Dallas County, Texas

Coordinates: 32°46′N 96°47′W / 32.77°N 96.78°W / 32.77; -96.78
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Not to be confused with Dallam County, Texas.
Dallas County
County
The former Dallas County Courthouse in March 2009
The former Dallas County Courthouse in March 2009
Flag of Dallas County
Flag
Map of Texas highlighting Dallas County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°46′N 96°47′W / 32.77°N 96.78°W / 32.77; -96.78
Country United States
State Texas
FoundedMarch 30, 1846
Named forGeorge M. Dallas
SeatDallas
Largest cityDallas
Area
 • Total909 sq mi (2,350 km2)
 • Land873 sq mi (2,260 km2)
 • Water36 sq mi (90 km2)  4.0%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2017)
2,618,148[1]
 • Density2,999/sq mi (1,139/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts5th, 24th, 30th, 32nd, 33rd
Websitewww.dallascounty.org

Dallas County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,368,139.[2] It is Texas' second-most populous county and the ninth-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Dallas,[3] which is also Texas' third-largest city and the ninth-largest city in the United States. The county was founded in 1846 and was possibly named for George Mifflin Dallas, the 11th Vice President of the United States under U.S. President James K. Polk.[disputed – discuss]

Dallas County is included in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area (colloquially referred to as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 909 square miles (2,350 km2), of which 873 square miles (2,260 km2) is land and 36 square miles (93 km2) (4.0%) is water.[4]

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18502,743—
18608,665215.9%
187013,81459.4%
188033,488142.4%
189067,042100.2%
190082,72623.4%
1910135,74864.1%
1920210,55155.1%
1930325,69154.7%
1940398,56422.4%
1950614,79954.3%
1960951,52754.8%
19701,327,32139.5%
19801,556,39017.3%
19901,852,81019.0%
20002,218,89919.8%
20102,368,1396.7%
2018 (est.)2,637,772[5]11.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
2012 Estimate[2]

2015 Texas population estimate program

As of the 2015 Texas population estimate program, the population of the county was 2,541,528: non-Hispanic whites, 713,835 (28.1%); non-Hispanic blacks, 565,020 (22.2%); other non-Hispanics, 197,082 (7.7%); and Hispanics and Latinos (of any race), 1,065,591 (41.9%).[7]

2010 Census

As of the census[8] of 2010, there were 2,368,139 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile (974/km²). There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi (375/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 53.54 White (33.12% Non-Hispanic White), 22.30% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 5.15% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 14.04% from other races, and 2.70% from two or more races. 38.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 807,621 households out of which 35.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.90% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.90% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.34. As of the 2010 census, there were about 8.8 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.[9]

In the wider county, the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 34.40% from 25 to 44, 18.90% from 45 to 64, and 8.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was US$43,324, and the median income for a family was $49,062. Males had a median income of $34,988 versus $29,539 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,603. About 10.60% of families and 13.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.00% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Government, Courts, and Politics

Government

Dallas County, like all counties in Texas, is governed by a Commissioners Court. This court consists of the county judge (the chairperson of the court), who is elected county-wide, and four commissioners who are elected by the voters in each of four precincts.

The Commissioners Court is the policy-making body for the county; in addition, the county judge is the senior executive and administrative position in the county. The Commissioners Court sets the county tax rate, adopts the budget, appoints boards and commissions, approves grants and personnel actions, and oversees the administration of county government. Each commissioner also supervises a Road and Bridge District. The Commissioners Court also approves the budget and sets the tax rate for the hospital district, which is charged with the responsibility for providing acute medical care for citizens who otherwise would not receive adequate medical services.[10]

County Commissioners[11]

Office Name Party
  County Judge Clay Jenkins Democratic
  Commissioner, Precinct 1 Theresa Daniel Democratic
  Commissioner, Precinct 2 J.J. Koch Republican
  Commissioner, Precinct 3 John Wiley Price Democratic
  Commissioner, Precinct 4 Elba Garcia Democratic

County Officials[11]

Office Name Party
  County Clerk John Warren Democratic
  Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot Democratic
  District Clerk Felicia Pitre Democratic
  Sheriff Marian Brown Democratic
  Tax Assessor-Collector John Ames Democratic
  Treasurer Pauline Medrano Democratic

Constables[11]

Office Name Party
  Constable, Precinct 1 Tracey Gulley Democratic
  Constable, Precinct 2 Bill Gipson, II Democratic
  Constable, Precinct 3 Ben Adamcik Republican
  Constable, Precinct 4 Edward Wright Democratic
  Constable, Precinct 5 Michael Orozco Democratic

Justices of the Peace[11]

Office Name Party
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 1 Thomas G. Jones Democratic
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 2 Valencia Nash Democratic
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 1 Margaret O’Brien Democratic
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 2 Katina Whitfield Democratic
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3, Place 1 Al Cercone Republican
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3, Place 2 Steven L. Seider Republican
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, Place 1 Mike Jones Democratic
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, Place 2 Sasha Moreno Democratic
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 1 Sara Martinez Democratic
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 2 Juan Jasso Democratic

Courts

County Criminal Courts[11]

Office Name Party
  County Criminal Court No. 1 Dan Patterson Democratic
  County Criminal Court No. 2 Julia Hayes Democratic
  County Criminal Court No. 3 Doug Skemp Democratic
  County Criminal Court No. 4 Nancy Mulder Democratic
  County Criminal Court No. 5 Lisa Green Democratic
  County Criminal Court No. 6 Angela M. King Democratic
  County Criminal Court No. 7 Elizabeth Crowder Democratic
  County Criminal Court No. 8 Tina Yoo Clinton Democratic
  County Criminal Court No. 9 Peggy Hoffman Democratic
  County Criminal Court No. 10 Roberto Canas, Jr. Democratic
  County Criminal Court No. 11 Shequitta Kelly Democratic

County Criminal Courts of Appeals[11]

Office Name Party
  County Criminal Court of Appeals No. 1 Kristin Wade Democratic
  County Criminal Court of Appeals No. 2 Jeff Rosenfield Democratic

County Civil Courts[11]

Office Name Party
  County Court at Law No. 1 D'Metria Benson Democratic
  County Court at Law No. 2 King Fifer Democratic
  County Court at Law No. 3 Sally Montgomery Democratic
  County Court at Law No. 4 Ken Tapscott Democratic
  County Court at Law No. 5 Mark Greenberg Democratic

County Probate Courts[11]

Office Name Party
  County Probate Court No. 1 Brenda Hull Thompson Democratic
  County Probate Court No. 2 Ingrid Michelle Warren Democratic
  County Probate Court No. 3 Margaret Jones-Johnson Democratic

Criminal District Courts[11]

Office Name Party
  Criminal District Court No. 1 Robert Burns Democratic
  Criminal District Court No. 2 Nancy Kennedy Democratic
  Criminal District Court No. 3 Gracie Lewis Democratic
  Criminal District Court No. 4 Dominique Collins Democratic
  Criminal District Court No. 5 Carter Thompson Democratic
  Criminal District Court No. 6 Jeanine Howard Democratic
  Criminal District Court No. 7 Vacant
  194th District Court Ernest White III Democratic
  195th District Court Hector Garza Democratic
  203rd District Court Teresa Hawthorne Democratic
  204th District Court Tammy Kemp Democratic
  265th District Court Jennifer Bennett Democratic
  282nd District Court Amber Givens-Davis Democratic
  283rd District Court Vacant
  291st District Court Stephanie Mitchell Democratic
  292nd District Court Brandon Birmingham Democratic
  363rd District Court Tracy Holmes Democratic

Civil District Courts[11]

Office Name Party
  14th District Court Eric Moyé Democratic
  44th District Court Bonnie Lee Goldstein Democratic
  68th District Court Martin Hoffman Democratic
  95th District Court Ken Molberg Democratic
  101st District Court Staci Williams Democratic
  116th District Court Tonya Parker Democratic
  134th District Court Dale Tillery Democratic
  160th District Court Jim Jordan Democratic
  162nd District Court Maricela Moore Democratic
  191st District Court Gena Slaughter Democratic
  192nd District Court Craig Smith Democratic
  193rd District Court Carl Ginsberg Democratic
  298th District Court Emily Tobolowsky Democratic

Family District Courts[11]

Office Name Party
  254th District Court Darlene Ewing Democratic
  255th District Court Kim Cooks Democratic
  256th District Court David Lopez Democratic
  301st District Court Mary Brown Democratic
  302nd District Court Tena Callahan Democratic
  303rd District Court Dennise Garcia Democratic
  330th District Court Andrea Plumlee Democratic

Juvenile District Courts[11]

Office Name Party
  304th District Court Andrea Martin Democratic
  305th District Court Cheryl Lee Shannon Democratic

County Services

The Parkland Health & Hospital System (Dallas County Hospital District) operates the Parkland Memorial Hospital and various health centers.

The Commissioners Court meets the first and third Tuesday at the Commissioners Courtroom located in the Dallas County Administration Building at 411 Elm St., corner of Elm and Houston streets. The building was the headquarters of the Texas School Book Depository Company until 1970. Assassin Lee Harvey Oswald shot President John F. Kennedy from a window located on the sixth floor which today houses the Sixth Floor Museum dedicated to the late president's memory.

Acts of the commissioners court are known as 'court orders'. These orders include setting county policies and procedures, issuing contracts, authorizing expenditures, and managing county resources and departments. Most importantly, the commissioners court sets the annual tax rate and the budget for Dallas County government and the courts. The commissioners also set the tax rate and budget for the Dallas County Hospital District which operates Parkland Hospital.

The commissioners court has direct control over all county offices and departments not otherwise administered by a county elected official. Those departments include Dallas County Elections, Health and Human Services, Facilities Management, Parks and Open Space Program, I.T. Services, Homeland Security and Emergency Services, among others. Through their budget making powers, the commissioners exercise indirect control over the District Attorney's office, Sheriff, District Clerk, County Clerk and County Treasurer. The commissioners also set the budget for each of the District, County, and Justice courts.

Dallas County employs a commissioners court administrator who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the commissioners court and implementing the Dallas County Master Plan and the directives of the commissioners court. The current commissioners court administrator is Darryl Martin who was hired by the commissioners in 2008.

Dallas County Jail, 111 West Commerce Street

Dallas County operates several jail facilities. They include:[12]

  • 111 Riverfront Blvd (Dallas)
    • North Tower Jail
    • South Tower Jail - also known as the "Suzanne Kays Tower"
    • West Tower Jail
  • Government Center Jail - 600 Commerce Street (Dallas)
  • Decker Detention Center - 899 North Stemmons Freeway (Dallas)
  • (formerly) Suzanne Kays Jail - 521 North Industrial Boulevard (Dallas) - population integrated into the South Tower; demolished to clear way for the Trinity River Project[13]

Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Hutchins State Jail for men in an unincorporated area adjacent to Hutchins.[14] Corrections Corporation of America operates the Dawson Unit, a co-gender state jail in Downtown Dallas, under contract.[15]

Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville, is located in Seagoville.

Politics

Dallas County's post-war growth transformed it from a Democratic Solid South stronghold into a conservative sunbelt county that voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 1952 to 2004, except when Texas native Lyndon B. Johnson successfully ran for a full term as President on the Democratic ticket in 1964. In the 2004 election, Democrats won their first countywide administrative office since 1986 by electing Lupe Valdez to the office of Dallas County Sheriff. The last Democratic countywide administrator was D. Connally elected County Surveyor prior to the office's abolition. Democrats also won three district court benches in 2004. Two years later in 2006, Democrats swept every contested countywide race including County Judge, District Clerk, County Clerk, District Attorney and County Treasurer as well as every contested judicial seat.

Starting in 1992, Dallas County began voting more Democratic than the state of Texas as a whole, with relatively narrow wins from 1992 to 2004 even as the Republican nominee won Texas easily. This trend culminated in 2008 when Barack Obama won Dallas County with a substantial margin. Obama's coattails allowed Democrats to win the remaining Republican held judicial seats. In 2012, Obama won Dallas County by virtually the same margin as he had done in 2008. In 2016, Hillary Clinton increased the Democratic margin of victory even further. She became the first Democrat to win 60% of Dallas County since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944, whilst under Donald Trump the Republicans failed to win 40% of the vote in the county for the first time since 1948.

Presidential election results
Presidential election results[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 34.3% 262,945 60.2% 461,080 5.4% 41,657
2012 41.6% 295,813 57.0% 405,571 1.4% 10,228
2008 41.9% 310,000 57.2% 422,989 1.0% 7,085
2004 50.4% 346,246 49.0% 336,641 0.7% 4,822
2000 52.6% 322,345 44.9% 275,308 2.5% 15,386
1996 46.8% 260,058 46.0% 255,766 7.2% 40,129
1992 38.7% 256,007 35.0% 231,412 26.3% 173,833
1988 58.4% 347,094 40.9% 243,198 0.7% 4,246
1984 66.4% 405,444 33.4% 203,592 0.2% 1,460
1980 59.2% 306,682 36.8% 190,459 4.1% 21,072
1976 56.7% 263,081 42.3% 196,303 1.1% 5,001
1972 69.5% 305,112 29.6% 129,662 0.9% 4,021
1968 50.7% 184,193 34.1% 123,809 15.3% 55,552
1964 45.1% 137,065 54.7% 166,472 0.2% 621
1960 62.2% 149,369 37.0% 88,876 0.9% 2,054
1956 65.1% 125,361 34.0% 65,472 1.0% 1,862
1952 62.7% 118,218 36.8% 69,394 0.5% 850
1948 37.8% 35,664 50.3% 47,464 11.9% 11,216
1944 22.4% 21,099 64.8% 60,909 12.8% 12,028
1940 25.1% 16,574 74.7% 49,431 0.2% 131
1936 14.5% 7,204 84.9% 42,153 0.6% 300
1932 19.1% 8,919 80.1% 37,363 0.8% 371
1928 60.9% 27,272 38.9% 17,437 0.2% 78
1924 21.6% 8,618 75.8% 30,207 2.5% 1,012
1920 23.4% 4,984 67.4% 14,390 9.2% 1,973
1916 15.7% 2,554 82.5% 13,410 1.8% 289
1912 6.1% 590 79.8% 7,725 14.1% 1,367

The Democratic gains in the county are primarily due to the exurban migration of disproportionately conservative, Republican-voting residents to the neighboring counties of Collin, Denton and Rockwall[17] As a result, those counties have become more solidly Republican. The tremendous growth in these neighboring counties was part of a larger explosion in exurban growth throughout the nation over the last decade which coincided with the real estate bust in 2007.[18] In North Texas, exurban growth was accelerated by transportation infrastructure expansion including the extensions of U.S. 75 north and the Dallas North Tollway in the mid 1990s, and the completion of the George Bush Turnpike after 2001. These and other enhancements opened up vast tracts of farmland to new housing developments.[19]

Dallas County has three openly LGBT elected county officials. Lupe Valdez elected Sheriff in 2004 and a candidate for reelection in 2012; Jim Foster, elected county judge in 2006 serving one term then defeated in the Democratic primary in 2010; and Gary Fitzsimmons, elected District Clerk in 2006.[20]

Although Dallas County has become much friendlier to Democrats in Presidential and Senate elections since 1992, it remains a mostly Republican county in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Texas Legislature as a result of the legislature having engaged in what a federal district court has found to be illegal gerrymandering[21] the districts to pack heavily Democratic non-whites into very few districts and split the rest of them with more conservative white areas in Dallas and surrounding counties.

State Board of Education members

District Name Party
  District 11 Patricia Hardy Republican
  District 12 Geraldine Miller Republican
  District 13 Erika Beltran Democratic

Texas State Representatives

District Name Party Residence
  District 100 Eric Johnson Democratic Dallas
  District 102 Ana-Maria Ramos Democratic Dallas
  District 103 Rafael Anchia Democratic Dallas
  District 104 Jessica González Democratic Dallas
  District 105 Terry Meza Democrat Irving
  District 107 Victoria Neave Democratic Dallas
  District 108 Morgan Meyer Republican Dallas
  District 109 Carl Sherman Sr. Democratic De Soto
  District 110 Toni Rose Democratic Dallas
  District 111 Yvonne Davis Democratic Dallas
  District 112 Angie Chen Button Republican Richardson
  District 113 Rhett Andrews Bowers Democratic Garland
  District 114 John Turner Democratic Dallas
  District 115 Julie Johnson Democratic Irving

Texas State Senators

District Name Party Residence
  District 2 Bob Hall Republican Edgewood (Van Zandt County)
  District 8 Angela Paxton Republican McKinney (Collin County)
  District 9 Kelly Hancock Republican Fort Worth
  District 16 Nathan Johnson Democratic Dallas
  District 23 Royce West Democratic Dallas

United States Representatives

District Name Party Residence
  Texas's 5th congressional district Lance Gooden Republican Terrell
  Texas's 24th congressional district Kenny Marchant Republican Coppell
  Texas's 30th congressional district Eddie Bernice Johnson Democratic Dallas
  Texas's 32nd congressional district Colin Allred Democratic Dallas
  Texas's 33rd congressional district Marc Veasey Democratic Fort Worth

Education

The following school districts serve Dallas County:

White flight meant the decrease of non-Hispanic white students in Dallas County K-12 school districts from 1997 until the 2014-2015 school year. The number was 138,760 in the former and 61,538 in the latter; during 2014-2015 county charter schools had about 5,000 non-Hispanic white students. In 2016 Eric Nicholson of the Dallas Observer wrote that the bulk of white K-12 enrollment is shifting to more distant suburban areas beyond Dallas County, and that "Teasing out causation is tricky" but that the perception of poverty, which many white families wish to avoid, is tied with race.[22]

Transportation

Dallas Area Rapid Transit provides bus and rail service to many cities in Dallas County, with Dallas being the largest.

The Trinity Railway Express provides commuter rail service to Tarrant County, including downtown Fort Worth.

Major highways

NOTE: US 67 and US 77 are not signed fully along their routes in Dallas County.

Airports

Love Field, located in Dallas and in Dallas County, serves only domestic passengers.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is partially located in the city of Irving in Dallas County, and Grapevine and Euless in Tarrant County.

Communities

Cities (multiple counties)

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated community

Historical communities

See also

References

  1. ^ "American FactFinder". U.S. Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  5. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  7. ^ Estimates of the Population by Age, Sex, and Race/Ethnicity for July 1, 2015 for State of Texas (PDF), July 15, 2015, archived from the original (PDF) on May 4, 2017, retrieved June 8, 2017
  8. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  9. ^ Where Same-Sex Couples Live, June 26, 2015, retrieved July 6, 2015
  10. ^ "Dallas County". www.dallascounty.org.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Dallas County, TX Elections". www.dallascountyvotes.org. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
  12. ^ "Jail Information." Dallas County Sheriff's Office. Accessed September 14, 2008.
  13. ^ Krause, Kevin. Suzanne Kays jail to close in Dallas this week Archived 2012-04-12 at WebCite." The Dallas Morning News. April 14, 2009. Retrieved on June 3, 2013.
  14. ^ "HUTCHINS (HJ) Archived 2008-09-23 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Accessed September 14, 2008.
  15. ^ "DAWSON (JD) Archived 2013-06-03 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on June 3, 2013.
  16. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  17. ^ Wallsten, Peter (2004-06-28). "Bush Sees 'Fertile Soil' in Exurbia". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
  18. ^ Tavernise, Sabrina (April 4, 2012). "Census Data Offers Look at Effects of Recession". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
  19. ^ Kim, Theodore (February 4, 2012). "North Texas Growth Sprang from Pro-Growth Policies". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
  20. ^ Cloud, John (2007-05-17). "The Lavender Heart of Texas". Time magazine. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  21. ^ Barragan, James (20 April 2018). "Redistricting Redux". Dallas News. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  22. ^ Nicholson, Eric (2016-05-03). "In Dallas, White Flight Never Ends". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  23. ^ Rose-Mary Rumbley, "LETOT, CLEMENT" Handbook of Texas Online, accessed December 26, 2010.
  24. ^ "Little Egypt, TX" in the Handbook of Texas Online, by Lisa C. Maxwell; accessed 05 December 2015.
  25. ^ "Trinity Mills, TX" from the Handbook of Texas Online. By Matthew Hayes Nall. Retrieved on 31 March 2007.

External links

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