Bexar County, Texas

Infobox U.S. County
county = Bexar County
state = Texas


founded year = 1836
founded date = December 20
seat wl = San Antonio | area_total_sq_mi =1257
area_land_sq_mi =1247
area_water_sq_mi =10
area percentage = 0.78%
census yr = 2000
pop = 1392931
density_km2 =431
web = www.co.bexar.tx.us
|

Bexar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2006, the population was estimated at 1,555,931. [ [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/48029.html Bexar County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau ] ] Its county seat is San AntonioGR|6. In Spanish, "Béxar" is pronounced|ˈbehaɾ; however, in English it is pronEng|ˈbɛr "bear". [ [http://www.sachamber.org/relo/general_info.php General San Antonio Information ] ]

Bexar County is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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

The county gets its name from San Antonio de Béxar, one of the twenty-three 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 in the Spanish province of Texas. Specifically, the municipality was created in 1731 when fifty-five 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 Béxar, 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 city in Spain).

Geography

Bexar County is located 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 km²), of which, 1,247 square miles (3,229 km²) of it is land and 10 square miles (25 km²) of it (0.78%) is water.

Major Highways

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Adjacent counties

*Kendall County (north)
*Comal County (north)
*Guadalupe County (northeast)
*Wilson County (southeast)
*Atascosa County (south)
*Medina County (west)
*Bandera County (northwest)

National protected area

* San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families 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. 54.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 488,942 households out of which 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 non-families. 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 spread out with 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 in the county was $38,328, and the median income 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

Famous People from Bexar County

*Al Freeman, Jr., actor, ABC soap opera "One Life to Live", "Malcolm X", "Carol Burnett" and "Joan Crawford"
*Michelle Rodriguez of ABC's "Lost"
*Ciro D. Rodriguez, Member of Congress, previously 28th District, Texas, now 23rd District, Texas
*Robert Rodríguez, Director of "Spy Kids", "Desperado", and "Sin City".

further|Notables of San Antonio, Texas

Cities and towns

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

Corrections

The Bexar County jail facilities are located at 200 North Comal in Downtown San Antonio. [" [http://www.bexar.org/bcsheriff/location.htm BCSO Location and Driving Directions] ." "Bexar County". Accessed September 14, 2008.]

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Dominguez Unit, a state jail for men, in an unincorporated section of Bexar County. [" [http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/bx.htm Dominguez (BX)] ." "Texas Department of Criminal Justice". Accessed September 14, 2008.]

References

* Stephens, A. Ray, and William M. Holmes, "Historical Atlas of Texas." University of Oklahoma Press, 1989. ISBN 0-8061-2307-9

External links

* [http://www.co.bexar.tx.us/ Bexar County government's website]
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* [http://texashistory.unt.edu/search/?q=%22United+States+-+Texas+-+Bexar+County%22&t=dc.coverage Historic Bexar County materials] , hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History.]

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