4 km²), of which 874 square miles (2,263.6 km²) is land and 25 square miles (64.7 km²) (2.80%) is water.

Major Highways

• Interstate 35/U.S. Highway 77
• U.S. Highway 82

Adjacent counties

• Love County, Oklahoma (north)
• Grayson County (east)
• Denton County (south)
• Wise County (southwest)
• Montague County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	220		—
1860	3,760		1,609.1%
1870	5,315		41.4%
1880	20,391		283.7%
1890	24,696		21.1%
1900	27,494		11.3%
1910	26,603		−3.2%
1920	25,667		−3.5%
1930	24,136		−6.0%
1940	24,909		3.2%
1950	22,146		−11.1%
1960	22,560		1.9%
1970	23,471		4.0%
1980	27,656		17.8%
1990	30,777		11.3%
2000	36,363		18.1%
2010	38,437		5.7%
U.S. Decennial Census Texas Almanac: 1850-2010

As of the census of 2000, there were 36,363 people, 13,643 households, and 10,000 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 15,061 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.84% White, 3.06% Black or African American, 1.00% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 5.16% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. 9.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,643 households out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.30% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,649, and the median income for a family was $44,869. Males had a median income of $32,429 versus $22,065 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,889. About 10.90% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.80% of those under age 18 and 10.70% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities and towns

• Callisburg
• Gainesville
• Lindsay
• Muenster
• Oak Ridge
• Valley View
• Whitesboro (mostly in Grayson County)

Unincorporated areas

• Bulcher
• Burns City
• Dexter (incorporated from February 28, 1875 to around 1900)
• Era
• Hood
• Lake Kiowa (privately managed)
• Leo
• Lois
• Marysville
• Mountain Springs
• Moss Lake
• Myra
• Rosston
• Pioneer Valley (privately managed)
• Prairie Point
• Sivells Bend
• Walnut Bend
• Woodbine

Government and infrastructure

The Texas Youth Commission operates the Gainesville State School in an unincorporated area in Cooke County, east of Gainesville.

See also

• List of museums in North Texas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cooke County, Texas

External links

• Cooke County government's website
• Cooke County from the Handbook of Texas Online