Texas County, Missouri

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Texas County, Missouri
Map of Missouri highlighting Texas County
Location in the state of Missouri
Map of the U.S. highlighting Missouri
Missouri's location in the U.S.
Founded February 14, 1845
Named for The Republic of Texas
Seat Houston
Largest city Cabool
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water
1,179.24 sq mi (3,054 km²)
1,178.54 sq mi (3,052 km²)
0.70 sq mi (2 km²), 0.06
Population
 - (2010)
 - Density
26,008
21/sq mi (8/km²)
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.texascountymissouri.org/

Texas County is a county located in South Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the county's population was 26,008.[1] It's county seat is Houston[2]. The county was organized in 1843 as Ashley County, changing its name in 1845 to Texas, after the Republic of Texas. The 2010 U.S. Census indicates it is the center of population for the United States.

Contents

[edit] History

When formed in 1843, Texas County was named after William H. Ashley, the first lieutenant governor of Missouri, but when the county was officially organized on February 14, 1845, it was renamed for the Republic of Texas.

A seat of justice for the county was laid out in 1846 near the center of the county on Brushy Creek and named Houston for the first president of the Texas Republic. The present Texas County Courthouse, built in 1932, is the county's sixth. It was remodeled in 1977 and again in 2007. Rugged hills, springs, creeks, rivers and caves abound in Texas County. The Native Americans were here in 1826. There have been many mounds found in the county as proof of Native Americans inhabitants. Native American paintings remain upon various bluffs over ancient campsites. The area was part of the 1808 Osage Native American land cession.

Pioneers came to Texas County in the 1820s from Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas and set up sawmills along the Big Piney River. With plenty of water and among the pine timber, pioneers made a nice income rafting the timber down the Piney River toward St. Louis. Some 48,000 acres (190 km2) in the north and northwest part of the county is now part of the Mark Twain National Forest, along with several acres in the southeast part of the county being part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways Park. They homesteaded the fertile valleys and soon log cabins dotted various parts of the country. Small family farms are still a major part of the landscape of the county. The population of the first Federal Census of Texas County in 1850 was 2,312 citizens.

Life of the pioneer was happy and carefree; he knew nothing of food shortage, for he raised his own provisions, and with his trusty gun he could shoot various wild game. He hunted, trapped and sold furs to traveling buyers. Livestock was limited to razorback hogs and a few chickens. Horses were few and nearly everyone possessed a yoke of oxen. Farming has changed over the years. In the early 1900s farmers grew crops such as corn, wheat, oats, hay, a few cattle, hogs, etc. The 1990s found us to be a beef and dairy county along with the production of feeder pigs.

The American Civil War period was a time of turmoil in Texas County. The populace was predominantly Southern. The courthouse was occupied during the war by the Union Army as headquarters. Houston was an important place on the route from federal headquarters in Springfield to headquarters in Rolla. Some skirmishes were fought here. Confederate soldiers stormed the town, burning every building. Before the courthouse burnt, the Confederates loaded up all the county records, hauled them to a cave on Arthurs Creek, and kept them there, returning all the books safely, after the conflict was over.

Early social activities were confined to churchgoing when a preacher came to the community. Among the younger set, the amusements were old-time hoedowns, candy pulling, corn husking, barn warming, quilting bees, and log rolling. Arts and crafts have and continue to enter into the lives of many. People still gather for church activities, auctions, musicals, square dancing and sports of all kind. Like the early pioneers, today fishing and river floating are popular recreational activities in Texas County. Hunting is still enjoyed by many and Texas County is one of the leading counties statewide for deer and turkey.

[edit] Education

Of adults 25 years of age and older in Texas County, 71.4% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 10.8% holds a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.

[edit] Public Schools

[edit] Private Schools

[edit] Alternative & Vocational Schools

  • Exceptional Child Cooperative - Houston - (K-12) - Special Education
  • Gentry Residential Treatment Facility - Cabool (06-12) - Alternative

[edit] Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,179.24 square miles (3,054.2 km2), the largest county in Missouri, of which 1,178.54 square miles (3,052.4 km2) (or 99.94%) is land and 0.70 square miles (1.8 km2) (or 0.06%) is water.[3]


[edit] Adjacent counties

See also: List of counties bordering eight counties

[edit] Major highways

[edit] National protected areas

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1850 2,812
—
1860 6,067 115.8%
1870 9,618 58.5%
1880 12,206 26.9%
1890 19,406 59.0%
1900 22,192 14.4%
1910 21,458 −3.3%
1920 20,548 −4.2%
1930 18,580 −9.6%
1940 19,813 6.6%
1950 18,992 −4.1%
1960 17,758 −6.5%
1970 18,320 3.2%
1980 21,070 15.0%
1990 21,476 1.9%
2000 23,003 7.1%
2010 26,008 13.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 23,003 people, 9,378 households, and 6,647 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile (8/km²). There were 9,378 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.47% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 0.96% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. Approximately 0.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 9,378 households out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.90% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,260, and the median income for a family was $34,503. Males had a median income of $25,071 versus $17,126 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,568. About 16.50% of families and 21.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.10% of those under age 18 and 17.20% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Cities and towns

[edit] Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Texas County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Texas County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (55.46%), Christian Churches & Churches of Christ (9.65%), and National Association of Free Will Baptists (6.92%).

[edit] Politics

[edit] Local

Politics at the local level in Texas County is controlled by the Republican Party. In fact, all but six of Texas County's elected officeholders are Republicans.

Office Incumbent Party
Assessor Debbie James Republican
Recorder Susan Warkentin Republican
Circuit Clerk Marci Mosley Republican
County Clerk Donald "Don" R. Troutman Democratic
Commissioner – District 1 John Casey Republican
Commissioner – District 2 Linda L. Garrett Republican
Coroner Thomas C. Whittaker Democratic
Presiding Commissioner Fred W. Stenger Republican
Prosecuting Attorney Mike Anderson Republican
Public Administrator Theresa Campbell Democratic
Sheriff Carl Watson Democratic
Surveyor Louie Carmack, Jr. Democratic
Treasurer & Ex Officio Collector Tammy Cantrell Democratic

[edit] State

Past Gubernatorial Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2008 43.40% 4,688 54.14% 5,848 2.46% 265
2004 60.32% 6,644 37.92% 4,177 1.76% 193
2000 50.73% 5,030 47.49% 4,709 1.78% 176
1996 48.50% 4,558 48.19% 4,528 3.31% 311

Texas County is divided into two legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives, both held by Republicans.

  • District 144 - Currently represented by Tony Dugger (R-Hartville) and consists of some of the eastern portions of the county. In 2010, Dugger ran unopposed and was reelected with 100 percent of the vote.
Missouri House of Representatives - District 144 - Texas County (2010)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Tony Dugger* 911 100.00 +30.71
  • District 147 – Currently represented by Don Wells (R-Cabool) and consists of most of the entire county, including Cabool, Houston, Licking, Raymondville, and Summersville. In 2010, Wells ran unopposed and was reelected with 100 percent of the vote.
Missouri House of Representatives - District 147 - Texas County (2008)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Don Wells* 6,255 100.00 0

In the Missouri Senate, all of Texas County is a part of Missouri's 33rd District and is currently represented by State Senator Chuck Purgason (R-Caulfield). In 2008, Purgason defeated Eric Reeve (D) 67.31-32.69 percent in the district. The 33rd Senatorial District consists of Camden, Howell, Laclede, Oregon, Shannon, Texas, and Wright counties.

Missouri Senate - District 33 - Texas County (2008)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Chuck Purgason 6,753 65.34
Democratic Eric Reeve 3,582 34.66

[edit] Federal

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Texas County is represented by Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau) who represents all of Southeast Missouri as part of Missouri's 8th Congressional District.

U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 - Texas County (2010)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jo Ann Emerson 5,268 64.03 -9.75
Democratic Tommy Sowers 2,563 31.15 +7.48
Libertarian Rick Vandeven 219 2.66 +1.18
Independent Larry Bill 177 2.15 +2.15

[edit] Political Culture

Past Presidential Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2008 66.49% 7,215 31.43% 3,410 2.08% 226
2004 65.66% 7,234 33.25% 3,664 1.09% 120
2000 61.78% 6,136 35.10% 3,486 3.12% 310
1996 43.06% 4,065 41.28% 3,897 15.66% 1,478

At the presidential level, Texas County is a fairly Republican-leaning county. George W. Bush carried Texas County by two-to-one margins in 2000 and 2004. Bill Clinton was the last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Texas County in 1992, and like many of the rural counties throughout Missouri, Texas County strongly favored John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008.

Like most rural areas throughout Southeast Missouri, voters in Texas County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Texas County with 85.63 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Texas County with 61.13 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Texas County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes like increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Texas County with 72.03 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 78.99 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.

[edit] Missouri Presidential Preference Primary (2008)

In the 2008 Missouri Presidential Preference Primary, voters in Texas County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.

Texas County, Missouri
2008 Republican primary in Missouri
John McCain 954 (27.69%)
Mike Huckabee 1,727 (50.13%)
Mitt Romney 480 (13.93%)
Ron Paul 234 (6.79%)
Texas County, Missouri
2008 Democratic primary in Missouri
Hillary Rodham Clinton 1,858 (68.03%)
Barack Obama 743 (27.21%)
John Edwards (withdrawn) 101 (3.70%)
Uncommitted 14 (1.06%)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ United States Census Bureau. "2010 Census Data". United States Census Bureau. http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/. Retrieved 29 July 2011. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  3. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
  4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

[edit] External links

Laclede County Pulaski County and Phelps County Dent County
Wright County Shannon County
   Texas County, Missouri    
Douglas County Howell County
Municipalities and communities of Texas County, Missouri, United States
Cities
Villages
Townships
Unincorporated
communities
Footnotes

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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Coordinates: 37°19′N 91°58′W / 37.32°N 91.96°W / 37.32; -91.96

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